What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 4:30pm Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 4:30pm Friday 9am - 4:30pm Saturday 9am - 4:30pm

Lakes District Museum Society

Home
Canada
Burns Lake, BC
Lakes District Museum Society

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Founded in 1978, the Lakes District Museum Society operates the Lakes District Museum and Heritage Gallery in Burns Lake.

The museum is open May through September and contains more than 6,000 items of historical and cultural significance.

10/24/2026

A sneak peek at our upcoming 2027 calendar!

10/19/2026

Our winter exhibition, "Passageways," chronicles the migration of Chinese to Canada and British Columbia. It will be available for viewing until at least the end of January.

Hours of operation may vary. Call ahead to confirm!

10/14/2026

Our next exhibition!

10/02/2026

As the 2026 operating season comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who visited the Lakes District Museum and Heritage Gallery, followed us on social media, donated historically relevant items to our collections, and shared their stories with us.

A special 'shout-out' goes to the dozens of bibliophiles who made 2026 our bookstore's most successful year ever, the 92 people who purchased museum society memberships, and the organizations that contributed financially to our operations. Without this support, we couldn't respond to research requests, write engaging stories about this area's colourful past, share vintage photographs online, expand our collections, or showcase local art.

The Lakes District Museum will be closed until spring, but the Heritage Gallery at 540 Highway 16 will remain open through the winter. It will host "Passageways: A Pocket Edition of Odysseys and Migration," which explores Chinese migration, belonging, and identity in Canada. More information will follow!

You can also visit us at the upcoming Christmas Craft Fair, where we'll unveil our 2027 calendar featuring more photographs from our archives.

Take care, and remember: Local History Matters!

09/29/2026

Tomorrow is the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day are both observed annually on September 30, and they are dedicated to honouring Residential School Survivors, their families, and communities, and to recognize the lasting impacts of Canada’s Residential School system. These commemorations provide an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the intergenerational effects of residential schools and to reflect on their enduring legacy as part of the ongoing journey toward truth, healing, and reconciliation.

This day has a short but impactful history. Orange Shirt Day – Every Child Matters began in Williams Lake, British Columbia, on September 30, 2013. Established to honour Residential School Survivors, their families, and those who never returned home, it serves as a powerful reminder of the lasting impacts of the Residential School system. The orange shirt symbolizes the loss of culture, freedom, and self-esteem that many Indigenous children experienced. This day reminds us that “Every Child Matters”, and public commemoration of this tragic chapter in Canada’s history, as well as its lasting effects on Indigenous people and the nation, plays an essential role in advancing truth and reconciliation. What began as a grassroots initiative has since evolved into a nationally recognized movement, with individuals, organizations, and communities across Canada participating in acts of remembrance, reflection, and reconciliation each year.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established in response to Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which called on the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, to create a statutory holiday recognizing Survivors, their families, and communities while ensuring the history and legacy of residential schools are publicly remembered. Bill C-5, which established the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a federal statutory holiday, received Royal Assent on June 3, 2021.

On September 30, Canadians are encouraged to wear orange in honour of Residential School Survivors and their families, and in remembrance of the children who never returned home.

More information on the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, as well as help for individuals, can be found online at:

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html

and

https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/

09/25/2026

This is one of my favourite photographs from the Lakes District Museum's extensive archive. We don't know the date of this photo (though it was likely taken in the 1920s or '30s), but it was shot at Harrison Bay on Ootsa Lake long before the Kenney Dam flooded the area. The contraption pictured is the "snow plane" built by one of the area's first pioneer families, the Harrisons. Cliff Harrison is holding on to the propeller while Buster Harrison sits in the "cockpit."

The Harrisons were incredibly resourceful, inventive, and industrious. The second photo shows the Harrisons' "Lady Tweedsmuir," a homemade boat (well, it's almost a ship) estimated to be between 30 and 50 feet in length. The "Lady Tweedsmuir" was initially propeller-driven, but this method of propulsion proved so inadequate that the builders replaced the aircraft engine with a 25-hp Johnson boat motor.

The Harrisons' 'snow plane' has disappeared, but the Lady Tweedsmuir has found a permanent resting place in Cadet Bay at the east end of Burns Lake (last photo).

Myers Illes, one of our previous summer employees, colourized the 'snow plane' photo. He also wrote the account of the Lady Tweedsmuir that appears in our "History Matters" book.

09/24/2026

Only two days left in this amazing exhibition!

09/11/2026

Did you know.....That our archives are digitized and searchable? Here's how we do it!

09/08/2026

Our Annual General Meeting is tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 9). Come and hear what we've been up to!

08/31/2026

This amazing exhibition is open now!

Address

520 Highway 16 West
Burns Lake, BC
V0J1E0

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 4:30pm
Saturday	9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+12506927450

Website

https://www.lakesdistrictmuseum.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lakes District Museum Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Lakes District Museum Society:

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Burns Lake?