With museums now beginning to reopen, I decided this was the time for a long-planned visit to the Fort la Reine Museum in Portage la Prairie.
Although only half an hour away from my home, this was my first visit and I certainly recommend it for anyone interested in Manitoba’s history.
Fort la Reine Museum, located on the eastern edge of Portage, houses more than 25 heritage structures that are “designed to illustrate the lifestyle of a Prairie community from 1738-1950.” These begin with a replica of the original historic Fort la Reine and include an early trapper’s cabin, a trading post and a York boat.
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The historic fort, established on the Assiniboine River in 1838 by explorer and fur trader Pierre Gaultier de Varennes de La Vérendrye, is the namesake attraction of the museum, but the replica of the fort has fallen into disrepair and is not presently open to the public. Fortunately a provincial grant through the Building Sustainable Communities Fund was recently announced. The museum’s executive director, Madison Connolly, stated that construction is set to begin in 2022. Once completed, the restored fort space will display local Indigenous perspectives including artifacts, oral histories and interactive displays ─ which have been somewhat lacking in the museum up until now.
The museum’s Pioneer Village is a replica of a Prairie main street in earlier times. Various buildings house a fire hall, a print shop, a general store, West Prospect School (a one-room school built in 1881), West Prospect United Church and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church. As well, several houses exhibit lifestyles and designs over a period of more than 150 years. These include the Paul House, built in 1879, the Hourie House from 1890, the Case House from the 1920s, the Burton House from the 1930s and the Douglas Campbell House from the 1940s-50s. You might shiver even on a hot day as you notice the cracks through the walls of the Paul House, and it is interesting to see the gradual changes and advancements as you tour the newer ones. Watch also for the Assiniboine teepee and the pioneer clay oven (which is used occasionally).
Agricultural displays are another very important feature. Rural visitors will want to check out the Heritage Barn, the Thresherman’s Bunkhouse, and the large collection of equipment in the Allis Chalmers Building. Look for the bison and the stuffed bird collection in the barn, as well as the lovely replica buggy. Other buildings house the Maintenance Garage, the Railcar Collection including the 1832 Van Horne Railcar and the Southport Military Building. The latter will soon have a new permanent exhibit, set to open before long, entitled “Women in Uniform.”
Besides its regular features, Fort la Reine Museum offers various temporary exhibits. This summer’s exhibit includes a Canadian Heritage display entitled “Unmasking Influenza” which highlights the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-19. Visitors might find this particularly interesting considering our present-day pandemic. Two other temporary exhibits scheduled for September and October will be “Canadian English, Eh?” and “Beyond Words: Dictionaries and Indigenous Languages.”
For the remainder of the summer Fort la Reine will be offering ‘Prairie Sundays’ from 1 to 3 p.m. with a different activity each Sunday. Scheduled for August 15 is ‘Pioneer Clay Baking and Butter Making,’ with ‘Candy Apple Making’ on the 22nd and ‘Salt Water Taffy Making’ on the 29th.
For the last several years the museum has offered another activity on its property in the form of a corn maze. This can be entertaining for children and is a free activity, open at any time. This year’s maze is set to begin on August 14.
Guided tours are available upon request if staff are available, and are included in the entry price if you wish, or tour the exhibits at your own pace. Also available over the summer, if booked in advance, is a tea party. This includes one guided tour for about an hour and then the tea party served up in one of the heritage houses, as selected by the participants. The tea party price is only $5 in addition to the regular entry fee ($10 for adults, $8 for seniors).
Fort la Reine Museum plans to be open daily until September 3 and then for reduced hours on weekends until October 17. Plans are also underway for Halloween tours. For further information on the museum, entry fees and hours of operation, call 204-857-3259 or visit the website at fortlareinemuseum.com.
