86 Tons of Coal - Nanton's Great Train Robbery!
In February 1907, cold temperatures of -40 degrees. A train came through the town and dozens of residents and local farmers had come to gather in hopes of getting coal to survive the cold snap.
NO COAL DELIVERED TO RESIDENTS they were told.
THEY TOOK MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS and came to a decision to take 86 TONS OF COAL FROM THE TRAIN, each person each PAID $6 PER TONNE. There were no arrests made to those who took the coal.
Here is your chance to win a piece of your coal this winter! Purchase a 50/50 ticket on-line:
canadian-grain-elevator-discovery-centre.square.s...
or from a local business and get a chance to win big!
Organized by the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre
License number issued by the AGLC: #570383
Must be at least 18 years of age to purchase
Series A - 130 Tickets @ 1 for $6.00
Series B - 1230 tickets @ 10 for $40
Series C - 1250 tickets @ 25 for $86
Draw to occur on February 6, 2021, at 11 am at 2119 19th Avenue or LIVE on Good Morning Nanton!
The winner will receive a minimum cash prize of $2,000 or 50% of ticket sales, whichever is greater to a maximum of $5,000. ...
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Tickets are now on sale for the Great Train Robbery 50/50 Raffle! Purchase on-line here: canadian-grain-elevator-discovery-centre.square.site/shop/2 or at various retailers around Nanton.
Ticket sales end February 5, but don't hesitate to get your tickets now! ...
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We are very pleased to receive funding from the Town of Nanton and Community Foundations of Canada for our fencing project.
If you are wondering why a fence is so important (ahead of the other projects we have for the elevators), we need to increase the security of the buildings and the artifacts that we will be building outside for the interpretive walkway. The buildings are old, we need to be sure that they are not being abused in any way by travelers and locals who are drawn to exploring them, as well as keeping those folks from any harm.
We have 1/4 of funds raised so far (based on the quote we received) and are working hard to get more funds raised to complete the project for 2021.
We would be happy to receive donations (you can use the link below) for the project, in-kind work, or volunteering to get some of the work done - if you are interested in helping us out, please feel free to message us. We will keep you posted on our progress!
www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/nanton-and-district-grain-elevator-historical-and-cultural-s/
www.nantonnews.com/news/town-of-nanton-providing-support-grants-to-three-community-organizations ...
Our wooden cattle car is ex Canadian Pacific railway. It is very important to our area because of the near by Cayley stockyards, which served as a major hub for the shipment of cattle to market. To answer the question of how the car ended up at the elevators, see the pictures below. It came in by truck in 2008 as the rail line had been removed about 5 years earlier. These pictures are from our files. Cars such as this one would weigh in near 50 ton empty. Of particular note is that this car is a twin level. What is not well known is that the car usually simply sits on a metal post that rises up from the frame of the trucks. This is why in the photos of the "lift" you see the wheel base it not attached. ...
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The rail line which ran through #Nanton was part of the #CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) and was the MacLeod Line. This from www.fourthjunction.ca...
"The Calgary to Fort Macleod leg was also surveyed in 1890 and construction reached Mekastoe/Haneyville (three miles north of Fort Macleod) in 1892. In 1898, a short link with the Crowsnest Pass line was completed.
South of Calgary, communities with combination stations included De Winton, Okotoks, High River, Nanton and Claresholm. Intermediate sidings with temporary stations included Midnapore, Aldersyde, Cayley, Stavely and Granum. Additional passing sidings were at Turner, Academy, Sandstone, Azure, Connemara, Durward, Pulteney, Woodhouse and Nolan."
This 1949 map from the Univeristy of Toronto archives shows all the subdivisions across Canada. ...
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