Celebrating its 120th birthday, Moose Jaw’s first city hall bell has been fully restored and on display at the east end of the Moose Jaw Events Centre.  

The city’s Heritage Advisory Committee took on the project after the historic bell was found in the city yards.  

City councillor Crystal Froese sits on the Heritage Advisory Committee. She said the bell’s new location holds some significance.  

“The location that it's in now is quite close to where it actually was originally located, and it's on a similar stand called a derrick, which is what it had originated with when it was first installed,” she said.  

The bell was originally installed in Moose Jaw in 1902, one year prior to Moose Jaw being incorporated as a city. The bell was used at city hall to signal evening curfew and served as the city’s fire alarm.  

When the old city hall was demolished, the bell was moved to St. George’s Anglican Church. After that, it was moved from the church to Crescent Park just outside of the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery.  

After suffering some vandalism in Crescent Park, the bell was removed. Its location remained a mystery for years until it was discovered in one of the city yards.  

Volunteers from Saskatchewan Polytechnic took on the job of restoring the bell. City council also allotted $20,000 during the 2021 budget deliberations to have a stand built.  

The project did hit a small roadblock earlier this year. The Heritage Advisory Committee learned that the company that was originally going to build the stand would not be able to do the job. It delayed the unveiling of the bell while a new company was found.  

With the bell now fully on display, Froese hopes the sound of the bell will once again ring throughout the city.  

“The Heritage Advisory Committee will be talking about when we can ring it officially for the first time.”