Sunnybrook Farm Museum

Sunnybrook Farm Museum celebrates the early days of Alberta farming. Find your rural roots as you explore Red Deer's oldest farm!

Founded 1988

In 1899, James Bower came west in search of land. He bought a half section from the Saskatchewan Land and Homestead Company and soon arrived with two railcars full of furniture and his family’s belongings. Mrs. Bower and their children joined him a few months later. The Bowers’ Sunnybrook Farm became well known for its purebred cattle and herd of Percheron horses.

Along with tending his farm, James Bower logged near the Red Deer River canyon and made bricks from local clay. The farm was eventually taken over by his son, Norman. In 1988, Norman and Iva Bower embraced the idea of an agricultural museum in Red Deer by gifting part of their property to the community. The ten acres that now make up Sunnybrook Farm Museum include barns and workshops built by the Bowers.