Museum announces plans for construction of new building

By Rob Vogt

The Claresholm and District Museum has announced its intention to raise funds for a new building, with a goal of beginning construction in 2027.
The museum held a “Spring Festival” on Saturday, May 24, and used the occasion to make the announcement.
“Today marks a major milestone for the Claresholm and District Museum,” began Barry Gibbs, chair of the museum board, adding it is something they have been talking about since 2012.
He explained the museum has no way to display large agricultural equipment.
“And this whole area is based on agriculture,” Gibbs said. “We feel we need to do a much better job with that.”
Moreover, artifacts are still coming in.
“We’ve run out of room,” he said.
The care of the museum’s collection is really paramount, Gibbs stressed, and they want to give the best care to that
They also want to have new displays of the collection. Right now the museum is using display space for storage.
Consequently, the museum is beginning the process of raising funds for a new, multi-purpose building.
“It will allow us to do a number of things,” Gibbs said.
With that, Gibbs and Claresholm Mayor Brad Schlossberger unveiled an artist’s rendition of the new building.
“It looks an awful lot like a barn,” Gibbs said, adding that is intentional.
The building will be a modern facility. It will be 40-feet by 80-feet; metal clad; with a cement floor, mezzanine; a large display space; climate controlled storage for artifacts; a workshop for artifact restoration; storage space; and a loft.
“We’ll have lots of areas to store stuff,” Gibbs said.
The building will be located on Second Street East, on the southern end of the museum grounds and directly north of the Claresholm Social Centre.
The size has been staked out on the grass, for people to see.
Construction will be in two phases. Phase 1 will involve construction of the building, the cement work, and connecting the services.
Phase 2 will be finishing the inside of the building.
Gibbs said when the museum board received the go-ahead from town council to proceed, the board made a commitment to build the facility with grants and fundraising only. No municipal tax dollars will be spent on it.
That means the museum will be embarking on a signficant fundraising campaign, and partnering with the Friends of the Museum to do so.
“That’s a big part of our activity (in 2025),” Gibbs said.
The goal is to begin construction in 2027.
Schlossberger called the museum the gem of Claresholm.
“We have so much history in Claresholm,” he said. “Great stories, fabulous photos, amazing videos, fantastic displays. Our history comes alive in the Claresholm museum.”
Whether it is the settlers, western history, wartime history, or the Famous 5 who advanced women’s rights in Canada, the Claresholm museum tells the story of all these people, places and events.
“It is wonderful that we have captured and nurtured all this amazing history,” Schlossberger said. “This museum reminds us to be very proud of our town and the rich history it has.
“I hope we keep this pride and history alive in our town.”