British Columbia Historical Federation News

The Warrior Tradition: Sikhi, Chardi Kalan, and Basketball

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:31:58 GMT

This month (April) is Sikh Heritage Month, and Dr. Sharanjit Kaur is co-curating an exhibit at the Sikh Heritage Museum on April 19th, 2026 with an incredible team of supporters. All are invited to attend!

When: Sunday, April 19th

Where: Sikh Heritage Museum, National Historic Site and Gur Sikh Temple (33089 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC)

Time: Exhibit viewing all day, 3v3 tournament all day, film + panel screening at 6pm.

April 2026 programs and events with Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:29:09 GMT

Join the Vancouver Heritage Foundation's upcoming programs and events in April!

Virtual Lunch and Learn: Use of Reality Capture Technology for Heritage Projects

Thursday, April 9th, 12pm - 1pm (Online, By Donation)

Join A.J. Ballou and Ryan Holmes to explore how tools like 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and lidar are transforming the documentation, preservation, and interpretation of historic building projects and sites. The presentation will highlight practical applications utilizing 3D laser scanning, UAV LiDAR, and lessons learned from recent heritage projects.

Heritage Hour: The Francophone Pioneers of the Lower Mainland

Tuesday, April 21st, 7pm - 8:30pm (University Women's Club at Hycroft, $20 + tax)

From the very earliest decades of European settlement in the Lower Mainland, Francophones played an active part in the social, economic and religious development of the area. From Gastown to Langley, including, of course, Maillardville, familiar names will be encountered, right up to the new Francophonies that more recently augment this linguistic group.

BCHF stands with historical societies facing funding cuts

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:53:48 GMT

Following our recent post on funding cuts to national heritage programs, the BC Historical Federation is highlighting the growing impact of provincial funding reductions across Canada.

As a member of the Canada History Collective, the BCHF is deeply concerned about the challenges being faced by our partners in several provinces. In Alberta, funding reductions are threatening the work of the Historical Society of Alberta and its local chapters—organizations that have preserved archives and community stories for generations. In Nova Scotia, twelve provincial museum sites have been permanently closed, a devastating loss to the communities and volunteers who sustained them.

These examples reflect a broader national pattern. Across the country, many provinces and territories are scaling back support for museums, archives, and local history projects. Combined with reductions to national programs, these cuts place enormous strain on the volunteers, researchers, and local societies who safeguard Canada’s historical record.

In response, the Canada History Collective Steering Committee has reached out in support of the Historical Society of Alberta and the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, emphasizing solidarity among Canada’s independent historical organizations. The BCHF joins these voices in reaffirming our shared values: inclusion, evidence-based storytelling, preservation, accessibility, professionalism, and transparency.

At a time when resources are shrinking, cooperation and advocacy are more critical than ever. The BCHF continues to stand with our partners across the country, supporting the preservation and sharing of Canada’s diverse histories—work that strengthens communities and connects us all.

Together, we honour our past by protecting the institutions and people who keep it alive.

Read our companion piece on recent national funding cuts and how BCHF members can take action.

For the first time, Canada’s historical organizations are speaking with one voice

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:39:19 GMT

The BC Historical Federation has joined with history and heritage organizations from across Canada as part of the Canada History Collective.

This is the first time groups from every province and territory have come together to speak as one. These organizations represent the wide range of communities, regions, and stories that make up Canada’s shared history.

Recent federal budget cuts are hitting the institutions that preserve our history hardest—places like Library and Archives Canada, the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, the Canadian Museum of History, and Parks Canada sites. These programs support the research and storytelling that help Canadians understand both the proud and painful parts of our shared story. Losing them puts that knowledge—and our ability to learn from it—at risk.

Together, we are stronger. The archives, museums, and community projects that protect our past depend on all of us standing up now. But numbers matter—and that’s where you come in.

We’re asking BCHF members, local societies, and supporters to read the letter below and see what speaks to you. Then send your own message to your Member of Parliament or to the same federal ministers. Every letter adds weight to our collective voice. When more people speak up, it becomes impossible for government to ignore.

Letter from the Canada History Collective

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture (Canadian Heritage)
Minister responsible for Official Languages
House of Commons, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6

The Honourable Julie Dabrusin
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature
House of Commons, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6

The Honourable Mélanie Joly
Minister of Industry
Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
House of Commons, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6

Ministers Miller, Dabrusin, and Joly,

We are writing to you to express our deep concern about the budget cuts affecting several organizations under your ministries. These organizations provide essential support for historical research, its dissemination, commemoration, and heritage preservation in Canada.

We are taking this step with full awareness of the situation. The Canada History Collective brings together the most important associations promote both grassroots and professional history working at the pan-Canadian, provincial and territorial levels, in both official languages. Many of these associations are federations, and the Collective represents hundreds of local societies and their tens of thousands of individual members. We therefore speak on behalf of those across the country who practice and share history, or who promote heritage.

We note with dismay that the recent round of budget cuts by the federal government is targeting several very important institutions and programmes in these areas.

Among the measures announced are:

• The elimination of Library and Archives Canada’s Documentary Heritage Communities Program, which for the past twenty years has enabled numerous organizations to save invaluable archives from loss and oblivion.
• Drastic cuts to the budget of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, a true cornerstone of Canadian history for over 60 years.
• Significant restrictions imposed on the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum, particularly regarding outreach and community relations at a time when the enthusiasm for these institutions reflects a genuine thirst for history.
• The cuts at Statistics Canada, a government agency that provides essential information for the formulation of current and future policies in light of past developments in Canadian society.
• Significant job losses within your own departments, particularly affecting Parks Canada and Canadian Heritage. Public access to certain historic sites will now be limited owing to these layoffs.
• The closure of the Canadian Register of Historic Places (maintained by Parks Canada), a veritable online encyclopedia listing more than 13,000 (!) heritage sites recognized by various levels of government.

It should be noted that these measures are in addition to the cuts that in some provinces are targeting the education and heritage sectors.

All these budget cuts weaken the practice and dissemination of history on a national scale. They come at a time when Canadian society is facing complex challenges that demand a solid and nuanced understanding of its evolution. Highlighting this past is neither a pastime nor a luxury. For the government, it is an essential—and ultimately modest—investment, given the commitment of tens of thousands of Canadians, both volunteers and professionals.

In short, we ask you to reinvest in the cultural, documentary, and scientific institutions that support historical knowledge in Canada. These organizations—whether archives, heritage sites, museums, or research projects—constitute the intellectual infrastructure of our collective memory. Weakening them compromises our ability to understand who we were and who we have become. This is why supporting history cannot be considered a mere expense: it is a crucial political choice for a democratic and pluralistic society, committed to transmitting a shared heritage and informing present and future debates.

We urge you to act swiftly, with the conviction that history—in all its forms and within all its communities—deserves a commitment commensurate with its importance to collective life.

Yours sincerely,
Pan-Canadian Organizations (by order of seniority)
Canadian Historical Association (1922)
Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française (1947)
Réseau Mémoire, patrimoine, histoire (2022)

Provincial and Territorial Organizations
Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society (1878)
Manitoba Historical Society (1879)
New Brunswick Historical Society (1882)
Ontario Historical Society (1888)
Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society (1905)
Historical Society of Alberta (1907)
BC Historical Federation (1922)
Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society (1957)
Fédération Histoire Québec (1965)
Yukon Historical & Museums Association (Heritage Yukon) (1977)

How to Write and Send Your Own Letter

You don’t need to be an expert or have special connections to make a difference. A short, personal note from your organization—or from you—goes a long way.

1. Start with who you are.
Say where you’re from and why preserving history matters to you or your community.

2. Borrow what you need.
Use any lines or examples from the letter above—whatever fits your voice. There’s no “right” format; sincerity is what counts.

3. Send it by email.
Copy your message into an email and send it directly to:
• The Honourable Marc Miller –
• The Honourable Julie Dabrusin –
• The Honourable Mélanie Joly –
Then CC your local MP so they’re aware of your concern. You can find their contact information here: ourcommons.ca

4. That’s all it takes.
One letter might feel small, but hundreds together send a strong message. Every voice adds strength.

Together, We Can Make History Heard

This effort reflects what the BCHF stands for—diverse voices, honest storytelling, and the preservation of the places and records that connect us. When we speak up together, we keep history open, accessible, and alive for everyone.

Why the F*&% Do I Live Here?: A window into one Black woman’s journey in rural BC

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 01:17:21 GMT

An excerpt from the spring 2026 edition of British Columbia History

Tintype photo of shayna-adjowa on a cabin stoop beneath a willow tree, near her home in Argenta, 2023. (Courtesy Tekoa Predika)

By shayna-adjowa jones

In the spring of 2020, the mostly white rural village of 1,200 that I live in held a Black Lives Matter rally. Incredible? Yes. Easy to endure? No.

You see, I am a Black-as-night woman and can count the number of other Black folk who live within a 50-kilometre radius of my home on my two hands and still have fingers to spare. The village coming together like this was astounding. The fact that the senseless murder of an urban Black man named George Floyd, over 2,000 kilometres away in Minneapolis, actually touched their hearts enough to do something was staggering.

Their supportive words and “We’re with you!” smiles were already a strange addition to my days. A simple walk down our village’s one main street would yield story after story of Black folk they had loved over the years, or assurances that they don’t see colour — or how much they really love my colour — and “Thank God nothing like that ever happens here, eh?”

“Yes!” I’d answer back. “Yes!” I’d smile into their glowing and concerned faces, all the while writhing inwardly to get off the damned street and back home.

Now don’t get me wrong. Through it all, I wanted with all my might to feel strong, to rise up as an unflinching political activist championing the cause for my people from my own backyard (YES!). But when the day of the rally came, Cultural Isolation, Racial Vulnerability, and the Empowered White Gaze ripped the “yes” right out my chest.

As my white townsfolks protested along our one main street, I shrank in my office above, clinging to a Langston Hughes poetry book.

Lovely, dark, and lonely one,

Bare your bosom to the sun,

Do not be afraid of light

You who are a child of night.

Like a motherless child, I chanted Langston’s poem aloud to myself, over and over, bathing my ears and my heart in his surgical insight.

… Face the wall with the dark, closed gate, beat with bare brown fists and wait. [1]

I did not set foot near the rally

That fateful day has shaped my research and artistic career profoundly. At that juncture, I earned my keep almost exclusively in the world of applied folkloristics — studying, interpreting, and embodying Afro-diasporic folklore and folkways as a professional performance storyteller and theatre artist. Anansi and Br’uh Rabbit, Little Eight John, and Mary May with her Redfish were among the Black figures I mined, compared, and contrasted across the diaspora to honour what their tales have meant for our people.

However, on the fateful day my little white town rallied for Black life, I found myself suddenly desperate for another kind of story — desperate to know if other Black folk like me, tucked away, alone, in rural settings, even existed. And if they did, if they were out there, I was now hungry for them. I spent nearly two years after that day slowly and deliberately seeking out and interviewing rural Black individuals from across the country. I had over 40 conversations with folks from all walks of life. It was a slow but steady river of inquiry, connection, and relationship that quietly began to repurpose my whole life and rural vision.

“Cotton Picking, Oakhurst Plantation — 1907. Clarkesdale, Miss.” Postcard is of a Mississippi cotton plantation near fields shayna-adjowa’s family members would have worked. (Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History)

Two-thirds of my interviewees were based in western Canada, where the Black population is significantly lower than in the eastern provinces. These Canadians in particular spoke to the complex experience that rural living afforded them. Several juxtaposed the freedom from the dramas faced by many Blacks in dense urban settings with the tensions of living in spaces where their neighbours regard their presence as a novelty.

Others spoke to the double-edged sword of having no one to witness them while out in the countryside, articulating the freedom from society imposed narratives regarding who they are and what they should and should not take interest in as Black individuals (living outside of an urban landscape subverted these assumptions implicitly). Yet, several of these same voices articulated the nebulous fear of finding themselves alone in the bush — hiking, foraging, etc. — with no one to witness what might happen to them when they encounter white countryfolk who subconsciously (or not so subconsciously) distrust their presence there.

One interviewee, a PhD candidate investigating the socio-political barriers between Blacks and the wild landscapes of Canada, shared the following:

[There is] the simple fact that slavery had Blacks working in specific places. Blacks found out in the woods were suspected to be up to no good. Plotting revolts, fleeing, hiding out, etc. … [this] takes you back to the history around how our mobility has been confined, in the sense that if you’re in the urban areas you are known … you’re in a little check box. But if you’re not in urban areas, if you’re in the rural areas or in the wilderness, you’re out of that check box. And the roots of that go back to slavery.

Her words resonated with me profoundly.

The relationship between Black presence in rural settings in North America and the horrific history of African chattel slavery are deeply intertwined. I, myself, come from the throes of this destructive history. My family, like countless others, endured generations of enslaved labour on plantation fields throughout the southern United States. From the first light of dawn to the pitch black of night, my ancestors worked bent-back amid rows of cotton and tobacco — the slave drivers whip as fierce as the hot sun. This was the reality for innumerable families like mine on Turtle Island for over 400 years.

Then, in the decades following the American Civil War, millions of freed slaves migrated away from the rural and deeply racist south toward the urbanized North, Mid-east, and West in search of social reprieve and greater opportunity. To remain a labourer on the land was to remain uneducated and in chains. The choice for many was simple.

Yet, to tell this story alone would be a lie and a lie that perpetuates a damaging myth of popular culture.

Though it is true that millions of Blacks settled in urban spaces, there were still those who chose to retain and build upon the agricultural knowledge they had honed through enslavement. Blacks, for example, who crossed the forty-ninth parallel into Canada forged strong farming communities in Nova Scotia (Cherry Brook and North Preston, among many others); in Saskatchewan (Maidstone); Alberta (Amber Valley); and right here in British Columbia (Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island). They cleared, worked, and cultivated land to exercise the full rights of freedom, equality, and basic human dignity that they deserved and fiercely sought.

Stark Family members who were part of a strong Black community on Salt Spring Island in the late 1800s. (Salt Spring Island Historical Society Digital Archives, Accession number: 98902401)

Yet still, the dominant narrative of Black life in popular culture continues to perpetuate the “Black means Urban” stranglehold. And the tragedy of this, as I’ve come to see it, is that far too many Blacks in North America are robbed of access to an immense heritage of Afro-centric and Afro-Indigenous land-based praxis and wisdom. Our Indigenous ancestors forced to cross the Atlantic were people of profound relationship with the life of, and within, the natural world. Our diverse healing modalities and medicines, cosmologies, folklore, and spiritual teachings from within the societies where slave labour was stolen (and beyond) attests to this. Yet, with Black life continually relegated to inner city streets there is precious little opportunity for us to recognize ourselves as intimate relations of the earth — creatures who not only have a meaningful place within it, but a visceral and ancestrally alive reason to protect it.

My journey with the Black & Rural project continues to this day — some five years later. What began as a desperate need to discover other rural dwelling Black Canadians in the face of paralyzing isolation in my little white town has blossomed into a journey of reclamation, restoration, and celebration of Afro heritage land-based wisdom, knowledge, and praxis on Turtle Island.

This, I’ve come to realize, is at the heart of why I choose to live where I do — to dare to believe that it is possible to be deeply connected to one’s ancestral roots while living as uninvited (and historically unwilling) guests upon unceded land. And now, through the work of Black & Rural, I have also come to realize that I am here in solidarity with all other Afro-heritage Canadians who dare to believe and embody the same.

Endnote

1. Langston Hughes, “Song,” in The New Negro: An Interpretation (Albert & Charles Boni, 1925).

shayna-adjowa jones is an Afro-centric folkloreist, researcher, and performance artist. She lives in the remote community of Argenta, with her three children and a conspiracy of ravens. Learn more about her work through her website, www.wearestoryfolk.com, or Instagram account, @wearestoryfolk.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:25:55 GMT

An excerpt from the spring edition of British Columbia History

1 Ancient Artifacts or Forgeries?

These thrifted artifacts have prompted many questions. (Photo: Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, SFU)

Simon Fraser University archaeology students will flex their detective muscles in a new course this fall designed to determine whether a collection of rings and medallions is real — or fake.

