Fort la Reine Museum

For full information on the entrance fees, hours of operation, etc. please visit the museum web site at www.fortlareinemuseum.ca

Owned and operated by the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie, the museum is open for visitors and tourist information from early May to mid-September.

Annual "Heritage Days" on the last weekend in June highlight the Museum’s annual activities.

Travel and School bus tours are accommodated by tour guides and must be booked ahead.

History of Fort la Reine

The original Fort was built in 1738 by the French-Canadian explorer, Sieur de la Verendrye. It served as his headquarters for 15 years while he explored the territory. The museum contains a replica of the original fort.

Museum Exhibits

The main building houses the original "Fred Thompson" collection of pioneer and native artifacts and visiting "personal collections". While the museum is open "year-round for inquiries and donations, the Mother's Day weekend May 12th ushers in the new visitor season and opening day activities including seed by the Portage Prairie Pioneers on the Allis Chalmers acres. 

A National Treasure

The village has an impressive railway display, which includes one of Canada's National Treasures, the 1882 CPR business car that acted as a mobile office and sleeping facility for CPR's General Manager of that era, Sir William Van Horne. Van Horne used this car, also known as Number 10 the Rideau, when he supervised the construction of the CPR, the railway that joined Canada from sea to sea, fulfilling the terms of Confederation. A frequent guest in "The Railway Car That Built Canada", was Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. Decisions about the location of the rail line west of Manitoba through to the Rockies, and therefore the pattern of settlement and growth of Canadian towns and cities, were made in this car. The Canadian Heritage Foundation calls it "one of the more significant heritage artifacts in Canada." A railway caboose, superintendent's car (still under restoration), Corbett's railroad crossing and several other maintenance railroad vehicles complete the railroad display. Another rail car, car 21, is still under renovation.

In all, 33 venues include two "Century Farm Homes", one of them the former residence of Premier Douglas Campbell, and is now under renovation, two turn-of-the-century Victorian homes, a log house, a fire hall, a print shop, a school house, a doctor-lawyer-dentist building, a country church, the Portage Mutual Building complete with a fully operational 1938 Ford, which the Mutual used for insurance repairs, a trapper's cabin, a trading post, a country store, a Muskateer aircraft, and building number 12, just moved in from Southport which will house, among other things, a military museum. More exciting plans are underway for this site once renovations are complete.

Unique Farm Machinery Collection

Canada's only Allis Chalmers Museum, featuring the Gilbert Vust collection, houses vintage model tractors and farm equipment, and is touted as one of the finest collections in North America, with many unique operational pieces of Allis Chalmers equipment under one roof.

The Museum maintains a web site at http://www.fortlareinemuseum.ca

Some Pictures from Our Album

Click for a larger view.

Heritage Days