A two-part display features a brief history of the McDougall Stoney Mission and original art from the Stoney Nakoda Nation has been launched at the Visitor Information Centre, 521-1st St. W.

A wall display includes highlights of the history of the church, 28 km west of Cochrane on Hwy. 1A. Nearby a display of the jewellery of Stoney Nakoda artist Andrew Holloway is the first to be featured and is available for viewing and purchase.

McDougall Stoney Mission society president says the society and Cochrane visitor services representative  Suzanne Goyetche have worked together in establishing the displays.

McQueen says there's only room for highlights on the wall, but it gives a capsule of the church's history since it was constructed in 1875 by Rev. George McDougall.

"We tried to pick some of the highlights of things that we felt would be important for people to learn about the site. And then, also, at the bottom of the wall, we're going to be adding new things as the restoration goes on."

Since the completion of the display, there has been additional progress made, she says. She recently witnessed some of the logs being cleaned, and soon the church will start to be pieced together.

"I'll be taking pictures of that progress so people will see on the wall the progress we are making until the church comes down the road on May 17."

As with their efforts in restoring the church, they want to tell both stories at the Visitor Centre.

"We're telling the story side-by-side [at the church site], so why not tell the story side-by-side at the Visitor Centre as well and have that opportunity for the Stoney people to advertise and share their artwork."

Other Stoney Nakoda artists will be featured in the coming months.

The centre is currently open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Assembling the pieces to restore church

Recently, the society has been able to secure a suitable bell for the restored church and will soon know if a donated potbelly stove is suitable to replace the one destroyed in the fire. If it is, the society now has everything that was in the church replicated.

The Stoney Nakoda Nation is appealing the development permit application to restore the site at an MD of Bighorn hearing on Feb. 29 in Exshaw.

The Stoney Nakoda First Nation says the society pushed forward with the project without appropriate consultation on the use of land, nor have they made reparations for its link to the residential school system.

The society won't be making comment on the appeal until the hearing.

Prior to being destroyed by fire on May 22, 2017, the McDougall church was the oldest building on its original site in Alberta. It was the first Methodist Church in Southern Alberta.