Located in the heart of the Village of Donnelly, Alberta, our non-profit organization offers its members and visitors a wide range of services, from helping shed light on simple questions, to great searches that can germinate from a small seed.

Since 1984, the Société Historique et Généalogique de Smoky River (SHGSR) has remained one of the foremost centres of genealogical research activities in Northern Alberta, continually maintained through a passion to preserve the stories of our cherished community, and the people who call this place home. In addition to numerous genealogical research tools, various documentary resources and a large collection of photographs, we have in our possession several collections of rare documents, newspapers, and vast portions of the archives of the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan, spanning the Northern reaches of Canada. From its beginnings in 1984, the SHGSR’s primary mission was to preserve the heritage and history of the Franco-Canadians who settled in northwestern Alberta; while this goal is still maintained, it has become a part of our ever-expanding mission as the SHGSR’s clientele has diversified, now welcoming many Indigenous people as well as people of diverse origins in a shared fascination for our shared story as Canadians.