Former name Argyle Prairie Museum | ||
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Location Argyle, Manitoba, Canada Type Historic Regional Museum Accreditation Association of Manitoba Museums Collections Canadian Flag Collection, Veterans of Brant-Argyle, Brant-Argyle United Church, Brant-Argyle School 100th Collection size 1,500 artifacts, 1,100 flags, 10,000 digital files in archives | ||
Settlers, Rails & Trails is a community run, non-profit museum located in Argyle, Manitoba. It exhibits local history, railway and agricultural artifacts and historical information, and it is also home to the Canadian Flag Collection. Argyle is part of the Rural Municipality of Rockwood, and is located approximate 10 km northwest of the town of Stonewall.
Contents
History
Began in 1991 as a school project under the name Argyle Prairie Museum, the museum exhibited artifacts and local history in the basement of the Brant-Argyle School. The school is a provincial (Manitoba) historical site. In 1993, the museum was expanded to include the Ekhart railway station, and soon afterward a general store and blacksmith building. The museum was open to the public in the summer months and during Argyle’s Homecoming 2000 celebrations. Due to ongoing maintenance and operational demands, the museum continued collecting artifacts, but reduced its exhibition space and tours.
In February 2010, a group of motivated citizens from the Argyle area began exploring options for operating the museum as a community entity. In November 2010, the museum changed its name to Settlers, Rails & Trails while incorporating as a non-profit organization with the Manitoba Government.
In May 2013, SR&T registered with the Canadian Revenue Agency to become an official Canadian Charity.
SR&T became a member of Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) in March 2014 and host virtual displays at the Canadian Virtual Museum website.
Present Day
While the museum awaits acquisition of a permanent home, it has opened to the public in the Argyle Community Centre. The museum has four permanent exhibits on show: Veterans of the Brant-Argyle Region, Brant-Argyle School 100th Anniversary, Canadian Flag Collection, Brant-Argyle United Church. As the museum grows, it continues to collect artifacts, provide research and educational tours to visitors. Using hands on items and technology, the local and regional history is shared with museum guests.
We Will Remember Them - History of Veterans of Brant-Argyle Region (history book) was released in Summer 2016. Voices of War theatrical production was specifically written for the museum and toured in the fall 2015 including performances at Domain, Stonewall, Selkirk, Teulon and Argyle, Manitoba. The DVD version of the production was produced and released in Fall 2016 to coincide with Remembrance Day. The uniforms, props and artifacts from the production are on display in the museum's main gallery.
The museum is now working on a new exhibit that will centre on the local region's agricultural heritage. This new exhibit will be open to the public in the fall 2017.
SR&T regularly holds events to mark National Flag of Canada Day, each year on February 15th. The museum conducts exhibits at local schools, and has even created two displays in the Manitoba Legislature's Rotunda. In 2016 the museum produced an exhibit highlighting the historic flags of Manitoba for that provincial flag's 50th Anniversary.
Local Artifacts & History
There are over 1,500 artifacts in the museum’s collection in categories ranging from local history, agriculture, education, religion, business and railway exhibits. The museum continues to use the Ekhart railway station to house the Canadian railway artifacts and the general store building to display the items popular during the 1920s to 1970s. A blacksmith shop houses the agricultural artifacts as well as those familiar to the local smithy. Outside exhibits include a stretch of 60 lb rail containing four small pieces of rolling stock known as jiggers.
Veterans of the Brant-Argyle Region is an exhibit that honours the 173 veterans of the area. Serving from the Fenian Raids (1860s) to present day Afghanistan, photos, medals, uniforms and other artifacts are on display.
In 2015 the museum wrote and produced a live theatrical production called Voices of War. A DVD and history book now encompass the story of this play.
Canadian Flag Collection
The famous Canadian Flag Collection is also displayed at Settlers, Rails & Trails. It is a gathering of flags, old and new, that represent truly Canadian components of heritage and culture. Five galleries compose the collection;
Settlers, Rails & Trails holds the 2nd largest museum collection of flags in Canada. As of February 2017, the collection contains over 1,100 Flags, the largest in Canada being at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. It is due to the CFC that the museum holds regional museum status, exhibiting flags and artifacts from across the country.
The CFC has been covered by CBC Radio, the Winnipeg Free Press and multiple times by the Stonewall Tribune and Stonewall Argus/Teulon Times. It has even been featured in Flagscan, the journal of the Canadian Flag Association.