Saskatchewan towns the size of Shaunavon don’t usually have a museum. But Shaunavon does, and it’s not only open year-round, but is free for visitors!
Housed with the local art gallery, library, and visitor centre, there’s always something happening in this southwest Saskatchewan economic hub.
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
Small town museums often celebrate the names of people who’ve put them on a national–or international–map. In Shaunavon, that person is Hayley Wickenheiser.
Who’s Hayley Wickenheiser? She’s most noted for being a five-time Olympian athlete, winning four gold medals and one silver in ice hockey for Canada. She was also the first woman to play full-time professional men’s ice hockey. Indeed, some say she’s the “greatest woman’s ice hockey player of all time.”
“I have never been so proud to be Canadian! To stand there with my son Noah in my arms, the gold medal around my shoulders and the Canadian anthem playing was amazing. It was the fulfillment of all my childhood dreams growing up in a farming town called Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.”
~ Quote from Wickenheiser on Canada Gold
Wickenheiser was born in 1978 in Shaunavon. When did she start skating? At two! By the time she was five, she was playing on the boys’ hockey team. At 12, she moved to Calgary, playing in both girls’ leagues and boys’ leagues.
What was Hayley Wickenheiser’s nickname when she joined the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team at age 15?
The team nicknamed Hayley “High Chair Hayley!”
In 1998, when Hayley was 20, the Candian Women’s hockey team captured Silver in the Japan Olympics. Hayley stayed on the team for 23 years.
Hayley retired from hockey in 2017 and became a resident medical doctor. Her specialty? Emergency medicine. She also held a senior role with the NHL’s Toroto Maple Leaf hockey team.
She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. In July 2022, Wickenheiser was named assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
What’s in the Shaunavon Museum?
The Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre is a small, but professionally curated museum in Shaunavon. It’s thematically divided into moments from the area’s past, covering its people and history with artifacts and signage.
The Natural History exhibit is one of the most important in the collection. Its earliest artifacts include fossils from the area.
Taxidermy mounts positioned in front of painted scenes portray the area’s wildlife today.
Fast Fact: The bison speciman displayed in the museum is from a herd in Wainwright, Alberta, in 1932. He's named "Frank" after Frank Bransted, Chairman of the Museum Board from 1936 - 1957.
The Local History Exhibit is another key area in the museum. It provides information on early town businesses, from the Crystal Bakery to the Grand Coteau General Store to Hillcrest Farms.
Fast Fact: In 1940 the Cyrstal Bakery supplied an average of 500 loaves per day in the winter and 700 per day in the summer!
In between, the museum covers early household appliances, communications, millinery styles, the RCMP, war veterans, and more. Some exhibits rotate, which keeps the museum new for visitors.
The art gallery in the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre in Shaunavon covers about 1,000-square-feet (93 sq. m).
It features exhibitions by local, Saskatchewan and Canadian artists.
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
I visited Shaunavon for a critique session with my writers’ group, so spent four days in the community.
While I really enjoy the Canalta Hotel chain on the prairies, the Canalta Hotel Shaunavon was booked during our visit. So, we stayed at the Bear’s Den Lodge. It was a budget-priced option, but comfortable.
And the dining? There are lots to choose from. I particularly enjoyed the Harvest Eatery, which serves what it describes as gourmet comfort food.
I highly recommend the Lake Diefenbaker Steelhead trout fillet–their spicy pickled peach relish is a tasty addition.
The T.rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, just 20 minutes away, is one of the southwest’s most popular summer attractions. It’s home to “Scotty,” the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus rex.
You can also see the Buzzard Coulee Meteorite that crashed near Buzzard Coulee in west-central Saskatchewan in 2008.
Who Should Visit the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre?
The Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre (GCHCC) is about 45 km (28 miles) off of the Trans-Canada Highway in southwest Saskatchewan.
So, for those on a road trip who like to explore smaller communities, the town and museum are the perfect stop.
Anyone looking for prairie history will find some interesting artifacts and information at the museum.
I spent about an hour going through the collection, so a visit can provide a short break and stretch if you’re traveling.
GCHCC has various archival materials that researchers will find valuable. From its large collection of history books to the entire span of the Shaunavon Standard newspaper dating back to 1913, there’s lots of local history.
For genealogy researchers, there’s also a collection of obituaries.
How Do You Visit the Shaunavon Museum?
The Shaunavon Museum is part of the town’s multi-purpose complex that also houses the library, art gallery, and visitor centre.
Parking: There's lots of free street parking at the museum.
Street Location: 401 – 3rd St West, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.
The museum is open seasonally. You can check out the Grand Coteau Centre website for information on open days and hours.
Keep up to date with what’s happening at the Grand Coteau Heritage and Cultural Centre Facebook page.
Take a quick virtual tour of the Grand Coteau Heritage and Cultural Centre on YouTube.
Plan your trip with Google Maps.
More Places to See in Saskatchewan
Check out all of guide2museum.com’s reviews of museums in Saskatchewan.
Read More Reviews of Heritage Museums
- Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre: Shaunavon, SK
- Boot Hill Museum: Kansas Wild West Myth Meets Lived History
- Maple Creek’s Intriguing Jasper Cultural & Historical Centre
- Front Street Cowboy Museum: Ogallala, Nebraska
- Discover the Mormon Handcart Historic Site & Devil’s Gate in Wyoming
- See 100 Miles Across Nebraska From Scotts Bluff National Monument
- Standout Ranching History at the MonDak Heritage Center: Sidney, Montana
- New Iceland Heritage Museum: Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
- Crazy Horse Memorial & Museums: South Dakota’s Black Hills
- Myra Museum: Lustron House & More in Grand Forks, North Dakota
- Fort Cody Trading Post: Miniature Wild West Show in North Platte, Nebraska
- Miracle of America Museum: 40+ Buildings in Polson, Montana
- Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village & Museum: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
- Museum of Northern British Columbia: Indigenous Art & History in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
- Heritage Village: Museum in Weyburn, Saskatchewan
- Vermilionville: Living History Open Air Village in Lafayette, Louisiana
- Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience: New Orleans, Louisiana
- National Doukhobor Heritage Village: Veregin, Saskatchewan
- Bonanzaville: Open Air Pioneer Village Museum in Fargo, North Dakota
- Range Riders Museum: Old West Lives Again in Miles City, Montana
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