Cranbrook History Centre is now official

The Cranbrook History Centre was officially introduced at a reception, ceremonial ribbon cutting and tour

by Marie Milner — May 06, 2015

Reception at the Royal Alexandra Hall, Cranbrook, B.C.

The Cranbrook History Centre held a reception in the Royal Alexandra Hall to celebrate the centre's official opening. — Kirsten Armleder photo

Piano music and the relaxed murmur of voices filled the beautiful Royal Alexandra Hall in Cranbrook, B.C., in the early evening of May 1. The occasion was the official introduction of the new Cranbrook History Centre, encompassing the hall and the former Canadian Museum of Rail Travel.

The guests enjoyed refreshments before hearing brief remarks from representatives of the Ktunaxa Nation, Cranbrook mayor Lee Pratt and Char Murray, executive director of the history centre. Each mentioned the significance of the history centre and their hopes for its future.

Char Murray is the executive director of the Cranbrook History Centre

Murray cut a symbolic ribbon at the lower level entrance to the interpretive centre, where a wealth of historical information is on display. A detailed model railway shows the incredibly challenging terrain that B.C. presented to civil engineers, and how they overcame the challenges.

Some of the guests went on a complimentary tour of the restored rail cars which are the heart of the museum. The tour focused on the lifestyle aspects, rather than the mechanical aspects, of rail travel through the years, and on the incredible work that has been done to restore the train’s interior to its authentic condition. The tour guide recounted interesting details about the wood panelling, the furnishings, the on-board amenities and the cost of travel by rail.

This is a fully restored Canadian Pacific Railway dining car.

A number of references were made by guests to the dedication and unstinting work done by Garry Anderson, former long-time executive director of the museum and first chair of the Cranbrook Archives, Museum and Landmark Foundation. Sincere thanks are due to Anderson, because without his unwavering vision, tireless advocacy and unparallelled ability to raise funds, the museum—if it existed at all—would be a minor footnote to Cranbrook’s list of attractions, instead of a headliner.