Throughout the 1970s and 1980s concerted efforts to archive, collect, and display artifacts presented as a formidable challenge until 1997, where space was rented from a local environmental center known as “Trees for Tomorrow”, acting as the first museum space for the society. There, the historical society had started to gain notoriety and communal status, however unfortunately in 2007 the lease was lost and most of the collection went into storage. Fortunately however, the recently renovated former Chicago Northwestern Depot became the new home of the society where a small percentage remained on display and operated as the main museum.

The Society's Main Museum opened on May 24, 2014, and the collection returned to public view. While this museum campus has matured and expanded since 2014, now with a research library, archives, and collections; it is dedicated to the more broad-stroke histories of Eagle River. The E.R.H.S. still maintains the Depot Museum which has now become a a specialized site for downtown business and railroad history, both museums being open to the public in the summer months or by private tours in the winter.