Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

From 1891 large numbers of Ukrainians settled east of Edmonton, drawn by land offers and pushed by conditions at home, and they became one of the defining communities of the prairie. The village gathers over thirty original buildings moved from the surrounding area onto one site: a thatched burdei dugout, farmhouses with clay-plastered walls, a grain elevator, a hall and three churches with onion domes. Staff work in first-person interpretation, staying in character in period Ukrainian-Canadian roles and answering as if it were 1930 or earlier, which is done more rigorously here than at most Canadian heritage sites.

Background

The open-air museum lies in Lamont County on the Yellowhead Highway, at the eastern edge of Elk Island National Park, and it was established in 1974. It shows the lives of Ukrainian Canadian settlers from 1899 to 1930, in buildings moved from surrounding communities and restored to various years of the early twentieth century. Costumed interpreters stay in character as far as they can and answer every question as if it were the year their building portrays. The village opens from the May long weekend to Labour Day.

Source: Wikipedia, "Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village"

What's there

• The relocated buildings - over thirty original structures from the district.
• The burdei - a turf-roofed dugout of the kind first settlers lived in.
• The onion-domed churches - three churches moved onto the site.
• The first-person interpretation - staff staying in character as settlers.

When to go

May to September for the staffed village; it closes for most of the winter with occasional events. Ukrainian festivals and harvest events run through summer.

Practical notes

Closed roughly October to May. First-person interpretation frustrates visitors who want direct historical answers. The site is spread out over open prairie with little shade.

Nearby

Vegreville lies east; Edmonton is west.

Key facts