The Badlands Historic Centre might be getting a new lease on life and interested parties are looking at reviving the institution with a new focus.
The Badlands Historical Centre has, like many other institutions, struggled through COVID.
It was also a victim of a break and enter and theft in 2019, which also compounded the issues. Stan Solberg tells the Mail the Drumheller and District Museum Society and the Homestead Museum are taking the initial steps to amalgamate.
On Sunday, March 20, a few of the interested parties took some time to explore the museum and talk about future possibilities.
Solberg said the vision is to celebrate the evolution of agriculture from pre-biblical days to the present and into the future. The Museum with its collection will have a distinctive local flavour.
“Over the years Drumheller has been a huge agricultural center. It began as a center for pioneer farmers and ranchers, who took up land in the area,” explains Solberg. “When mining came it was still important. In downtimes in the mines, when prices were low, the farmers were always here, always the backbone of the town.”
The railway compounded this as Drumheller quickly became a hub for the industry and it continues to be today.
“Drumheller has always been good at honouring the history of the miners and the dinosaur background we have pushed for tourists very, very energetically. But not one time have we done a tribute to the farmers and ranchers. Now we hope we can make Drumheller aware, to not only Drumheller citizens but the province as a whole, of the amount of grains and beef that come from this area.”
He said they hope to partner with other institutions in the valley such as other museums, and groups.
On Sunday there was representation from the Town of Drumheller, the Drumheller Farmer’s Market, and the East Coulee School Museum.
The Badland Historical Society has a varied and eclectic collection, celebrating the social, agricultural, mining, and palaeontological history.
Pat Thompson of the Drumheller and District Museum Society said he is relieved there are people interested in reviving the museum. With such a collection, many items will remain with the new agriculture focus. Many items are on permanent loan from the owners, and they will have to be contacted. Other museums might be able to also take on some of the items that fit with their motif.
An annual general meeting will be coming up in the near future to elect a new board and continue the process. They are looking ahead and Solberg said they will have the transfer meeting as soon as possible.
“We can’t think of a better place to kick this off!”

Badlands Search and Rescue (SAR) is looking to bolster its ranks to continue to provide its important service to area communities
Badlands SAR has been around for over 10 years. And was formed to provide coverage in Eastern Alberta where there was a gap in services.
On February 19 it held a recruitment session at the Badlands Community Facility and it was helpful.
“We had a couple of people come to it who were really interested, and that was promising,” said Badlands SAR President Scott Campbell, adding they may look at doing another in the near future.
Campbell said COVID-19 was tough on the organization. Its membership has fallen and because of COVID, it has not been able to actively recruit with the shutdowns. Despite this, they still have a core of about 15 members. With things opening up they are reaching out to members of the community to provide information on the important work they do and how to get involved.
Badlands SAR has been involved in several searches in the area since its inception. It also provides its members to other regional SAR organizations when people are needed.
“We have assisted the RCMP on several instances, especially around the Gleichen area,” he explains.
They were successful in locating a woman who went missing in the Wintering Hills area. He says over 110 volunteers helped in that search. They were on hand to provide search services right in Drumheller in December of 2020 for a missing man.
He explains there are qualifications needed to join up. A person wanting to join must be 18 years of age, be a resident of Alberta, and pass a criminal record/vulnerable sector check.
Badlands SAR has an application process and interviews to get to know the applicant.
“I personally believe there is a role for everybody… so we want to make sure everybody has an opportunity to apply and we can see where they best fit in,” said Campbell.
He says they are planning to begin training for applicants possibly as soon as this spring. This will include a weekend of basic training and skills. There is also a certification course over the course of two weekends.
“That is where we train everybody on how to search. It is not just going out in a big line of people and walking across the field there is a science behind what we do,” he said.
They also do survival training, patient care, map skills, and GPS, all the way to how to best dress for a search.
Those interested can learn more by going to the Badlands SAR Facebook page or
www.badlandsearchandrescue.com.