Royal Saskatchewan Museum

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) is a natural history museum located in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was founded in 1906 and is the first museum in Saskatchewan, as well as the first provincial museum among the three Prairie provinces. The museum was created to collect and protect important natural history specimens, along with objects of historical and cultural interest.

At first, the museum was called the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History. In 1993, it received royal patronage from Queen Elizabeth II and was renamed the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. The museum continues to be a place where people can learn about the rich history and nature of the Saskatchewan area.

History

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum started in 1906 and moved to different buildings before finding its home. During World War II, its collections were stored in other places so the Normal School could be used for training pilots. The museum moved into its current building in 1955, opened by Governor General Vincent Massey. It was originally called the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History and received the title "Royal" from Queen Elizabeth II in 1993.

Provincial Legislative Building
Normal School
University of Regina
Second World War
Albert Street
Chateau Qu'Appelle
Vincent Massey
Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada

Galleries

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum has faced some tough times. In 1912, a big storm damaged its collection when it was stored in the Provincial Legislative Building. Later, in 1990, a fire broke out in the First Nations Gallery while it was being built, causing smoke damage and forcing the museum to close for four months.

Since then, the museum has grown and improved a lot. It now has special galleries like the First Nations Gallery, the Life Sciences Gallery, and the Earth Sciences Gallery.

Earth Sciences Gallery

The Earth Sciences Gallery tells the story of how Saskatchewan was formed and shows its rich minerals and ancient history. It covers two billion years of life in the region, including giant reptiles and dinosaurs.

CN T. rex Gallery

On May 17, 2019, a life-size model of Scotty, one of the largest T. rex ever found, was displayed in the CN T. rex Gallery. Scotty was first discovered by the museum’s research team in the Frenchman River Valley in 1991. The gallery shows Scotty’s injuries and the plants and animals that lived at the same time.

First Nations Gallery

Opened on June 26, 1993, this gallery was made together with Indigenous Elders, students, and community members. It uses models and displays to show the culture, traditions, and history of Saskatchewan’s Indigenous people over the past 10,000 years.

Life Sciences Gallery

Opened in June 2001, this gallery has sixteen detailed displays showing different areas and seasons in Saskatchewan. It helps visitors understand how plants and animals are connected and lets them imagine places like a bear’s den, a beaver’s home, or where snakes spend the winter.

Collections

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum has a huge collection of more than 3.5 million items. This includes things like old tools, insects, fossils, birds, plants, spiders, mammals, reptiles, and fish. These items help scientists learn more about the natural world and the traditions of Indigenous peoples in Saskatchewan.

T.rex Discovery Centre

Main article: T.rex Discovery Centre

On February 14, 2013, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum began managing the T.rex Discovery Centre. This centre is in Eastend and holds many fossils from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic time periods.

The T.rex Discovery Centre was created to show the fossils found in southwest Saskatchewan. The town of Eastend saw the need for a place to display the fossils from the Frenchman River Valley and the Cypress Hills. The centre opened in 2001 near Eastend.

Affiliations

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum works with groups like the Canadian Museums Association, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and the Virtual Museum of Canada. These partnerships help the museum share its collections and stories with more people.

Displays

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum has many interesting displays about the past. In the prehistory area, you can see fossils of ancient animals like the Bison latifrons and learn about times when the land was covered by ocean and home to big sea animals. There is also a skull from a triceratops on show.

The museum also has special displays about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), including a stuffed horse named Nero that was part of their famous Musical Ride. You can also see important items about First Nations peoples, like a special pictograph about Treaty 4, which is the only one of its kind in Canada.