Frozen Fingers Terminal

For a long time this concrete terminal elevator had puzzled me for a long time. There were never any grain cars sitting on the rail tracks for loading, there were never any grain trucks being emptied but the lights were always on in the office and the snow was always cleared after a snow storm. So when bizarre things started happening (ladders being taken off, holes being punched in the walls and the demolition of the Masterfeeds Feed Mill) I sought the opportunity to explore it.

There was a problem however, my entrance could be seen from a major thoroughfare and it was nearly ten feet above my head. Getting in would not be a problem as the concrete from the demolition was piled high but it was getting out that was going to be a problem. Nonetheless I was determined to get into this building and on a night when most people would be safely tucked indoors I ventured out in the -37C wind chill.

As I approached the entry point I caught some good luck, a train was passing by and would in a minute or two hold up traffic. Seizing this opportunity I quickly threw my backpack into the entry point and then threw myself into the building landing hard on the concrete floor.

The first thing I noticed was how much colder it was inside the elevator than it was outside it. The second thing I noticed was that the table I had seen was not going to budge and so a replacement step had to be found. At first I tried using a heavy piece of metal that I would lean against the wall and jump off to get my grab. Unfortunately the first time I tried to do this the metal piece slipped and slapped down hard onto the concrete floor. The un holy sound it produced echoed loudly and continued to do so for five seconds until an eerie calm came over me. After listening for any movement I brushed aside the thick cobwebs surrounding a piece of vent and set it up to sit on the floor. Thankfully, this held and I was easily able to get a grab to hoist me out of the building.

After creating a suitable and reliable exit I proceeded to unpack my camera and began to take pictures. The room I had entered into was filled with various chutes and legs and nothing else so I proceeded into the North House. Upon entry of the first room in the North House I immediately noticed a large hole that extended from the bottom to who knows where along with a number of legs. From this room one could enter the weigh scales and offices but since the lights were on I decided against venturing in. Instead I went up to the second floor where the light from the first floor was still pouring through the hole. There were quite a few pipes leading to possibly bagging points but that was all I was able to see as after taking a picture of a junction I could no longer take the pain in my fingers. Upon closer examination on the first floor it turned out that my fingers had received severe frostbite and were now as white as fresh snow.

The determination to continue exploring battled with my reasoning but in the end I chose to leave instead of risk more limbs to frostbite. (Looking back, I am thankful that I did not continue the mission as my fingers are in constant pain and writing has become quite difficult.) However my night did not end there, due to the fact that the city had been dumped on by two snow storms the side streets were in rough condition. My fear was that my car would get stuck while being chased and unfortunately my fear came true minus the running away part. For nearly a half hour I dug, rocked my car and spun my tires until I was finally free and on my way home.

About a week later when the weather was warmer (-20C, -27C with the wind-chill) I made another return trip. I was expecting that my entry point would be closed up and my step to be removed but surprisingly, everything was still intact.

I waited for a break in traffic and then made my move inside the building perfectly. In my worst case scenario I would be chased out of the building with no pictures or at least pictures without light painting. This prompted me to go into the windowless basement to at least get some pictures with light painting in them.

Walking down the stairs brought me into the dark and enormous basement, its ceiling at least two stories high in some places. To my right were four tunnels running the length of the silo's that were used to transport grain/canola by way of roller belts to the main leg. I decided to explore these tunnels first and to my surprise found that the roller belts had been removed and all that remained in the tunnels from what I could see, where piles of grain and a long string of lights. Two of the tunnels ran the length of the silo's while the two outer tunnels ran for only half the length.

Making my way through the tunnel I began to hear some strange moving sounds that sounded like a pigeon. However shining my light down the tunnel revealed no pigeon. Perplexed I continued on my way yet continued to hear the sounds. Then I shone my light to the side of the tunnel and it appeared that the piles of grain were moving. Was I becoming disillusioned or was there a logical reason behind this occurrence? I began to kick the grain and immediately a dozen mice quickly ran out in all directions. With the satisfaction of solving this mystery I continued on my way down the tunnel.

About half way down the tunnel I came to an transit way between the two tunnels that marked where the two different silo complexes were. The second silo complex that was ahead of me didn't have grain on the floor but rather canola. Also, the tunnel was full of unloading chutes making travel rather difficult.

After taking pictures of these I went back down the tunnel and explored the other two tunnels. There was nothing in the eastern tunnel so I decided to explore the western tunnel. As I approached the southern tunnel I immediately caught hold of a huge shovel, the largest I had ever seen. Other than that there was nothing of much interest so I my interest to the rest of the basement.

The rest of the basement was a literal mess, wires were left hanging everywhere and equipment was strewn everywhere. The only thing left intact were the legs and various piping equipment. Moving toward the north part of the building I noticed that the entire end was filled with piles of blocks of concrete, the kind that are made during demolitions. I knew that the terminal used to be twice the size it was during its days as a flour mill and that this northern end was where it was demolished. But could there have been tunnels leading somewhere else, possibly to where Masterfeeds was? The question was amplified by my find of a tunnel beneath Masterfeeds that was exposed during its demolition. Unfortunately, these questions cannot be answered at the present time as the company who owns both buildings refuses to answer my calls.

Exploring the basement brought much of the same destruction so I went upstairs to the second floor to continue the ascent up. It was surprising to be able to use stairs to get to the top of the terminal because Ogilivy and all the other grain storage facilities I have explored had no such luxury. Up until the seventh of eighth floor everything looked the same, empty space with numerous new pipes going in every which direction.

At the seventh or eighth floor marked the top of the silo's and the roller belts. However on the north silo's there was no such set up, just a bunch of holes and a chair. Cranking up my ISO to 1600 in order not to avoid using my headlamp and flashlights. The top of the silo's however were a story above the initial floor and the main silo's walkway had been taken away. This forced me to do some climbing over a large drop in order to reach it. After taking pictures of the rollers minus the belt that had been removed I proceeded to go back to the stairwell.

There was nothing much of interest until I reached the top floor and was greeted by some insane pigeons whose purpose was to guard the upper floor. After kicking and punching these pigeons to the ground I found that there a giant hole in the roof and in the wall. Not wanting to go on the Swiss Cheese roof I instead began to take pictures of the skyline through one of the holes in the wall. While relaxing and taking in the view the screech of flanges and clanging of bells began to fill the area. Then a blast echoed through the cold dry air and a smile came upon my face. It was just like the good old days at Masterfeeds.

I sat and watched the train leave relishing all the memories I had of watching trains pass by on the roof of Masterfeeds. I also began to realize that this was why I explored as I looked over the ants moving around below. After spending a half hour just humming tunes to myself, thinking, and just simply relaxing I decided that it was time to head home.

As I started my car and began to drive home I began to feel an immense emotion of pride and joy. Not only had I just explored another building but I had also created some magical memories....memories that would last a lifetime.