The Prairieview Elevator Museum in Plum Coulee recently opened for the 2024 season, and visitors are in for a treat.
Over the winter, a new exhibit area was created on the second floor, featuring a fashion and baby section. Everything from dresses, shoes and coats, and decor of the time, carefully arranged in era-accurate settings, with little extra artifacts to carry visitors back in time.
As well, the museum welcomes a special guest this season. Ceramic artist and educator Grace Nickel grew up in the Plum Coulee area and is delighted to feature several of her pieces in the main floor gallery.
The Plum Coulee elevator is listed as a Manitoba historic site. Built in 1975 by Manitoba Pool, the 108-foot-high elevator was the most modern of its time in Western Canada. As more modern features were added, the name eventually changed to Agricore.
It was gifted to the town in 2002. Seeing an opportunity for growth and visitor appeal, the contents of the museum on Main Ave. were moved to the elevator in 2020.
Doors were cut into several of its bins to make display rooms and the former elevator opened as a community museum in 2010. The displays depict a variety of themes, such as kitchen, dining room, parlour, laundry room, town office, communication, business, toys, royalty, medical, fashion, sewing, one room school classroom, tools and more.
Museum committee chair and curator Linda Dyck says her work at the museum satisfies her passion for decorating and her love of antiques.
“I love to organize and was excited at the prospect of creating all these exhibits at the museum. And there’s never a shortage of artifacts. People just keep on giving. Everybody just chips in. And our visitor numbers go up, year after year. Many people realize they have a family connection here, and when they find an artifact, they want to share it with us.”
Through the years, more and more of the bins have filled up. This year, they’ve begun to expand to the second floor, after the catwalk was built. The committee enlisted members of the Plum Coulee Fire Department to help them get the artifacts up the narrow stairs.
“Brand new stairs are on the agenda now,” Dyck shares. “We’re planning on wider, shallower stairs with railing on both sides. We are looking for grant money for that project. We are hoping to open even more bins up there.”
Many of the items come from Dyck’s own family collection.
The committee is excited to hear the feedback from this year’s visitors.
“It’s been a very busy year for us. I think the visitors will be very pleased with the result,” Dyck says. “It’s a work in progress. It’s important work. I’m hoping the next generation will take an interest and continue to expand on what we started.”
The Prairieview Elevator Museum is open throughout July and August. Admission is by donation.
