Sharples is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.Kneehill County Kneehill County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada within Census Division No. 5. Geography Communities and localities The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Kneehill County: ;Cities *none ;Towns *Three Hi ...

. The community is located along the former track bed of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

Carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with o ...

- Drumheller branch line. It was built in the 1920s when the CPR line was extended through the area. The community was the site of two

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

s serving local farmers. At its peak in the 1940s the elevators were handling over 100,000 bushels of wheat per year and a small number of houses surrounded them for those who worked there. The branch line, and with it the grain elevators, were shut in 1982 as the coal industry in the area dwindled making it unprofitable for the CPR. The elevator owned by the

Alberta Wheat Pool The Alberta Wheat Pool was the first of Canada's wheat farmer co-operatives in 1923. History Early years In 1923, the United Farmers of Alberta met with then Attorney General John Edward Brownlee to consider setting up a Wheat Pool just in Alb ...

was demolished, but the

Parrish & Heimbecker Parrish & Heimbecker Limited is a Canadian grain company with about 1,500 employees across Canada and the northern United States. The company has several divisions including flour milling, feed milling, grain marketing, transportation and logist ...

grain elevator remains standing.

References

* * {{coord, 51, 28, 42, N, 113, 3, 50, W, type:city_region:CA-AB, name=Sharples, display=title Ghost towns in Alberta Localities in Kneehill County

See also

References