Museums

                                                                             



Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre

The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre is open year-round and houses a historical museum with multi-media exhibits and displays on Aboriginal history, gold mining, the fur trade, immigration, and much more. Here, you will also find tourist information, a gift shop, and temporary exhibitions:

The Old McDougall Store: This room is a replica of the general store of Red Lake pioneers Ken and Margaret McDougall. It features many of the original furniture and merchandise sold at its establishment. The store also served as the Tourist Information Bureau and the Museum Gift Shop. 

First Nations History: The museum features a wide variety of aboriginal artifacts, including a ceremonial drum, various articles of clothing, furs, tools, and toys. 

Gramma Gene of Hell's Acres: Red Lake pioneer Gene Campbell was the wife of George Campbell, the prospector who discovered Campbell Mine, one of the richest gold mines in the Western World. George passed away at 49 years of age, but Gene remained at their little homestead on the shores of Red Lake until her death, in 1989. Over the years she welcomed over 8,000 visitors to her modest cabin, including Canada's governor-general, and many journalists and authors. The museum features a replica of her living room, including her 1896 player piano, and hundreds of salt and pepper shakers.

At the movies: Historic movies of the Red Lake Gold Rush can be viewed daily in their movie theatre.

Erickson's Log Cabin is a rustic two-story log building separate from the main museum building in Centennial Park. The first level features various aspects of gold mining, such as a replica of a mining recorder's office, an assay lab, and a prospector's bedroom. Here you'll learn how the early prospectors found gold in one of the most remote areas of Ontario and succeeded in developing many highly profitable gold mines. You'll also learn what to look for when searching for gold, how to stake and work a claim, and what it's like working underground. The second level: features exhibits on trapping and bush working, and a pioneer family's kitchen.

West Red Lake Mining Museum

The West Red Lake Mining Museum celebrates the 1930s gold rush and the unique individuals who lived it. Exhibits at the museum change as new materials are found. A boat is required to access this museum.

Follow the GPS coordinates found on the
West Red Lake Gold Rush Tour Map
to 25 historical sites related to the West Red Lake Gold Rush.