The Historic Collection
The Fort's Historic Collection of approximately 15,000 objects encompasses the material culture of the Fort. The majority of the objects are functional pieces such as glassware, furniture, tools, and utensils. Some of the works, however, are surprisingly ornate given the wilderness location of the Fort and the time period. Original objects from the early nineteenth century, although not original to the Fort, represent approximately half of our collection while the other half consists of reproduction objects. Many of our reproductions have been created by artisans at the Fort such as our blacksmith, cooper, armourer, tinsmith, and carpenter. Some of the highlights of our diverse collection include birch bark canoes - vehicles essential to the operation of the fur trade, a team of draft horses used to work the Fort's farm, and a reproduction portraiture collection of North West Company dignitaries and other important historic figures. The breadth of the collection is also demonstrated by our fully operational period fire engine and our intriguing, and somewhat intimidating, electrifying machine used to treat a staggering variety of ills.
The great era of medical electricity began with the development of the static-electricity machine in the latter part of the 17th century and culminated in the latter part of the 19th century. Although there was much quackery associated with medical electricity, there were some very useful applications.