The story begins with a donation to Thrifty Boutique in Chilliwack by a customer who said the items were potentially ancient. The thrift store contacted SFU’s Department of Archaeology to determine whether 11 decorated rings and two ornate medallions are historically significant. Archaeology faculty and the university’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology conducted a visual survey and decided the artifacts appear to be dated from the late antiquity period (3rd–6th century) and/or the medieval period.

The collection has been donated to SFU. However, with no known provenance, ethical questions have emerged: If the artifacts are forgeries, should the museum acquire them? If looted from a real hoard, should they be returned? This fall, instructors from the archaeology department will guide students through the more meticulous process of determining whether the collection is authentic. The students and instructors will probe the ethics related to the ways museums acquire collections and where this collection should end up — if it’s the real deal.

2 Cataline Monument Restored

Restored Cataline burial monument at Gitanmaax Cemetery, Old Hazelton. (Photo courtesy Thomas Roper)

When Thomas Roper located a burial monument for the legendary packer Cataline at the Gitanmaax Cemetery, the stone was disintegrating and its plaque and horseshoe had been stolen. Thomas decided BC’s most famous packer deserved more respect and after consulting the Gitanmaax Band at Old Hazelton he began restoration with the help of Floyd Kennedy (who redesigned the plaque) and a stone mason, Trevor Doerksen. A heavy-duty mechanic by trade, Thomas is a self-described history buff “who tends to wander graveyards checking for stories of our pioneers.”

Cataline (Jean Caux) arrived in BC from Southern France during the 1858 gold rush, and he quickly learned there was more money to be made by transporting supplies to miners. He worked with mules from Yale to Barkerville, along the Telegraph Trail near Hazelton, and in the Omineca region. Cataline was noted for his reliability, an uncanny memory (illiterate, he remembered every item delivered), and an odd habit of rubbing whisky into his fulsome hair.

With restoration now complete, Thomas says there are plans to further honour Cataline on horseback this summer. “Hopefully close to Pioneer Days in Hazelton we will ride from the paddlewheeler on the Skeena up to his gravesite and celebrate one historical character from Hazelton. … It is quite beautiful as Cataline looks out over the confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena rivers.

3 Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma

Illustrator Ally Adachi and author Jeff Chiba Stearns. (Photo courtesy Jeff Chiba Stearns)

A panel from Tomey, the graphic novel. (Courtesy Jeff Chiba Stearns)

A new graphic novel tracing the story of a Japanese Canadian social justice pioneer is being offered free to Canadian schools and libraries. Tomekichi (Tomey) Homma fought for equal pay for Japanese fishermen in the late 1800s and, later, for the right to vote. As a naturalized citizen he took his argument all the way to the Privy Council in London, but lost. Tomey died in a Slocan Valley internment camp before the vote became a reality in 1949 — his son Seiji was part of the successful campaign.

BC author and filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns took on the challenge to create a book for younger readers after being approached by the Asia Pacific Foundation and National Coalition of Canadians Against Anti Asian Racism. “Back in the spring of 2023, I was asked to visit Tomekichi Homma Elementary [in Richmond] for a round of author talks. I actually had no idea who Tomekichi Homma was. While there, I learned about his contribution to Canadian civil rights. I was pretty blown away that I hadn’t heard about him before as I’m very well connected with the Japanese Canadian community.”

The graphic novel is dialogue driven, and Jeff worked with Tomekichi’s granddaughter to bring an authentic voice to her remarkable ancestor. “I wanted young readers to be inspired by Tomekichi’s story especially when there is so much happening in the world that requires people to stand up and have their voices heard!”

Download a PDF version of Tomey, The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma at https://tinyurl.com/4j2w47zw

4 From Confederation into The Cauldron

Historian Dr. Barry Gough from Confederation series. (Courtesy Canada History Society)

Erudite historian and former BC Historical Federation president Barry Gough, and Greg Scott, a fellow member of the Canada History Society, have launched a video series tracing British Columbia’s wild and rocky road to Confederation. A team of college and university students also contributed to the 20-part series that, Barry says, “explores the many reasons and aspects, pro and con, as to how and why BC elected to join Canada in 1871.”

The series marches swiftly through first contact with Indigenous peoples, the gold rush, colonial development and its implications, and the eventual promise of financial support and a railway. This forged the permanent relationship with Canada on July 20, 1871. Margaret Ormsby once described this date as “a moment suspended between empire and nationhood.”

The British Columbia Confederation series can be seen on the Canada History Society website, which also features The Cauldron, an 11-part podcast series hosted by Barry that considers “volatile aspects” of the province’s history between 1871 and 1914, including Indigenous land title, the Komagata Maru episode, and the US pursuit of Manifest Destiny. Greg Scott says the series is designed for historians, enthusiasts, and the curious: "Please take a listen as he [Barry] turns up the heat on the past — and listen to how British Columbia was shaped, heated, and poured into something new.”

Watch and listen on the Canada History Society website: https://canadahistorysociety.ca/video-series-bc-confederation

5 Historic Alexandra Lodge

Ken MacKinnon (Photo: Mark Forsythe)

Pull off the Trans-Canada Highway at Alexandra Lodge in the Fraser Canyon, and without much prompting, Ken MacKinnon will show you his latest restoration work on this Cariboo Wagon Road classic. One of the oldest structures in BC is being restored from top to bottom, and when I visited he pointed to square-headed nails believed to be from the original construction, circa 1863. (There have been three or four layers of additions and alterations over 150 years.)

When Ken and his wife, Shirley, took on this labour of love four years ago, the structure was almost ready to return to the soil, but Ken’s carpentry skills are impressive. New beams and supports, electrical wiring, and a water system that includes a sprinkler system for the roof are bringing back this historic stopping house located 14 miles from Yale — it was the first stop for horses and wagons heading north to the goldfields. The couple are now leaving their RV and moving into a fully renovated upper floor; plans for an art studio, small museum and public access to follow. Watch their progress on Facebook @TheHistoricAlexandraLodge.

Meanwhile, rehabilitation work continues on the nearby Alexandra Bridge (built in 1926), led by the Spuzzum First Nation and New Pathways to Gold Society. A new interpretive kiosk constructed like a pit house sits beside the Alexandra Bridge Park parking lot, highlighting the Spuzzum people’s deep history and cultural traditions at this spectacular site.

Pit house–inspired kiosk at Alexandra Bridge Park. (Photo: Mark Forsythe)

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

AABC workshop - Bugs & Boxes: Preventative Conservation

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:15:40 GMT

You are invited to join the Archives Association of BC in Kelowna on Tuesday, May 12th for an in-person preventative conservation workshop!

The Okanagan Heritage Museum Conservation team will lead this 1-day hands-on workshop that will enhance your preventative conservation skills. Participants will learn about pests and preventative measures, and how to create custom boxes, 4-flap folders, and safely encapsulate items. The workshop will also include a discussion forum where participants can share conservation concerns and questions related to the storage and care of archival materials in their holdings. This learning opportunity is perfect for those working in archives, libraries, and museums with archival materials. Participants will bring home enclosure samples.

Note: workshop participants are responsible for their own lunch and any travel fees related to the workshop. Light refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Time: 9:30am – 4:00pm PST
Location: Okanagan Heritage Museum, 470 Queensway Avenue, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 6S7

Cost: AABC members: $180.00 CAD; Non-members: $270.00 CAD
Registration deadline: May 6, 2026 (5:00pm)
Max registration: 24 participants

To learn more and register, please visit: https://aaobc.wildapricot.org/Workshops

'Stolen Bases' shares the stories of Japanese Canadian families in the Comox Valley

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:09:15 GMT

On April 15, 1942, over one-third of the students at the elementary and high school in Cumberland were suddenly absent from class. They would never return to their desks, as almost 600 Japanese Canadians from the Comox Valley were forcibly removed and incarcerated.

Stolen Bases is a new exhibition opening at Cumberland Museum & Archives that shares Japanese Canadian stories of building and nurturing home bases in the Comox Valley, and the intergenerational echoes of being treated as an enemy at home.

From the early 1890s, Japanese Canadian families built communities in Cumberland, Royston, and surrounding townsites, establishing businesses, operating the Japanese Canadian owned Royston Lumber Company, founding language schools, and forming baseball teams that dominated local play.

“Baseball was a great social pastime for Japanese Canadians and non-Japanese Canadians as youth and adults,” says Janet (Ogaki) Sakauye, whose family was from Cumberland. Baseball diamonds became lively hubs for community gatherings and competition.

In 1942, these communities were dismantled. Under the War Measures Act, Japanese Canadians living within 160 kilometres of the Pacific coast were dispossessed, forcibly relocated, and incarcerated. More than 75 percent of those incarcerated were Canadian-born or naturalized citizens.

Even in the face of legislated racism and incarceration, baseball remained an important source of connection. “It kept children busy in the internment camps when there were no schools for a while,” Sakauye explains. “After relocation to the east, it also helped ease Japanese Canadians’ acceptance into cities like Toronto, which originally did not allow them to settle after the Second World War.”

Despite prejudice, dispossession, and forced displacement, Japanese Canadian families carefully nurtured community. Stolen Bases shares these stories through film, letters, objects, photographs and contemporary art, featuring the works of artists Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, Megan Kiyoko Wray, Kellen Hatanaka and SD Holman.

As Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa reflects, “a story shared plants seeds of healing connection.”

Cumberland Museum & Archives invites the community to the opening of Stolen Bases from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 23, 2026. The exhibition will be open until February 1, 2027.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:02:42 GMT

Please join us on Wednesday, April 22 at 7pm for the AGM of the BC Historical Federation. The AGM will be held virtually to ensure the meeting is accessible to our members across the province. We value your input and would love representation at this meeting from as many communities and organizations as possible.

BCHF Organization and Affiliate members have voting privileges. Member Organizations receive one vote per 10 members, and Affiliate Members receive one vote.

Individual members and non-voting members of the public are invited to attend. A presentation highlighting recent work and initiatives by the BCHF team will be shared.

IMPORTANT: Organizations are asked to confirm their voting delegates using our delegate form in advance of the AGM. This helps us to ensure we have the required quorum. To do this:

Have an official complete the form online, or
Download the PDF, sign, and email the form to secretary@bchistory.ca.

Please contact Kira Westby, Secretary, if you have any questions: secretary@bchistory.ca

Register to the upcoming Practising NAAB Appraiser (PNA) Masterclass in Vancouver (20-23 April 2026)!

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:08:30 GMT

The National Archival Appraisal Board (NAAB) & the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) are pleased to offer HYBRID training in the monetary appraisal of archives.

Registration page: https://naab.ca/event-6574033

Registration deadline: 13 April 2026

This session, hosted at Simon Fraser University Library, Special Collections and Rare Books (Burnaby Campus), will be taught in English by Simon Rogers, Chair of the NAAB Board of Directors, and Curtis Sassur, Practising NAAB Appraiser. The session will be hybrid; registrants can choose to participate in person or remotely. The session will consist of three full days of courses followed by one day dedicated to consulting archival materials and preparing for the final assessment: the appraisal report. On the final day, participants will have the choice of working on site to consult archival material in preparation for their final assessment, or to work remotely on a digitized collection. The instructors will be available to answer questions both in person and remotely.

The Masterclass puts in place the critical pieces of the archival monetary appraisal puzzle and, in a straightforward way, enhances your skills, increases your understanding about monetary appraisal processes and improves your ability to undertake effective archival monetary appraisals. Case studies will be used to illustrate and deepen the lessons learned. On the final day of the Masterclass, participants will inspect archival material for their summative assignment – a full archival monetary appraisal and a written monetary appraisal report – due on 7 May 2026. Upon successful completion of the summative assignment, participants will become eligible to be designated as a Practising NAAB Appraiser.

Applicants with experience and expertise in archives, libraries, museums, galleries, and other heritage professions and meet the following minimum requirements are invited to apply. If you have any questions or concerns about whether the Masterclass is right for you, please contact us at NAAB@archivescanada.ca

The Vancouver session will be delivered in English only.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: https://naab.ca/Masterclass

"Left on the Drawing Board: Unbuilt Civic Designs" with Bronwyn Smyth

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:03:33 GMT

Vancouver, like most urban centres, has had its share of unrealised designs, many of which only leave evidence of their proposed existence in the archives. But how do you go about searching for such records? Drawing on her graduate research, Bronwyn will introduce some insights regarding the challenges and approaches to researching unbuilt designs in archives and will journey through examples of some of Vancouver’s civic-related development proposals from the early 20th century.

Watch the full video here.

BC Labour Heritage Centre Call for Volunteers

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:59:32 GMT

The BC Labour Heritage Centre is looking for volunteers to help them transcribe their oral history interviews. If you are passionate about the history of BC's labour movement, this might be the project for you!

Volunteers can:

- work online at their own pace

- make a difference saving the stories that fuel their movement

- and work with supportive staff and volunteers

Interested? Email Natasha Fairweather, Project Manager: projects@labourheritagecentre.ca

Repatriation Monologues at MOV March 21

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:57:52 GMT

The Museum of Vancouver is hosting the Repatriation Monologues at the MOV on March 21 and we hope you can make it!

Presented in conjunction with The Work of Repair: Redress & Repatriation at the Museum of Vancouver, this panel brings together voices reflecting on the complex, often deeply personal work of repatriation.

Moderated by Aaron LaMaskin, the conversation will focus on the Museum of Vancouver’s collaboration with the Tŝilhqot’in National Government to return over 60 ancestral belongings—the Nation’s first repatriation from the Museum, completed in 2024.

Through individual reflections and shared dialogue, the panel will explore the emotional and cultural impact of repatriation, the challenges of institutional change, and the ongoing responsibilities museums face in redressing colonial harm.

“Repatriation Monologues” invites attendees to consider what meaningful repair looks like—and how museums can support Indigenous sovereignty, cultural resurgence, and the return of stories to where they belong.

Please arrive early with your event ticket to view the exhibition.

Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026

Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm

Location: Museum of Vancouver

Tickets:

$24 General Admission (plus, fees and taxes)
Free for people who self-identify as Indigenous

Details and link to tickets here: Work of Repair: Repatriation Monologues Panel Discussion — MOV | Museum of Vancouver

BC HERN workshop in Smithers April 8-9

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:56:53 GMT

The Bulkley Valley Museum is hosting a BC Heritage Emergency Response Network (BC HERN) emergency response and collections salvage training workshop in Smithers, April 8-9 2026. There are 9 spots still available!

This in-person intensive 2-day workshop is for keepers of cultural heritage who have little to no training in emergency response related to collections as well as for those who wish to build on existing experience and knowledge.

Instruction and practice on key salvage techniques will build the confidence needed to help in emergency situations. The workshop will include hands-on salvage of objects impacted by water and fire.

Thanks to funding from the Bulkley Valley Community Foundation the registration fee is just $45/person (lunch inclusive). Indigenous organizations are able to register free of charge, contact heidi@bchern.ca for details.

Registration information: https://bchern.ca/hands-on-workshop/

We have secured a preferred hotel rate at the Prestige Hudson Bay Lodge. Use code “BCHERN” to receive a 25% discount for accommodations if you book directly (by phone) with the hotel before March 27th, 2026. Other hotel options and community information can be found on the Tourism Smithers website: https://tourismsmithers.com/

If there are specific questions about the workshop, or if cost is a barrier please email heidi@bchern.ca.

Explore Britannia Mine Museum’s Spring Break and Easter Festivities

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:53:00 GMT

Trade screen time for STEAM time at Britannia Mine Museum, where curiosities will be sparked and a sense of adventure brought to life through a lineup of hands-on, family-friendly discoveries and fascinating stories for explorers of all ages to enjoy.

From Saturday, March 14th to Sunday, March 29th 2026, the museum will present its Spring Break programs, featuring its “Live in the Lab: Secret Identities” interpreter-led STEAM learning sessions, along with its popular “Step Back in Time” social history programs: “Whatever Happened to Mt. Sheer” and “Before Roads and Rail”.

