HUMBOLDT – The Humboldt and District Museum has a couple of new exhibits on display until April 30.
The exhibit, Exit the Horse: The Early Years of Canadian Motoring, 1851-1910, highlights historical facts about who drove the first Canadian car, who built the first Canadian car, and how Canadians came to rely on cars and trucks to get around. The exhibit explores the dawn of the motor age through stories, legends and exploits from communities across Canada.
Catherine Harrison, cultural programmer, said, “The history of the motor car in Canada begins well before Confederation. Explore the exploits of Canada’s first automotive inventors and tinkerers, the birth of the Canadian auto industry, and the deep roots of motoring realities we take for granted today. From vigilante justice on the highways to history’s first snowmobile, to the surprising connection between hockey sticks and steam cars, Exit the Horse is a journey through Canada’s forgotten motoring past.”
This is a travelling exhibit from the Canadian Automotive Museum and is funded by the Government of Canada.
Also on display until April 30 is The Open Road: Humboldt and the Age of Automobiles. This display invites museum-goers to explore who drove the first car in Humboldt; and how local people adapted to the changes that automobiles brought to the area. The exhibit is a snapshot of the era of innovation and adaptation in local history.
The Humboldt Museum thanks local automotive enthusiasts Ed Drachenberg for lending his working model of Henry Ford’s first internal combustion engine, Ron Sokolan for the loan of several artifacts from his collection, and Wilfred Mollenbeck for allowing the museum to display his handcrafted steel model of a 1925 Ford Model T.
The artifacts are on display along with several others, including photographs and stories from the museum’s collection. The Humboldt Museum will also host a Community Car Chat on April 10 at 7 p.m. on the main floor of the museum, featuring Drachenberg, Sokolan and Mollenbeck, who will discuss the pieces they have contributed to the exhibit.
