Federal officials are assessing four buildings at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site to prepare for repairs and rehabilitation work.
Crews were on site last week surveying and assessing locations before work begins at two buildings this fall.
“It’s the assessment, figuring out what the buildings actually do need for a restoration and conservation of the buildings and coming up with a plan to proceed before we get into any of the construction work,” said Mike McLean, Bar U Ranch special projects officer.
Four million dollars in federal funding for upgrades was announced one year ago on the 20th anniversary of the ranch’s opening as a national historic site.
The funds will go towards refurbishing the former bunkhouse, the slaughterhouse, the workhouse barn and the implement shed.
“The idea for them all is to preserve our treasured places in Canada and making sure they’re going to be around for future generations,” said McLean.
Each building has to be assessed to determine its current condition.
The funds were provided through a five-year program and all the work will be completed within that timeframe, said McLean.
He said construction is tentatively expected to begin this fall on the implement shed and slaughterhouse, but there isn’t a firm schedule for the other buildings.
Simply preparing for construction is intensive work.
McLean said it includes archeologists, architects, historians and cultural resource expert, as well as staff at the Bar U all working to ensure each building’s unique heritage characteristics are protected during repairs.
“It’s quite a big collaborative decision, it’s done that way because we want to preserve the commemorative integrity of the site,” he said.
In the case of the workhorse barn, McLean said they need to look at whether any of the existing logs in the building need to be replaced and determine whether it’s possible to put it on a new foundation.
The barn is currently in use as stables for horses on the site. The project won’t just shore up its foundation and exterior, it will also bring back historic details from decades past.
McLean said the barn’s roof was once black with the Bar U’s distinctive brand painted in white. As well, he said a concrete façade was added to the building in the 1950s before a planned sale. Both features will be restored to showcase the building’s heritage and history.
Only the former bunkhouse is not accessible to the public.
The bunkhouse was originally home to as many as 25 cowboys on two floors. It was moved from its original location and converted into a self-feeder building.
It is currently located in a field behind the visitor centre.
McLean said they would like to be able to move the building to the centre of the site and restore it as a bunkhouse.
However, for now they will assess how much work is needed to preserve and stabilize the building, he said, likely putting on a new roof and repairing the exterior.
