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A Prairie Mountain Promenade walks viewers through the history, showcased at the new Prairie Mountain Regional Museum (PMRM), of this region of southwestern Manitoba. It begins with an explanation of the “Big Trail”, as locals called the famous Fort Ellice Trail that crossed the prairies from Winnipeg to Edmonton. Family members from the Elliot house, which was donated to the PMRM and will eventually be converted into a bed and breakfast on the Museum’s site, tell us about the house’s former existence as a wayside stop along the trail.
Horses were vital in settling the west, so the next stop on the promenade is the Clegg Carriage Collection of over 90 horse-drawn vehicles, and includes interviews with the 90 year-old farmer who has spent the past 30 years of his life restoring these items, now part of the PMRM.
The final portion of A Prairie Mountain Promenade examines the Museum’s rural heritage village. The former students of the Olha School describe their days in a one-room schoolhouse. The congregations of the Solsgirth Ukrainian Catholic Church and St. Stephen’s Anglican Church explain why they made their decisions to donate the building and how this marked the end of an era for its community.
The McNarry family comments on why their mother’s final wish was to see the family home moved out to the Museum and to tell us about life on a rural farm. Finally, local seniors, community leaders and youth offer their input to why this museum project is so important to the region.
