One of the early driving forces behind the idea of a museum
in Lloydminster was Richard Larson. Richard is remembered as a quiet, gentle
man, but one who was determined to mobilize the community in the 1960’s to
build what is now the north wing of the Richard Larson Museum.
He would approach individuals to donate either artifacts or funding and
would accept anything. People were
very generous. Through public
donations and requests, the Barr Colony Antique Museum was built and officially
opened in 1968. Three wings were
then added, named after the three men who were supporters of the museum and left
generous bequests for further expansion. The
three wings became the O. C. Yates Wing, the W J. Saunders Wing, and the Eric
Dunstan Wing.
On April 7, 1969 City Council passed a bylaw establishing a
Barr Colony Museum committee comprised of five members, one of whom was from
City Council, “to manage and develop the Barr Colony Museum, its facilities
and exhibits.” Its members were
Richard Larson, Colin Wright, Gordon Hudson, Russ Robertson, and O. C. Yates.
Begun mostly with volunteers, an evolutionary period
developed where city funding became available. The next thirty years saw a tremendous change in the
Barr Colony Facilities.
The heritage area continues to be known as the Richard
Larson Museum and is, in part, dedicated to the Barr Colonists who settled in
the Lloydminster area in 1903. In
addition to the displays housed in the Museum Building, there are a number of
displays that have been added, depicting the history of the Lloydminster area.
Outdoor displays have also grown, including Lloydminster’s first log
church, an old schoolhouse, a log cabin, old time filling station, agriculture
and oil industry artifacts.
The Fuchs Wildlife Exhibit has now become a part of the
Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre. The
collection began in the Fuchs family home.
As the collection grew, it moved first to the exhibition grounds in
Lloydminster in 1956, then to its present location, in 1965.
Today, the collection is joined to the Centre by an updated corridor,
allowing for public viewing throughout the year.
It is believed to be the largest taxidermy exhibit created by one man in
North America.
In 1989, significant construction took place.
The new building incorporated space for borrowed collections for public
viewing, as well as space for independent exhibits of professional artists.
It also included a community gallery to house exhibits of local and
regional artists and craftspeople, as well as new and emerging professional
artists. With the construction of
the Imhoff Theatre, community events, conferences, seminars and speakers
welcomed the facility as an appropriate venue.
The Imhoff Gallery has received focal attention both
provincially and nationally. It
features a comprehensive collection of paintings by Berthold Imhoff, an artist
renowned for his murals in North American churches and public buildings.
(The influence of Berthold Imhoff on Lloydminster’s visual arts is
noted in the excerpt following from “Berthold Imhoff”)
The official opening of both the additional Imhoff Gallery and the Fuchs
Corridor Link took place on May 10, 1996.
The OTS Heavy Oil Science Centre offers “an interactive adventure into the geology, drilling, refining and uses for the region’s heavy oil reserves.” This word class interpretive centre was opened to the public on August 5, 1999. The centre provides a self guided tour through the petroleum industry, its history, its discovery and the role it plays in today’s society.
On April 5,1999, City Council passed another bylaw wherein
they established the Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre Board.
This new board incorporated the former Museum Committee as well as the
former Allied Arts Board, and became the new umbrella for the Barr Colony Centre
and its mandate.
The Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre holds a great diversity of exhibits. This diversity is an attraction to both tourists and the community of Lloydminster. Recently the Centre has also become the venue for the annual “Festival of Trees” as well as a community centre for various public events, including the yearly celebration of Canada Day in the Centre and the Weaver Park Area. The Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre continues to be committed to the preservation of the arts, culture and history. This has been accomplished through the continued volunteerism of the Heritage Society, the Heavy Oil Visitor’s Committee and the various supporting cultural groups in Lloydminster.
Written by Linda Nykolaychuk
Information provided by the Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre