Heritage Park Calgary opened on July 1, 1964, with two dozen historical buildings that had been moved in, repaired and furnished in nine months. Nine months. Most of us can’t finish a kitchen reno in that time.
The idea started in 1961, when Woods Foundation trustees sat down with City of Calgary commissioners. The plan was a children’s pioneer theme park. The Heritage Park Society formed in fall 1963 to build it and run it.
Money came from three directions, and the park’s own story page lists them. The Woods Foundation gave $150,000. The City of Calgary matched that and supplied the land. Calgarians pledged another $77,000. That last number is our favourite, because it means regular people helped pay for the place.
A few thousand artifacts went in alongside the buildings, and the vintage train got 4,300 feet of track. Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat is another Alberta site that kept its original buildings.
Calgary’s stage and screen crowd already knows the park, even if they never planned to. Alberta Theatre Projects began in a log hall built in 1898, and Heritage Park says locals called it the Band Hall. The Last of Us filmed there in 2021, according to the park’s film history page.
The park sits at 1900 Heritage Dr. S.W., and its latest hours notice lists the Gasoline Alley Museum as open year-round. For the bigger map of where Calgary keeps its history, where to dig into Calgary’s past is a handy start, and heritagepark.ca has current hours.
Check the film history page before your next visit and see which corner of the park you spot onscreen.
Quick answers
Heritage Park Historical Village opened on July 1, 1964. The Heritage Park Society formed in fall 1963, and two dozen historical buildings were moved in, repaired and furnished within nine months, along with a few thousand artifacts.
The Woods Foundation gave $150,000, matched by the City of Calgary, which also provided the land. Calgarians pledged another $77,000. The idea came from 1961 talks between Woods Foundation trustees and City of Calgary commissioners.
Heritage Park Historical Village is at 1900 Heritage Dr. S.W. in Calgary, Alberta. It is a registered charity, and its latest hours notice lists the Gasoline Alley Museum as open year-round, so check the park’s website before you go.
Sources: Heritage Park our story, Heritage Park, Bernard Spragg photo via Wikimedia Commons
