Grande Prairie Museum

Synopsis & Main Exhibits

The Grande Prairie Museum, is set in the picturesque Muskoseepi Park in Grande Prairie, Alberta and depicts the history of the region in a first class facility. The Museum is open year-round and was officially opened to the public in 1971. Its main focus has been the early pioneers (1911) who homesteaded Grande Prairie and came over the long and short trails and contributed to the early development of business in the Peace Region. Since its initial opening, the museum has now grown to a collection of over 55,000 artefacts under five main themes: Paleontology, Archaeology, Natural History, Human History and Curios and Collections.

The Museum has one main gallery, the Rodacker/Campbell Gallery that holds a rotating temporary exhibit each year, Stones & Bones exhibit, Transportation exhibit, Wildlife displays plus many more. The Gallery and its exhibits are also back-dropped with large, bright murals, beautifully painted by local Peace Country artist Tim Heimdal.

Heritage Village

The adjoining Heritage Village consists of 14 historical buildings each with a unique story to tell from the Region’s past,  antique equipment, antique vehicles and life-like farm animals; it boasts beautiful flower beds, an arbour and heritage gardens maintained by volunteers. The Heritage Village comes to life during the summer season, this unique outdoor exhibit provides visitors with a glimpse into the life of an early pioneer.  For information on special event days or public programs running throughout the year, check out our facebook page.

Forbes Homestead & Pioneer Hospital
Forbes Homestead & Pioneer Hospital is the Grande Prairie Museum’s most recent project. The Forbes Homestead was officially registered as a Provincial Heritage Site in 1976 and it is one of the oldest log buildings still standing in Grande Prairie. It contains the original log structure built in 1911 that was used as the first hospital in Grande Prairie, plus the two storey add on used by the Forbes’ as their residence, built in 1912. This homestead was beautifully restored to its original form to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the arrival of the Forbes family and was opened to the public on May 28, 2010.

Open during July & August, Visitors are welcome to tour the site at their own pace. There is also an onsite Heritage Interpreter that will give all visitors a guided tour of the site, and provide visitors with a historical look at Reverend Alexander and Agnes Forbes and how they came to run the first hospital out of their home in Grande Prairie over one hundred years ago.