Museums

Bonnyville

Bonnyville & District Museum

The seven-meter high statue of Angus Shaw, a late 1700s fur trader and explorer, is what attracts most visitors to the Bonnyville & District Museum. Once on the grounds, visitors can’t tear themselves away from the multitude of buildings and displays.  

Visitors will enjoy two new additions to the museum – the Antique Photo Studio Exhibit inside and the Red Toy Train on the grounds outside. Take the time to stroll through the 13 buildings and picturesque three-acre grounds housing a collection of artifacts depicting the development and settling of the Bonnyville Region.

On site are two churches, the Durlingville Schoolhouse, the 1920s Vallee Store, an expansive hospital exhibit, and Angus Shaw’s 1789 North West Company post. The Main Building is home to the 1940s Poitras Collection of folk-art and a working display of post-war Lionel model trains.

Cold Lake

The Cold Lake Museums site is designated as a historic resource by the province, as the site was once a Cold War-era radar station. 

The Canadian Forces utilize one of the buildings of the radar facility to house the Cold Lake Air Force Museum.  This museum is the first visitors see on arrival to the facility.  The Cold Lake Air Force Museum depicts the history of 4 Wing from 1952 to present, including all the squadrons.  Displays include a life-size F-18 decoy, a Forward Looking Infrared Pod (FLIR), an F-5 flight simulator, historical jet aircraft, military vehicles and numerous indoor displays. 

Aboriginal, Heritage and Oil & Gas museums occupy three of the remaining buildings on site. 

Discover the unique technology developed specifically for the Cold Lake Oil sands in the Oil & Gas Museum.  This gallery was created by the Grand Centre High School students and won an award with the Canadian Museums Association and the Natural History Museum for a three-fold partnership of school, museum and industry.

Trace the history of the Dene Suline and Cree Nations living on the shores of Cold Lake in the Aboriginal Museum.  See Aboriginal art and crafts done in traditional ways.

The first Europeans arrived in Cold Lake at the end of the 18^th Century.  The Heritage Museum contains the artifacts and storyline of that era.

Homestead Museum

The Homestead Museum, located at the Cold Lake M.D. Campground, features an original 1914 log homestead and the Rat Lake Post Office built in 1931. Artifacts were donated by our pioneer families. Open during summer by appointment only. Contact Linda at 780.639.2162 or Sharon at 780.639.4121.