The East Coulee School House opened in 1930, with an expansion added in 1944 to meet the demands of the booming community. With the shift from coal to gas and oil, local mines began to close in the 1950’s. By 1970, East Coulee was virtually a ghost town. Those who remained in the area, in the interests of preserving the rich history of an era “when coal was king”, restored the school house and opened it as the East Coulee School Museum in 1985.

A full Condition Assessment was conducted on the building which defines what projects take priority. This forms the basis for a Business Plan that will guide facility remediation and redevelopment. The project, when completed, creates a sustainable facility capable of hosting year-round activities and events.

The remediation is broken down into several phases:

1. Our most urgent  project is the Front Entrance restoration. The wooden front steps and ramp to the building entrance are deteriorating,  and the steps have sunken.  The sidewalk from the property line to the front steps is severely cracked and heaved causing an uneven walking surface. Fundraising and grant opportunities are being pursued in order to gain the necessary funds to complete this project.
2. Restoration will continue with more work on windows, floors, casings, etc!
3. One of our future projects will be to address the Historic Building Exterior Stucco. It has several areas  that have holes and flaking of finish.   These repairs as well as the surfacing on the foundation need to be done.  We will be pursuing grants and fundraising in order to be able to complete these projects.

Projects that have been completed so far include:

1. The roof has been given a total overhaul in order to fix the leaks. This was completed in the Spring of 2018. The damaged drywall was replaced and the walls repainted in the Winter of 2019.
2. The foundation issues in the northwest corner of the building and all along the west wall have undergone an engineering study completed in 2019 and a plan for repairs is being drawn up. Next project!
3. Work to Restore heritage infrastructure – This is an ongoing project with the latest activity being the restoration of the 2 north windows, they were totally restored in the Spring of 2020.  New storm windows have been built to protect these into the future!

Donations are received through the Dinosaur Valley Heritage Society. All proceeds go directly towards the East Coulee School Museum.

Donate either by etransfer to ec*******@gm***.com or through the Donate Today button!