For the Easter long weekend from Friday, April 3 to Monday, April 6, the museum will be hosting Easter themed activities where visitors can take part in a festive scavenger hunt with a unique mining twist as they explore the site in search of hidden surprises. Hop aboard the museum’s special Easter underground train tour and discover how every day felt like an Easter egg hunt for the hardworking miners of Britannia Mine. Learn about the challenges and discoveries that shaped life mining underground in an engaging, family-friendly experience. Visitors can also drop in at the Terra Lab for the “Live in the Lab: Secret Identities” interpreter-led hands-on learning sessions.

Located 45 minutes north of Vancouver on the picturesque Sea-to-Sky highway, the Britannia Mine Museum provides unique and memorable experiences that engage visitors of all ages. Visitors can enjoy fun exhibits and crowd favourites like the underground mine train, gold panning, the award-winning special effects BOOM! show inside the historic 20-storey concentrator Mill building, the minerals and gem gallery, the gift shop and the Beaty Lundin Visitor Centre.

General admission tickets and annual memberships are available online at www.britanniaminemuseum.ca.

For full programming details, visit their website.

Conference Registration Now Open

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:32:27 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is excited to announce that its annual conference will be held in Vancouver on May 30, 2026 on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

As the nature of our collective work in historical and heritage-based contexts rapidly shifts and becomes increasingly challenging, we are holding dialogue on Layered Histories: Hard Conversations.

This one-day gathering will feature a keynote presentation by award-winning community historian, author, and exhibition curator Catherine Clement, along with two historical panels exploring the diverse histories of British Columbia.

Attendees can also take part in a guided bus tour of Vancouver’s historic Strathcona neighbourhood and learn about the city’s labour history with civic historian John Atkin, as well as enjoy opportunities for social networking.

The event will conclude with our annual awards dinner, where individuals working in the public history sector will be recognized and the winner of the Historical Writing Competition will be announced.

All conference activities are based at the Creekside Community Recreation Centre, 1 Athletes Way.

Everyone is welcome to attend! Participants are not required to have a professional affiliation or membership with BCHF to join.

Registration* is now open: bchistory.ca/conference

*Early bird discounts are available and bus tour seats are limited so we encourage you to register early.

Spring Issue of British Columbia History Magazine

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:32:22 GMT

The Spring 2026 issue of British Columbia History magazine will be arriving in your mailboxes soon! The theme if this issue is Black history, and features articles from authors and historians from around BC.

You can purchase single copies of this edition on our website, or become a member of the BC Historical Federation to receive a quarterly subscription.

Stories include:

The Power of History: Barbara Hudlin, by Jamila Douhaibi
Blackness as a Frequency: Quantum entanglement, land loss, and the recipes that remember us in Canada, by Ariel Reyes Antuan
A Fly in Milk, by A.A. Riley - Writing for the Future, by Wayde Compton - Searching for Sarafim: The Life and Legacy of Serafim "Joe" Fortes, by Ruby Smith Diaz
Why the F*&% Do I Live Here: A window into one Black woman's journey in rural BC, by shayna-adjowa jones
Darkest Light 2124, by Kemi Craig - How to Help Disrupt, Dismantle, and Abolish Anti-Black Racism, by Lisa Gunderson (Akua Offeibea)

Plus we have regular contributions from Front Words columnist Mark Forsythe and books editor Dalys Barney, and Snuneymuxw Titumels William A. White who shares teachings on the importance of counteracting the darkness of racism.

In Memoriam, Ken Welwood (1944-2026)

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:27:09 GMT

The BCHF has learned that Kenneth Welwood passed away on February 22, 2026. Ken served on the BCHF council as treasurer for several years, he will be missed.

Read his obituary in the Vancouver Sun.

In Memorium: M. Diane Rogers

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:44:44 GMT

The BCHF was sad to hear of the passing of Diane Rogers, on February 8, 2026 after a brief illness.

Read her full obituary below:

In addition to her immediate family, Diane also leaves behind a extended family of people who knew her through her many interests. She was a valued genealogy guest speaker at conferences and webinars around the world. She also headed, nurtured, or supported numerous groups too many to name including the British Columbia Historical Federation, Society of One Place Studies, Guild of One Name Studies, United Empire Loyalists, Women’s History Network/British Columbia, the Maple Ridge Family History Group, and Vancouver Postcard Club to name a few. Diane was also a supporter of the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, the European Festival, and the Highland Games and Scottish Festival. She was an avid reader and belonged to the BookCrossing book club.

At the British Columbia Genealogical Society (BCGS) she held positions as President (2009–2011), Director, Privacy Officer, and also led Special Interest Groups, was the BCGS newsletter and The British Columbia Genealogist editor for many years and was the Website Mistress (a term she used) for a time. She supported the BCGS travelling store known as The Boutique and often travelled around the province in support of that BCGS fund-raising arm. She helped develop the BCGS Vision and Mission statements.

Diane was an early proponent of the use of genetic genealogy (DNA testing) when that was a new field for genealogists. Today we are all very familiar with DNA’s growing ability to put families together, but it was quite unknown and viewed with some suspicion in the early days. Diane was a thinker for the future and advocated expanding genealogical studies beyond the British Isles and into more ethnic groups who also wanted to know of their heritage.

Diane is with her ancestors now. From the many people whose lives you touched—we will miss you.

The family has asked in Diane’s honour, please volunteer at your local seniors centre, donate to a literacy group or The BC Cancer Foundation or maybe just sit down in your favourite chair and pick up a book to read.

"Census - When, Who, Where" - March 4

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:37:26 GMT

The Vancouver Public Library will be hosting an upcoming workshop in partnership with Library and Archives Canada entitled "Census - When, Who, Where" on March 4 from 12-1:30 pm online.

There are still spots available, register here!

Awards Nomination Deadline: March 1st

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:35:53 GMT

It's that time of year! The Bright Lights award program and the Recognition Awards are looking for submissions! Do you know anyone who has completed groundbreaking, significant projects? Or who has served the sector for a long time? Nominate them today! Nominations close March 1, 2026.

Learn more and nominate here.

In Memoriam: Gary Mitchell (1954-2026)

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 20:10:37 GMT

The BC Historical Federation was saddened to learn of the death of Gary Mitchell earlier this month.

Gary served on the council of the BC Historical Federation in a leadership capacity including as President and Honourary President. Gary was involved in setting up the Federation's Centennial Legacy Fund, a grant program to support grassroots historical projects in the province.

Here is his obituary, shared by Gary's family:

Gary died peacefully in Victoria Hospice on February 9, 2026, after a two-year ordeal with cancer, which he faced with grace and dignity.

Gary was born in Murrayville, Township of Langley, to Allan Ardiel Mitchell and Mary Teresa (née Kochmarski). He was raised on the family strawberry farm in Sperling District, Langley.

Gary attended the University of British Columbia, earning a BA (History) in 1976 and, in 1985, a Master of Archival Studies (MAS) degree from the university’s newly created archival school: the first in Canada. His post-graduate thesis, The Appraisal of Canadian Military Personnel Files of the First World War, offered a multi-national analysis of archival appraisal for military personnel case files. In his analysis, Gary examined issues that archivists still grapple with today: the strengths and weaknesses of different retention practices; the challenges of sampling; the potential of conversion to “machine readable” form, and the implications of destruction.

After receiving his MAS degree, Gary embarked on what became a lifelong career as a records and archives professional with the BC government. He served as a Senior Records Analyst from 1985 to 1988, then becoming Manager of Advisory and Training Services for the BC Archives, a position he held from 1988 to 1991. From 1991 to 1998, he was Deputy Provincial Archivist and Director of the BC Archives. In 1998 Gary became Provincial Archivist, leading the institution through many years of growth and change.

Gary initiated and led many innovations in records and archives services, including:

establishing protocols with the Office of the Speaker to allow public service support for parliamentary offices;
pioneering the application of standardized recordkeeping schedules across government;
introducing on-line search capabilities for archives;
negotiating the move of BC’s Sisters of St. Ann’s archives into the BC Archives
advocating for a common “pan-Canadian” federal, provincial, and territorial approach to the care of electronic archives.

Gary retired from government service in 2014 as Provincial Archivist and Vice-President, Archives, Collections and Research at the Royal British Columbia Museum. He was recognized for his decades of service with his appointment in 2014 as Provincial Archivist Emeritus.

As well as being a lifelong Canucks and Whitecaps fan, Gary pursued interests in Canadian history, vexillology, public administration, and heraldry. He volunteered with many heritage organizations, including the BC Historical Federation (President), the Archives Association of BC (President), Association of Canadian Archivists Foundation (Director and Secretary), the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (Fellow) and the Royal BC Museum Foundation.

Gary’s commitment to the goals of heritage organizations was recognized with several awards, including the following:

2001: Distinguished Service and Leadership Award, University of British Columbia
2002: Recipient, Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for “exemplary public service leadership”
2004: Grant of Arms from the Canadian Heraldic Authority
2012: Recipient, Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for “services to heritage and preservation”
2014: Honorary Life Member, Archives Association of British Columbia
2014: Provincial Archivist Emeritus, Royal British Columbia Museum
2017: Distinguished Leadership Award, British Columbia Museums Association
2022: Fellow, Royal Heraldry Society of Canada.

Gary was actively committed to his Catholic faith and volunteered for many years at St. Patrick’s Parish and on the archives and records management committee of the Diocese of Victoria and the Sisters of St. Ann. At Mount St. Mary Hospital, he represented the Bishop and the Sisters as a member of the Marie Esther Society.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Gary will be remembered for being a loyal, caring, selfless, and kind person who believed in a life of duty, integrity, and humility. He was proud of his agrarian roots in Langley, British Columbia and his Polish and Scottish ancestry. He felt deep love for his country, his province, his community, and, most of all, his friends and family.

After retirement, Gary and Irene travelled, gardened, and enjoyed many happy times with family and loved ones. His greatest joy was the arrival of Max Gary Kavan in 2020, the much-loved son of Annelies and Dan. Gary is survived by his wife, Irene; Annelies and Dan and grandson Max; his much-loved cousins Gail and Darlene; godson Matthew Isaac; and a wide circle of friends and family.

Donations in Gary’s memory are welcome to the BC Historical Federation Legacy Fund.

Film Released: Qatŝ’ay: Bringing our spirits back home

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 20:05:46 GMT

After eight months on view at the Museum of Vancouver (MOV), the Tŝilhqot’in National Government has now released its film Qatŝ’ay: Bringing our spirits back home to the public.

Directed by Trevor Mack and Jeremy Williams, the film follows a Tŝilhqot’in delegation to the MOV for the historical repatriation of more than 60 ancestral belongings, including 29 qatŝ’ay—decorative coiled root baskets—an iconic Tŝilhqot’in art form.

The film is the centrepiece of the collaborative exhibition, Nexwenen Nataghelʔilh, with the MOV, on view from June 2025 to June 2026.

After its tenure at the MOV, the exhibition will begin traveling to other locations throughout BC.

Qatŝ’ay was nominated for the Short Documentary Award at the DOXA Film Festival in Vancouver in 2025, and was also screened at the Red Nation Film Festival in Los Angeles and the NatiVisions Film Festival in Arizona.

VIEW THE FILM ON YOUTUBE

In Memoriam: Laura Saimoto (1970-2026)

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 19:58:16 GMT

The BC Historical Federation was saddened to hear that Japanese Canadian heritage champion Laura Saimoto has passed away.

Laura was known in the historical community for her work as chair of the Japanese Canadian Legacy Signage Project from 2016 to 2018, working with the Ministry of Transportation to commemorate Internment and Road Camps across British Columbia. She also deeply loved working with seniors and local residents to create the East Lillooet Internment Camp Memorial Garden.

Laura served as President of the Tashme Historical Society from 2023 and joined the board of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation in 2024. Her most recent projects included the VJLS-JH Interpretive Centre, as well as the restorations of Miyazaki House and Hope Station.

You can read her obituary here.

You can view recordings of her 2019 presentation about the Japanese Hall with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

Nikkei Centre and Bite of Burnaby Partner for "Taste of Japan" Culinary Series

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 19:54:19 GMT

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC) is proud to announce Taste of Japan, an interactive workshop series celebrating Japanese food culture. Held in partnership with the Bite of Burnaby festival throughout March 2026, the series invites the public to explore Japanese food through a lineup of hands-on workshops.

The series kicks off on Sunday, March 1st, with a Japanese Tea Ceremony led by Junichi Ishii. Held alongside a display of Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) dolls in the Centre’s tea room, the ceremony offers a peaceful, sensory introduction to the world of matcha and the values of harmony and respect.

Taste of Japan offers a welcoming space for food lovers of all backgrounds. Participants will learn from local artisans, mastering time-honoured techniques and using seasonal ingredients.

The March 2026 Lineup includes:

Japanese Tea Ceremony (March 1): A ritual of harmony, respect, and peace.
Sake & Cheese Pairing (March 8): Discover Sake: A Guided Tasting & Pairing Experience.
Miso Making (March 14): Fermentation with Van Koji Foods.
Nerikiri Wagashi (March 14): The art of sculpting edible cherry blossoms with Megu Takahashi. (sold out)
Family Onigiri (March 15): A family-friendly session on the essentials of Japanese rice balls with Samurice.
Gourmet Chocolate (March 20): Spring break truffle making and bean-to-bar experiences with Coconama.
Ochazuke & Tea (March 21): Exploring the "whole leaf" philosophy in savoury rice bowls.
Artsushi (March 21): Creating decorative cherry blossom themed sushi rolls.
Sakura Mochi (March 22): Crafting traditional pink spring treats with Kintoki Sweets.
Handmade Soba (March 29): The rewarding process of kneading and hand-cutting buckwheat noodles with Kayo Bennett.

Visit the Museum's website to learn more and register.

VIDEO: Archeology in British Columbia

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 19:29:16 GMT

The Vancouver Historical Society presents its recorded presentation with Greater Vancouver author Bob Muckle, a registered professional archaeologist who taught for many years in the Department of Anthropology at Capilano University.

Muckle shares his research from his new book, Once Upon This Land--Archeology in British Columbia (UBC Press), where he visits sites around the province to explain what archaeology is (and isn’t), how research is undertaken in this province, and what it contributes to our broader understanding of human history.

The book illustrates the layers of human habitation, creativity, resiliency, and loss found in what is left behind both in the past and the present.

Muckle has written several books, including The First Nations of British Columbia: An Anthropological Overview, Forgotten Things: The Story of the Seymour Valley Archaeology Project, and Indigenous Peoples of North America. He lives in the Greater Vancouver region.

WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

Fernie exploring options for Brown’s Meat Market demolition

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:01:17 GMT

A demolition application for the old Brown’s Meat Market building has been submitted to the city, but council will be reviewing their options on how to at least preserve a piece of the historic building.

Brown’s Meat Market was established in 1926 and was a multi-generational family-owned business until 2021, when the property was sold.

The building is in rough shape and is considered unsafe.

Renewal Reminder to Organizational Members

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:26:44 GMT

February 1 marks the annual renewal date for organizational members of the BCHF. Soon, our membership coordinator will follow up with reminders to those not yet renewed.

This year, please be reminded of the increase in membership fees that was passed at the Society's previous AGM last May, 2025. The fee increase is reflective of the increased cost of printing and mailing the British Columbia History magazine.

Rather than a rate based on number of members, organizations now self-identify which category they feel they belong in (small, medium, large).

The suggested definitions of small, medium and large are not prescriptive, but used to provide an example of how to gauge the size of an organization (the honour system is used).

The fees are as follows

SMALL = $50
MEDIUM = $75
LARGE = $100

More information about how to determine your fee, memberships, and member benefits, visit our Membership Page.

For support with your membership renewal, email: membership@bchistory.ca

Japanese Legacies exhibit showcases Revelstoke’s Japanese Canadian stories

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:31:29 GMT

Photo Credit: Revelstoke Museum & Archives

Revelstoke Museum & Archives is highlighting the history of Japanese Canadians in Revelstoke and increasing collection accessibility with the launch of its latest online exhibit, Japanese Legacies.

