Outside, the museum has gathered together a collection of historic buildings, including the 1906 Brisco log schoolhouse and the original Windermere Lake Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Depot, also built of logs. Further on are several buildings and cabins, to our knowledge all original, from the Windermere Valley area. Outside is also a collection of vintage machinery, mostly from farms around the area.
The main museum building is the Windermere Lake CPR Depot, also the largest building on the property, moved to the museum from down the hill and officially opened June 23, 1979.
Built of logs in 1923, the station served the town until, we believe, the late 1960s, after which time it stood empty until...
It was 1977, we believe, that a coal train passing through Invermere derailed, with at least one coal car striking the station, doing considerable damage. The CPR was not about to rebuild the station, as it had been obseleted by time & economics so it was given to the Windermere District Historical Society. They society dismantled what was left of the station and reassembled it at the museum, officially reopening it on June 23, 1979.
A bronze plaque beside the entrance bears the following text.
Lake Windermere Station
THIS BUILDING, CONSTRUCTED AS
THE LAKE WINDERMERE STATION
BY CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY
COMPANY IN 1923, WAS ORIGINALLY
LOCATED IN ATHALMER, JUST BELOW
ITS PRESENT SITE.
IT IS AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE
OF A LOG DESIGN USED BY THE
COMPANY DURING THE PERIOD
1920 - 1925.
THE STATION, CEDED BY THE
COMPANY TO THE WINDERMERE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY AS A MUSEUM,
IS A STANDING MEMORIAL TO PAST DAYS.
ERECTED COURTESY OF
CANADIAN PACIFIC LIMITED
JUNE 1978