Museum of the Highwood & High River Visitor Information Centre

09/01/2026

Peel Coulee students perform calisthenics outdoors, no date.

📚 Peel Coulee (pronounced Pee-Ell) School was located on land gifted to the school board by two local men. Their brand, "PL," was chosen as the new school's name as a thank you. The school opened in 1919 and closed in the 1950's. The building was then moved into Blackie.

08/29/2026

Anti-Social Credit parade near intersection of 1st Street SW and 3rd Avenue SW, c. June, 1938.

08/25/2026

Annual Rotary Picnic, held at Dr. York Blayney's (standing) backyard, c. 1964

Other attendees include Don and Audrey Blake and Sybil and Clayton Young.

08/22/2026

Little stooks on the prairie! c. 1930🌾

We are unsure what these costumed High Riverites are parading for, but we sure love their outfits!

08/18/2026

M.D. of Foothills maintenance garage under construction, c. 1974.

08/15/2026

34 years ago this weekend, High River got a taste of the heavy metal lifestyle!

The Western Independent Music Festival (aka Highwood '92) was held from August 14-16 at the High River Agricultural grounds.

Unfortunately, not everyone was in a music mood. While thousands of young music lovers flocked to the Ag Grounds, others were disturbed by both the metal heads and their music.

Do you remember Highwood '92? We would love to hear your stories!

*Names have been blurred for privacy.

08/11/2026

Did you know that the High River Tennis Club is turning 120 this year?

High River's first tennis club was chartered in 1906, with both a women's and men's league. This early club included many of the who's who of High River, such as the Robertson's, Baines', Heslip's, and Thompson's. The first courts were located at the corner of 6th Avenue SW and 2nd Street W.

This property was then bought and the courts were moved further south, to the corner of 7th Avenue SW and 1st Street SW.

A resurgence of the sport in 1970's saw the courts move once again. This time the courts were built of the southwest side of the Outdoor Pool (now home to FCSS).

High River Tennis Club

08/08/2026

Highwood Auction Market, c. 1960.

Did you know that High River had a World War II training school? The building pictured was first constructed as an aircraft hangar for the #5 Elementary Flying Training School ✈

After the closure of #5 EFTS the hangar was used by the High River Flying Club. It was then converted into an auction market. The building is still standing and is still occupied by a business to this day!

08/07/2026

How cool is this? The Museum of the Highwood, along with other amazing High River businesses, has been featured on the "Netflix in Your Neighbourhood" site! Click the link below to learn more about what Netflix has been up to in High River.

https://www.netflixinyourneighbourhood.ca/map-v2/?title=my-life-with-the-walter-boys&loc=High%20River&set=Museum%20of%20the%20Highwood

Canada has a starring role in many of your favourite Netflix films and series. Step behind the screen and discover filming locations from coast to coast!

08/06/2026

🌟 Artist feature of the month - Jane Russell 🌟

Born in England, Jane moved to Canada at the age of four. Ten years later she would enter the art world after attending a High School vocational art program. Although her journey post-high school would take her on a different path, art has found a way back into her life. Jane has continued to learn new techniques but is especially drawn to acrylic, pastel work, and Pan Pastels.

A resilient artist, Jane worked through the loss of all her art supplies in the 2013 Flood. Post-flood she “crave(d) paint and colour” and slowly rebuilt her cache of supplies, one by one.

Jane finds inspiration everywhere she visits, from the beaches of Mexico to the rolling Foothills. While Jane enjoys a mountain landscape, she finds that they can often be “oppressive” and prefers the vibrant green hills that make up our lovely Foothills. She also finds inspiration from other artists such as Marla Baggetta and Richard Claremont.

She is currently working on a custom piece featuring the beauty and people of Mexico. Jane continues to learn new techniques though online courses like Sketchbook Revival and artist Catherine Raines. This summer you will find Jane as an “Artist in Residence” at the Coutts Centre.

Jane’s piece titled “The Blue Hour Over Coal Trail” is currently on display (and for sale!) at the Museum of the Highwood until September 2027. The Museum gift shop also has Jane Russell prints and notecards available for purchase.

To learn more about Jane and her artistry please visit her Instagram or her Facebook Russell Studios. For other inquiries Jane can be reached by email at [email protected].