Spanning over 100 years of history, the exhibit is the cumulation of project manager Harumi Sakiyama’s hours of work piecing together the various Japanese Canadian stories rooted in Revelstoke.

The online exhibit will also help the museum showcase more of its collection without having to navigate the limited space the brick-and-morter provides.

“We’ll continue to gather material on this topic, so this feels the best way to showcase that material,” Cathy English, lead curator told Revelstoke Mountaineer.

The online exhibit is also part of the museum’s work to make its collections as accessible as possible. Audio tours, accessible language guides, sensory supports and a growing list of online exhibits are all accessibility strategies the museum has been implementing over the years.

Read the full article from The Revelstoke Mountaineer here.

Explore the exhibit here.

Speaker Series - Afrofuturism: A Vision by Us, For Us

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:27:48 GMT

Afrofuturism is a powerful force in art, literature, and music- but what is it, at its core? Learn about how it has served as a catalyst for social change by and for people of African descent around the world.

When: Thursday, February 5, 2026, 4-5pm
Where: Online via Microsoft Teams
Cost: Free
How to Register: Call/Email the Museum of Surrey: 604-592-6956 | museum@surrey.ca OR register here (Course ID 00486806)

More About Ruby Smith Diaz

Ruby Smith Díaz (B.Ed) is an afro latina person born to Chilean and Jamaican parents in Edmonton – amiskwaciy, Treaty 6. Her experiences of marginalization as a youth has inspired her to dedicate her life's work to social justice and exploring issues of equity and identity through art. She is the author of the top-selling book, Searching for Serafim, about the life and legacy of Serafim “Joe” Fortes, a trailblazing Black lifeguard, who became a cultural icon in a racist society.

Her artistic work has been featured in the Vancouver International Film Festival, The Contemporary Art Gallery of Vancouver, The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Mount St Vincent University Art Gallery in Halifax, and Truck Contemporary Art Gallery in Calgary.

Ruby is also an award-winning body positive, access centered personal trainer and the founder of Autonomy Fitness. In her free time, she loves going on long bike rides, making art, and spending time on the land.

Stories from the Graveyard of the Pacific at Sooke Region Museum

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:18:51 GMT

120 years ago a tragic, historic, event occurred on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The SS Valencia was a 252-foot, iron hulled passenger steamer ship built in Philadelphia in 1882 and was owned by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. The ship was inspected on 6 January 1906 and had the capacity to carry 286 passengers, 7 lifeboats, 368 life preservers, all of which was found to be in good working order. The SS Valencia departed San Franciso on 20 January 1906, bound for Victoria, BC and Seattle, Washington. Due to the deteriorating weather with rain, fog, and strong winds, they missed the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and ran aground just south of Cape Beale on 22 January 1906. There were only 37 survivors and 136 lives were lost.

This event marked history because so many lives were lost so close to shore and the government of Canada was compelled to make major improvements to its West Coast Marine service. This included new lighthouses, detailed charting, improved rescue facilities, and better land and sea communications. But this shipwreck was only one of so many that happened in this place that has come to be known as the Graveyard of the Pacific.

The evening will begin at 7pm with a reading of her original poem, Wreck of the SS Valencia by Doni Eve. DK Eve is an award-winning poet and author, and part of the Sooke Writers’ Collective. The author talk will follow the poetry reading.

In his new book, Wrecked: Unsettling Histories from the Graveyard of the Pacific, author Coll Thrush retells shipwreck stories to include colonial ambitions and Indigenous perspectives, using stories of maritime misfortune to consider larger themes of history in this place. In Wrecked, Thrush uses the tides as a metaphor for the comings and goings of empire, ending with “Is the tide still coming in, or is it going out?” as a way to think about what might come after the interruption of settler colonialism.

Wrecked was recently selected as a winner in the 2026 Pacific Northwest Book Awards. The awards committee noted ‘Meticulously researched, these stories tell of seafaring settlers and the personalized aftermath of disaster, exposing territorial ambitions and a shaping of the truth that the spoils may go to the victors. This is a groundbreaking and compassionate work and a valuable contribution to the historical canon of the Pacific Northwest’.

Coll Thrush is a professor of history at the University of British Columbia and founding co-editor of the Indigenous Confluences book series at the University of Washington Press. He is the author of Native Seattle: Histories from the Crossing-Over Place, a 2008 Washington State Book Award winner, and Indigenous London: Native Travelers at the Heart of Empire.

The Museum Gift Shop & Visitor Centre will be open 9:30am to 7pm on Thursday 22 January, prior to the event that will take place fireside in the Events Pavilion.

Thank you to Woodside Farm for sponsoring this event and to BC Community Gaming and BC Arts Council for funding support.

Learn more here.

Historical Writing Awards Deadline Extended

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:02:27 GMT

Did you publish a book on a topic of BC history in 2025?

Consider entering it into the annual BCHF Historical Writing Award contest where you could take home the top prize of $2,500.

We are extending the deadline until January 30, 2026, so don't hesitate to submit via our online form.

Questions can be directed to writing@bchistory.ca

The Chinese Houseboy and the Society Matron

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 02:48:05 GMT

An excerpt from the Winter 2025-26 edition of British Columbia History

by Catherine Clement

Only seven years after the 1907 anti-Asian race riots destroyed parts of Vancouver’s Chinatown and Japantown, another violent incident sent shockwaves through the early Chinese community. This time, however, the protagonists were not an angry mob: They were a 31-year-old White society lady named Clara Millard and a 16-year old Chinese houseboy known as Jack Kong (a.k.a. John or Jong Yew Kong).

The grisly details of their clash dominated English and Chinese local newspaper headlines for almost two months, and the story quickly spread across Canada. More importantly, the deadly altercation would harm the livelihoods of hundreds of other Chinese servants working in private homes, hotels, and restaurants, and would help fuel a new wave of vigilante attacks on the Chinese community.

The participants

Jack Kong was 13 when he landed in Canada from China in 1910. He arrived on his own and entered as a “student.” [1]

Although Jack came for an education, he was expected to work to earn his keep. By 1911, he was hired as a live-in houseboy by Charles J. Millard and his spouse, Clara, a power couple of their time. Charles was the lead ticket agent for the Canadian Pacific Railway. His stylish wife, Clara, was frequently mentioned in local news stories covering high-society events.

Since the Millards employed only one servant, Jack’s daily routine included cooking, cleaning, laundry, and running errands, all performed under Clara’s direction. As a student, the boy attended the local public school for a few hours each day. Jack spoke perfect English, loved learning, and “developed an almost mania for his studies, devoting not only his school hours but almost all his spare time to reading.” [2]

The turning point

Perhaps it was Jack’s obsession with school that created tensions in the Millard home. While Charles had a respectful relationship with Jack and encouraged him to study, [3] Clara’s interactions with the houseboy were often tense and confrontational. She viewed him primarily as a servant, and they frequently clashed. Later, during an inquest, Charles described Clara as “a demon for cleaning … a terror” [4] who sometimes threatened to keep Jack away from school if the housework was not done to her satisfaction.

By the spring of 1914 their clashes intensified. Jack began staying out on Saturday nights, which Clara disapproved of strongly. She remarked that his cooking was sloppy the next day and his demeanour changed. On occasion, the couple detected an odour on Jack they couldn’t identify. Was he smoking opium?

Then, in late March 1914, after Clara criticized Jack’s laundry skills, the Millard home was broken into and pieces of jewellery went missing. [5] Jack claimed that 50 cents had been stolen from his room in the attic.

Two weeks after the burglary, on Wednesday, April 1, 1914, Clara mysteriously disappeared. Charles, away the night before in Victoria for work, initially was not concerned with her absence. However, by Thursday afternoon—after several phone calls to family and friends trying to locate Clara—the police were contacted. A thorough search of the house began.

Neighbours were interviewed. A large, dark wet stain under the breakfast table rug was suspected to be blood. The detectives noticed the basement stairs and floor had been scrubbed recently. Jack’s favourite pants had been freshly washed, but specks of what looked like blood were spotted on his slippers and suspenders. As the search continued into the evening, police noticed the houseboy’s nervous demeanour and took him to the station for questioning.

Meanwhile, tracking dogs were brought to the house. Items of Clara’s clothing were found hidden in a remote part of the attic. The rings she wore daily, plus other items that went missing from the earlier burglary, were found concealed in the basement. Small charred fragments of human-sized bone with flesh still attached were discovered in the furnace. Police believed they now had found Clara’s remains.

At the station, Jack eventually confessed that he was responsible for Clara’s death. Word spread quickly: The high society lady had been murdered by her trusted Chinese houseboy.

The fallout

By Monday, April 6, the Chinese community began to suffer the fall out. Anger and a thirst for vengeance stoked the pervasive anti-Asian sentiment that already gripped the province.

The Sun newspaper printed a photo of the elegant Mrs. Millard alongside a headline that announced the “Wholesale Dismissals of Chinese.” Based on an interview with Mr. Hop Wo, who operated a Chinese employment agency in Vancouver, the article gave a sense of the carnage that unfolded within hours of the story breaking:

Chinese boys employed in the homes of Vancouver citizens, hotels, and restaurants are being dismissed from service in large numbers as the result of the fiendish murder of the late Mrs. Charles Millard … already, fifty to sixty boys had been discharged and more dismissals were expected as a result of the crime ... boys were being discharged wholesale from the homes they had been employed in for some for years. [6]

The Daily Province wrote “Among the hotels to take drastic action today was the Saint Francis, which discharged every China man in its employ.” [7]

Besides the layoffs, violence erupted. The Sun newspaper reported that “white men stopped Chinese on the street and assaulted them.” [8] The Vancouver Daily World added, “Indignation runs high against the Orientals. Several attempts were made on Saturday night and yesterday afternoon to flame the prejudice into something tangible, but the prompt action of the police … stopped what might easily have resulted in a recurrence of the Chinese riots of seven years ago.” [9]

Meanwhile, the Chinese community felt both shame and shock that one of their own should be accused of such a horrific crime. Some felt particularly outraged given Charles Millard’s role with the CPR and his history of assisting the Chinese community. In a letter published in the English newspapers, Chinatown leader Yip Sang publicly offered sympathy to Charles and wrote of the community’s “earnest desire that the murderer be brought to justice without delay.” [10]

The trial

In 1914, the justice system moved quickly. Jack’s preliminary inquiry hearing took place on April 16; by May 18, the teenager was on trial in front of a jury. In an era when sensational murder trials were a public spectacle, a form of live theatre, crowds flooded to both hearings and the courtroom was “packed ¼ to suffocation.” [11]

Although Jack renounced his confession—claiming it was made under duress—the evidence, which included 15 witnesses and 50 exhibit items, was stacked against him.

On May 20, the final day of proceedings, Jack’s lawyers took a desperate, last-ditch gamble and called him to the stand. The houseboy explained what happened that fateful April 1. It had all been a terrible accident, he explained.

Jack described how he prepared Clara breakfast. When she complained about the porridge and demanded he cook something else, Jack refused as it would make him late for school. Clara, he said, became furious, grabbed a knife from the buffet, and lunged at him, threatening to cut off his ear if he did not obey. In self-defence, Jack grabbed a chair to protect himself from the knife. In the struggle, Clara struck her temple against the corner of the chair, collapsed, and began to bleed.

Jack claimed he tried to revive Clara, but when it became evident that she was dead, he feared that Charles would kill him. In a panic, he hauled Clara’s body down to the basement, dismembered it, and burned what he could in the furnace.

While still on the stand, Jack also admitted stealing Clara’s jewellery in late March. He had been angry with Clara after she criticized his laundry work and had wanted to get back at her.

Surprisingly, on May 21, after just over seven hours of deliberation, the all-White, all-male jury found Jack Kong guilty only of manslaughter. The courtroom was aghast, and even the judge was stunned by the verdict.

The aftermath

It’s unclear how many Chinese service workers were affected by Jack’s actions. It is also uncertain how long they waited before they were welcomed back into White-owned homes, hotels, and restaurants. The tendency to scapegoat hundreds of hardworking, reliable Chinese employees for the tragic act of one underscored how much Chinese were resented and vilified in British Columbia at the time.

Interestingly, ten years after Jack’s conviction, another murder involving a Chinese houseboy rocked Vancouver—but this time the death was of a female servant named Janet Smith, not the matron of the house. It appears that no mass layoffs of Chinese followed that incident. Perhaps, by then, the service industry recognized they could not get by without Chinese labour.

As for Jack Kong, he was sentenced to life in prison and sent to the BC Penitentiary. In 1924, as required by the Chinese Exclusion Act, Jack was registered and photographed while in prison, and a C.I.44 form was completed. That government document revealed Jack’s ultimate fate: He was deported to China in May 1925, returned on the Canadian Pacific steamship Empress of Asia. One cannot help but wonder if Charles Millard—still working as the CPR ticket agent—assisted with the travel arrangements.

Image: Library & Archives Canada, RG76-D-2, 259234, T-16184-01190

Endnotes

1. General Register of Chinese Immigration, Library and Archives Canada, RG76-D-2-a, volume 1063.

2. Opening remarks of prosecutor, A.D Taylor, K.C., April 16, 1914, BC Archives, GR-0419 77.

3. Charles wrote several letters to immigration officials in September 1912 advocating they refund John’s $500 head tax fee as the boy had been a bona fide student for a period of two years.

4. Coroner’s Inquisition #139, April 4, 1914, BC Archives, GR-1327, B02394, p. 13.

5. Accused Admits Killing Woman,” Daily News Advertiser, May 21, 1914, p. 5.

6. Wholesale Dismissals of Chinese,” The Sun, April 6, 1914, p. 1.

7. “China Boy Nearer Twenty Than Seventeen,” The Daily Province, April 4, 1914, p. 15.

8. “Public Indignation Sequel to Terrible Crime in West End,” The Sun, April 6, 1914, p. 1.

9. “Feeling Runs High over Millard Murder,” Vancouver Daily World, April 6, 1914, p. 4.

10. “Feeling Runs High over Millard Murder,” Vancouver Daily World, April 6, 1914, p. 1.

11. “Curious Crowds Throng Little Court Room,” Vancouver Daily World, April 16, 1914, p. 1.

Catherine Clement is an award-winning community historian, curator, and author. Her latest book, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, based on her landmark public history project, was released in the summer of 2025.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 02:00:53 GMT

An excerpt from the Winter 2025-26 issue of British Columbia History

1 Light at the Othello Tunnels

Exiting Othello Tunnel No. 1, which is 556 feet (169 metres) long. New wire mesh and barriers to stabilize cliff faces and a resurfaced trail are visible. (Photo: Mark Forsythe)

Seriously damaged by the atmospheric river floods of 2021, the Othello tunnels and bridges and the trails at Coquihalla Canyon Park have now been repaired. Public access was partially restored to three of the five tunnels in summer 2025; full access will return during the new season in April 2026. The $10 million upgrade (supported by Canada’s Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program) includes a newly constructed north bridge, resurfaced trail, and stabilization of the slope, rocks, and tunnels. Work on a new south bridge and tunnel stabilization is now complete.

Once part of the CPR’s Kettle Valley Railway link from the coast to mines in the Kootenay, Boundary, and Similkameen regions, the Othello tunnels were blasted in a perfectly straight line through granite cliffs rising 300 feet (91 metres) above. The railway’s engineering feat meant crossing three mountain ranges and it came to be known as “McCulloch’s Wonder,” named after chief engineer Andrew McCulloch. Opened in 1916, the Coquihalla section operated until 1959 and was abandoned in 1961.

The tunnels remain one of Hope’s main attractions—thanks in part to movies like the Rambo film First Blood. Inside the tunnels and along the railbed you can almost hear steam engines roaring through the spectacular canyon, and if you’re lucky, you might see salmon leaping up the boiling Coquihalla River. For more on Coquihalla Canyon Park, visit the BC Parks website: https://bcparks.ca/coquihalla-canyon-park.

