The Western Heritage Centre will close its doors Dec. 31.
The museum and interpretative centre located 40 kilometres west of Calgary is dedicated to
the history of ranching in Western Canada. It has not been able to earn enough money to
stay open and the province refuses to inject cash to help it continue.
George Jones, of the centre, said meetings are scheduled with government to discuss the
building’s future.
When the $15 million centre opened in 1996, it hoped to attract more than 350,000 visitors
annually. Instead, less than 20,000 visited last year.
Located on the site of the historic Cochrane Ranche, it has been host to private parties,
conferences and educational programs.
Museum artifacts depicting early life on the range were donated by private citizens and will
be returned to their owners, said Bill Strickland of Alberta Community Development.
Bookings for 2001 will be honored.
