The Fort la Reine Museum in Portage la Prairie is set to enhance one of its cornerstone displays, thanks to a $4,575 grant from the Manitoba government.
The funding, delivered through the Community Museum Project Support Program, will support interpretive signage improvements for the museum’s CP Rail exhibit.
The grant is part of a broader $315,000 investment announced by the province to mark International Museum Day. A total of 34 museums across Manitoba are receiving project-specific support to help preserve and share the province’s cultural heritage.
Focus on local railway history
Emma Ens-MacIver, the museum’s executive director, says the funding will specifically go toward new signage and educational additions to the Van Horne car and caboose, two historical railcars on site.
“They have really interesting histories of how they came to the museum that not everyone knows,” says Ens-MacIver. “We talk about it on tours, but we want to highlight that history better with signage, maybe add an audio component and kind of improve that exhibit.”
Timeline and community involvement
The work is scheduled to be completed by October, in line with the grant’s deadline.
Ens-MacIver mentions that the museum is looking to collaborate with local CP Rail historians and possibly the audio-visual group at Portage Collegiate Institute for the technical side of the upgrades.
She also remarks that while some minor restoration work may be funded by this grant, major repairs to the Van Horne car will require future fundraising efforts.
“It’s a national treasure, not just a local one,” she adds.
Part of province-wide support
The Community Museum Project Support Program helps museums advance reconciliation, equity, diversity and accessibility, while also improving collections management. Non-profit community museums can receive up to 100 per cent of project costs, to a maximum of $25,000.
Ens-MacIver continues by highlighting the broader funding picture for the museum, noting her ongoing efforts to secure additional grants.
She says she’s applied for 13 this year, including ones aimed at restoring two local heritage properties: the Case House and the Hourie House.
- with files from Maryssa McFadden