The Saskatoon Western Development Museum focuses on local history, so a visit here is the perfect introduction to the region for first-time visitors. Exhibits include a charming recreation of a “boomtown” in 1910, farm machinery that developed in the area, local breakthroughs in finding a cure for cancer and the introduction of wind power to Saskatchewan.
Walk through a life-sized replica of a fictional Canadian town to see how the locals lived at the beginning of the 20th century. The Saskatchewan province experienced a huge wave of migration at this time and the local economy began to flourish. Visit more than 30 buildings, including traditional homesteads and shops, that were commonplace in the developing towns. See a printing press at the newspaper office and visit a school, church or blacksmith shop. Have a drink in the working Boomtown Café before moving on to the other exhibits.
Other exhibitions at the museum have an agricultural focus, including a collection of historic farm machinery. Learn about the challenges that faced the burgeoning agricultural community and how modern inventions have dealt with farming tasks. Browse the museum’s photographs and follow the story of the Worthy family in the Winning the Prairie Gamble exhibit. You’ll see items such as the Bennett Buggy, a horse-drawn car, and a house you could order from a catalogue.
The Cancer Bomb exhibit shows how a locally invented machine in 1951 cured a Saskatoon patient from cervical cancer and prevented millions of women worldwide from dying from this disease.
See how wind power has begun to change the way the community operates by visiting the three large turbines outside the museum.
The Saskatoon Western Development Museum is located in downtown Saskatoon and is easily reached on foot or by bus or car. Street parking is available in the area. The museum is closed on public holidays and has an admission fee.