The Torrington Gopher Hole Museum, also known as the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum, located in Torrington,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
Richardson's ground squirrel
Richardson's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus richardsonii''), also known as the dakrat or flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus ''Urocitellus''. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called prairie do ...
s) posed to resemble townspeople in 44 intricately designed dioramas. Roughly 7–10,000 people visit the museum every year. While it is open primarily during the summer months, they will open by request (volunteer dependant). Dioramas depict gophers as hunters,
firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s,
cosmetologists
Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such as ...
,
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s,
bank robbers
Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank branch or teller, as opposed to other bank-o ...
,
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
officers,
pool
Pool may refer to:
Water pool
* Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming
* Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings
* Tide pool, a rocky pool ...
players, and
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
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**First Natio ...
people. From its opening day until recently, the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum charged $2 for adults and 50 cents for children (12-18...under 12 free). With the loss of revenue resulting from the pandemic and soaring expenses, the museum has switched to a "by donation" model.
After the decommissioning of railway lines and the subsequent closure of the towns grain elevators, a one-time $9,000 grant from the
Government of Alberta
The government of Alberta (french: gouvernement de l'Alberta) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Alberta. As a constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor—i ...
was applied to by the Village of Torrington (Unincorporated 1997) the purpose of which was to create a
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural b ...
to generate business for the small community. At the last of three brainstorming meetings for the grant, one woman (referring to the areas ground squirrel
overpopulation
Overpopulation or overabundance is a phenomenon in which a species' population becomes larger than the carrying capacity of its environment. This may be caused by increased birth rates, lowered mortality rates, reduced predation or large scale m ...
) jokingly suggested to stuff 'gophers' and put them on display. The town now had its tourism concept. News of the museum spread quickly worldwide after a small filler piece airred on a Calgary, AB news station after which the museum attracted international attention of both supporters and protesters, including PETA and the Kennedy's! Prior to opening day, this little museum on the prairie was the target of protestors and a bomb threat. It opened in 1996 with over 10,000 people attending that year.
The museum is constructed of two small buildings, a one-room, rural school house and one of the former grain elevator offices. Both have historic value to the area. They were covered with shiplap to create the appearance of one building. Specimens were provided by area farmers, hunters and veterinarians. Five local people offered to learn taxidermy. Some volunteers found or created miniatures for the dioramas, while others helped create clothing for museum residents. Volunteers also operate, maintain, and provide tours for the museum and also came up with the ideas for the exhibits. The museum really is a labour of love and volunteers have been responsible for all of it.
The west exterior mural was created by artist Wayne Schneider who grew up just outside of Torrington. Wayne is responsible for a bunch of the down town paintings in small town Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan. He is listed in the National Art Gallery of Canada and was featured. Additionally, Wayne was an artistic director of the Canadian classic comedy SCTV.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_City_Television
The museum is profiled in
Chelsea McMullan
Chelsea McMullan is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, best known for their 2013 film '' My Prairie Home'', a film about transgender musician Rae Spoon.World Famous Gopher Hole Museum''. It has also been featured in CBC's weekly drama Heartland; Reader's Digest; National Geographic; Ripley's Believe it or Not; the textbook by UofA professor, Leanne Mctavish, Voluntary Detours;https://thegatewayonline.ca/2022/06/voluntary-detours-highlights-rural-albertan-museums-charm-and-history-the-gateway/ and countless newspaper and magazine articles, TV/podcast interviews, YouTube videos and influencer content.