Culture & History
Rum running during Prohibition, coal mining disasters, a historic rock slide, a train robbery, and a police shoot-out, lend an exciting history celebrated throughout the South Canadian Rockies. World-class heritage sites, historic walking and driving tours, and interpretive kiosks offer a greater perspective on past events that have shaped our community.
Today, South Canadian Rockies is home to a vibrant artisan scene with numerous studios, a public gallery, and a thriving number of talented musicians. You will find exhibits of local art in many cafes and restaurants throughout the community.
Culture & history listing
Crowsnest Community Library
Membership is free at the Crowsnest Community Library. With a library membership, you can borrow books, movies, magazines, audiobooks, e-books, e-readers, etc. Place holds and renewals online or with a library staff member. Access more resources through Chinook Arch and the Alberta Library. Members also have access to a shared collection of more than 900,000 library materials. Library resources that can be accessed with or without a membership are free access to computer workstations and wireless services, videoconferencing for meetings,…
The Lebel Mansion
A historic building located in the heart of Pincher Creek dedicated to Cultivating Creativity in Southwest Alberta. Once a single-family home turned hospital, the Mansion is now operated by the Allied Arts Council of Pincher Creek.Features include an Art Gallery and Gift Shop proudly representing local artists and makers from across Alberta and Canada as well as an active Ceramics Guild working in the large basement studio. On the Grounds, you will find a Rose Garden with over 55 rose…
September Springs Ranch
September Springs Ranch is open by appointment only. This business is the realization of its owner’s enthusiasm for antiques and collectibles and many unique items. They have many items in almost every category from local art and antiques to fashion and jewelry and artifacts from all over the world plus, plus. With three buildings filled with history. Unique Art Antique and Boutique offer hundreds of items different items in every price range including some rare and ancient displays from all…
The Bellevue Underground Mine
Equipped with a miner’s helmet and lamp, the Bellevue Underground Mine tour will take you 1,000 feet into the mine, where you will be 150 feet below the surface. On a guided tour led by their experienced Heritage Interpreters, you will explore the mine’s inner workings and feel as if you have travelled back in time to explore the Crowsnest Pass’ rich underground mining history. All tours must be booked online in advance.
Heritage Acres Farm Museum
Heritage Acres is a working museum, which is operated by the Old Man River Antique Equipment and Threshing Club. The museum consists of a 180-acre site that was established in 1988 after the Oldman River Dam was built. The Club is dedicated to promoting an interest in and preserving the heritage of the agricultural industry in Southern Alberta from 1880-1960. The museum has been collecting, restoring, conserving, and demonstrating artifacts since 1988. A significant number of relocated heritage buildings are…
Crowsnest Museum & Archives
The Crowsnest Museum and Archives highlight the daily lives of the people of Crowsnest Pass, celebrating both triumph and tragedy, from rum-running to tragic explosions. Visitors can learn about the unique industrial history and criminal ties of the region, all while exploring its unforgettable landscape. With nearly 100,000 artifacts and archival materials, and a repository of about 60,000 images, the Crowsnest Museum operates as an open-storage or “visible storage” museum, where most artifacts are on display. Located in the downtown…
Leitch Collieries Provincial Historic Site
Discover how the effects of strikes, war, untimely death, and other ill fortune contributed to the collapse of this ambitious Canadian-owned and operated mining venture. Interpretive panels, listening posts, and walking paths through the ruins create a window back in time to the early 1900s. Leitch Collieries was one of the most impressive and sophisticated early coal mines in the Crowsnest Pass. It was the only fully Canadian-owned and operated coal mine in the past and features ruins of a…
Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village
Located along the creek that gives Pincher Creek its name, the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village is open year-round. Hours vary from summer to winter months. In Pioneer Place, you will find a Visitor Information Centre, extensive archives, and The Country Store which carries local and Canadian products, country and vintage themes items, and an impressive local book section. The Museum Village sits on six acres with 31 authentic historical buildings teeming with artifacts. The open-concept style museum gives an up-close…
