Once the headquarters of the Oliver detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the museum's building was built in the 1920s and is now a heritage building. Also on the museum grounds is the old jail from nearby Fairview, now a ghost town. The town sprang into existence in the late 1880s with the discovery of gold in the area. The jail is the only remaining building from Fairview.
Within the museum are displays and artefacts relating to the history of Oliver and area, encompassing the gold rush days of Fairview and Camp McKinney, another gold rush town east of Oliver, as well as the agricultural history of the area. Their collection also includes a glimpse into the day to day life of Oliver pioneers. The museum also houses a Reference Library & Reading Room.
Nearby, next to city hall, is the Oliver and District Heritage Society Archives, the repository of the area's archives, housing thousands of textual and photographic records. The archives are open during roughly the same hours as is the museum.
As has become the norm, the Oliver and District Museum now offers a 25 minute
Virtual Tour, for those who can't get to the museum in person.
The Oliver and District Museum, housed in the old RCMP building, a heritage location that was built in the 1920s.
Our current feature exhibit is Collections Conundrums, which focuses on the issues small town historic museums face surrounding their artifact collections. Enter our Conservation Station, put on a pair of white gloves, and help us process our artifacts - some of the steps include cleaning, identifying, and photographing.
Step back in time by entering the Fairview Jail (currently under revision), one of the few remaining intact buildings from our gold mining past!
Downtown Heritage Walking Tours are also available in brochure form year round or by via a tour guide from June to August. For tour details contact the Museum.
From the Oliver Museum![]()