Campaign to save century-old Swiss-inspired village in B.C. by group trying to preserve its history

A photo from Re/Max shows one of the Swiss-inspired 'chalets' on a lot in Golden, B.C.

A group trying to preserve a piece of British Columbia's history is asking for the public's help to purchase the land.

The group that calls itself Saving Swiss Edelweiss Village launched a fundraising campaign in an effort to save the aging homes of Swiss mountain guides who lived in Canada's Rocky Mountains.

The so-called village is a century old, and located in Golden, B.C. It's comprised of just six homes, which were built on a 50-acre property in 1910 and 1912 by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Swiss-style chalets were built on what is now Ottoson Road, and housed mountain guides from Switzerland who worked for CPR, bringing wealthy tourists safely through mountain passes. Their work took them through stretches at Banff, Lake Louise and Rogers Pass, among other areas. 

But now the property is for sale, and those behind the group trying to preserve it are worried a developer brought in by the $2.3-million price tag may not have the same goals in mind.

The campaign, which is led by people in Canada and Switzerland, looks to save the buildings and make the property a designated heritage site that would bring in tourists.

On Wednesday, the group said it's been given an opportunity to do just that – but it comes with a time limit.

In a news release, Saving Swiss Edelweiss Village said the group has until mid-December to come up with enough cash to buy the village.

SSEV is asking for the public's help, and launched an online fundraiser to solicit donations. Hosted on the website GoFundMe, the campaign had raised just $900 of it's $2.3-million goal on Wednesday morning. 

Johann Roduit and Ilona Spaar, of SSEV, said the group is also raising money in another way. Those who'd like to contribute to the campaign can purchase part of a digital art collection "inspired by the sturdy Swiss guides known for their picturesque mountaineer look."

A "sneak peek" at the items in the art collection shows heavily bearded cartoon men wearing a slice of the mountains as a hat.

Each non-fungible token (NFT) purchase comes with an original piece of digital art, "associated with one of the 10,000 symbolic plots of the village,…identifiable by a unique identification code," SSEV said in a statement.

NFTs are non-interchangeable digital files, such as photos, graphics or video. Essentially, they're online ways to buy and sell creative work that exists only digitally.

A tech expert described them as "the digital answer to collectibles," meaning whoever holds the token is the sole owner of a unique digital item.

The group is also working with Blockchain for Climate Foundation to offset the carbon footprint generated by the technology used to create the art.

Those who donate will be able to share their ideas about the future of the village, and will be able to see their name on a digital plate that will be exhibited at the village, if the campaign is successful.

There are other plans for the money in the event that there isn't enough raised to buy the property, but the organizers say it's hard to say exactly what will be done at this stage.

They told CTV News they hope to preserve it in some way, and that this could mean creating a digital museum and 3D models of the site.

They're also considering partial preservation, such as the purchase of just the chalets, or a part of the property.

They could also work with other organizations that agree with the preservation goal, pay to conduct feasibility studies, maintain and promote the cultural and historical aspects of the sites or create a cultural centre in the area, Spaar said.

Ultimately, it will depend on how much money is raised, but the hope is to reach the $2.3-million goal.

'Edelweiss Village' in Golden, B.C., is shown in an archival image posted by Re/Max realtors to Realtor.ca.