Gem of the West Museum Society

01/27/2026

📢 Heads up!
The museum will be closed tomorrow as our team will be out participating in the University of Lethbridge Career Fair.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Hope to see you back at the museum soon!

01/16/2026

We are so excited to bring this program into 2026! Mornings at the Museum is an interactive program that brings history to life! Join us Jan 22nd at the Gem of the West Museum at 11:00am.

01/05/2026

✨ As the New Year begins, we’re excited to start tackling our next big project!

Thanks to the generous support of the Community Foundation of Lethbridge & Southwestern Alberta, we’re thrilled to begin work on our new exhibit.

We’re grateful for the continued support of our community and can’t wait to share what’s ahead. Stay tuned as this exciting project comes to life in the months ahead!

01/01/2026

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from Gem of the West Museum! 🎄
We are so grateful for our volunteers, visitors, donors, and supporters who help preserve our shared history year after year.
May your Christmas be filled with warmth, family, and good memories.

12/19/2025

The museum office is now closed for the remainder of the year.

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful 2025. We wish you all a very happy holiday season and a relaxing Christmas break.

We’re looking forward to everything we’re planning to tackle next year and are excited to see you all again!

12/10/2025

📢 Museum Office Closed Today

We apologize for the short notice, but the museum office will be closed today. We’ll do our best to resume our regular operating hours tomorrow.

This pesky cold and flu season is upon us, so we hope everyone stays healthy and well. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you soon! 💛

12/05/2025

📢 Museum Office Closed Today

We apologize for the short notice, but the museum office will be closed today. We’ll resume our regular operating hours on Monday.

It’s definitely cold and flu season, so we hope everyone stays healthy and well. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you soon! 💛

11/14/2025

A big thank you to the wonderful owners of Pet Corner in Coaldale!
They donated this really cool — yet slightly creepy — artifact to the Gem of the West Museum.

This fascinating vintage medical test tube is speculated to date from the 1950s to 1960s.
We’ve blurred the patient’s and doctor’s names in the photo to comply with medical record privacy rules and regulations.

In keeping with that, and for safety and privacy reasons, we’ll be exploring the safest and most appropriate way to handle this artifact.

We’re so grateful for the thoughtfulness behind this donation and to the Pet Corner owners for thinking of the museum and helping us preserve a unique piece of Coaldale’s medical history.

11/12/2025

✂️ Calling All Barbershop Fans! ✂️

The Gem of the West Museum is exploring the development of a barbershop-themed exhibit and we need your help!

We’re on the lookout for an authentic barbershop-style pole (or similar barbershop items) that someone might be willing to donate or loan to the museum for the exhibit.

If you have an item or know someone who might, please contact us — we’d love to hear from you!

Help us bring a slice of classic barbershop history to life! 🪞💈

11/11/2025

🌺 Remembrance Day – Lest We Forget 🌺

On this Remembrance Day, Tuesday, November 11th, the Gem of the West Museum joins the Coaldale community in honoring the courage, sacrifice, and dedication of all those who served and continue to serve our country.

We reflect on the stories of local veterans and members of our community who went to serve in wars and peacekeeping missions, and we remember the families whose lives were forever changed. Their bravery ensured the freedoms we enjoy today, and it is our duty to keep their memory alive.

Join the community in remembrance:

Attend the Coaldale Remembrance Day Ceremony at Jennie Emery Elementary School (1101 22nd Ave) starting at 10:30 a.m.

Visit the Coaldale Cenotaph (2107 13th St, beside the Town office), dedicated to those who served in WWI, WWII, Korea, and UN peacekeeping missions.

Observe a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m., wherever you are.

Share stories of veterans from your family or community to honor their legacy.

Let us honor their sacrifices, celebrate their courage, and teach future generations the value of service and community. 🌺

11/05/2025

📢 Notice to Visitors

The Gem of the West Museum office will be closed from Friday, November 7th through Tuesday, November 11th. We will reopen with regular hours on Wednesday, November 12th.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you soon!