EAGLE LAKE — Sitting on Main Street and Lake Avenue in Eagle Lake in what was once the Ford dealership, is a building that is hidden partially by the big red caboose that graces its front doors. The unassuming glass door entrance doesn’t give up its contents to what is inside.
Started in 1983 in the used Ford dealership, the Eagle Lake Thrift Shop and Prairie Edge Museum is a hidden gem that more people are starting to find.
Most people come for the thrift shop that the building houses twice a month on Saturdays. The thrifty prices keep a steady flow of bargain hunters coming through the huge garage doors to the side of the old Ford dealership where vehicles once were worked on on its expansive concrete floor.
Most of the items will be bought and the tables laid bare. Once the tables are put up, the museum comes to life.
The Prairie Edge Museum isn’t confined to one large mechanic's garage. Antiques and nostalgia are packed into rooms that seem to never end. From tools that can still be found in grandpa’s tool shed to Mastadon bones pulled from area gravel pits. The fun doesn’t end on the inside, it continues out the back door to view relics of agricultural days gone by.
Thanks to the Eagle Lake Thrift Shop, its loyal customers and those who bring their second chance items, the Prairie Edge Museum is free to visit. Proceeds from the thrift store goes into the operation costs of thr museum. It all started in 1983 and is still going strong.
This is a visit to take your kids while you go back to being a kid yourself. It runs with ease thanks to the many volunteers and its director, Christine Owen.
