The Cochrane Historical and Archival Preservation Society (CHAPS) is looking for fresh, new members to help with the organization.
“We have really small membership and we’re getting much older,” said Gordon Davies, president of CHAPS. “We are having trouble enticing people to help out.”
Davies said that membership is only $5 and you don’t have to be an active member unless you want to, but they are looking for people to help out with projects and bring new ideas to the table.
According to its website, CHAPS was created in 1999 by then mayor of Cochrane Lydia Graham and a local resident, Anne Richardson, who both wanted to establish an historical association in Cochrane. In August of 2007, CHAPS became an official charitable organization.
CHAPS’ mission statement says that it wants to identify, preserve, protect and educate the public about historically significant properties and buildings in Cochrane.
This is something that Davies pointed out is increasingly important as Cochrane grows, adding that in 1970 Cochrane’s population was only around 1,000 people and today sits at nearly 21,000.
“I think were losing a bit of the sense of community with the increase in population. I think Cochrane always had a strong sense of community and always got together for various important occasions throughout the year,” he said.
Davies explained that the ranching industry has affected Cochrane both architecturally and in the way people relate to each other in the town, although he said that is changing.
“Everybody that you talk to that has moved here, or recent arrivals, loves the small town atmosphere,” said Davies. “It’s no longer a small town from my point of view, so I don’t know…I think we’ve lost something.”
The ambience of the town and the location to the railway is something that Davies said probably attracted people to move to Cochrane over the years.
“We always say it is important to know where you come from in order to know where you’re going. I think if you’re going to live in a community it sort of behooves you to get to know a bit about the history, and Cochrane’s history is a unique history,” said Davies, going on to describe families like the Copithornes and the Cochrane Creamery, an institution that served the town from 1911 – 1978.
Davies said preserving parts of Cochrane’s heritage is what would set the town apart from other communities around Southern Alberta. He said if you drive down 5th Avenue, you could be in any community with a Safeway and a Shoppers Drug Mart, but the historical downtown is distinct.
Some of the ways CHAPS has tried to keep that sense of history is through its publications, including Under the Big Hill, a small book with photographs and short stories of historical buildings around town.
CHAPS also published More Big Hill Country — a history book with over 800 pages of memoirs, historical facts, letters and photos.
It has also helped place plaques in front of historic buildings in Cochrane that include a historic photo and the history of the building.
Davies said in 2012 CHAPS gained ownership of Cochrane’s first hospital that was built in 1909 by Thomas Davies for his family, the resident doctor at the time.
Davies said they are hoping to move it to the Cochrane Ranche site and hopefully turn it into a small museum dedicated to Cochrane.
Meetings for CHAPS are held every third Wednesday of the month. For more information visit chapscochrane.com.
