The mandate of the Pincher Creek & District Historical Society is to preserve & promote the history of southwestern Alberta, divided into seven time periods from the very earliest times up to the present day.  Geographically, we collect materials from the community of Pincher Creek as well as its trading area which roughly includes the Municipal District of Pincher Creek.  Such rural villages, hamlets & settlements as Beaver Mines, Burmis, Cowley, Fishburn, Mountain Mill, Pincher Station and Twin Butte as well as the forty-one rural school districts are included as are the southern portions of the Porcupine Hills, the Castle River watershed to the west, and Waterton Lakes National Park to the south. 

 

 

Our archives, rich in historical reading & research sources, reflect that mandate.    Housed in the rustic log building of Pioneer Place, our extensive holdings highlight the frontier history of the Pincher Creek area.  You will find written & visual tales of the early pioneers closely associated with the region’s Northwest Mounted Police, agricultural, commercial, educational, and religious history.  Whether you are interested in the genealogy of a specific family, perhaps even your own, the development of a thematic history, or the chronicles of a rural settlement, you may be able to find some historical documentation of it in our archives. People will find a great variety in the types of archival materials housed here.  Published sources include a vast array of Canadian & local history books & journals, newspaper clippings, and a coveted set of most of the back issues of the Pincher Creek Echo.  A manuscript section houses recollections & accounts of our early pioneers, documentation of some of the early businesses & associations in the community, and research notes made by local historians.  Our government records collections encompass old school & municipal records.  Within our photographic holdings are housed virtually countless old images from days gone by.  We also have some map & audio-visual holdings. 

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We have a specific policy regarding donating items to the museum. Items must have a connection to Pincher Creek or the outlying district. Any donation of artifacts must also meet the age requirement. They must be of pioneer/settler/early town history.  Please contact us if you have any historic documentation from the Pincher Creek area which you would like to donate to our Historical Society.  We look forward to your visit.

 

For more information about the donation policies, please call the museum at 403-627-3684 or email our curator, Farley Wuth, at fswuth.kbpv@gmail.com.