Mountain View Museum - Olds, Alberta
Posted by: wildwoodke
N 51° 47.542 W 114° 06.443
11U E 699477 N 5741903
The Mountain View Museum took over the building that once housed the Alberta Government Telephone exchange that was constructed in 1920 to service the community of Olds, Alberta.
Waymark Code: WMDVFQ
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 02/26/2012
Views: 4
This building, which now serves as the town's museum is a historic building for the town. The plaque at the former entrance states the following:
"AGT Building / Museum 1920 (5028 – 50th Street)
Commerical telephone service came to Olds in the fall of 1903 when the Bell Telephone Company opened a long distance line from Calgary to Edmonton.
On April 1, 1908, Alberta Government Telephones bought out Bell’s interest in all of Alberta. George H. Cloakey was the first agent for A.G.T. in Olds and the telephone exchange in his residence just east of here was operated by Mrs. Cloakey.
A new Alberta Government Telephones office and telephone exchange was opened in 1920 at 5038 – 50th Street to replace the Cloakey’s exchange. It operated until 1978 when a newer exchange building replace it a block to the north.
In 1982 renovations to the vacant 1920 A.G.T. building allowed the Olds Historic Society to move the Mountain View Museum historical collection here from a one room operations at the Olds Recreation Centre.
Joint Initiative of the Town of Olds, Communities in Bloom and Olds Historical Society 2007"
Today "...the Mountain View Museum & Archives affords visitors a chance to explore the history of Mountain View County (Olds and area) through our growing collection of 7,000 artefacts, 14 metres of textual documents, and over 2000 photographs.
With dynamic displays in our main hall and the ever changing gallery, visitors are offered a unique experience on each visit. Interpretive staff and trained volunteers are ready to assist as visitors investigate, learn and rediscover themselves in our past.
Group and guided tours are available. The museum also offers a full range of educational programming directed at all ages and levels."
See the museum's website: (
visit link)