232 Centre Street, Vulcan, AB | 1-403-485-2168 | vdhs@telus.net
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ABOUT US
In 1971, a group of area residents formed the Vulcan & District Historical Society to gather this area’s information to put in a history book. This book was called, “Wheat Country-a History of Vulcan and District”. Upon completion of the book, an archive was formed inside the Vulcan Library. (The archives later moved to the former town office.) In 1988 a follow-up to the first history book was published, “Wheat Country II”.
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The town of Vulcan leased the former Alberta Government Telephones building to the Historical Society for one dollar per year to be used as a museum. The work of many volunteers prepared the new museum for public viewing. The addition of a rural school brought in from east of Vulcan and a central foyer built to join the two buildings led to the Grand Opening of these areas in 2002. A 40-foot by 65-foot expansion opened in 2016, providing additional displays area for the museum and a new location for the archives.
The society has also been involved with many community projects that promoted the preservation of Vulcan’s rich history. Some of these are the installation of rural school markers, plaques for historical buildings, signage for the RCAF airport, new street signs that include historic street names, displays prepared to celebrate local businesses, working with the Vulcan Legion, and digitizing the town’s newspapers, the Vulcan Review and the Vulcan Advocate, and having that added to the University of Alberta's archives website.
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Currently, the society participates in a number of projects and events to encourage community involvement. Innovative ways of letting children experience pioneer life have been popular, including school lessons in the schoolroom, making butter, using crank telephones, working with hammer and nails and more.
We are fortunate to have had society members who have been willing to help and a group of many community volunteers who have supported us for more than 50 years, as we collect and share our community’s memories.
REVIEWS
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Items are clean and well-presented. It was an excellent collection of artifacts and items and the kids enjoyed browsing them. We especially liked the school setup, as well as the collection of phones. The pay phone booth made me feel old.
Great little museum. Would highly recommend.
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What an amazing gem in our county! I took my class for a morning program and it was amazing. The displays are fantastic - so much rich history!
The museum is a volunteer board charged with the preservation of artifacts and documents from Vulcan County in particular Vulcan and district. It is a small museum open to the public during the summer.
They have a very interactive museum which takes you back in time. The school room with all the rules teachers had to follow is very impressive.
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Jose Gonzalez
Kyla Smith
Ela Thakore
ON THIS SPOT
This tour takes a short walk around downtown Vulcan, exploring places that were key to our town's history. We'll learn about the coming of the railway, the importance of agriculture to Vulcan, and the town's contributions to war efforts during the Second World War. We'll also learn about some buildings that are long gone and witness the dramatic changes that have shaped Vulcan.
Volunteer Wind-Up
All Museum volunteers please join us on September 25, 2023 at 1:30 for some goodies to thank-you for all you do.
NEWS & EVENTS
Keep your eyes open here for all things new and exciting and for upcoming events as well!