SHAUNAVON - A piece of Shaunavon history was lost last Wednesday as the infamous Shaunavon Fire Wall on Centre Street was taken down because of safety concerns.
The fire wall was one of just four ever built in the province. It was constructed shortly after the great fire of 1918, which destroyed 18 businesses in the community.
Before its demise, it was one of just two still standing in Saskatchewan, with the other located in Mossbank.
The two others, at Radville and Ogema, had already been torn down.
“We hate to lose the wall because of it’s historic value,” said Joanne Gregoire, director of culture at the Grand Coteau Centre. “But we understand the safety risk that it posed if it was to keep standing. We are happy that it was able to serve its purpose in stopping a fire and we are planning on using some of the bricks to build a memorial wall here at the museum.”
The wall, which stood between the former Gehl’s General Store (265 Centre Street) and the former AME Mechanical (255 Centre Street) building, was deemed structurally unsafe and a safety risk after a fire on the block in November of 2021.
The AME Mechanical building was also torn down last week.
The wall lived up to its purpose during last year's ferocious blaze, and successfully prevented a fire that toppled the General Store, from burning down the AME Mechanical building.
