Cold Lake Air Force Museum

Cold Lake Museums is located in a Cold War Era Radar Facility that was operation during the Cold War.  This facility was part of the historic Dew Line (Distant Early Warning System) and the Pinetree Line both of which served to detect unauthorized aircraft over Canadian Airspace.  The sites were jointly operated by the U.S. and Canada from 1952- 1988.  The site has been converted to a local history museum including Air Force, Oil & Gas, Heritage and Indigenous Museums that occupy the original station buildings.  The original function of the site is somewhat obscured in the interior but the exterior still holds true to the minimalist functionality of a military installation of the time period.  In 2010, the Cold Lake Museums site was designated a Heritage Site in the Province of Alberta as the Northern Defense Radar Station.  A visitor can still see remnants of the equipment used- radar stations, a huge “Height Finder” radar antenna and other artifacts from its military days, as well as aircraft (including an F-18) in an airpark on the grounds.