Homesteading in Prince Albert

Homesteading is a big part of Saskatchewan history. There is lots of information and also lots of myths about it. The Prince Albert area was one of the earliest in Western Canada to be surveyed starting in the late 1870’s. Soon after that people began to arrive and file for their homesteads. Filing for and completing the requirements to obtain the final title to a homestead was not an easy process.

Join Connie Gerwing to take a look at who the early homesteaders were,  where they lived, and how they managed to fulfill all the requirements to get their “free” land. Books, homestead files from the Saskatchewan Archives and maps will help tell the story.

When: Sunday, April 19th @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Where: Prince Albert Historical Museum (Enter by Front Doors on River Street)

This is a free program, but donations are gratefully accepted.  Coffee and a light snack will be offered. Pre-registration is not required.

University Education in Prince Albert

Presenters: Connie Gerwing, Peter Kalyn, Dale Dooley

This is a story of many parts of the community coming together to fill a need.

Prince Albert  received a charter for the University of Saskatchewan in 1883. Emmanual College, established by the Anglican Church in 1879, then became the univeristy. The province took control of education in 1905 when the Federal Charter expired and decided Saskatoon was to be the location of the university.

Prince Albert did not have any university-level education until the late 1960s. At that time, a group of local educators wanted to bring post-secondary classes to the city and they approached the Extension Division of the University of Saskatchewan to make it happen.

When: Sunday, March 22nd @ 2:00 pm
Where: Prince Albert Historical Museum

This is a free program, but donations are gratefully accepted.  Coffee and a light snack will be offered. Pre-registration is not required.

Bringing Prince Albert's Past to Life: Colourizing and Animating Historic Photographs

Presenter: Neil Headrick

Join Neil to explore how historic photographs of Prince Albert can be revitalized through modern digital techniques.  Neil will showcase a selection of restored, colorized, and motion-enhanced images that reveal new details and perspectives on familiar scenes.
Attendees will also be guided through the creative process behind the transformations, from preparing archival photos, to applying color, to adding subtle motions that deepen the sense of presence.  The session highlights how technology can reconnect us with local history in vivid, engaging ways, while preserving the spirit of the original images.

When: Sunday, February 22nd @ 2:00 pm
Where: Prince Albert Historical Museum

This is a free program, but donations are gratefully accepted.  Coffee and a light snack will be offered. Pre-registration is not required.

Free Admission to the Historical Museum on Family Day!

Join us on Monday, February 16th, for our free "Open House".

As well as free admission to the Historical Museum, we will have activities and demonstrations for you to enjoy, along with tours of all three levels of the museum.

Date: Monday, February 16th
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Where: Prince Albert Historical Museum, 10 River Street East
Contact: 306.764.2992 for more information

These four Workshops will give participants an in-depth look at how to do historical research using the Prince Albert Historical Society (PAHS) Archives and the Prince Albert Public Library (PAPL) resources. Workshops will be held each week in February on Thursday afternoons.

Pre-registration is required.  Each workshop is limited to a maximum of 5 participants.  To register, contact the PAHS @ 306.764.2992 or the PAPL @ 306.763.8496

1. Research Archival Photographs: Feb 5th, 1:30-3:00 pm @ the Museum (PAHS)
2. Use the Prince Albert Daily Herald Archives database: Feb 12th, 1:30-3:00 pm @ the Library (PAPL)
3. Research Digital & Paper Archives: Feb 19th, 1:30-3:00 pm @ the Museum (PAHS)
4. Find Articles in Print & Online Periodicals: Feb 26th, 1:30-3:00 pm @ the Library (PAPL).

Archives week is February 1st to 7th, 2026. Celebrating 25 years of Archives & Archivists!

Prince Albert Archivists Panel

A panel of archivists from three different organizations will give a short presentation about their particular archives, followed by a question and answer session with the audience. Are you working on your family tree, researching a community event, or looking for more information about your house?  Join us to ask your question!

When: Sunday, January 18th @ 2:00 pm
Presenters: Bill Smiley Archives Volunteers, Marlene Payton, Anglican Dioses of Saskatchewan Archivist, and Janice Trudel, Roman Catholic Diosese of Prince Albert Archivist
Where: Prince Albert Historical Museum

Come and learn about:

• What is kept in an archives?
• How do you decide if a document is archive worthy?
• Who can access the archives?
• What techniques are used to preserve documents and pictures?
• Why is it important to save these documents / artefacts?
• When would you discard documents?

This is a free program, but donations are gratefully accepted.  Coffee and a light snack will be offered. Pre-registration is not required.