Heritage Park Historical Village
Encyclopedia
Heritage Park Historical Village is a historical park located in Calgary, Alberta. The park is located on 127 acre (0.51395122 km²) of parkland on the banks of the Glenmore Reservoir
, along the city's southwestern edge. As Canada's largest living history museum by number of exhibits, it is one of the city's most visited tourist attractions. The park is branded as a living history museum since it features a village that was recreated to appear as it might have in late 19th and early 20th century Alberta
. Many of the buildings are historical and were transported to the park to be placed on display. Others are re-creations of actual buildings. Most of the structures are furnished and decorated with genuine artifacts. Staff dress in historic costume, and antique automobiles and horse-drawn vehicle
s service the site. Calgary Transit
provides regular shuttle service from Heritage
C-Train
station.
The park is divided into four distinct areas reflecting different time periods in Western Canadian history: the Hudson's Bay Company Fur Trading Fort (although no Hudson's Bay Company fort ever existed in Calgary), circa 1864; the Pre-Railway Settlement Village, circa 1880; the Railway Prairie Town, circa 1910; and the newly-opened (2009) Heritage Town Square, depicting the 1930s to 1950s.
Heritage Park Historical Village has over 100 exhibits including:
Some of the new attractions include:
Glenmore Reservoir
The Glenmore Reservoir is a large artificial reservoir on the Elbow River in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. The Glenmore Dam is the concrete structure that holds back the reservoir. The reservoir is a primary source of drinking water to the city...
, along the city's southwestern edge. As Canada's largest living history museum by number of exhibits, it is one of the city's most visited tourist attractions. The park is branded as a living history museum since it features a village that was recreated to appear as it might have in late 19th and early 20th century Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. Many of the buildings are historical and were transported to the park to be placed on display. Others are re-creations of actual buildings. Most of the structures are furnished and decorated with genuine artifacts. Staff dress in historic costume, and antique automobiles and horse-drawn vehicle
Horse-drawn vehicle
A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load...
s service the site. Calgary Transit
Calgary Transit
Calgary Transit is the public transit service which is owned and operated by the city of Calgary, Alberta. In 2008, an estimated 95.3 million passengers boarded approximately 960 Calgary Transit vehicles , which thus provided 2.31 million hours of service .-History:What would eventually become...
provides regular shuttle service from Heritage
Heritage (C-Train)
Heritage is a stop on the South Line of the C-Train light rail system in Calgary, Alberta.The station, with a large 557 space park-and-ride lot, is located west of Macleod Trail, about east of the Heritage Park Historical Village...
C-Train
C-Train
C-Train is the light rail transit system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has been in operation since May 25, 1981. The system is operated by Calgary Transit, a department of the Calgary municipal government.-Operations:...
station.
Park structure
Exhibits
- A working steam locomotiveLocomotiveA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
and train that takes passengers around the park - A streetcar from Calgary's former streetcar system that shuttles passengers to and from the parking lot. This was taken out of service in 2006 in preparation for the park's expansion, and returned to service in May 2010, taking passengers from the parking lot to the newly-built CPR replica station and front gate.
- A re-creation of a paddle steamerPaddle steamerA paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
, S.S. MoyieMoyie (sternwheeler)The Moyie is a paddle steamer sternwheeler that worked on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada from 1898 until 1957.After her nearly sixty years of service, she was sold to the town of Kaslo and restored...
, that traverses the Glenmore Reservoir - An antique midway that features working historical amusement park rides
- An aboriginal encampment representing the First Peoples in southern Alberta in the 19th century
- A working smithyBlacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, bakery, hotel, and several shops and restaurants - Horse-drawn wagons
- A Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay CompanyThe Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
trading fort - The 1913 Little Synagogue on the PrairieLittle Synagogue on the PrairieThe Little Synagogue on the Prairie is a small, wooden synagogue originally built in Sibbald, Alberta, justwest of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Originally called the Montefiore Institute, it was built in 1913 or 1916 by the Montefiore colony of Jewish immigrants who had settledin Alberta in...
- The Town Square, located in front of the park gates, contains Haskayne Mercantile Block, Selkirk Grille and Big Rock Interpretive Brewery flanked by the Bissett Wetlands. It was opened in 2009 and admission is free in this area of the park.
Expansion
In March 2009, Heritage Park opened a major new expansion, the Heritage Town Square. The addition features several new buildings depicting a larger 1930s and 1940s western Canadian town. Heritage Town Square will be open year-round, unlike the rest of the park, which is seasonal.Some of the new attractions include:
- a new Gasoline Alley Museum showcasing the park's extensive antique carAntique carIn the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...
and memorabilia collection (previously housed in the Burns Barn in the main park) - an orientation/visitor's centre (within a replica railway station)
- a 1930s town square (which includes shops, an antique photo parlour, and food services)
- a re-creation of a CPRCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
railway station restaurant