The Trail Historical Society is very pleased to hear that City Council has agreed to allocate the former Eagles property for the construction of a new museum and archives and new library.
Both the Society and the Trail Library Board have worked long and hard to develop plans for new facilities over the years. We have cooperated with each other to promote the concept of a joint Museum and Library and to emphasize the benefits this partnership can provide to the community. We are pleased to have finally been afforded an opportunity to pursue this goal.
The current Trail Museum location in the Trail Memorial Centre is inadequate to showcase the social and cultural history of our community. The City Archives, located in City Hall, needs upgrading. Our most cherished asset, the Sports Hall of Memories, suffers from limitations posed by its location and exhibit design.
A new heritage facility, combining all three components, will allow the Society to preserve and protect our collections in an environmentally safe manner and to engage our residents and visitors alike in a special appreciation of our community’s history.
The Society has developed a vision for a new museum which may be viewed on our website at www.trailhistory.com on our Projects page.
A new museum will primarily focus on Trail’s rich sports heritage, expanding and complementing the exhibits in the Sports Hall of Memories. In addition, we are proposing engaging exhibits that will describe the history of amateur hockey in the West Kootenay/Boundary region prior to WW I, as well as the history of the Western International Hockey League.
We feel this special exhibit area will be a significant visitor attraction and contribute to the revitalization of our downtown area. We are confident, with the public’s support, that we can create a unique heritage facility that can be enjoyed by all.
The new museum will also contain modern and entertaining exhibits celebrating our community’s unique history. We will partner with other groups in our community to ensure their story and their impact on the community is showcased and understood.
With funding from the City of Trail and the Columbia Basin Trust, we are conducting an assessment of the feasibility of creating a new heritage facility in the downtown area using the vision we have adopted. This study, to be completed by the fall, will define how a new museum and archives can be achieved, and how it can complement a new library facility for mutual benefit.
We look forward to involving the residents of Trail in deciding what a new heritage facility should look like and how it can be a benefit to our community. We want it to be YOUR museum, one of which YOU can be proud. Together we can do it. We hope you will support us in this initiative.
Jamie Forbes
President,
Trail Historical Society