The Vintage Veterinary Exhibit [1]
The people involved with Vintage Veterinary Exhibit Association want to preserve the thinly scattered remnants of the early veterinary history in Western Canada. We believe that conserving history provides an understanding of how historic cultures shaped our modern world.
A museum quality venue at an appropriate public site will capture the role of horses in powering ranching and agriculture, the Canadian war effort, and the march West of the North West Mounted Police, noting early veterinarians on the scene. The Vintage Veterinary Exhibit will showcase the development of the veterinary profession in western Canada during the 1900-1915 period. Our exhibit will include a working office with a collection of artifacts that depict the tools of a veterinarian’s practice. It will also include live enactments of a practicing veterinarian working from a horse-drawn carriage, travelling through the historical village of Heritage Park.
Heritage Park is a registered charity and Canada’s largest living history museum. Your support allows Heritage Park to preserve and present Western Canadian heritage and culture.
Veterinarians played a significant role in the development of Western Canada’s agricultural and ranching industries. Set in the early 1900’s the project will showcase the development of the veterinary industry and the role played by veterinarians in the North West Mounted Police (NWMP), livestock inspection services, pharmaceutical products and general practice.
The interactive exhibit that vibrantly brings to life the story of the early veterinarian in Western Canada, will be located in the livery barn.
The Vintage Veterinary Exhibit will feature:
- The working office of a turn-of-the century veterinarian in Western Canada
- First-person interpretation including the activity of a traveling veterinarian in period costume via horse and carriage throughout the historical village
- A collection of artifacts that depict the tools and trappings of a veterinarian’s practice