Valuable artifacts, windows and a door were damaged last week when vandals broke into The Fort — Museum of the North West Mounted Police.
The break-in and vandalism left museum staff upset with the lack of respect for the community’s history.
“It’s very frustrating because we are the history of not just the RCMP, but our community and our region,” museum manager Sandi Davis said. “When you see people coming in and taking advantage of the historic site like this it’s almost an insult.”
“It’s really frustrating to see this lack of respect from certain individuals.”
Someone entered the museum courtyard through a locked gate at the museum’s back entrance during the evening of March 24 or early morning of March 25.
Two windows were smashed and a washroom door was kicked in. A rock was thrown so hard through one of the windows that it damaged a wall inside the building.
The vandals took paper towel and toilet paper from the washroom and “papered” the museum courtyard.
“They decorated the Fort, kind of like a little Halloween prank,” Davis said.
Of most concern to museum staff is that one of the ladders from the old fire wagon stationed in the courtyard was broken.
“That was an artifact that was broken, which is the hardest to replace,” Davis said, explaining the wood is rotten and can’t be repaired. “It’s just a ladder, but it’s an artifact.”
The vandals did not get into the museum buildings.
Davis said the museum will add additional security to the compound.
Davis is thankful such incidents of vandalism are rare at the museum
“I think it’s because our community respects what the Fort is and what it stands for,” Davis said.
If you have information contact Const. Tracy Gates at the Fort Macleod RCMP detachment at 403-553-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
