The weather in Regina this morning was beautiful; hazy sunshine, low 70s and no humidity so, before going to my two planned stops, I decided to take a walk in Wascana Centre Park. This surrounds a large lake right in the city and was perfect for clearing the cobwebs after driving all day yesterday. The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Heritage Centre.

The museum focuses on natural history and many of the displays were spectacular. To set the stage for your visit there was a huge (about 12  by 24 feet) interactive 3D map of the province but the standouts here were the dioramas. The whole museum was full of incredibly realistic scenes that really enabled me to understand the creatures and their way of life in the very varied landscapes of the province.

The RCMP Heritage Center is located at what The Mounties call “Depot Division” which has been the cadet training centre for all Mounties since the formation of the North-West Mounted Police in 1873. It shows the history of this famous force and explains the role of the force in opening up the west for pioneers and integrating native peoples into the expanding country with far less conflict than in the U.S. Other sections explain their traditions, describe interesting cases and events, and show modern criminal investigation techniques and challenges. There was also an excellent documentary on the six months of training that current cadets must master to become a Mountie.

In the afternoon I drove the 170 miles to Saskatoon, the largest city in Saskatchewan. The map and video are here.

A couple of views from Wascana Centre Park showing the Saskatchewan Legislature Building
The dioramas at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum were spectacular. The integration of the stuffed animals/birds and environment with the background was perfect and led to very realistic displays
One of the main displays at the RCMP Heritage Centre.