Lac du Bonnet & District Museum

The Lac du Bonnet District Museum collects and preserves artifacts integral to the area’s history from prehistoric and early pioneer times to the industries which contributed to the region’s development through to the present.

Come discover the stories of those whose visions and ideas created the Lac du Bonnet area through mining discoveries and brick manufacturing, which contributed to the construction of railway lines and Hydro electric generating stations. Located where the prairie meets the rugged boreal shield, Lac du Bonnet is a place where industries collided: plentiful trees led to timber harvesting and pulp production, early residents who settled the land turned to hunting, fishing, trapping and farming to survive, while the aviation industry found this to be the perfect place for their daring bush pilots to venture deeper into the untamed wilderness, further opening up the region for development.

Enjoy exhibits and photo displays focusing on these industries and people, including over twenty-seven nationalities who came together to establish the area known today, while exploring the museum building itself, which is a fully restored, hand-crafted, stacked log cabin.

Situated in the beautiful Halliday Park, so named for the area’s first registered homesteader, William Duncan Halliday, this log cabin was built in 1935 by Hans Erickson for his daughter, Linnea Tyndall, and her family. Erickson had immigrated to Canada in 1904 from Norway. Once here, he found work at the Pinawa Generating Station blasting rock in summer and cutting wood during the winter months. He was also among the first homesteaders, securing a land grant for 160 acres to the north of the Pinawa Dam townsite. In 2004, the cabin was donated by Liz and Alvin Tyndall to the Lac du Bonnet and District Historical Society for use as a museum.

May Saturdays & Sundays Noon – 4:00 pm
June Saturdays & Sundays Noon – 4:00 pm
July Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
August Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
September 1st and 2nd 10:00 am – 4:00 pm