View From Inside Tunnel No. 1. (Photo: Mark Forsythe)

2 Centennial Legacy Fund at Work

(Alder Grove Heritage Society president Tami Quiring with the new scanners. Photo: Mark Forsythe)

Let the scanning begin! A grant from the BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund allowed the Alder Grove Heritage Society to acquire an ET Max scanner and helped them to purchase a Kodak film scanner. The society operates a small museum inside a former BC Telephone Company office near downtown Aldergrove.

3 Whaler’s Shrine is Home

The Whalers’ Shrine ready for its cross-country drive from New York City to Vancouver Island. (Photo: Margaretta James)

“Wonder. Disbelief. Joy. Awe. Relief.” This is the powerful range of emotions from Elder Margaretta James of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation after their Whalers’ Shrine finally returned home from the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City. The shrine has been there since 1905, when it was acquired for anthropologist Franz Boaz under questionable circumstances.

It has taken decades of effort by elders to retrieve the Shrine, also called Whalers’ Washing House, or “cheesum,” which was a place of spiritual preparation before the annual hunt. It includes 88 carved human figures, four carved whale figures, and 16 human skulls. All are now in storage at Yuquot, in Nootka Sound.

Margaretta shared the image of the loaded truck: “I took this photo at AMNH [American Museum of Natural History] awaiting the loading of the Shrine onto the truck. For me, all the elements came together and 120 years to the day, the Shrine was loaded onto the truck and sent on its way. We brought the ancestors with us on our flight.”

The shrine was recognized as a National Historic Site in the 1980s, and the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation is currently collaborating with Parks Canada to create 3-D imaging of the Shrine. Parks Canada assisted with funding and logistics, and a father and son in California with connections to the First Nation helped make the return a reality. The hope is to take it back to the lake where it once stood. Hereditary Chief Mike Maquinna told CBC News, “It’s not just an artifact for us, it is part of our culture.”

4 Vancouver Historical Society Walking Tour = Exclusive Access

The original boardroom from the Georgia Medical-Dental Building. (Photo: Greg Dickson)

When the Georgia Medical-Dental Building was demolished in 1989, a treasure from this art deco structure was spared from the dust and rubble. The 60-year-old tower took fewer than 10 seconds to crumble during its implosion (drawing 50,000 spectators) and fortunately, its mahogany-panelled boardroom had already been removed by the Ratcliffe family, former owners of the building. At the time, the demolition was highly controversial, as the landmark Georgia Medical-Dental Building was Vancouver’s first art deco skyscraper—the same architects, John McCarter and George Nairne, designed the Marine Building the following year.

Since then the boardroom has been meticulously restored and now sits on the fourth floor of Cardero, a modern tower. The building was developed and is partly owned by the same family; the boardroom has been rewired for teleconferencing by firms in the building. The project won a Heritage BC Award in 2022 for Conservation, described as a “feat of architectural archeology.”

What’s new? Participants in a Vancouver Historical Society architecture walking tour got a rare peek inside the boardroom, with its art deco engravings and brass fixtures, last summer with Michael Kluckner and Don Luxton (who was part of the restoration team)—yet another wonderful reason to join the Vancouver Historical Society. Watch for Society events on their website: https://vancouver-historical-society.ca/events.

5 Old Yale Barn Reborn

Before and after: The Old Yale Barn in Murrayville has been transformed. (Photo: Mark Forsythe)

The metal roof was shredded, its siding blown off, and the rafters and floorboards were rotting as the elements ravaged the structure. The historic Old Yale Barn in Langley’s Murrayville district was in dire need of attention, so the Langley Heritage Society took on the restoration in the fall of 2023. It has now been completed.

The reboot of this century-old dairy barn includes a new recycled-rubber roof, plywood framing, fresh roof and support beams, new windows, and rock-solid Hardie Board siding. “It should be good for another 100 years,” says the society’s president Fred Pepin.

The barn sits inside Old Yale Park, which is operated by the Township of Langley, and is a testament to the rich agricultural history in the Fraser Valley; thousands of barns like it are long gone. The old Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway railbed crosses inside the park, another element that makes this spot a fascinating intersection of local history and recreation. The project cost more than $150,000, financed by the society’s trust that has grown from a member donation made about 20 years ago.

Old Yale Barn has now been turned back to the township’s parks and recreation department for public use. Two barn owls occupying the second floor remained throughout the restoration. No doubt they’re now singing its praises.

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

IN MEMORIAM: Ron Shearer (1932-2025)

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:20:43 GMT

Prolific Rossland historian Ron Shearer has died at 93.

Shearer was a UBC economics professor emeritus who in his retirement began looking into little-known aspects of the history of the city where he grew up.

He wrote Chicanery, Civilty, and Celebrations: Tales of Early Rossland, described as "a collection of stories about people and events that were fundamental components in the social fabric of the young community."

He also contributed to the book Cemeteries of Rossland and wrote biographies of prominent figures like Ross Thompson and Olaus Jeldness. Some of his articles can be found on the Rossland Museum's website, including studies of the Chinese population in Rossland and the city's winter carnival.

Shearer's full obituary can be found here.

VIDEO: The Making of One of Ours

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:00:33 GMT

Filmmaker and philanthropist Jack Gin shares how he traced the life of WWI Private Frederick Lee for his film One of Ours: The Story of Private Fred Lee. Born in Kamloops, died during the Battle of Hill 70, Private Lee was one of the first Canadians of Chinese descent to enlist for a country that did not see him as an equal.

Watch the full video here.

Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Hosts Free Oshōgatsu (Japanese New Year) Celebration

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 17:55:02 GMT

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC) is delighted to invite the public to its annual Oshōgatsu: Japanese New Year Celebration on Saturday, January 3, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Admission to the festive community event is free, offering families and friends an authentic opportunity to experience the rich cultural traditions of the Japanese New Year.

Oshōgatsu is one of the most significant holidays in Japan. The day is packed with traditional, free activities for all ages:

Kakizome (New Year Calligraphy): Attendees are invited to participate in the traditional first writing of the year, setting their aspirations and resolutions with brush and ink.
Shishimai (Lion Dance): A highlight of the celebration, the thrilling and auspicious performance by Rakuichi is believed to bring good luck for the new year.
Classic Japanese Games: Visitors can challenge themselves with traditional board and card games, including Shogi, Igo, Karuta, and Hanafuda.
Amazake (sweet sake) Making Demonstration & Tasting: Sen Sakamoto of Kintoki Sweets will conduct hourly amazake-making demos including a free tasting.
Traditional Kadomatsu (pine and bamboo) decorations, symbolizing longevity and prosperity, will be on display.

The event will also feature various food and drink vendors, including the Onigiri & Miso Soup Cafe, Yama Cafe (offering Oden and Manju), Tatchan Noodle (Okinawan noodles), and Japadog, providing warm and delicious refreshments.

The Oshōgatsu event is presented in partnership with community organizations, including Gladstone Japanese Language School, Igo Club, Rakuichi Mikoshi Canada, Tonari Gumi, Vancouver Japanese Gardeners' Association, Vancouver Shogi Club, and Wailele Wai Wai.

Event Details:

What: Oshōgatsu: Japanese New Year Celebration

When: Saturday, January 3, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Where: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC V5E 4M7

Winter Issue of British Columbia History Coming Soon

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:16:38 GMT

Coming to an inbox or mailbox near you, the winter edition of British Columbia History magazine features a theme of true crime.

If you are not yet a subscriber, you can purchase single issues from our online store or sign up to receive digital copies of the magazine through ZINIO.

The winter 2025 issue includes:

"The Chinese Houseboy and the Society Matron" by Catherine Clement
"Looking Together: Examining Police Mugshots in Vancouver Archives" by Kelly Midori McCormick
"Cadavers, Corpses, and Bodysnatching" by Madeline Baldrey-Smith
"Inspector Vance" by Eve Lazarus
"Death of a Chinese Immigrant and the Quest for Justice" by Carol F. Lee
"Cutting-Edge Technology Helps to Solve Mysteries of the Past" by Laura Yazedijan
"Ship of Sins" by Sonia Nicholson

The issue features guest editor Eve Lazarus, plus we have regular contributions from Front Words columnist Mark Forsythe and books editor Dalys Barney, and Snuneymuxw Titumels William A. White shares teachings on the strength, cleansing, and healing associated with Xpey.

EVENT: Nikkei Mochitsuki - December 29th

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:56:13 GMT

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC) invites the public to celebrate a beloved Japanese year-end tradition at Nikkei Mochitsuki 2025 on Monday, December 29, 2025, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Admission is free.

The annual event, presented in collaboration with the Vancouver Japanese Gardeners Association and the NNMCC Auxiliary, offers a delightful cultural experience for all ages.

Event Highlights Include:

Mochi Pounding Demonstration & Public Experience: Watch the traditional process of transforming steamed glutinous rice into soft mochi using an usu (mortar) and kine (mallets), followed by a chance for the public to try pounding their own mochi. The demonstration by the Vancouver Japanese Gardeners Association begins around 11:15 am.
Fresh and Frozen Mochi Sales: The NNMCC Auxiliary will be selling fresh, handmade mochi available to eat on-site with traditional sweet and savory condiments, as well as frozen mochi to take home.
Stage Performances: Enjoy performances throughout the day, including:
- 11:00 am: Chibi Taiko
- 12:30 pm: Satsuki-Kai Dance
- 2:00 pm: Vancouver Okinawa Taiko
Food and Drink Vendors: A wide selection of popular local vendors will be on-site from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, including MÜKASI COFFEE & CO., JAPADOG, Tatchan Noodle, Japanese Crepe SASUKE, and several Japanese bakeries and food stands.

When: Monday, December 29, 2025, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Where: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC (walk or bus from Edmonds Sky Train station)

Admission: Free

Alan Ramsden receives Nelson Heritage Award

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 03:53:58 GMT

A man who was on the board of the Nelson Museum for more than 50 years has been posthumously awarded the city's heritage award. Alan Ramsden, who died in 2021, was recognized for exemplifying "leadership, passion and long-term vision."

Apology for Historic Discrimination Against People of Chinese Descent

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 18:51:33 GMT

On November 15, 2025, the Mayor and Council issued an official apology for Burnaby’s historic discrimination against people of Chinese descent.

For more than 50 years, from 1892 to 1947, the District Municipality of Burnaby enforced policies and practices that discriminated against people of Chinese descent living, working, and operating businesses in the community. The Municipality also advocated for senior levels of government to introduce regulations targeting this group.

This formal apology reflects the City’s commitment to building an inclusive and welcoming Burnaby for everyone. Alongside the apology, the City is taking meaningful steps to address the legacies of this historic discrimination.

Read the full apology here.

2025 Heritage Legacy Fund Projects

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 18:45:51 GMT

Heritage BC's 2025 Heritage Legacy Fund (HLF) intake closed on August 15, 2025 and received 92 complete applications totalling $1.8 million in funding requests. The applications showcased the incredible breadth of heritage work happening across the province. Applicants submitted 39 Heritage Conservation proposals, 9 Heritage Planning initiatives, 27 Heritage Awareness projects, and 17 Indigenous Partnership projects.

Following adjudication by volunteer panels of heritage professionals, 30 outstanding projects were recommended for support. Heritage BC is proud to award an all-time high of $494,475, supporting 11 Heritage Conservation projects, 4 Heritage Planning initiatives, 10 Heritage Awareness projects, and 5 Indigenous Partnership projects.

See the full list of recipients here.

"A history of breaking barriers to the front lines" on CBC On The Coast

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 18:43:42 GMT

Listen to a special Remembrance Day interview on CBC On The Coast with Gloria Macarenko.

Gloria interviews BCHF President Sarah Ling and BCHF Director/Larry Kwong's Biographer Chad Soon about the contributions of Chinese Canadians in the Second World War.

Listen here.

Stewards of Our Stories: Exploring Métis-Led Cultural Care

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 19:19:15 GMT

"Stewards of Our Stories" opens November 12 at the Amelia Douglas Institute! This original exhibition explores Métis-led cultural stewardship and celebrates historical Métis material arts.

Stewards of Our Stories features items on loan from Heritage Services, City of Surrey, presented alongside objects from the Amelia Douglas Institute’s own collection. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore beautifully decorated bags and pouches, intricately beaded housewares, vibrantly embroidered moccasins, and other items that reflect the knowledge, skill, and resilience of the Métis people who made them.

This exhibition celebrates the chance to share these items in a Métis-led space. Their presence at the Amelia Douglas Institute means they can be seen, valued, and understood in the context of Métis ways of knowing. Stewards of Our Stories traces the different journeys Métis objects have taken and highlights how Métis people are reconnecting with their heritage through community-led care of heritage objects.

As the centre for Métis culture and language resources in BC, the Amelia Douglas Institute proudly features rotating exhibitions and a permanent display of Métis art in their Surrey showroom.

Exhibition Dates: November 12, 2025 – May 1, 2026
Admission: $5, free for Indigenous guests
Book your visit today: ameliadouglasinstitute.ca

Oliver & District Heritage Society Remembrance Tour

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:37:36 GMT

The Oliver & District Heritage Society will host a special Remembrance Tour at the Oliver Cemetery on November 8th at 11 am to honour and pay tribute to Oliver's veterans.

Pre-registration is required, please contact curator@oliverheritage.ca to sign up. This program is FREE to attend.

VIDEO: China Creek Concrete - Community & the China Creek South Skateboard Park

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:34:47 GMT

The China Creek South Skatepark is believed to be one of the oldest still-operating public skateparks in Canada, and more than 45 years later, it continues to hold historical significance. It attracted skateboarders from the local neighbourhood and beyond, and was the only public skatepark in Vancouver until 2001 when the Hastings Bowls Skatepark opened. It is a landmark not just for skateboarders, but for Vancouver’s recreational landscape. In recognition of its historical significance, the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition, Parks Board, and the City of Vancouver recognized this site with the 92nd Places That Matter plaque on July 16, 2022. Its enduring legacy speaks to the foresight of the community members and youth who advocated for it, as well as to the resilience of skateboard culture itself—once dismissed as a passing fad, now recognized as an Olympic sport.

Watch the full video here.

VIDEO: West Vancouver's 50 year path to bringing Ambleside's waterfront back to the public

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 19:12:23 GMT

In the late 19th and early 20th Century, the majority of Vancouver Harbour's waterfront was sold as private property. By the 1950s, people were realizing this was a mistake: public access to the shorelines and beaches was an asset worth investing in. Dr. Rod Day takes us through the 50 year journey to restore public ownership of the Ambleside waterfront that culminated in the final house being purchased in 2025.

Watch the full video here.

Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee Marks Major War Anniversaries at 2025 Remembrance Day Ceremony

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 19:05:35 GMT

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee (JCWMC) invites the public to attend its annual Remembrance Day Ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

The ceremony, which will begin promptly at 10:30 AM, will be a poignant tribute to all who have served. This year holds particular significance, as the committee marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

More information, include a livestream link, can be found here.

Read B.C. Workers' News Online!

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 19:00:00 GMT

The B.C. Workers’ News, which began publishing in 1935, is now available online! It changed its title several times in ensuing years. Other titles were People’s Advocate, Advocate, The People, People, Pacific Advocate and The Pacific Tribune.

This collection includes issues of the newspaper since its inception in 1935 until 1946. Under censorship provisions of the War Measures Act, the newspaper published by the Communist Party was forced to cease publication for over two years from 1940 to 1942.

Access the collection here.

"The Suitcase Project" Opens at the Museum of Vancouver on November 20, 2025

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 19:09:52 GMT

What would you pack if you were forcibly removed from your home today? This is what photographer Kayla Isomura asked more than 80 fourth and fifth generation Japanese Canadians and Americans for her travelling exhibition, The Suitcase Project, which will be on view at the Museum of Vancouver starting November 20, 2025.

In 1942, approximately 23,000 Japanese Canadians and more than 100,000 Japanese Americans living on the west coast were uprooted from their homes and placed in internment camps or incarceration.

