An Amusing Affair — Alberta

Along with the well-known Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, this province’s museums each take a unique role in showcasing its eclectic history.

With Alberta’s influential role in the invention of the telephone, to illustrating the vintage method of automotive transportation with carriages, as well as looking at the more modern types of transportation, these museums provide their visitors with an in-depth look at the province’s history and progress through the years.


Telephone Historical Centre (Edmonton)
From its invention, to its design, the telephone has come a long way. The exhibits at the Telephone Historical Centre explore the evolution of the traditional telephone.

With Edmonton’s history including the establishment of the first manual phone system, the museum pays tribute to its city’s role in developing this vital mode of communication.

The museum was built in 1987 and houses an extensive collection of phones dating as far back as the 1800s.

Its extensive archives collection allows visitors to browse the vintage phone directories that range from 1912 to modern day, as well as technical manuals from the 1800s and photos of telephone pioneers.

Admission is by donation (with the exception of group tours). Combined with the learning resources available, this museum is calling your name.

For more information visit telephonehistoricalcentre.com


Remington Carriage Museum (Cardston)
Highlighting late 19^th- and early 20^th-century North American society, Remington Carriage Museum showcases horse-drawn vehicles from bygone eras. With more than 240 vehicles, the museum houses one of the largest collections of horse-drawn vehicles in North America.

The exhibit gallery houses 16 displays that feature more than 55 vehicles, along with a historical timeline featuring themes from across the decades. The museum’s inspiration and namesake, Don Remington, collected horse-drawn vehicles from across North America for 33 years, fixing and restoring each one. In 1985, he decided to donate his collection, consisting of 49 vehicles, to the Province of Alberta. His passing, two years later, would come before the idea for the museum came to fruition. The Province combined Remington’s collection with horse-drawn vehicles from the Historical Resources Division of the Department of Community Development, along with a long-term loan from the Glenbow Museum in Calgary that included 130 vehicles. Their combined collections provide visitors with a diverse look at the evolution and functionality of horse-drawn vehicles throughout the years.

To further enhance the museum experience, carriage rides and rentals are available to provide visitors with a unique experience of horse-drawn vehicles.

For more information visit  remingtoncarriagemuseum.com


Reynolds-Alberta Museum (Wetaskiwin)
In an extensive showcase of transportation, the Reynolds-Alberta Museum houses vehicles including vintage automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, aircraft, as well as agriculture and industrial equipment. Their collections date as far back as the 1890s and extend to the present day.

The museum opened in 1992 as part of a project with the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and Alberta Infrastructure. It was named after businessman and collector Stan Reynolds, who between 1982 and 1986 donated his collection that includes 1,500 artifacts to the province. With other contributors, he continues to donate parts of his collection.

The museum centres around four themes: Transportation, aviation, agriculture and industry. More than 100 main artifacts are on display in the museum’s exhibits, and more than 5,000 artifacts are housed in the museum’s collection storage facilities.

For more information visit  machinemuseum.net


Aero Space Museum of Calgary (Calgary)
The largest of its kind in Western Canada, the Aero Space Museum of Calgary features an extensive collection of aircraft, including recreational, aviation, military and war aircraft, as well as helicopters.

The former hangar in which the collection resides is in itself a peek into the city’s history. Located in the Calgary International Airport, it was built in 1941 as a drill hall for the British Commonwealth Air Training Program, before becoming the home of Bullock Helicopters.

With educational activities, as well as collections and displays related to Canadian aviation history and Calgary in particular, the museum’s mission is “to promote the appreciation of Western Canadian contribution in aviation and space.”

For more information visit asmac.ab.ca/aerospace

Photo courtesy Remington Carriage Museum (top)