Torrington Gopher Hole Museum

About

The Torrington Gopher Hole Museum, also known as the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum, located in Torrington, Alberta, features 77 stuffed gophers (Richardson's ground squirrels) posed to resemble townspeople in 44 intricately designed dioramas. Roughly 7–10,000 people visit the museum every year. While it is open primarily during the summer months, they will open by request (volunteer dependant).

Dioramas depict gophers as hunters, firefighters, cosmetologists, priests, bank robbers, RCMP officers, pool players, and First Nations people. From its opening day until recently, the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum charged $2 for adults and 50 cents for children (12-18...under 12 free). With the loss of revenue resulting from the pandemic and soaring expenses, the museum has switched to a "by donation" model.

After the decommissioning of railway lines and the subsequent closure of the towns grain elevators, a one-time $9,000 grant from the Government of Alberta was applied to by the Village of Torrington (Unincorporated 1997) the purpose of which was to create a tourist attraction to generate business for the small community. At the last of three brainstorming meetings for the grant, one...