Photo: Families can see a mini threshing demostration at Pioneer Acres.  Submitted

IRRICANA, Alta. — Pioneer Acres Museum is inviting visitors to discover the machines, buildings and traditions that built prairie life, with exhibits open throughout the summer near Irricana.

Earlier this month, the museum hosted a celebration of Caterpillar’s 100th anniversary, drawing attention to rare and historic machinery. The centrepiece of the showcase was the Caterpillar Centennial D6-20, a limited-edition dozer painted in a special grey scheme. Only 60 were built worldwide, with just five D6-20 and four D6XE models available in Canada. The Pidherney Centennial D6 on display at Pioneer Acres is numbered 19 of 60.

While the anniversary event has passed, the exhibit remains a highlight for summer visitors, alongside historic machines such as a 1952 Caterpillar D2 and early crawlers like the CAT Ten and Holt 75 Crawler, on loan from the Reynolds Museum. Together, they tell the story of how farm equipment evolved from the early 1900s to the modern era.

The 50-acre grounds also feature historic buildings that immerse guests in pioneer life. Visitors can tour the Grain Academy, relocated from the Calgary Stampede grounds in 2020, which documents grain production and transport from settlement days to today. A collection of 16 botanical watercolour images, displayed in an antique boxcar, is a recent addition. Pioneer World hosts Caterpillar equipment displays, dioramas, quilts, crafts, Singer sewing machines and homemade baking.

Daily demonstrations help bring history to life. Guests can watch blacksmiths at work, farriers shoeing horses, and harnessing displays at the Red Horse Barn. Free horse-drawn wagon rides are offered around the grounds. Families often gather for the mini threshing machine demonstration, a scaled-down version of the harvest process built by longtime member Ken Grove in the 1980s and still operated by his family.

Amenities include concessions, wheelchair-accessible washrooms, people movers and shaded rest stops, making the site easy to explore.

Pioneer Acres credits its volunteers, members and supporters for keeping the site active and accessible, allowing families and travellers to connect with Alberta’s agricultural roots.

More information on hours, admission and events is available at pioneeracres.ab.ca.

Photo: First Nations Princess Pacey Strangling Wolf rode in the Pioneer Acres parade, Sunday Aug. 9. Submitted