Fort Vermilion Heritage Centre


























Fort Vermilion Heritage Centre



 

Canadian Heritage Information Network

CIAM Radio

Fort Vermilion Board of Trade

Fort Vermilion Recreation Board

Fort Vermilion School Division

Deh Cho Travel Connection

Flow North Paddling Company

Geotourism Canada

Mackenzie County

Mackenzie Frontier

Mighty Peace Tourist Association

Spirit Of The Peace

Travel Alberta

    

 

"Shadows of the Past"

Unveiled in June 2001, the symbols on the museum exterior represent themes in Fort Vermilion's history.

Artist, Sherilyn (Eek) Uitvlugt, fabricators, Daryl and Bob Shartner and the financial support of ATCO Electric made the project possible.

The bison represents the prehistory of Fort Vermilion
The tipi stands for native heritage
The beaver symbolizes the fur trade
The steeple represents the missions
The boat reminds us of the riverboat era
The tractor stands for settlement and farming
The fire tower tells of forest resources and fire protection

Exhibits

Prehistory

Marine reptile Platypterigius
Bison occidentalis

 

First Nations

The Beaver, Slavey and Cree
Treaty 8

Stone tools and projectile points
Crafts

Fur Trade

Boyer River archaeological site
Tools of the trade and pelts

Explorer and traders

The Hudson's Bay Company


Families

Family histories and photographs
House-hold, occupational and recreational artifacts
Current exhibit: "Ridin' with the Randles"
Canada Day Exhibit - local people, their contributions to and from Canada

Life Along the Peace

Fossils and floods

Post sites and landings
Riverboats and ferries

 

58? North and Farming

Mission farms
Lawrence Ranch
Land surveys
Dominion Experimental Farm
"Buttertown"

 

Landscapes of the Heart

Caribou Mountains Wildland
Caribou River Natural Area
Child's Lake Salt Meadows
Hay Zama Wildland
Hungry Bend Sandhills
Ponton River Natural Area
Wadlin Lake Pelican Colony
Wood Buffalo National Park

One or more landscape exhibits are featured depending on the space and current focus


Collections

Artifacts and/or archival information for three levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal), ten registered societies/associations, one company and one school division are represented. In addition, there are over one hundred family contributors including those in the names of: Bell, Campbell, Eek, Lamberton, Newman, Sanderson, Toews, Twidale and Ward.

The collections are currently listed by accession number and by donor name in the Collections Management Finding Aide reference at the Lean-to Museum & Archives.  A complete listing of collection donors is available upon request.

We continue to invite and receive contributions from private, corporate and governing bodies.

Click here to view a feature artifact


 

Repatriation of Artifacts

Fort Vermilion has an extensive history. Because a museum did not exist until 1995, many items relevant to the heritage of the people, places and region were added to the collections of distant institutions. This was the expedient action, for the time, to insure that items were preserved.

With the establishment of the Fort Vermilion Heritage Centre in 1995, the collection, exhibit and interpretation of Canada's history has grown. Many contributors are eager to donate items to their place of origin and visitors to the facilities are pleased to learn about the area through the exhibits.

We are hopeful that over time, many institutions will consider the return of artifacts to Fort Vermilion.  Please contact us if you would be willing to repatriate artifacts, preferably on a donations basis.

 

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Acknowledgements: Summer Career Placement Program staff, Keith Klassen (2004/2005) & Jordan Lambert (2006) and

Marilee Cranna Toews of the Fort Vermilion Agricultural Society