History of the Prince Albert Exhibition

Submitted on October 4, 2011 - 8:37am

In the Words of the Pioneer - Lana Alberts

The annual Prince Albert Exhibition began in 1883 and took way with a gala parade. These parades were originally sponsored by travellers and represented a float for every store in Prince Albert. The first exhibitions were similar to a country fair and were primarily agriculture events.

Local citizens made up the majority of the crowd along with people from Shellbrook, Rosthern, and nearby districts who attended the exhibition by special fair trains.

The major portion of the fair constituted of livestock exhibits of horses, cattle, chickens, and rabbits; other displays of local merchants; and women’s canning, cooking, embroidery, and quilting. During the first exhibitions there was a lack of adequate barns available so the livestock stood in the open during the days of the fair.

Horticultural exhibits were popular among the women and, previous to 1909, pow-wows were held at the exhibition. The main attraction, however, was the horse races consisting of anything from buggy to sulky to saddle activities.

These races were well attended and considered to be “the” event of the year. Originally the exhibition was a one day event that soon developed into five days of festivities. There were games of chance, sideshows, and rides that could be enjoyed for ten or fifteen cents.

Some of the most popular sideshows included the Roaring Lion, the Fat Lady, The Ride of Death, and the Tiniest Baby in the World, which turned out to be a baby monkey.

Unlike the early fairs, the exhibitions of today focus on the rides and fast-food, rather than on the agricultural events. The fair has changed slightly throughout the years; however, the people of Prince Albert enjoy this social event none the less.

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About the author

Prince Albert Historical Society

The Prince Albert Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in Western Canada, first established in 1886 by residents who realized that the previous generation and they themselves were making history by developing Prince Albert and the surrounding region. A fire in 1890 at the Nisbet Academy destroyed the artifacts and records that the Society had collected, which also put an end to the Society for a time. In 1923 Professor Arthur Morton, the City of Prince Albert and citizens interested in local history reorganized the Historical Society. The Society established a museum in the Nisbet church located in Kinsmen (then Bryant) park and an archive in 1932. The museum was moved to the Prince Albert Court House on Central Avenue in 1946. The Nisbet Church was again established as a museum in 1972 and operated until 1975. When the Fire Department vacated the original fire hall in 1975 the City of Prince Albert invited the Society to establish a permanent museum in that building. Since 1977 when the permanent museum opened to the public the Prince Albert Historical Society has been based at the appropriately historic original fire hall at 10 River Street East. The Bill Smiley Archives are named in honour of the man who has done more to preserve Prince Albert history than any other, having spent years collecting and organizing important historical items. Today over 15,000 photographs. 300,000 negatives and 15,000 documents are kept at the Historical Museum. These records are a significant source for information on Prince Albert, the surrounding region and all of Canada. Access to the archives is available to the public and if you are interested in acquiring information please check our archives page. As of 2009 our Society is made up of 55 members and 14 member volunteer board of directors. Membership fees are $ 10.00 per year. We hold many annual events including the spring Crocus Tea, participate in the downtown Street Fair and host a Christmas Party. During the summer season a staff of 13 tour guides keeps the museums open while during the rest of the year the museums can visited accompanied with one of our dedicated volunteer members. The Prince Albert Historical Society is committed to preserving local history and being able to showcase it to local residents and visitors alike.

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