In 1912, local historian Dmitry Semyonovich Kargopolov founded the first private local history museum in Kansk, based on his personal collections. Among them were materials on local archaeology, paleontology, works of Russian copper artistic casting, icons, triptychs, and crosses, as well as numismatics. In 1922, based on these collections, the "Museum of the Local Region" was established, which housed 6,400 items.

In 2001, the Kansk Local History Museum moved to one of the most beautiful buildings in the city on Moskovskaya Street, where the cinema "Furor" was located in the early 20th century. Today, the museum's collections number over 30,000 items. The ethnographic collection vividly illustrates the history of Kansk and the Kansk district. The museum's largest collection is a compilation of written sources, including documents from the late 18th century to the present day, as well as manuscripts and old printed books. The department of fine arts features a unique collection of graphics and paintings. The artistic fund's special value includes icons acquired after the closure of the city's churches and purchased from private individuals.

The museum also has a scientific library, which houses over 5,000 books on the history of Siberia, geography, ethnography, archaeology, art, and reference publications.