Skip to content

Write Story Here

A little piece of history made its way home to Canmore last week. One of the wooden logs from the original Canmore Opera House has returned to the community as part of a replica of the building being developed in Spring Creek Mountain Village.
Matt Krimmer with Tyee Log Homes works on the replica Canmore Opera House, Friday (Aug. 26). A single log from the original structure can be seen inset above the doorway.
Matt Krimmer with Tyee Log Homes works on the replica Canmore Opera House, Friday (Aug. 26). A single log from the original structure can be seen inset above the doorway.

A little piece of history made its way home to Canmore last week.

One of the wooden logs from the original Canmore Opera House has returned to the community as part of a replica of the building being developed in Spring Creek Mountain Village.

Tyee Log Homes began constructing the log building last Thursday (Aug. 25) in the subdivision and on Friday a single original log from the structure was set in place over the entrance.

Developer Frank Kernick said it has been an exciting project for Spring Creek and the community.

“It was exciting to see it go up and it is great to see that old log fit in there as well,” Kernick said. “We have been busy building for the last five years and it is fun to build the community side as well.”

The impetus for recreating the Opera House, he said, came from a need to build a community space in SCMV.

The purpose is to hold community events and gatherings and offer the facility up to the community as a whole as well.

“I always wanted to bring back some of Canmore’s heritage,” added Kernick. “I thought bringing back some of Canmore’s mining heritage would be unique and fun.”

It was soon after the idea of the Opera House that the landscape planner for Spring Creek was also working on redevelopment at Heritage Park.

When the original Opera House was moved from Canmore to the park, several of the logs were no longer structurally sound, but Kernick was able to obtain two.

One turned out to be too badly rotted to be used, but the other was given a place of significance over the door to the replica building.

“We hoped to use one of them in the construction of the new Opera House… we cut it into the centre of another log,” Kernick said.

He said the finished building will include a plaque crediting Heritage Park for their contribution in returning a piece of Canmore’s history.

The building’s exterior is expected to be complete before winter and the interior hopefully by next summer, said Kernick.

The Canmore Opera House was built on mineside as a band hall in 1898 when residents in town decided to form a band. It was built out of logs and also served as a dance hall.

High profile entertainment including touring opera and choral groups stopped at the venue, the first of its kind built in Western Canada.

Electricity was put into the building in 1915 and it also functioned as a movie theatre. Its usage, though, declined up until it was moved in 1960, 19 years before the Canmore mines shut down.

At the turn of the century, the Opera House was used as a morgue after a mining accident killed approximately four miners.


Rocky Mountain Outlook

About the Author: Rocky Mountain Outlook

The Rocky Mountain Outlook is Bow Valley's No. 1 source for local news and events.
Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks