Newest Era

Exhibits span Western Canadian history from the 1860s to the 1950s. You will see Western Canada's iconic past not only preserved, but also presented alive and in great working condition. Many of the buildings are historical and were transported to the park to be placed on display, including the 1913 Little Synagogue on the Prairie from Sibbald, Alberta. Others are re-creations of actual buildings. Most of the structures are furnished and decorated with genuine artefacts. Staff dress in historic costume, and antique automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles service the site.

Fortified against the threat of British invasion during the turbulent time of empire-building, Louisbourg was besieged twice before finally being destroyed in the 1760s. Its two sieges, especially that of 1758, were turning points in the Anglo-French struggle for what today is Canada. The site lay untouched until well into modern times, when archaeologists began to reconstruct the fortress as it was in the 18th century.

Numerous historic buildings have been reconstructed to show the range of the post, and costumed historical interpreters recreate Fort William of the year 1816. Fort William was then not primarily a settlement, but a central transport depot within the now-defunct North West Company's network of fur trade outposts. Due to its central role, Fort William was much larger, with more facilities than the average fur trade post. Reflecting this, Fort William Historical Park contains 42 reconstructed buildings, a reconstructed Ojibwa village, and a small farm.

In 1923, the Canadian government designated Fort Langley as a National Historic Site. At this time, the site consisted only of the one original building, the storehouse, and 1-acre of land. From 1931 to 1956, the Native Sons and Daughters of British Columbia operated a museum out of the storehouse. Parks Canada took control of the site in 1955, and a joint Federal-Provincial program reconstructed three buildings in time for the centennial of the founding of British Columbia in 1958.

The four eras are:
# The Fur Trading Era as represented by the Hudson Bay Company Trading Fort (circa 1846)
# The Settlement Era as depicted on 1885 Street
# The Municipal Era (post railway) brought to life on 1905 Street
# The Metropolitan Era portrayed on 1920 Street and the Johnny J Jones Midway
The replica fort opened in 1974 and finally the 1920 Street was opened in the early 1990s.

The museum spans 10 acres (4 ha) of land. Some of the buildings are original heritage buildings, moved from other locations in the community and restored, but about ten of them are replica buildings, created to house specific displays and artefacts.