A team that worked for more than a decade to restore a church east of Grande Prairie has been recognized by the province. The Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group has received an Alberta Historical Resources Foundation Heritage Award.
The log church was built by people south of Kleskun Hills in the fall of 1915 and is one of the few remaining pre-1920’s buildings left in the area. It served as a school house from 1918-1928 and was also the local Community Centre.
The building was designated as a provincial historic resource in 2011, meaning it qualified for funding for restoration work. The project was completed in 2015, just in time for its centennial celebration that July.
A book that documents the memories of a cherished one room school house in Bear Lake has earned an honourable mention from the foundation. “Canuck Classic: The Story of a Treasured One-Room School” takes a look at the history of the community near Grande Prairie, and what it was like in the area from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.
It’s the brainchild of the Bear Lake Canuck Historical Society, who put exhaustive research into the project. Their work was recognized at the biennial awards ceremony in the heritage awareness category.
