Viking Historical Museum

Viking Historical Museum
and Viking Gas Field Interpretive Center

Operated by the Viking Historical Society

The Museum is located at the north end of Main Street in the Old Hospital building, and the Interpretive Centre is located in the Annex to St. Matthew’s Anglican Church on Main Street.

Museum
5108- 61 Avenue
Viking, AB
T0B 4N0

The Museum and the Interpretive Centre are open May to September DAILY from 10 AM to 5 PM. Viewing is free and monetary donations are accepted.




Viking Historical Museum

5108- 61 Avenue
Viking, AB
T0B 4N0

Housed in Viking's first hospital built in 1921 and opened in 1922; the Viking Museum displays pioneer artifacts, land maps and photographs of the area; buildings moved on site and restored include church (1938), store and post office (1903), country school (1907) and farm house (1914).

Converted from the town's first hospital (1922) the museum is the repository of Viking's history. Documenting the town's first Scandinavian settlers and following Viking from its agricultural origins, through the birth of the oil and gas industry, to the multi-faceted community it has become, the museum will give the visitor a true sense of the spirit of Viking.

At the museum site, many additional historic buildings have been brought together and made to look as they did in the old days. The museum has a wealth of clothing and uniforms as well as household, professional, farming and sports equipment, including all sorts of tractors and other farming implements housed in a long shelter that stretches behind a lawn at the back, across the full length of the sizable main building. It even possesses copies of the local paper's report of the first time oil was struck in the area in 1947.

Donations of historical items or other artifacts relevant to Viking and District are welcome. To discuss arrangements or for more information, please contact Elehda Sevcik, Secretary of the Viking Historical Society at sevcik1@telus.net

Museum Church Museum House

The Viking Gas Field Interpretive Centre has been developed as a Special Exhibit by the Viking Historical Society to recognize the huge contribution that the gas companies and employees made to the Viking/Kinsella district over the years. 

Gas was struck in Viking #1 well on Nov 4, 1914. This was only 11 years after first settlers came to the area in 1903 and 5 years after Viking became a town in 1909.

According to Vikings history book, a group of businessmen from Edmonton wanted to find a source of gas for Edmonton, like what Bow Island wells had provided for Calgary. The battle of Alberta was already going strong. 14 men and their families came in May of 1914 and lived in tents while working to construct and drill the Viking #1 well. These rustic living conditions are reported to be where the name “gas camp” originated, and it has stuck for 110 years. Six months after they started, they struck natural gas. Local residents would have relied completely on burning harvested wood and coal for heat and coal oil and candles for light at that time. Development of the well and pipelines to Edmonton and later Red Deer were delayed because First World War was also breaking out in the summer of 1914.

The War resulted in steel and manpower shortages. It would have taken a lot of both of those things to dig the trench and set the pipe all the way to Edmonton using only hand tools. The war ended in the winter of 1918, and in 1923 the pipeline was constructed. The streets of Viking were lit up with gas lights in 1927, and it would have been a modern place to live, being able to use gas for lights, cooking, heating homes and businesses. After the Second World War was also a busy time of expansion at the Viking Gas Camp, when the staff house was built to house single staff and provide an area to cook for them and meet and socialize with other staff.

Striking gas at Viking has helped our community to have modern conveniences for the just about all of its existence. It has consistently been a major industry for our residents for the last 110 years. The Viking Historical Society has got a great start on our Viking Gas Field Interpretive Centre and continue to accept stories and artifacts to display in the St. Matthew’s annex.

Donations of historical items or other artifacts relevant to Viking and District are welcome. To discuss arrangements or for more information, please contact Elehda Sevcik, Secretary of the Viking Historical Society at sevcik1@telus.net

Travel Blogger Visits Viking

Chris & Connie visited Viking and explored our community. They visited the Viking Station Gallery, around town and the Viking Historical Museum.

At the bottom of this page are two photo galleries with a few photos Chris & Connie have generously shared with us.

You can view their blog, read what they discovered and captured through their eyes.

Contact Chris & Connie!

PhotoJournalist - Writer - Researcher - Advocate

Historic, industrial, weird and quirky cultural subjects and outdoor pursuits.

Email:  ChrisBIGDoer@gmail.com
Website: Off the Beaten Path - with Chris & Connie
Facebook:  BIGDoer Official
Twitter:  Chris BIGDoer

Museum Hours & Location

Box 106
5108- 61 Avenue
Viking, AB
T0B 4N0

  • The Viking and District Museum is open May to September DAILY from 10:00 to 5:00. 
  • Located at the end of Main Street in the Old Hospital. 
  • Viewing is free and donations are accepted.

Mike Lawes, President 

Box 106
Viking, Alberta
T0B 4N0

Work: 780-336-3173

The purpose of the Society is to preserve historical artifacts. There is a membership fee of $1.00 per year. New members are welcome.

Donations of historical items or other artifacts relevant to Viking and District are welcome. To discuss arrangements or for more information, please contact Elehda Sevcik, Secretary of the Viking Historical Society at sevcik1@telus.net