“In the Canadian context, Japanese Canadians were not allowed to return home, and their possessions were sold by the government or looted,” says Isomura. “If you were going to lose everything—your home, your business, your memories and personal possessions—what would you take outside of things for survival? Or would you focus on your practical needs?”

Subjects for The Suitcase Project were given 24 to 48 hours’ notice to assemble their things, similar to what many Japanese Canadians faced in 1942. Ranging from infants to 51-year-olds, they were photographed in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Western Washington. The photos show subjects with their luggage and what they decided to pack, in addition to video interviews and information about internment/incarceration.

“I never knew what my grandparents or great-grandparents packed with them when they were interned, so I wondered what I could survive with sentimentally and how others would interpret this idea,” says Isomura, who identifies as fourth generation Japanese Canadian. “The original idea wasn’t just about what or how people would pack, but also what they are forced to leave behind.”

Considering current debates on belonging, citizenship and representation, and while diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are challenged and dismantled globally, the history of internment/incarceration resonates today. The Suitcase Projects forces viewers to think, “what if it were me?”

VIDEO: Book Launch of “Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong” by Larry Grant and Scott Steedman

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 19:03:42 GMT

ACWW and Chinatown Wonders presented the launch of Larry Grant’s personal and historical story of identity, place, and belonging, as told by a Musqueam-Chinese Elder caught between cultures.

It’s taken most of Larry Grant’s long life for his extraordinary heritage to be appreciated. He was born in a hop field outside Vancouver in 1936, the son of a Musqueam cultural leader and an immigrant from a village in Guangdong, China. In 1940, when the Indian agent discovered that their mother had married a non-status man, Larry and his two siblings were stripped of their status, suddenly labelled “bastard children.” With one stroke of the pen, they were no longer recognized as Indigenous.

In Reconciling, Larry tells the story of his life, including his thoughts on reconciliation and the path forward for First Nations and Canada. When Larry talks about reconciliation, he uses the verb' reconciling,' an ongoing, unfinished process we’re all going through, whether Indigenous and settler, immigrant and Canadian-born. “I have been reconciling my whole life with my inner self,” he explains. “To not belong was forced upon me by the colonial society that surrounded me. But reconciling with myself is part of all that.”

This event took place on September 14, 2025, at the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum (555 Columbia Street, Vancouver). You can watch the full video here.

The Legend of Larry Kwong and His Legions

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 05:00:42 GMT

An excerpt from the Fall 2025 edition of British Columbia History

Vernon Hydrophones, BC Midget champions, 1939. Photo: Larry Kwong family

By Chad Soon

The kid pressing his ears against the family’s radio console was a long way from the National Hockey League action, but the immediacy of Foster Hewitt’s voice made the game seem close at hand. [1]

A forgotten hero

Like the radio waves that first inspired Larry Kwong, the story of his giant leap from an Okanagan Chinatown to the top of the hockey world in the 1940s has almost faded into the ether. Kwong’s legend, like much of Chinese Canadian history, has been unsung. For legions of Chinese Canadians, though, Kwong was a folk hero for reaching levels of success that were unheard of.

Chasing a dream

It was early in the Great Depression when little Larry Kwong took his first strides on a makeshift rink in Vernon’s Chinatown. [2] British Columbia was a hockey hinterland in the 1930s. The Depression would come and go without anyone playing their way out of the province to the big league.

Finances were another constraint. Convincing his mother, a widow with fifteen children, to buy him hockey skates was a tall order. “I really cried for new ones,” said Kwong. “The family probably suffered because of my skates. I don’t know how my mother got the money.” [3]

Known as the China Clipper by age 15, he carried the Vernon Hydrophones to a provincial championship in 1939—a victory credited with putting the city on the hockey map. [4]

Kwong had to battle his own feelings of inferiority as a racialized person: “For me, in those days, ‘Canadian’ meant White people.” [5] The young athlete had cultural differences to navigate in Chinatown as well. As Kwong explained to a reporter in 1947, “The Chinese don’t believe a young man should play a game for a living. They used to tell me that a young man should do more serious things.” [6]

To continue chasing pucks, Kwong would have to sell his mother on “Canada’s game.” She attended one of his games at the Civic Arena and was horrified by the roughness. [7] In desperation, Larry made a tearful promise: “I’m going to play hockey to make enough money to build you a home.” [8] With that, Loo Ying Tow reluctantly gave her blessing.

Exclusion

Kwong’s life was circumscribed by discrimination. He was two weeks old when the Canadian government passed its Chinese Exclusion Act in 1923. Larry’s Chinese-born sister-in-law, Sue, was deported. [9]

As a youth, Larry felt the sting of being refused a haircut because of his Chinese hair. At 16 he was barred from entering the United States with his team because of that country’s Chinese Exclusion Act. Though born in Canada, he had to carry a card identifying him as a non-citizen. Disenfranchisement meant that professions like law, accounting, pharmacy, engineering, and medicine were closed. Most in Vernon’s Chinese community were farmers. In hockey, however, he saw nothing in the rule book that specifically excluded people like him.

Gaining a following

Kwong jumped at 18 to the Trail Smoke Eaters, but was denied a job with his teammates because of the smelter’s no-Chinese policy. In 1942 he joined the Nanaimo Clippers, and his debut “attracted four or five hundred of his countrymen” to the 1,800-seat Civic Arena. [10] That Kwong and his fans were foreigners was the assumption. We can infer what it meant to those Chinese Canadians to see Kwong represent the home team during those exclusionary times. No reporter asked the question.

Kwong then starred for the top team in Vancouver, where again he reportedly “had his own gallery of Chinese.” [11] Being the centre of attention went against “the whole Chinese upbringing—that when you’re out in public, just be seen and not heard.” [12] Kwong knew his boldness came with risks. “Ever since I was a Midget, there has always been a player or two trying to cut off my head just because I am Chinese,” he told a Vancouver reporter. “And the bigger the league the bigger the axe they use!” [13]

Before the winter was out, Kwong was drafted into the army to serve his country—a country that still enforced blanket racism against Chinese Canadians.

While Larry was in the army, the Toronto Maple Leafs invited Chinese Canadian brothers Bill, Albert, and George Chin to their 1944 training camp. Leafs president Ed Bickle assured the media that the Chins were “strictly box office,” there as a novelty to sell tickets. [14]

After the war, Kwong’s difference was seen as an asset by the New York Rangers. In 1946 Kwong was invited to their tryouts in Winnipeg. Ranger publicist Stan Saplin wired manager Frank Boucher from New York, “Bring him whether he can play hockey or not.” [15] Saplin knew that Kwong would be “a great drawing card” in the Big Apple, even for the Rangers’ minor league team, the New York Rovers. On September 23, Larry signed to play for the farm club, knowing he would be one call away from the NHL. The Vancouver Sun reported that the China Clipper had “moved within scoring distance of his main goal.” [16] It was a rare piece of good news featuring a Chinese Canadian. The few other stories about the Chinese community were mostly crime-related—a long established theme in North American dailies.

After a war in which more than 600 Chinese Canadians, including Kwong, had served, little had changed on the home front. [17] The Chinese Exclusion Act was still in place. Voting rights were still withheld. So, for readers of Chinese descent, seeing that Larry Kwong was on the verge of realizing his Canadian dream would have been something to cheer about.

Larry Kwong’s C.I.45 certificate, issued shortly after his first birthday. Photo: Larry Kwong family

King Kwong

In New York, Saplin coined an attention-grabbing nickname for Larry. King Kwong was a smash hit at the box office. Kwong was getting $100 a week, while the Rovers were breaking attendance records at Madison Square Garden. [18]

“Larry is the hero of increasing hordes of proud Chinese who swarm into the Gardens each week,” reported one paper, evoking the Yellow Peril. [19]

News stories about Kwong could feature racist jokes.

A Toronto scribe wrote: “Few Chinese players have gone far in hockey. Too often, when the gong rings to start the game, they think it’s music”; and “Possibly, Chinese boys work too hard in laundries. They think combination play refers to washing underwear.” [20]

Kwong played through the slurs. “You get used to it. They call you ‘Chinaman’ or ‘chink’ or something like that. You take it for granted that the opponent players or fans would call you that.” [21]

Busting stereotypes

Kwong was the opposite of weak, meek, and inscrutable—myths perpetuated in mainstream media in the absence of real voices like Kwong’s. In getting to know Kwong, sportswriters discovered someone who was “popular with his teammates and Canadian to the core.” [22] He was “the big gun” who played “a tough, aggressive game,” while also being a “smiling and friendly” human being. [23] The media capital of the world was being forced to reconsider the stereotypes that marginalized and dehumanized Asians.

November 17, 1946, was declared Larry Kwong Day at Madison Square Garden. [24] The hero was presented with the Key to New York’s Chinatown. Through hockey, Kwong hoped to open doors for the community too. “It would help to make our Chinese people better known and more capable of being successful in lines of business other than the laundry and restaurant,” Larry told journalist Red Fisher. “I have the greatest appreciation and admiration for the Chinese who follow these trades or professions, but I maintain that some of us can start out in fields not yet touched by Chinese people.” [25]

Larry Kwong receiving the Key to New York’s Chinatown from unofficial mayor Shavey Lee, and Lily Pon and May Dong at Madison Square Garden, November 17, 1946. Photo: Larry Kwong family

On the verge of history

In January 1947, Kwong’s sensational play prompted rumours he would be promoted to the NHL, but the Rangers held him back. [26] That summer Kwong made good on his promise to build his mom a new house.

King Kwong then had a monster season with the Rovers. Wowing the crowds with his “magnificent stick handling” and trademark “whirlwind style,” Kwong scored more points (86 in 65 games) than any Rover had in nearly a decade. [27] Finally, late in the season, Larry got the call of his dreams. Rover coach Fred Metcalfe told him, “You should’ve been up there a long time ago.” [28]

On March 13, 1948, newspapers across the continent announced that a racial barrier was coming down in hockey.

In the Montreal Forum, Kwong pulled on a New York Rangers sweater and sat expectantly on the visitors’ bench. As time wound down in the game, coach Frank Boucher gave Kwong his first and last shift in the NHL. Kwong’s historic moment was turned into another act of exclusion. Many years later, Kwong still asked, “How can you prove yourself when you get one minute on the ice?” [29]

The obvious answer is that the Rangers didn’t want Kwong to prove himself. “The Rangers got what they wanted,” admitted their former PR director John Halligan in 2008. “They got noticed!” [30]

“I watched Larry star for the New York Rangers farm team, the NY Rovers, for two years,” stated journalist and broadcaster Stan Fischler. “He was super. He got the rawest of all raw deals from the Blueshirts. Only one shift at the Forum; end of debut, end of NHL career. A total, unforgivable disgrace.” [31]

Hockey ambassador

Feeling snubbed, the 25-year-old moved to a rival team in the Quebec Senior Hockey League. Kwong was not giving up on the NHL. The Quebec League was a proving ground for many up-and-comers. Competing against future Hall-of-Famers Jean Béliveau, Dickie Moore, and Jacques Plante, Kwong was named the league’s most valuable player in 1951 and carried his team to the Canadian title. [32]

“Larry was a heck of a hockey player,” Dickie Moore recalled in 2013. “He was a good skater, a good puck handler. He could score goals. What more do they want?” [33]

In 1957, at the age of 34, Kwong let go of his NHL dream, setting off across the Atlantic with his hockey gear in search of new adventures. Kwong had pushed his sport and his society to be more inclusive. That year, a Chinese Canadian, Douglas Jung, was elected as a member of Parliament for the first time. The next year, another racial barrier came down in the NHL as 22-year-old Willie O’Ree became the league’s first Black player.

Kwong landed in Switzerland where, as a player- coach, he helped to develop and popularize the game in Europe. He was received as a gift from the hockey gods. “Le joueur le plus spectaculaire que l’on puisse rêver” (The most spectacular player you could dream of) was a Chinese Canadian. [34] The CEO of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, Patrick Bloch, recognized Larry as “a great ambassador and builder of hockey.” [35]

Larry Kwong on the November 1958 cover of Chinatown News, the Chinese-Canadian news magazine. Photo: Larry Kwong family

Back in the game

Just as Chinese faces are absent from the historical record, such as in the famous photo of the Last Spike, so too have players of colour been left out of hockey’s narratives. Following his giant strides onto Forum ice, Larry Kwong lived for another 70 years but did not hear from the NHL again. But we can still tune in to the distant echoes of Kwong’s legions of fans cheering for a change in the game. We can retrace the trails Kwong blazed from the Okanagan across many leagues. For Canada to move forward as a multicultural society and for hockey to grow as a world sport, what’s needed are dive rse stories. Those have often been sidelined. After everything, it’s not too late to put Larry Kwong back in the game where he belongs. •

“A great drawing card” with the New York Rovers. Photo: Larry Kwong family

Endnotes

1. Larry Kwong, interview with the author, March 28, 2009.
2. Kwong, interview.
3. Kwong, interview.
4. “Hydrophones Gain Wide Renown in Five-Year History,” Vernon News, April 17, 1941, p. 4.
5. Kwong, interview.
6. W.C. Heinz, “Rangers Eye Chinese Player,” New York Sun, Jan. 16, 1947.
7. Kwong, interview.
8. Wes Miron and Chester Sit, directors, The Shift: The Story of the China Clipper [film], Dynastic Entertainment, 2013.
9. Kwong, interview.
10. Jack Patterson, “Sport Rays: It’s a War Job,” Vancouver Sun, Nov. 2, 1942, p. 11.
11. Duke McLeod, “Martel Forces Deadlock; Sutherland in Navy Goal,” Vancouver Sun, Nov. 23, 1943, p. 10.
12. Kwong, interview.
13. Kwong, quoted in Alf Cottrell, “On the Sunbeam,” Vancouver Sun, Dec. 29, 1943, p. 11.
14. Andy Lytle, “Speaking on Sports,” Toronto Daily Star, Oct. 7, 1944, p. 10.
15. W.C. Heinz, “Rangers Eye Chinese Player,” New York Sun, Jan. 16, 1947.
16. “Larry Kwong Signs with N.Y. Rovers,” Vancouver Sun, Sept. 24, 1946, p. 6.
17. “Chinese Canadians,” Veterans Affairs Canada website, veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/people-and-stories/chinese-canadians.
18. Madison Square Garden Corporation and Lawrence Kwong, Articles of Agreement [Contract], Sept. 23, 1946, Larry Kwong collection; “Rovers Wallop Boston, 6–1, Before Record 15,542 Fans,” New York Daily Mirror, Jan. 13, 1947, p. 24.
19. “Chinese Icer Is N.Y. Hero,” Vancouver Daily Province, Feb. 7, 1947, p. 15.
20. Newton Kendall, “The Sideliner,” Toronto Evening Telegram, March 13, 1947.
21. Kwong, interview.
22. Jim Becker, “Charlie Kwong, Only Chinese Hockey Player, Is ‘Dinghao,’” Berkshire Eagle, Jan. 3, 1947, p. 15.
23. William J. Briordy, “Rovers Set Back Baltimore, 6 to 1”; “Chinese Icer is N.Y. Hero”; Al Colletti, “Larry Has Solid Hockey Following,” CP, Feb. 4, 1947.
24. Madison Square Garden Corporation, Press Release, Nov. 16, 1946, Larry Kwong collection.
25. Red Fisher, “Chinese in Hockey,” Montreal Forum Sports Magazine, 1948.
26. “Gung ho,” Toronto Star, Jan. 20, 1947, p. 10.
27. Sam B. Gunst, “Roving with the Rovers,” Amateur Hockey [Game Program], Mar. 14, 1948; Red Fisher, “Chinese in Hockey.”
28. Kwong, interview.
29. Kenda Gee and Tom Radford (directors), Lost Years: A People’s Struggle for Justice [film], Lost Years Productions, 2011.
30. John Halligan, “All Around the Rink with the Rangers,” Blueshirt Bulletin, March 2008.
31. Stan Fischler [@StanFischler], X [post], Oct. 13, 2024, https://x.com/StanFischler/status/1845456329135075542.
32. Charlie Halpin, “Braves Take 3-1 Lead Trouncing Royals 7-1,” Montreal Gazette, Mar. 14, 1951, p. 20; Jim Bastable, “Valleyfield Braves Capture Alexander Cup,” Ottawa Citizen, May 14, 1951, p. 23.
33. David Davis, “A Hockey Pioneer’s Moment,” New York Times, Feb. 20, 2013, p. B11.
34. “Encore un Grand Match avant la Fermeture de la Patinoire,” Journal du Jura, March 14, 1959, p. 2.
35. Patrick Bloch, Letter to the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, Oct. 21, 2022.

