Culture & Heritage

Around Central Alberta

In Red Deer, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum  currently has between 7000 and 8000 artifacts and archives of Alberta sports history in its collections. Exhibits change every 15 to 18 months. The Honoured Members Gallery showcases photographs and biographies of the Hall of Famers. In the fall of 2005, two new galleries opened, “Ice and Snow—The Spirit of Winter” and the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame. The organization celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2007.

Anthony Henday Museum Delburne
Highlights are artifacts from the pioneer days, such as coal mining, agriculture, and household items. The museum itself is housed within a historic CNR Railway Station, with four floors of displays in the Delburne CNR water tank tower building. The museum has a replica of a homesteader’s shack, a CNR caboose, and a machine shed housing old machinery.

Bashaw Fire Hall Museum
The Fire Hall was built in 1914, at which time the community had purchased a waterous motor-driven wagon-mounted pumper unit, which was in service for the town until 1958, when it was replaced by a new modern fire truck. The Fire Hall Building served many purposes over the years. In the early years village council meetings were held there. The village constable had a small living quarters in the back of the building and kept the building heated. One room served as the provincial court house. The prison cells you'll see are still in their original state. One of the cells was also used as a dog pound, with the door still showing the evidence of a dog attempting to chew his way out.

The Caroline Wheels of Time Museum, along with its log house and trappers cabin, is located just east of Caroline on Highway 54. The staff conduct tours and offer a children's program on request. Take a tour and learn the local history.

Castor & District Museum depicts life in this region from the earliest days of settlement is via an eclectic collection of household, mining, automotive and agricultural artifacts, including the original 1910 grain elevator.

The Danish Canadian National Museum & Gardens is located just south of the tiny central Alberta community of Dickson. In the late 1980s, a subcommittee of the Danish Heritage Society of Dickson recognized a need to record and document the history of Danish immigration and the development of Danish communities in Canada. It was felt that such a site would be overwhelmed by other attractions if located in a major metropolitan area. So the oldest Danish settlement on the Canadian prairies was chosen as the site and the Danish Canadian National Museum and Gardens was born in June 1992.

Dickson Store Museum is a typical 1930s style general store that offered all the basic necessities such as groceries, hardware, and dry goods. The store provided much more to its customers and to the community, as it provided contact to the outside world through the Post Office, as well as a telephone service and radio.

Fort Normandeau - The R.C.M.P. built the present replica in 1974 as their centennial project, using some of the original logs. Live interpretive performances and events are staged here throughout the summer.

Innisfail Historical Village is governed by the Innisfail and District Historical Society. It started with the donation of "The Spruces" by the W. Gibson family. This log home is the only remaining original stopping house between Calgary and Edmonton. The Village is made up of seventeen buildings, displayed on 2 acres of land. These are furnished to interpret the history of the area up to the 1930s. There is a large display of farm machinery and a day-use picnic area.

Lac La Biche Mission is a national historic site and provincial resource located 2.5 hours north east of Edmonton in the heart of Alberta's Lakeland. The museum offers visitors a link to the past through guided tours and period role playing all within a short of distance of your campsite.

Majestic Theatre: an historical treasure.
A rural, wood frame "Boomtown" style of theatre, Bashaw's Majestic Theatre was not the first of its kind to be built in Alberta but is now believed to be the last remaining theatre of its kind in western Canada. Never a "grand theatre" by any means, the Majestic is still of historical and architectural significance as part of the overall history of theatre development in Alberta. Built in 1915, the Majestic serves as one indicator of Alberta's early settlement history and has been home to magic lantern shows, local theatre productions, silent movies, and early "talkies". Serving as Bashaw's first Catholic Church for a time, the theatre resumed its role as modern movie theatre in the 1940's when it was renamed the 'Dixy'.

The Michener House Museum is the birthplace of the Right Honourable Roland Michener, Governor General of Canada, 1967-1974, and the oldest residence in Lacombe. Being fully restored and now a museum, all visitors are welcome!

Mirror and District Museum  boasts a collection that includes early settler artifacts, a restored wooden railway caboose and box car as well as the restored St. Monica's Anglican Church, built in 1894.

Norwegian Laft Hus Museum is a unique cultural centre, which houses a collection of objects that document the history and culture of Norwegian Canadians. Local craftsmen have made some of the objects, while others on display are considered to be highly valued possessions of early immigrants. The Norwegian Laft Hus is itself an artifact in the sense the architectural details of the building resemble a typical Norwegian farm house from the late 17th century. The sod roof is a distinctive feature common to Norwegian log buildings of that period.

Red Deer & District Museum and Archives tells the story of the diverse peoples of the Red Deer River Valley, from the early First Nations culture to the birth of a modern city. The museum hosts touring exhibits that reflect many different facets of the community. These exhibits vary from local, national, and international art to science and history.

The Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin brings technology alive through hands on displays, audio-visual shows, artifact demonstrations, interpreter programs and special events. In the summer, take a chauffeur-driven cruise of our grounds in a vintage vehicle such as a 1927 Model T Touring or soar like an eagle in an open cockpit biplane! With an outstanding collection of vehicles, aircraft, tractors and industrial machines, we pay tribute to mechanical genius.

Rocky Mountain House Museum has a rich heritage that shows the energy and enduring spirit of the Canadian West. It was named after the fort that was established in 1799 by the North West Company of fur traders along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.

Smoky Lake Museum is housed in an old school and contains numerous artifacts from the community's pioneer days. Ukrainian immigrants and other early settlers brought many items to the area. The museum also showcases a selection of a local artist's private taxidermy collection of animals and mounted birds. Early settler machinery is on display in a building near the school.

Stettler Town & Country Museum provides historical insight into the area's diverse culture and history. Stroll around the "village" of 11 buildings, including a period church, courthouse and general store.

Sundre Pioneer Village Museum has a working blacksmith shop, 1913 cabin, school, ranger station, machinery shed, youth museum, ferryman's house, display barn on four acres and a visitors centre 5600 sq ft of display area.

Sunnybrook Farm Museum Red Deer was developed to preserve and interpret the rich history of mixed farming in central Alberta. The farm was originally settled in 1899 by Mr. James Bower and family from Ontario, Canada.

The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, 25 minutes east of Edmonton on Hwy 16, is an open air museum that features 33 restored historic buildings. Interpreters portray individuals who lived and worked in the area from 1892 to 1930.