Fort Steele, British Columbia, flourished in the 1890s, and then began to decline when the railroad by-passed the town in 1898. Today Fort Steele is a Heritage Village in which visitors can experience what life was like in the 1890s. The Heritage Village includes restored buildings,replica buildings, and buildings which are allowed to decay naturally. The Pioneer Drug Store in Fort Steele opened in 1896 and promised the “purest of drugs” and free delivery within the city limits. According to the display:
“Today this building contains an excellent collection of late 19th century drug store furniture and equipment. Many of the patent medicines visible on the shelves would have been familiar to the residents of 1890. Looking around one can see a variety of other things for sale which were at the time part of a druggist business. Cameras and photographic equipment were sold almost exclusively in drug stores, as well as musical instruments which would seem very out of place today.”
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of museum displays. More displays from this series:
Museums 101: The Fort Steele Assay Office (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Newspapers and Telegraph in Fort Steele (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Firefighting Memorabilia (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Nevada City Homestead Cabins (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The General Store (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Country School (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Anderson Homestead (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Blacksmith Shop and Saddle Shop