RCMP are investigating vandalism at a well-known museum in Fort Macleod that caused hundreds of dollars in damage, leaving windows smashed and an antique ladder broken.
Staff at the Fort Museum first noticed something was amiss when they arrived Monday morning to find a gate had been left open, allowing two resident goats to get out.
They then found some of the windows had been smashed.
Executive director Sandi Davis says a rock was thrown through one window with enough force that it left a hole in the wall about a metre across the room.
Vandals kicked in the door to a bathroom and spread toilet paper around the courtyard.
They also took one of the wooden ladders from an antique fire wagon and tried to use it to get on the roof of a building, however it broke when someone stepped on the first rung.
“Thank god they didn’t spray paint anything or try to go into a building with artifacts,” said Davis.
“I would say to them that they need to stop and think about our heritage and culture and respect.”
Davis added staff suspect the vandalism was done by someone familiar with the area as the bathroom they went into was the only building not alarmed.
Built in 1957, the Fort Museum displays historical artifacts of the North West Mounted Police and First Nations people from the area.
Fort Macleod is about 170 kilometres south of Calgary.
Anyone with information is asked to call Const. Tracy Gates at 403-553-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
