Museum near centre of Canada shuts down

A rush of emotion flooded Pierre Pelland while looking at his museum’s sign. He realized it’ll have to be removed when the museum shuts down on Sept 15.

Pelland has owned and operated Pete’s Center Canada Heritage Museum for 15 years, but the museum property, located 950 metres northwest of Canada’s longitudinal centre on the TransCanada Highway, was sold to a new buyer. He didn’t say who the land buyer was or how much it sold for.

“I’m one that believes in progression, but the day I gotta take that sign down, it’s gonna hurt,” he said, while wiping away tears.

The 62-year-old started the museum after he watched a semi-truck drive by loaded with scrap metal. Pelland’s original plan for his property near the highway was to create a chip and putting golf course. But when he watched the trailer roll by, he immediately knew he wanted to start a museum.

“That stuff’s disappearing forever,” he said. “So I figured, ‘You know what? I’m going to create a museum.’ Whether people enjoy it or not, it’s still my hobby.”

Pelland moved from Winnipeg to his property in 1991 to escape “city life” while working as a construction truck driver. When he bought the land, there were no trees for 100 acres, he said. All of the trees now on his property are ones he’s planted. Once he got settled, Pelland asked the local government to mark the centre of Canada somehow, but saw no progress. So when he needed to name his new museum, he settled on Pete’s Center Canada Heritage Museum. It soon brought attention and traffic to the area, he said. With so many people stopping at the museum, Pelland said the RM of Tache approached him to buy land for what’s now Centre of Canada Park.

He got his first museum piece, a fluted three-blade plow, from a neighbour before he had any ideas of making an official museum. Once the idea caught on, he kept collecting different tractors, trailers and farm equipment. Pelland said he’s lost count of how many pieces are part of the museum. His best guess is 250.

He’s always kept museum free of charge because Pelland viewed it as a way to give back. Pelland bought most of the pieces, with some given as donations. His favourite thing about running the museum was meeting the different people who visited and appreciated it.

“I was very prideful that I was able to do it. Prideful that I was able to let people have one more look at history,” he said.

Pelland decided to sell the property and close the museum because his health made it difficult to maintain the grounds. About seven years ago, he suffered a stroke, followed by a heart attack two years later. He views himself as a survivor and insisted on keeping the museum open despite the health concerns. Pelland said the museum was his therapy.

The summer after his stroke, he began appreciating working at the museum more. Things like the smell of flowers, grass and home cooking stuck out more than ever before, Pelland said.

“I started noticing all these things and it just blew my mind, like how good fresh cut grass actually smells,” he said. “And it just kept me going. I got to keep doing it. I wanted this museum to suit my vision.”

Pelland said there’s been discussions with the new owner about keeping some of pieces on the land, including the sign. Many of the pieces will be sold, except some Pelland kept for himself. He offered to donate some to the RM of Tache, but nothing has been confirmed.

When Sept. 15 comes, Pelland said he’ll take down the sign in the middle of the night so no one can see him be “emotional.” If the new owner doesn’t put the sign up again on the lot, he’ll erect it in the middle of the backyard as a reminder of the museum.

“Anytime I cut the grass or walk by the backyard, it’ll always remind me that I did something good in life at one time,” Pelland said.