‘The logs will be here, the society will not’: Fort Whoop-Up society

LETHBRIDGE – A replica of the notorious whisky trading post that was first built in 1869, Fort Whoop-Up is a part of Lethbridge history. For 40 years the Fort Whoop-Up interpretive society has been running the city owned attraction.

“It’s our history and I cannot fathom that the city of Lethbridge would let this place go. This is who we are and what we are,” said Georgia Fooks, the organization’s very first board member over two decades ago.

But the organization’s current agreement with the city of Lethbridge is set to expire at the end of the year, and so the Fort Whoop-Up society is moving out and taking with it over 10,000 artifacts, destined for a secret storage spot.

“There are other non-profit organizations that might be interested, and I can tell you we have received multiple submissions,” explained Bary Beck, director of community services for the City of Lethbridge.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There are other non-profit organizations that might be interested, and I can tell you we have received multiple submissions," explained Bary Beck, director of community services for the City of Lethbridge.

The city says it opened up the bidding process for other prospective operators to assume management of the site, but the society chose not to submit an application because it believes it has no chance.

“The final decision was made by the society on Oct. 19,” added Doran Degenstein, executive director of the Fort Whoop-Up Interpretive Society.

“We decided the society would continue to exist and we would not be winding down. We would carry on whether we are here or not. It is not the key thing.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The final decision was made by the society on Oct. 19," added Doran Degenstein, executive director of the Fort Whoop-Up Interpretive Society.</p><p>"We decided the society would continue to exist and we would not be winding down. We would carry on whether we are here or not. It is not the key thing."

Degenstein says flood damage in 2012 created financial problems for the society, which he believes led to deteriorating relations with the city.

“As time has gone by there has been little things that have been provocative and certainly since the flood of 2012. We believe that there still needs to be responsibility taken for some action by the city and there should be some effort,” explains Degenstein.

“We were given indications that they were going to cover deductible on insurance and that’s never happened. Those types of things don’t leave us feeling very good about what we do.”

But the city says the artifacts are an important part of our history and if the society is not the successful proponent, they would be encouraged to work with the new operator to ensure they remain displayed at Fort Whoop-Up.

“There is no intention to close it. We are just looking for a service provider and it will be announced early in the new year,” said Beck.