On July 5, 1996, a decision was made by the head of the administration of the city of Kartaly, Chelyabinsk region, to establish a historical and local lore museum. Berta Alexandrovna Prytkova was appointed as the director.

Initially, the museum was located on the third floor of the household services combine in one large room. Later, the administration allocated a building of a former kindergarten on Kalmykova Street. After three years of renovation, the museum was officially opened on July 30, 1999. It is currently headed by Tatyana Vyacheslavovna Pauli.

The museum employs six people, and the founder is the municipal formation of the Kartalinsky municipal district. Significant contributions to the development of the museum were made by well-known local historians of the city and district: Tamara Grigoryevna Alentyeva, Yuri Mikhailovich Alentyev, and Ivan Nikolaevich Verkhoturov. Thanks to their efforts, the exhibitions "World of Stone," "History of Cossacks," and "History of Currency" were created.

Currently, the museum features 12 permanent exhibitions. The collection includes over 100 minerals and natural resources. The ethnographic collection allows visitors to learn about the life and culture of the local ethnic groups from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The military hall is dedicated to the feats of the Kartal residents during the Great Patriotic War and includes portraits of heroes, photo documents, personal belongings, and weapons. The museum's fund consists of 7,534 items, which are periodically exhibited.

Museum staff actively use various forms of work: video screenings, workshops, contests, quizzes, educational games, and meetings. An important part of their activities is organizing museum education, including the Sunday school "Young Museum Worker." The museum also conducts consultations and meetings to discuss issues related to its main activities.