Volunteer Ruth Hahn threads her loom I made my first visit to the Sundre Museum a couple of years ago. I was so impressed I went back for a second visit within a month and just recently made my third visit, this time with family in tow.
When you drive up to the museum and get your first glimpse of the unremarkable building, you might not have high expectations of what you’ll find inside. In-fact, both of my travelling companions commented at how small the building looked. I’m certain they were wondering why they agreed to make the one hour drive. It wasn’t long before their doubt waned, however, once we commenced touring the museum.
The museum is divided into three areas: the Pioneer Gallery, the Pioneer Village and the World of Wildlife exhibit.
The Pioneer Gallery features a well organized display of artifacts and household room arrangements that provide visitors a detailed glimpse of how the early settlers in the area lived and contributed to the development of the community. From cowboys to doctors, lumber camps to spinning wheels, the museum has a sample of everything.
If you hit the right day you’ll meet volunteer, Ruth Hahn who’ll demonstrate the old way of making tea towels on one of her looms. I was amazed at the amount of time it took just to string the various coloured threads onto the loom. On this day, Ruth had enough thread on the loom to make thirty tea towels. Ruth estimates that once the tedious work is done and the loom starts doing its magic, it works out to only about an hour-and-a-half overall to make one towel. Not bad for what we now consider an archaic apparatus. The loom was used extensively by the early pioneers to make fabrics for everything from clothing to curtains.
The Pioneer Village is a four acre site that houses eight heritage buildings, farm machinery and implements. Imagine children sitting at their wooden desks as you stroll through the old school house or a trapper living for months at a time in the small trapper’s cabin. Bring a picnic lunch and relax awhile on the village grounds.
On some days at the blacksmith shop, you’ll get to see bladesmith, David Borys meticulously poking and turning a red hot metal rod in his forge, getting it ready for the anvil where in due course, he gets it pounded into the rough shape of a blade. When David is done heating and pounding, the metal rod is eventually crafted into a stunning and functional blade. David will explain the process and you can also purchase one of his creations at the general store.
The Pioneer Gallery and the Pioneer Village are, on their own, good reasons to visit the Sundre Museum. There is, however, one other attraction that sets this museum apart and that is the World of Wildlife Exhibit. The first time I entered this room I was absolutely blown away by the quantity, quality and diversity of wildlife mounts displayed there. Not just that, the way they are presented makes this a world class exhibit. The mounts represent wildlife from many countries including Africa and Canada and are displayed in well designed reproductions of their natural environments. This exhibit on its own is well worth the price of admission.
Details on the origins of the World of Wildlife exhibit are well documented at the exhibit as well as on the museum’s website. The museum offers a number of services including school and seniors programs and facility rentals. Information on these services is also on the website.
www.sundremuseum.com
I recommend a visit to this museum to everyone. I know that my travelling companions were very impressed. I knew they would be.
When you drive up to the museum and get your first glimpse of the unremarkable building, you might not have high expectations of what you’ll find inside. In-fact, both of my travelling companions commented at how small the building looked. I’m certain they were wondering why they agreed to make the one hour drive. It wasn’t long before their doubt waned, however, once we commenced touring the museum.
The museum is divided into three areas: the Pioneer Gallery, the Pioneer Village and the World of Wildlife exhibit.
The Pioneer Gallery features a well organized display of artifacts and household room arrangements that provide visitors a detailed glimpse of how the early settlers in the area lived and contributed to the development of the community. From cowboys to doctors, lumber camps to spinning wheels, the museum has a sample of everything.
If you hit the right day you’ll meet volunteer, Ruth Hahn who’ll demonstrate the old way of making tea towels on one of her looms. I was amazed at the amount of time it took just to string the various coloured threads onto the loom. On this day, Ruth had enough thread on the loom to make thirty tea towels. Ruth estimates that once the tedious work is done and the loom starts doing its magic, it works out to only about an hour-and-a-half overall to make one towel. Not bad for what we now consider an archaic apparatus. The loom was used extensively by the early pioneers to make fabrics for everything from clothing to curtains.
The Pioneer Village is a four acre site that houses eight heritage buildings, farm machinery and implements. Imagine children sitting at their wooden desks as you stroll through the old school house or a trapper living for months at a time in the small trapper’s cabin. Bring a picnic lunch and relax awhile on the village grounds.
On some days at the blacksmith shop, you’ll get to see bladesmith, David Borys meticulously poking and turning a red hot metal rod in his forge, getting it ready for the anvil where in due course, he gets it pounded into the rough shape of a blade. When David is done heating and pounding, the metal rod is eventually crafted into a stunning and functional blade. David will explain the process and you can also purchase one of his creations at the general store.
The Pioneer Gallery and the Pioneer Village are, on their own, good reasons to visit the Sundre Museum. There is, however, one other attraction that sets this museum apart and that is the World of Wildlife Exhibit. The first time I entered this room I was absolutely blown away by the quantity, quality and diversity of wildlife mounts displayed there. Not just that, the way they are presented makes this a world class exhibit. The mounts represent wildlife from many countries including Africa and Canada and are displayed in well designed reproductions of their natural environments. This exhibit on its own is well worth the price of admission.
Details on the origins of the World of Wildlife exhibit are well documented at the exhibit as well as on the museum’s website. The museum offers a number of services including school and seniors programs and facility rentals. Information on these services is also on the website.
www.sundremuseum.com
I recommend a visit to this museum to everyone. I know that my travelling companions were very impressed. I knew they would be.
