Central Canada's chartered banks sought revenue from the rapidly growing western communities, offered banking services to new settlers, and invested in the burgeoning agricultural and mining industries.
Colin McDougall Bertram, who was commissioned to open a branch of the Traders Bank of Canada in Munson, Alberta, in 1910, worked in a tent for several months while the building was constructed. Upon completion, the second floor housed three bedrooms and a living room for the unmarried bank employees, as well as a slot in the ceiling above the vault door through which employees could point a gun at potential burglars. The Royal Bank of Canada purchased the Traders Bank of Canada in 1912, and in 1932, the Munson branch of the Royal Bank closed. The Village of Munson and the Royal Bank donated the building and furnishings to Heritage Park in 1965.