In the early morning hours of July 28, 2010, the Museum of the Highwood, housed in the historic Canadian Pacific Railway Station in High River, Alberta experienced a distressing fire. It began outside in the south-east corner and was fuelled by a stack of plastic chairs located on the back deck. The Museum of the Highwood is a respected research source, and an award winning interpretive educational facility which housed a very original collection consisting of artefacts, archives, and a large photo collection documenting the history of the Highwood River basin.

Although the fire only destroyed approximately 5 % of the collection, the remaining 95% has experienced substantial smoke and water damage. Being a small museum, funding is limited and insurance policies will not be able to cover the entire cost of restoring each item that requires attention. Items with smoke and water damage will need to be treated in an ozone chamber to rid them of the smell and will need special treatments with distilled water. Those items that we are not able to restore ourselves will need to be sent out to restoration companies, all of which will result in substantial costs.

Those interested in donating to the Museum of the Highwood can make a donation at any Servus Credit Union in High River, Okotoks, or Calgary. Cheques or money orders can also be made payable to the Museum of the Highwood and can be mailed to PO Box 5334 High River, Alberta, T1V 1M5. Anyone wishing to volunteer their time or any other services can contact the Museum of the Highwood by e-mail at museumofthehighwood@highriver.ca or by phone at 403-652-7156.