Members of a tractor club laid the foundation for the museum in 1999
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
An Alberta attraction dedicated to farm equipment and rural life celebrates a milestone this year.
The Canadian Tractor Museum in Westlock, Alta., turns 20 in 2024.
“June 1 will be 20 years to the day the doors opened,” Steven Miller, a retired farmer and president of the museum’s board, told Farms.com. “It’s a testament to everyone in the community who saw a need for this all those years ago and have continued to support it since.”
The doors to the 20,000-square-foot facility opened in 2004, but members of the community started laying the foundation for the museum in 1999.
Local farmers and members of the Vintage Tractor Club attended a farm sale and didn’t like what they saw.
“My neighbour was appalled that tractors were being shipped to the U.S. and elsewhere,” Brent Sterling, a retired farmer and original director on the museum’s board, told Farms.com. “He approached me about getting something going to have somewhere where we could display our equipment.”
With the idea manifested, the work began to secure a site and get the necessary approvals and support to make it a reality.
The community supported the idea from the get-go, Sterling said.
“We had so much support,” he said. “To build the building brand new it cost $700,000 (about $1.2 million in 2024). We were very proud that when we opened the doors, every tradesman and every bill was paid. The museum owed nobody any money.”
The first event held at the museum didn’t have tractors.
That belonged to a car club. The tractors started to come in the following weekend, Sterling said.
Today, the museum has almost 100 tractors donated from private collections across Canada.
The oldest tractor in the museum’s lineup is a 1918 Titan.
The museum also has a collection of stationary engines.
Sterling is also a donor to the museum.
He has donated three tractors to the museum. A 1949 Case VAC, a 1956 John Deere 80, and one that belonged to his grandfather.
“It’s a 1948 Fordson Major and I feel really good when people come to the museum to see it because that’s a part of my family’s history that helped produce food in this area.”
1948 Fordson Major (Paul Leader photo).
The museum opens for its 2024 season on the May long weekend.
The Monday of the long weekend in May will feature a grand opening celebration, Miller said.
More information about the museum can be found on its website.