Pion-EraWinning the Prairie Gamble
Celebrate 100 years of Saskatchewan! Check out a few highlights of this exhibit below.
Meet the Worthys
This
21,000 square foot exhibit traces a representative family’s
journey through 100 years, from arrival at the turn of the 20th century to
the present day. Visitors can follow the family’s generations as each of
them face the challenges of farming in Saskatchewan.
Click the image below for a 360° view of the start of their journey
and 'machinery row':
Colonist Car
Ride along with the Worthy family as they travel on a train to
Saskatchewan in 1905.
What was it like to step off the train carrying your worldly belongings
in a few small trunks, your children clutching tightly to your skirts?
Will your husband be there to meet you as he promised? You’re exhausted
after a two thousand mile train trip. How long will it take to go the
fifteen miles to the homestead? What will it be like? A thousand
questions tumble about in your brain as you step onto the station
platform.
Meeting the Neighbours
As the first settlers were arriving on the prairies, First Nations people were moving onto reserves and learning to farm. The Aboriginal people knew the land and its many moods - rainfall and frost, hail and drought - and they shared this knowledge with the newcomers.
Find out more -->
Sod House
Visit
the Worthy's first home. The season is early
summer. It is the first summer on the homestead for the farm wife and the
children, the second for the husband.
Find out more about their sod house -->
Fun House
Many
families like the Worthys saw prosperity in the 1920s. Tag along as they
go to the town fair. There’ll be lots to see–new machinery, the fun
house for the children and baking, handwork and garden displays.
Eaton's Catalogue House
See the brand new package house the Worthys ordered from the Eaton’s
Catalogue in the 1920s. Ordering a house through the catalogue ... Nonsense! It wasn’t
nonsense in the early years of the 20th century. Mail-order house
packages from T. Eaton and several other companies were a good option
for those farm families who lived miles away from the nearest lumber
yard.
Find out more about homes from the Eaton's
Catalogue -->
Bennett Buggy
Face the challenge of surviving the “Dirty Thirties.”
That new car you bought a few years back? Well, you took the motor
out because there was no money for gas–when you want to go somewhere,
you just hitch up Betsy and Bob and off you go. Bennett buggies, they
call them. Try it out with our interactive exhibit.
Learn more about the Bennett Buggy -->
Rural Electrification
What did electricity mean to rural Saskatchewan? No more messy lamps and smelly coal oil! See a pre-electricity kitchen transform before your eyes into a kitchen with all the latest conveniences of the 1950s.
Click the image below for a 360° look at this section of the exhibit.
1950s and Beyond
Through multi-media presentations, the exhibit explores the technological and scientific revolution and its impact on the farm.
Learn more about Sask. agriculture in the 1950s and beyond-->
