Grande Prairie's One-Stop Destination for Local History
From early pioneers, Indigenous peoples, dinosaurs, and railways, to minerals, military artifacts, antiques and motorcycles, the Grande Prairie Museum has it all! Admission to the Museum is always free.
Location
Located in beautiful Muskoseepi Park (102 Street at 102 Avenue).
Museum Galleries
The Grande Prairie Museum Society was founded in 1962 to preserve the history of the area. The original building, which composed what is now the main gallery space, was completed in 1968, and opened its doors to the public on August 10, 1970.
At the time, it was known as the Grande Prairie Pioneer Museum, and its collection focused on the settlement and homesteading of Grande Prairie. The first major expansion came in 1986 to coincide with opening of Muskoseepi Park. It was then that the museum developed a master plan to expand the museum’s mandate and identify themes in the collection to create a more complete story of this region. The first step was the creation of the Stones and Bones exhibit. One half of the room displayed dinosaur remains from the region, including a complete Edmontosaurus skeleton. The other half shows a collection of Indigenous artifacts from the Cree, Beaver, and Dene, some of which date back thousands of years.
Currently, the Museum boasts over 55,000 items in the museum’s collection, with a mix of historical, archeological, and paleontological objects. The Campbell-Rodacker gallery, named after esteemed Grande Prairie historian Isabelle Campbell and prominent businessman Mel Rodacker, features new exhibits every year.
Thousands of people have donated to the museum, making the collection truly a South Peace treasure. One of the most prominent donors was former museum president Bert Tieman. This amateur paleontologist donated much of the museum’s fossil collection and even discovered his own species of pike fish known as the esox tiemani. The main gallery contains numerous exhibits, including the various animals of the region, vintage artifacts, antique machines, and clothing both civilian and military.
Heritage Village
The Museum has an adjoining Heritage Village that is open May through September (weather dependent) and features heritage structures, replicas and equipment to give guests a deeper view into the region's past.
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