WAKAW — Heritage Saskatchewan and the Museums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS) invite residents to visit Saskatchewan’s cultural spaces and heritage sites this summer.
Emma Morris, executive director, Museums Association of Saskatchewan, said, “We are really excited about this initiative … folks can get a key package that will include stickers [that are] vinyl and fully removable, with a QR code to post around the province and share cultural heritage places, stories and events that they think make Saskatchewan special. They will certainly include museums and heritage sites, but may also include festivals, sports events, concerts, restaurants, camping, architecture and natural landscapes.”
The key packages are available for order online by donation. And anyone who participates in the QR code storytelling is entered to win a variety of prize packages throughout the summer. The key packages can be ordered at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/key-to-cultural-heritage
The Key to Cultural Heritage initiative is applicable anywhere in Saskatchewan, including the Seager Wheeler National Historic Site as well as any small-town museum. It is about promoting cultural heritage in Saskatchewan in general; its festivals, parades, concerts, family gatherings, powwows, barbecues, days at the beach, hiking, harvesting, or whatever. Participants in the initiative can include photos, for example, of visiting restaurants, museums, heritage sites, campgrounds, religious centres, cemeteries, or parks. Katherine Gilks, Heritage Fairs Coordinator & Operations Assistant, Heritage Saskatchewan, shared, “The goal is to encourage people to explore Saskatchewan and share their experiences through photos, promoting awareness and celebration of our beautiful, albeit sometimes painful, diverse cultural heritage.”
As part of ongoing efforts to advocate for the value of cultural heritage in communities throughout the province, Heritage Saskatchewan and MAS have partnered with MemoryKPR. This Saskatchewan-based online platform allows users to capture, organize, and share content that helps create authentic, engaging narratives, while creating digital archives that strengthen community bonds and preserve local heritage.
Heritage is a choice made by individuals. What they choose to preserve and pass on to future generations is a decision made in the present and is an ongoing process. Therefore, heritage is an integral part of our daily lives. It encompasses beliefs, assumptions about the world, and how we interpret our surroundings. The heritage we decide to protect and share exists within us and our communities, evolving into what is known as living heritage. Like culture, heritage is a dynamic force that changes and adapts to new circumstances. As the world transforms around us, so does our understanding of heritage.
The Museums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS) is a non-profit, collective organization of over 250 member museums and a total membership of over 400, including individuals and associates. It supports Saskatchewan museums through a variety of education, advisory, resource and networking programs. The Association is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors, representative of the museum community. MAS staff oversee the organization’s budget, membership, programming, and communications.
There is no shortage of possible destinations locally.
-The Cudworth Museum is housed in the town’s former CN Station, a designated Municipal Heritage Property. The museum displays showcase the town’s large German and Ukrainian heritage, old hospital artifacts, in addition to an outdoor vintage machinery display.
-The Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre offers insights into the everyday struggles of the pioneers, the devastating impact that the near extinction of the buffalo had on the First Nations, and the harsh aftermath of the Northwest Resistance for the Metis. Exhibits in the centre include the Northwest Uprising of 1885 with several artifacts, including Gabriel Dumont’s watch, and a boardwalk featuring early 1900s storefronts. The building also features a 24-metre tower with artwork and artifacts featuring the people of the area, and climbing to the top affords sweeping views of the countryside.
-The Evolution of Education Museum is one of the four museums operated by the Prince Albert Historical Society. The building was known and operated as the Claytonville School from 1920 to 1963. The building exemplifies the one-room schools that dotted the landscape across rural Canada. The museum showcases artifacts that were used in educational facilities before 1963.
-The John and Olive Diefenbaker Museum is another of the four museums operated by the Prince Albert Historical Society. The house was originally built for Henry Jaffray, a bank manager, in 1912. John and Edna Diefenbaker occupied the house from 1947 to 1951, John and Olive Diefenbaker lived in the house from 1953 to 1957, immediately before he became Prime Minister of Canada. It was opened as a museum in 1983 and designated a National Historic Site in 2019, on the 40th Anniversary of his death.
-The Prince Albert Historical Museum is located in the former ‘Central Firehall’, which opened in 1912 and was utilized as such until 1975. The museum opened in 1977. It showcases artifacts relating to early settlers, Indigenous history, as well as business and industry in Prince Albert. The Bill Smiley Archives is also located in the Historical Museum.
-The Prud’homme Multicultural Providence Museum celebrates the multi-cultural origins of the community. Of particular interest to many visitors is the role that Prud’homme played in establishing Saskatchewan’s Fransaskois presence. Visitors are consistently impressed by the breadth and depth of the collection, all of which relates directly to the town’s local history. It is open during community events and by appointment.
-The Rosthern Museum and Mennonite Interpretive Centre recounts the history of the early Mennonite settlers of the Rosthern area. The museum provides a narrative of the history of Rosthern and its surrounding area. Museum exhibits include a bust of Bishop David Toews, the Mennonite leader and founder of the German-English Academy, later known as the Rosthern Junior College, as well as steamer trunks, samovars, harness bells and more brought by settlers from Russia and Prussia in the late 19th century.
-The River Valley Museum contains artifacts relating to the settlement history of the Hague area. The museum boasts a collection of local farming equipment, blacksmithing and carpentry tools, household furniture and appliances, and a collection of First Nations artifacts. The museum also has information on the history of the early Mennonite settlement in the area from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century.
-Seager Wheeler Farm, just off Highway 312 east of Rosthern, was recognized as a National Historic Site and opened to visitors in 1996. The farm buildings and homes have been restored over the years, as have the yard, gardens and orchard. Open Monday through Friday in the summer months, the Farm also features Thursday evening Dessert Night with a selection of made-from-scratch desserts.
-Originally designed in 1980, just off Highway 2 south of Prince Albert, to collect and display farming and logging artifacts from the Prince Albert district, the Vintage Power Museum eventually expanded to feature six historic wood-frame buildings which have been relocated to the site. The buildings all house a large collection of farming and lumbering implements, telling the story of early farming and logging as well as the regional history. Heritage buildings at the open-air museum include a church, schoolhouse, general store, farmhouse, railway station and service station.
-Housed in the old two-storey elementary school, the Wakaw Heritage Museum features artifacts showcasing the history of the Wakaw area. The museum also features Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s law office, as Wakaw was the first town where Diefenbaker practised law. A selection of museum artifacts is on display at the Wheatland Express building at the east end of 1st Street South, Wakaw.
MAS was founded in 1968 and has been committed to supporting the advancement of museums in Saskatchewan for over 50 years. MAS is funded by SaskCulture, the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund, and Canadian Heritage.
