From coins to campaign posters and trench art to tunics, the Military and Government History collection contains over 55,000 artifacts. Our collection represents the functions of government in Alberta and tells stories of the province’s military and political history.

Highlights include:

• Uniforms and equipment representing the three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as federal, provincial, and municipal law enforcement.
• Objects that represent political movements, parties, and personalities.
• 13,000+ pieces of numismatic material (coins, tokens, medallions, paper money, and other types of currency).
• 1,000+ military and civilian medals.
• 3,000+ Prisoner of War and Home Front artifacts, ranging from material representing Albertan PoWs abroad to combatant German PoWs in Alberta during the Second World War.
• 2,000 firearms that date from the mid-1700s to the present.

We are always looking to add to our collection. We seek objects that represent the many ways that Albertans experience government, politics, and the military. We are especially interested in acquiring contemporary material from diverse communities across Alberta. Have an object you think we might be interested in? We’d love to hear from you!

Matthew Ostapchuk, Curator, Military and Government History