Chad Soon is a fourth-generation Canadian of Chinese and British descent who teaches in Vernon on the traditional and unceded lands of the syilx Okanagan people. Soon enjoys exploring Indigenous and Canadian heritage with his students, and he serves on the executive boards of the Okanagan Historical Society (Vernon Branch) and the BC Historical Federation. Soon published The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey in 2024.

Former BCHF vice-president Tom Lymbery dies at 97

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 05:16:53 GMT

Tom Lymbery, who served on the BC Historical Federation board in the 2000s as vice-president, has died at 97.

Lymbery was the longtime proprietor of the Gray Creek Store on Kootenay Lake, which has been in his family for 113 years (and counting). It has always been well stocked with books about Kootenay and BC history and copies of BC History magazine.

Lymbery had also been the president of the Gray Creek Historical Society since its inception in 2002.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 18:57:45 GMT

An excerpt from the Fall 2025 edition of British Columbia History.

1 Stories in Stone

Fanny and Evan Hooson, who are buried in the Pender Island cemetery, were among those lost in a 1911 shipwreck.

If you journey to Pender Island, make time to pause and reflect at the local cemetery.

Established in 1905 on land donated by Rutherford Hope, its white stone crosses cascade down the gentle slope beside Bedwell Harbour Road. A headstone in memory of Fanny Hooson and her son Evan references the sinking of the S.S. Iroquois in 1911, which took both of their lives and reminds us that cemeteries also form a community archive.

The 82-foot (25-metre) steamship was overloaded with coal, iron bars, and bales of hay stacked on the deck during a return trip to Pender Island from Sidney. Fighting 45-knot southeasterly winds, the cargo shifted and within minutes the S.S. Iroquois rolled over. The Pender Islands Museum remembers Fanny and her son on the museum’s virtual timeline:

The S.S. Iroquois sinks in a squall off of Sidney. Twenty-one people drown, including Pender school teacher Fanny Hooson, 38, (ne Lawson), her 3 year old son, and several new workers for Coast Shale Brick Factory. The ferry capsized three years earlier but was returned to service. The initial capsizing should have been a warning of the vessel’s unseaworthiness when overloaded.

Only 10 people survived — some rescued by members of the Cowichan First Nation in dugout canoes and by other bystanders. The wreck is now a Provincial Heritage Site near Sidney and during a 2020 dive by the Underwater Archaeological Society a whiskey jug could still be seen fused to the flywheel. Three-year-old Evan is buried at Pender Island Cemetery; Fanny’s body was never recovered.

2 Man Behind the Name

Langley City mayor Nathan Pachal and Clyde Duncan, former president of GCCABC (Guyanese Canadian Cultural Association of B.C.) Courtesy Mark Forsythe

The names connected to streets, parks, and landmarks can lose relevance and meaning, unless their stories are carried forward. Indeed, the names of some streets and communities (e.g., Trutch, Queen Charlotte City) are being eliminated, which has generated heated debate among academics and the public.

Recently the Langley Heritage Society assisted in developing content for a trio of new interpretive signs in Langley City’s Douglas Park to provide some context for visitors. James Douglas was born of a Creole mother and Scottish father in British Guyana, and he would become one of BC’s most significant figures during the transition from fur trade territory to British colony.

The signs were unveiled by Langley City mayor Nathan Pachal, who also is of mixed heritage. He noted, “A lot of the history of Black folks has been ignored. The fact that Douglas was Black and biracial spoke to me and it shows that we belong here.”

James Douglas was a man of his times who, for a while, served two masters: the Hudson’s Bay Company and the British Crown. He is credited with resisting American expansionism and possible annexation during the chaotic gold rush era that began in 1858. He was knighted for his leadership and may still provide lessons in creative ways to assert sovereignty.

3 Economic Engine Builds Up Steam

Locomotive #2141 in action. https://kamrail.com

For the first time in almost six years, the legendary “Spirit of Kamloops,” locomotive #2141, has rolled out of the Kamloops Heritage Rail Society shop under its own steam. The locomotive was built in 1912 for Canadian Northern Railway and was mothballed at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. It recently underwent testing for Technical Safety BC and Transport Canada certification with the hope that tourists will once again be climbing aboard.

The society has plans to launch a 230-kilometre round trip from Kamloops to Vernon in 2026, creating one of the longest steam-powered rail excursions anywhere. This still requires insurance, access to CNR tracks into the North Okanagan, and more fundraising.

The society’s new board of directors is dreaming big and keen to build a modern roundhouse conference and hospitality facility to help boost Kamloops as a tourist destination. Indeed, hardcore rail enthusiasts have been known to circle the globe in search of unique steam locomotive experiences. The #2141 is owned by the City of Kamloops; the society is tasked with maintaining and operating the locomotive. Kamloops Heritage Rail Society is accepting donations for its steam dreams through the Kamloops Heritage Rail website: https://kamrail.com.

4 Book an Historic Room

Triplexes at North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site. Courtesy North Pacific Cannery

The Port Edward Historical Society, stewards of the North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site, has restored triplexes that were once home to Japanese Canadian fishermen and their families. The updated units are available to rent at the cannery museum site, located at the mouth of the Skeena River where time stands still. Rentals in the onsite bunkhouse are also an option.

Built in 1889, North Pacific is one of the few remaining cannery sites on the BC coast. Funding for restoration came from the Japanese Canadian Legacy Society, established as a redress initiative by the provincial government in 2020. The triplexes form part of the multicultural history of BC’s fishing industry where Indigenous, Chinese, Japanese, and Europeans laboured and lived, in mostly segregated conditions. A new interpretive display highlighting Japanese-Canadian cannery history is also part of the restoration project.

Parks Canada notes North Pacific Cannery is the oldest surviving cannery on the west coast of North America; it closed in 1981 after almost 100 years of operation. For more information, visit the Society’s website at northpacificcannery.ca.

5 Chief Dan George: Actor and Activist

Entrance to Chief Dan George exhibit. Courtesy Mark Forsythe

Developed by the Museum of North Vancouver, an exhibit focused on the life and legacy of Tsleil-Waututh Chief Dan George has been touring the province since 2017. Its most recent stop was at the Fort Langley National Historic Site, where visitors surveyed information panels, classic movie posters, videos, and paintings that tell a remarkable story of “Chief Dan George, Actor and Activist.”

Born in 1899, Dan George got his first acting role in CBC TV’s Cariboo Country. He also appeared in the film version of the ground-breaking Ecstasy of Rita Joe and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Hollywood’s Little Big Man. He was also a musician, elected chief, First Nations rights activist, and environmentalist.

His poem “Lament for Confederation,” spoken during a Canadian centennial celebration event at Empire Stadium, was gripping and stark.

“How long have I known you, Oh Canada? A hundred years? Yes, a hundred years. And many, many seelanum more. And today, when you celebrate your hundred years, Oh Canada, I am sad for all the Indian people throughout the land.”

Dan George was at the forefront of the native rights movement. The exhibit notes: “Before reconciliation became part of the lexicon of First Nations relations, Dan George lived and practiced reconciliation.”

To host this travelling exhibit, contact MONOVA curator Andrea Terrón at Terrona@monova.ca. •

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

VIDEO: Journeys to the Bandstand

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:25:38 GMT

In his Vancouver Historical Society talk, Chris Wong shined a light on iconic venues and key musicians featured in his book Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver. Chris, who has been writing about Vancouver's jazz scene since the 1980s, introduced the audience to great Vancouver jazz musicians like John Dawe and Dave Quarin and characterful venues including the original Cellar Jazz Club and the Blues Palace in the talk. His presentation included numerous vintage images and excerpts of rare, unreleased music recorded live in Vancouver jazz clubs. Chris also talked about how he researched the 605-page book that goes from the 1950s to the present.

Watch the full video here.

"Living With Long COVID" at the Museum of Vancouver

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:23:15 GMT

The Museum of Vancouver (MOV), in collaboration with Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Faculty of Health Sciences and the Post-COVID-19 Interdisciplinary Clinical Care Network (PC-ICCN), is proud to announce the opening of Living with Long COVID. The exhibition invites visitors into the often-invisible world of those living with the life-altering effects of a COVID-19 infection.

One-in-nine Canadians have already experienced Long COVID symptoms. Despite its prevalence, the condition remains widely misunderstood, under-researched, and stigmatized. Living with Long COVID brings these realities to light, offering a powerful platform for those living with its day-to-day impacts.

The project began in 2024 when people living with Long COVID, many of whom call themselves Longhaulers, expressed a desire to share their experiences with the wider public. With support from SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences and patient advocates, a national call for submissions invited individuals to document a day in their lives. Forty-six participants from across Canada responded, contributing photographs and short reflections that candidly reveal moments of pain, joy, fatigue, resilience and everyday adaptations.

Living with Long COVID runs from October 4, 2025, to March 22, 2026 at the Museum of Vancouver.

BCMA and MOV Workshop: How to Be Hopeful in a Climate Crisis with Elin Kelsey

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:18:28 GMT

BCMA and MOV Workshop: How to Be Hopeful in a Climate Crisis with Elin Kelsey: Thursday December 4th, 2025

9:00 am - 4:30 pm
at the Museum of Vancouver

How do we sustain hope while facing the climate crisis? That is the question author and climate activist Elin Kelsey explores in her latest book, How to Be Hopeful. In this one-day workshop, Kelsey will share insights from her research and writing, framing hope as an evidence-based, active practice that nurtures resilience and fuels climate action.

Join the BCMA and Museum of Vancouver (MOV) for a day of learning and connection. We will begin with a talk by Kelsey, grounding participants in her approach to emotional awareness, community collaboration, and the agency of both humans and non-human species. Drawing from her book, she highlights practical strategies (such as sourcing solutions-focused news, practicing interspecies etiquette, and drawing strength from circles of support) that can inspire action in our own lives and institutions.

Building on these ideas, participants will engage in small- and large-group discussions about how to integrate hopeful practices into museum work and the sector’s climate action efforts. This workshop includes a catered lunch.

Workshop fee: $60.00 for BCMA Members, $75 for non-members.

AABC webinar: "When Good Descriptions Go RAD"

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:17:31 GMT

Join the AABC for the webinar "When Good Descriptions Go RAD" to navigate the theory and rules behind archival arrangement and description. Participants will review practical strategies for intellectual processing and how they can be used to create meaningful finding aids for staff and researchers alike. Rules for Archival Description (RAD) will be discussed along with how to strategically use access points. This webinar will be a useful refresher for experienced practitioners and beneficial for students and volunteers processing archival records.

Instructor: Lisa Glandt, AABC EAS Coordinator

Date: Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025
Time: 9:30 – 11:30am PST
Location: online via Zoom

Cost: AABC members: $25.00 per person; Non-members: $40.00

Registration deadline: Monday, Nov 3 @5:00pm

To register for this event, please visit: https://aaobc.wildapricot.org/Webinars

Canadian Pacific Railway on the Revelstoke Division Volume 9

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:37:43 GMT

Douglas R. Mayer, renowned historian and railway author, is proud to announce the release of Canadian Pacific Railway on the Revelstoke Division, Volume Nine, the latest installment in his acclaimed series documenting the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in the Revelstoke region.

This new volume continues Mayer’s meticulous exploration of the Revelstoke Division, offering railway enthusiasts, historians, and local residents an in-depth look at the operations, people, and infrastructure that have shaped this vital section of Canada’s railway history. Featuring rare photographs, detailed maps, and first-hand accounts, Volume Nine brings to life the legacy of the CPR and its enduring impact on Revelstoke and surrounding communities.

Canadian Pacific Railway on the Revelstoke Division, Volume Nine is published by the Revelstoke Heritage Railway Society and is available at the Revelstoke Railway Museum gift shop and through the museum’s online store. This volume is an essential addition to the library of anyone interested in Canadian railway history or the rich heritage of Revelstoke.

Available from the Revelstoke Railway Museum online store.

"Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong" Book Launch Event October 6th

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:59:02 GMT

You are invited to join the Vancouver Heritage Foundation as they help launch Elder Larry Grant's new book, "Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong" on October 6th.

The event will take place from 7 pm to 8:30 pm at the University Women's Club at Hycroft. You can register here.

About the author:

Larry Grant was born in a hop field outside Vancouver in 1936, the son of a Musqueam cultural leader and an immigrant from a village in Guangdong, China...When Larry Talks about reconciliation, he uses the verb reconciling, an ongoing, unfinished process we're all going through, Indigenous and settler, immigrant and Canadian-born.

Biography of Sandon founder to be launched Oct. 4

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:54:42 GMT

A local history book 20 years in the making will be launched at the Silvery Slocan Museum in New Denver on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m.

The King of Sandon: Murder, Myth, and the Man Behind B.C.’s Greatest Ghost Town is a full-length biography of John Morgan Harris, a mining magnate with a secret past and a complicated legacy.

Local historian and journalist Greg Nesteroff traces Harris’ life from rural Virginia, where he was born into a family of slaveholders, to northern Idaho, where he risked life and liberty to make a name for himself.

Harris arrived in the Slocan in early 1892, as part a wave of prospectors lured by a silver rush, and bought a promising mining claim that turned into his bonanza. While other tycoons spent their fortunes on mansions in urban areas, Harris built an entire city in the wilderness as a monument to himself. He owned the townsite, its principal buildings, power plant, and waterworks.

He was nicknamed the King of Sandon, but his subjects didn’t always see his rule as benevolent. He was frequently in court defending his interests, and one dispute over a mining claim dragged on for years before finally reaching the Privy Council.

When Sandon’s fortunes declined as the mines in the area played out, Harris refused to leave, even as his town crumbled around him. Although new life teased occasionally, his optimism that the city would boom again was never fully justified.

During the book launch, Nesteroff will present a slideshow and explain the book’s long genesis, including his trips to Harris’ birthplace and burial site in Virginia.

“I became interested in Johnny Harris because so many myths were associated with him,” Nesteroff explains. “While some things were said about him that were false, I was surprised that some of the most unlikely things turned out to be true.”

The book lays bare Harris’ darkest secrets and also looks at how, following his death, Sandon nearly faded from existence, only to be discovered by others determined to save what was left.

The book includes 237 photos and illustrations as well as eight specially-created maps. The King of Sandon is available for pre-order on the book’s companion website, kingofsandon.com, which also contains source notes, photo galleries, interviews, and many other special features.

The book will be available in stores throughout the West Kootenay following the launch.

Nesteroff will also speak on the book at the Slocan Valley Historical Society annual general meeting on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. at the W.E. Graham school library in Slocan.

Castlegar tears down Pioneer Arena

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 16:32:16 GMT

The City of Castlegar has demolished the Pioneer Arena, an ice surface built over several years in the 1950s and '60s. The arena was marked for closure in 2016 but kept going until 2024. Medical offices and a housing project are earmarked for the site.

Trail demolishes first hospital

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 16:28:48 GMT

The City of Trail has torn down its earliest hospital, dating to 1896. The building was later a hotel and nurses residence. Demolition continues on an adjacent building from the 1940s that was once the C.S. Williams clinic. Both buildings have been vacant since the mid-1990s. The city would like to redevelop the downtown lots, although there is no specific plan yet.

