Hours Update: Heritage Park is open year-round! Gasoline Alley Museum, the Heritage Plaza shops, The Selkirk and the Railway Café are open Monday, March 23 for Spring Break. Historical Village reopens May 16, 2026. Click here for full operating hours.
Hours Update: Heritage Park is open year-round! Gasoline Alley Museum, the Heritage Plaza shops, The Selkirk and the Railway Café are open Monday, March 23 for Spring Break. Historical Village reopens May 16, 2026. Click here for full operating hours.
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
Closed
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed
The Historical Village is closed except for special events like Ghouls' Night Out and Once Upon a Christmas until the 2026 May Long Weekend.
Building/Museum
For miners working with nothing but hand tools, gold mining was very hard physical labour which seldom “panned out” with a big find. In large operations involving several men, their chances could be improved by building a big wheel to harness the power of water from a nearby creek. Many of Western Canada’s early miners would have been familiar with the design and uses of the over-shot Cornish wheel, which was a common fixture of tin and copper mines in the west of England.
This over-shot waterwheel is similar to those built by miners during the 1860s Cariboo Gold Rush. The first version, built at Heritage Park in 1965, consisted of a waterwheel, upper race and lower flume. It was powered by potable water from a city main, and the expelled water drained into the reservoir. In 1992, those badly deteriorated structures were carefully documented and the wheel removed. Between 2018 and 2020, archival information was reviewed and a second version was built by the Park. This 12′ diameter wheel has a much longer axle and is powered by a recirculating water system, run by an electric pump.
1900 Heritage DR. S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2V 2X3
Email: info@heritagepark.ca
Phone: 403.268.8500
There are plenty of ways to get to the Park, whether that be on foot, via transit, or driving. Click here to find the way that works for you!