Moose Jaw’s historic 1902 town bell now hangs proudly on a new stand outside the Events Centre, ready to produce its deep gonging ring throughout the downtown during special occasions.
More than 30 people gathered at the Multiplex on Dec. 1 to celebrate the unveiling of the 120-year-old cast alloy steel instrument. Several dignitaries spoke about the historical day before ringing the “wonderfully restored” town bell — for the first time since likely 1970 — and celebrating the return of an important piece of community heritage.
The heritage advisory committee began working in 2017 to restore the historic bell and find a stand. While everything seemed in place for completion by mid-2021, several delays pushed the project into late 2022.
It was exciting to see the bell finally installed even though it was a long process, said Coun. Crystal Froese, who sat on the heritage advisory committee. That bell will hang for at least 100 years, and when people review the archives, they will see everyone who made this project possible.
“It’s pretty exciting. And to hear it ring, it’s got a beautiful tone … ,” she continued, adding with a laugh that her heart was pounding when she rang the bell. “I’ve been following this thing since 2017. This has been a labour of love.”
Froese commended Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s welding department for repairing the bell, while the students did “a beautiful job” overall of returning the instrument to its former glory.
Committee members decided not to keep the bell’s clapper permanently installed because neither they nor city hall plan to ring the instrument very often, while the clapper is as old as the bell and could be stolen, she said. Meanwhile, using the original clapper ensures the bell creates an authentic sound.
In comparison, the municipality will use an electronic clapper for city hall’s bell tower because it’s difficult to climb those stairs regularly to pull the rope to ring it.
“You don’t see that very often anymore, (when) churches were common and often had bells,” Froese said. “I remember when St. Barnabas (Anglican) Church was open — and that’s the church I grew up in — and we used to ring the bell on Sunday. And it was fun, as kids.”
Scott Hellings, who served four years as committee chairman, thought it was fantastic to see the project finish. The members worked hard, while he thanked Froese for her leadership and commitment.
“It takes a lot of time and a lot of dedication. So … when we first started talking about it, it kind of seemed almost like a pipe dream to get to here because I know of (how) much work that goes into it to restore it and find a location and to get it actually in place,” he said.
One reason the project took so long is that the committee reviewed many possible locations and wanted something visible and accessible, Hellings continued. The Multiplex site made sense because of its proximity to the instrument’s original location — city hall’s current parking lot on Fairford Street West — and because of available space.
While it is great to see this historic item restored, the community has lost many other heritage structures over the decades, he added. So, preserving something like this for future generations is important.
John Bye, current chairman of the heritage committee, thought it was awesome to see the bell restored. He took little credit for that, pointing out the project was already rolling when he arrived.
“It was good (to ring the bell),” he said. “I think definitely once it’s broke in a little more, it will ring loud and clear.”
Community tradespeople did a great job building the derrick upon which the bell hangs because it reflects early 20th-century designs, added Bye. Meanwhile, the attached benches let people socialize; an information plaque will come soon.
“I think it’s a sense of pride … ,” said Mayor Clive Tolley about the bell’s return. “So that’s pretty exciting for the community, a community that’s building our tourism sector on our history. I think it’s just fabulous.”
Tolley thought the Multiplex location was a great spot because the venue’s First Avenue Northwest entrance has space for artwork. He praised the heritage advisory committee for pursuing this project and hoped the public arts committee would provide further installations.
“… this is going to be an interesting attraction that many people on the walking tour of the murals and looking at the old buildings will now come and stop and look at this bell installation,” he said.
The mayor thought it would be neat to ring the bell on special occasions — when the WHL Warriors win the Memorial Cup, perhaps — while the instrument’s first ring sounded good to him.
