The East Coulee School Museum was closed last Sunday to clean up after a break-and-enter and vandalism overnight.
Cindy Clark, executive director of the East Coulee School Museum, tells the Mail sometime in the late hours of Saturday, August 17 or the early hours of Sunday, August 18, culprit(s) broke into the institution. It appears they gained access through the window. It appears to her it may be young people.
“There were some beer cans, and they stole some of the consigned jewellery and things from the gift shop,” said Clark. “They pushed around some things and knocked some things over.”
The damages also included a liquid poured into the carpet in the gift shop, a bed in the miner’s room was broken, as well as a window.
“When I look at all the damage they could have done, they didn’t,” said Clark.
“Inside, when I think of all the artifacts they could have damaged, or they could have spray painted, but they didn’t do anything like that, so it doesn’t look like a targeted vandalism type of thing.”

“It appeared to me that maybe some tourists were camping around East Coulee and the kids were hanging out and fooling around.”
The Drumheller RCMP came out to assess and gather evidence from the crime scene and so far it is still under investigation. The museum was back open on Monday.
“It’s disappointing in the sense that somebody did that, but as far as loss the museum or damages to the museum it was very minimal. It is just heartbreaking that they could do something like this,” she said.
The afternoon before the break-in, staff also noticed the strap used during history school was missing from the classroom, which was also disappointing.
“Maybe they got scared off by our ghosts, I hope so,” Clark chuckles.

The Drumheller Fire Department has a new tool in its box to help fight brush fires.
The Town has outfitted one of its retiring trucks with a brush firefighting setup that is versatile, nimble and modern.
Fire Chief Darien Rosario explains they repurposed the chassis of its old rescue truck and made it a brush truck. The rescue truck has expired for use as a primary responder but was still a relatively low mileage truck. A brush truck does not have to adhere to the same standards.
They outfitted the truck with a new deck console and bumper. By doing this they saved about $110,000, and also have the equipment to transfer to a new chassis when the useful life of the current truck expires.
“When we upgrade this truck, all we are doing is buying the chassis and the labour to take these pieces off and put them on the next one,” said Rosario.
The budget for the new unit was budgeted at about $205,000.
“I know the town doesn’t have much money and aging infrastructure, so it is good to be able to build something like this and actually be affordable at the same time,” he said.
The new brush unit replaces the former truck which was a pickup-style truck with a firefighting skid.
“This truck doubles our capacity and abilities with water and all of that. It is still small, and nimble with four-wheel-drive and is able to go into different places. It carries more water, has a bigger pump, and has the ability to carry all of the bits and pieces as well,” said Rosario.
Earlier this year the department had a brush fire in the Riverside area, and called on mutual aid from Munson, with its brush fire truck to battle the blaze.
The new equipment also has foaming capabilities which helps with firefighting efficacy by breaking the surface tension of water. They also equipped the truck with new firefighting equipment including rapid deployment bags to quickly respond.
“I am not one to buy a truck and then look at all the empty compartments on it. If we are going to have a truck, we are going to have it properly stocked, and this is the most wildland equipment the town has ever had,” said Rosario.