The institution was formed to secure and preserve natural history specimens and objects of historical and ethnological interest.

[citation needed] In 1953, the provincial government began construction of the current museum building on the corner of Albert Street and College Avenue, the site of the abandoned Chateau Qu'Appelle Hotel, as a Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee project.

[8] Opened on June 26, 1993, this gallery was a collaborative effort between researchers, Indigenous Elders, students and community members.

Showcasing miniature and life-size dioramas, the gallery examines the culture, traditions, trade, treaties and communities of Saskatchewan's Indigenous people over the past 10,000 years.

[11] In a celebration of Saskatchewan's landscapes and biodiversity, visitors can see what it's like inside a bear's den, a beaver's lodge or a snake's hibernaculum.

The Town of Eastend, through a series of public meetings identified a need for a palaeontological centre to showcase the rich fossil record of the Frenchman River Valley and the Cypress Hills.