A Moment In History
Pemberton & District BC Canada
Hours of Operation
Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
Welcome to the Pemberton and District Museum, located in the heart of the Pemberton Valley, the traditional and unceded territory of Lil’wat Nation, who have been here since time immemorial.
The Pemberton Museum has over 2,000 artifacts, 2,000 photographs and over 20 meters of archival and reference materials that have been collected since 1982. Our mandate is to collect, preserve and display artifacts associated with human activity in the District.
Our 1-acre site is home to 9 buildings, the earliest built in 1897, as well as a collection of over 2,500 artifacts, 2,000 photographs and over 20 meters of archival and reference materials. Our exhibits include examples of early pioneer life, farming, schooling, commerce, transportation, and industry, as well the ingenuity, creativity and artistry of those that came before us.
Open to the public between June and October, we host group and private tours, school field trips, community and private events and offer our guests a variety of fun activities to engage and educate.
Keeping a Rich History Alive
The Pemberton Museum collects, preserves and displays artifacts connected with the human history of Pemberton and District.
The displays feature:
The self-sufficiency of the Lillooet [Stl’atl’imx] people before contact with people making their way to the gold fields, the coming of people attracted by gold on the Fraser and some of the physical changes they created in the District; and the lives of the settlers and later residents.
Life moved slowly in the area as the connection to the outside world was by pack train. The railroad did not arrive until 1914. Electrical power was not available until 1951 and the highway was not open until 1967.
The Pemberton Pioneer Women, a committee of the Women’s Institute, started collecting examples of life in the area and made the first moves to found a museum which would house the collections and tell the story of the early days.
A piece of land was made available in the Village of Pemberton and the first museum opened in 1982. As the museum grew and more artifacts were contributed, a larger site was obtained from Village of Pemberton (BC Rail lands). This is the current location.
The official move to the new site started in 1992 and buildings to house the growing displays continue on an ongoing basis. The museum is run by volunteers and a curator and is open from June to September.
The Collecting District is defined geographically as: those areas drained by waters entering the north end of Harrison Lake and those areas drained by waters entering Anderson Lake.
We invite you to step back in time and explore our unique history. We look forward to your visit!