Cold War intrigue shadowed Trail hockey game

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 16:24:25 GMT

Members of the Trail Smoke Eaters and Moscow Selects line up at the Cominco Arena before a crowd of more than 5,000 on Jan. 27, 1960. (Courtesy Trail Historical Society)

One of the most memorable games in Trail’s hockey history had the RCMP on high alert due to its potential “off-ice intrigue,” according to a story in the latest issue of The Hockey News by BCHF director Ron Verzuh.

Larry Kwong bio shortlisted for national book award

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 16:19:55 GMT

A book about Larry Kwong, who became the NHL’s first player of Asian descent has been shortlisted for a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Award.

The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey is one of five books nominated for the Sharon Fitzhenry Award for non-fiction. The winner will be announced Oct. 27 in Toronto.

Co-author Chad Soon is a director with the BCHF and the book was previously named second runner-up this year in the BCHF’s historical writing awards.

Greenwood to sell heritage power substation

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 16:04:56 GMT

The City of Greenwood has decided to sell its historic West Kootenay Power substation, saying it has fallen into disrepair. The city acquired the building in 1997, but plans to do something with it have never succeeded. They are hoping private interests may be able to save the landmark.

Naoko Fukumaru's "Beautifully Broken" Exhibit to Open at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 21:06:26 GMT

BURNABY, BC — The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is proud to announce the opening of "Beautifully Broken – Kintsugi by Naoko Fukumaru," an exquisite exhibition that explores the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, or "golden joinery." The exhibit will run from October 14, 2025, to February 21, 2026, with an opening reception on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 3:00-5:00 PM.

Kintsugi is a 500-year-old tradition of repairing broken ceramics by mending them with Urushi lacquer and powdered gold. Instead of hiding the damage, this technique highlights it, celebrating the unique history of the object and the passage of time.

Vancouver-based artist Naoko Fukumaru uses this practice as both a craft and a meditative process. Her work offers a powerful metaphor for personal healing, suggesting that like broken pottery, our own cracks and imperfections can become a beautiful part of our story.

Fukumaru's art respects the traditional materials and methods of kintsugi while also pushing its boundaries with instinctive and innovative techniques. Her unique approach redefines what restoration can mean, connecting history and emotion in works that are both raw and radiant.

This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on what it means to be beautifully broken—and to find strength and beauty in the imperfect.

The exhibit opens on October 14th and runs until February 21st. Learn more here.

Okanagan Historical Society Centennial Celebration

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 21:03:38 GMT

The Okanagan Historical Society (OHS) is thrilled to announce its Centennial Celebration, taking place on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at the Mary Irwin Theatre. This landmark event marks 100 years of preserving and sharing the stories of the Okanagan region.

Doors open at 6:00 pm, welcoming guests with a variety of dessert selections, a cash bar, book sales, a silent auction, and the opportunity to meet and mingle with history lovers from across the valley. The evening's formal program begins at 7:00 pm, featuring cowboy poetry by OHS member Ken Mather, special acknowledgements, and a compelling keynote address from Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band.

Chief Louie will present on the theme "From Cowboys and Indians to Reconciliation," offering timely reflections on regional history, Indigenous leadership, and the ongoing journey toward truth and reconciliation. "This event is both a celebration of our shared past and a call to continue working together toward a more inclusive historical understanding," said Lois Marshall, President of the Okanagan Historical Society. "We are honoured to welcome Chief Louie and our many friends and supporters as we mark this important milestone."

The OHS, incorporated in 1925, is one of British Columbia's oldest organizations dedicated to preserving local history. In addition to publishing an annual historical report since the end of the Second World War, the Society supports a wide variety of heritage-based projects, preservation initiatives, and public events. It frequently collaborates with museums, archives, and other heritage-focused organizations throughout the region. Today the Society operates through seven active branches located in Salmon Arm, Armstrong-Enderby, Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton, and Oliver-Osoyoos.

Tickets for the Centennial Celebration are $25 for OHS members and $40 for non-members and are available now at www.theboxoffice.ca/upcoming-events/centennial-celebration. OHS members must obtain a coupon code from their local branch to access the member rate. To find your local branch contact, visit www.okanaganhistoricalsociety.org/branches.php.

In addition to the evening celebration, attendees are invited to the OHS Annual General Meeting, which will take place from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Okanagan Regional Library - Kelowna Branch. The AGM is free and open to the public.

BC Archives Closure

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 20:58:59 GMT

The BC Archives is currently closed due to a labour action.

The union the represents BC Archives workers, the BC General Employers Union (BCGEU), has been on strike since September 2nd. Please check the BC Archives website for more information regarding closures.

Fall issue of BC History heads to the Okanagan

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 03:10:22 GMT

The fall edition of British Columbia History is on its way to your mailbox and your inbox. Ken Mather is the guest editor this time. He’s the editor of Okanagan History, the annual report of the Okanagan Historical Society.

Stories include:

  • syilx Okanagan Nation Salmon Restoration: A case history of bringing back a species on the verge of extinction, by Okanagan Nation Alliance

• BC Tree Fruits Cooperative, by Susan McIver

• The Legend of Larry Kwong and His Legions, by Chad Soon

• Okanagan Women’s Voices: sylix and settler writing and relations, 1870s-1960s, by Jeanette Armstrong, Lally Grauer, and Janet MacArthur

• The Founding of the Okanagan Historical Society, by Ken Mather

• A History of Change: From the Dominion Experimental Farm to the Summerland Research and Development Centre, by Jessie L. MacDonald

• Too Many Apples: Sun-Rype Products Ltd., by Sharron J. Simpson

• Plankster Play to Tourist Industry: Skiing the Okanagan, 1920s-1960s, by Linda Peterat

Plus our regular columnists William A. White, Mark Forsythe, and Dalys Barneys!

Click here to order this issue or to subscribe.

"When Spirits Dance" exhibit by Ral Ojah opens in The Cube September 13th

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:24:50 GMT

In this new body of work, Raluchukwu (Ral) Ojah explores cross-cultural exchange and the immigrant experience through fashion and dance. Drawing on the traditional Ekpe masquerade from his hometown of Amaekpu, Ohafia, Nigeria, Ojah reimagines this spiritual ritual through life-size, wall-mounted dancing figures that reflect his roots and the ways ancestral practices are expressed in contemporary Nigerian and Western fashion. His figures capture the dynamic movements of Igbo, Enugu, and Ohafia dances, which have influenced contemporary dance, including hip-hop and club culture.

The Ekpe masquerade occurs alongside community events throughout the year, marking times of renewal and celebration. These include the Ota Omu Age Grade, a traditional retirement ceremony that passes knowledge from elders to younger generations, and seasonal planting rituals that celebrate growth and harvest. Ojah connects these rites to his own experience of leaving Nigeria and moving to Canada in 2021, where he recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Thompson Rivers University.

Ojah incorporates colourful Dutch wax fabric to reference its colonial history in Nigeria. Introduced by the Dutch in the 1880s, the fabric was adopted across Central and West Africa and adapted with local designs, proverbs, and symbolic codes to preserve cultural traditions. Today, it remains central to Nigerian regalia and contemporary fashion.

Through this work, Ojah considers how global exchanges of people and material culture influence art and fashion, while also telling a personal story of heritage and migration.

Visit the Kamloops Art Gallery website here.

Manuel Axel Strain celebrates the Coast Salish longhouse in their Richmond Art Gallery debut

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:19:15 GMT

Richmond Art Gallery presents a solo exhibition by Manuel Axel Strain, xʷən̓iwən ce:p kʷθəθ nəw̓eyəł ((((Remember your teachings)))), from Sept. 13–Nov. 9, 2025. The artist — of Musqueam, Simpcw, and Syilx descent — celebrates the cedar longhouse as an important architectural form and philosophical framework that reflects the collectivist and relational values of their ancestors and communities.

“Richmond Art Gallery first worked with Manuel Axel Strain for a public artwork featured in the Capture Photography Festival in 2020, and we are thrilled to continue supporting this talented artist,” says curator Zoë Chan. “The Musqueam shed-style longhouse is at the heart of their new exhibition. It is not only an important architectural structure, but also an important spiritual, philosophical, and cultural framework profoundly embedded with the collectivist, relational values of their family members and larger community. The artist also invites viewers to critically consider what dominant structures are being upheld in mainstream Canadian society, whether in terms of architecture or ideology.”

xʷən̓iwən ce:p kʷθəθ nəw̓eyəł (Remember your teachings) will feature new and recent works, including paintings, video, and sculpture. The central longhouse installation pays tribute to a style of home central to the collective life of the Musqueam people and used as a gathering place for culturally significant events, such as marriages and potlatches. The red cedar plank-built edifices are designed to be flexible and modular in order to accommodate multiple and extended families. Before their attempted erasure by colonial powers, longhouses were once found all along the coast.

Strain is a 2-Spirit artist from the lands and waters of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw and Syilx peoples, based in the sacred region of their q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie) and qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen) relatives. Strain’s mother is Tracey Strain and father is Eric Strain, Tracey’s parents are Harold Eustache (from Chuchua) and Marie Louis (from nk̓maplqs), Eric’s Parents are Helen Point (from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) and John Strain (from Ireland). Although they attended Emily Carr University of Art + Design, they prioritize Indigenous epistemologies through the embodied knowledge of their mother, father, siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents and ancestors. They have contributed work to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Surrey Art Gallery, the UBCO FINA Gallery, were longlisted for the 2022 Sobey Award, and were a recipient of the 2022 Portfolio Prize.

Visit the Gallery’s website and social media for the most up-to-date information on upcoming programs and registration.

Fall 2025 Heritage Hour Lectures with Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:17:42 GMT

Vancouver Heritage Foundation's Heritage Hour Lectures are back and the registration is now open for three fall sessions: Heritage Hour - Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Join us at University Women’s Club at Hycroft from 7pm to 8:30pm to enjoy fascinating pieces of Vancouver’s heritage with a selection of local speakers. You may purchase tickets here.

Uncovering a Lost Chapter of Canada’s History: An Evening with Catherine Clement

Tuesday, September 23rd, 7pm - 8:30pm

$20/15+tax

Many of us think we know Canadian history. But sometimes we can discover a dark story that has been silenced, buried and lost to time. Historian and award-winning author, Catherine Clement will share the story she uncovered of a monumental yet tragic and largely forgotten chapter in our nation’s and in Vancouver’s past: The quarter century of Chinese exclusion.

About the Speaker:

Catherine Clement is an award-winning historian, curator and author whose work focuses on memory and excavating the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary times. She is renowned for her landmarks public history projects that crowdsource memories and materials to help reveal the forgotten stories of our country’s past.

Blood in the Boonies: Crime and Misadventure in Old South Van

Tuesday, October 28th, 7pm - 8:30pm

$20/15+tax

The southeast corner of the city has always had its perilous moments. The working class neighbourhoods that comprised the formerly independent municipality of South Vancouver spread across a steep hill, where one flank dove sharply to a river lined with sawmills. It was the perfect booming ground for harrowing accidents, tragic bridge mishaps, and fatal tram slams. Join local historian Rob Howatson for a chilling journey through South Vancouver, where every road seems to end at Mountain View Cemetery.

About the Speaker:

Rob Howatson is a writer, local history buff and lifelong South Van’er. He caught the heritage bug in 2007 when he discovered a time capsule hidden in the old Sunset Community Centre. (It contained rare Bing Crosby footage!) Rob also works for the City of Richmond at Steveston’s heritage sites.

An Imaginary Line: the HBC, the US, and the Fight against the 49th Parallel

Tuesday, November 25th, 7pm - 8:30pm

$20/15+tax

How did the Pacific Northwest get divided between the U.S. and the British Empire? Where does British Columbia’s name come from? Why are there two Vancouvers? From 1821 to 1846 the Hudson’s Bay Company attempted to carve a British claim west of the mountains. The result is a gripping story involving Métis emigrants, legacy-hungry billionaires, and a wandering artist. A dive into the little-told tales of the Pacific Northwest.

About the Speaker

Tom Long has worked in museums and heritage spaces for 25 years, including Fort Edmonton Park, Mangawhai Museum (NZ/Aotearoa), and the Amelia Douglas Institute. He loves storytelling and history and combining the two. He is a Certified Interpretive Guide from the National Association of Interpretation with a particular interest in the 19th century Canadian fur trade. You can find him, his blogs, and his other offerings at northwindheritageconsulting.ca .

Doug Mayer receives CRHA Lifetime Achievement Award

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 21:53:50 GMT

Doug Mayer, Vice-President of the Revelstoke Heritage Railway Society, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Railroad Historical Association.

The award is given to a person who has demonstrated "significant contribution over a period of years" to the preservation of Canadian railway history. Doug has written a series of books on the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Revelstoke area, and is the President of the Revelstoke Model Railway Club.

Congratulations to Doug on this award!

"Big River" Book Tour

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 22:04:10 GMT

For more information, contact your local host!

VIDEO: A Field Trip with the Vancouver History Society

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 21:29:58 GMT

The Vancouver History Society tours the Chung/Lind Collections at the University of British Columbia.

The Chung collection comprises over 25,000 rare items highlighting the history of the Chinese community in North America. The Lind Klondike Collection documents the transformative events of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Presentations by Matthieu Caron and Denise Jacques.

Watch the full video here.

VIDEO: City in Colour - Rediscovered Stories of Victoria's Multicultural Past

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 21:28:55 GMT

"City in Colour: Rediscovered Stories Of Victoria's Multicultural Past" tells the story of some fascinating but little-known "first" explorers, significant female pioneers, and of course, ethnic groups who have left lasting cultural legacies.

Watch the full video here.

VIDEO: Welcome to Dream Factory!

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 18:57:44 GMT

Music. Fashion. Art. A Karaoke Stage! Welcome to "Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s to 2000" — on now at the museum! This is the story of many celebrities who grew up or had ties in Vancouver and Canada. It's the story of a Chinese Canadian population who grew up listening to their songs and really made it part of their identity and their lives. From powerhouse ballads to unforgettable pop idols, this immersive exhibition uncovers the golden era of Cantopop and Mandopop — and reveals Canada’s unexpected role in shaping the soundtracks of a generation.

Don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind exhibition! Learn more at www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/exhibitions

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Digital Museums Canada

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 18:55:14 GMT

The call for proposals for Digital Museums Canada is now open! Submit your proposals before the December 25th, 2025 deadline.

For more information, visit the Digital Museums website.

Extreme Weather and BC Heritage Emergency Response Network Resources

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 18:08:36 GMT

From the BC Museum's Association:

"With 68 wildfires currently burning in BC, 7 of which are out of control, it is important to prepare your site and staff for an emergency response. Museums, galleries, and cultural spaces have important roles to play in keeping their staff, volunteers, and communities safe during extreme weather events.

The BCMA has compiled a list of resources and calls to action that you can use to understand the risk, prepare for these conditions, and know where to access support.

Explore BC HERN resources and learning opportunities here."

Cathy English celebrated with museum art gallery

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 18:05:22 GMT

A new art gallery will showcase more of Revelstoke Museum and Archives’ extensive collection and celebrate the leadership of Cathy English, long-time museum curator. The Cathy English Gallery will capitalize on a rare opportunity of new space for the museum, created from the building of the museum’s access lift.

“We were left with a completely blank slate to do whatever we wanted with, and we came to the decision that it would be the perfect space for an art gallery,” Laura VanZant, assistant curator said.

Read the full article from the Revelstoke Mountaineer here.

VHEC Launches New Digital Exhibition

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 18:02:53 GMT

The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) is proud to announce the launch of Fragments in Focus: A History of the Holocaust, a groundbreaking online exhibition.

This powerful digital exhibition showcases over 160 artefacts and archival records from the VHEC’s collection. Through personal belongings, photographs, documents, and recorded testimonies, Fragments in Focus offers an intimate lens into the individual experiences of Holocaust victims, survivors, and witnesses.

Fragments in Focus was developed with the support of Digital Museums Canada, an investment program managed by the Canadian Museum of History. DMC is the largest national investment program dedicated to supporting digital projects. It helps build digital capacity in museums and heritage, cultural and Indigenous organizations across Canada, offering unique access to diverse stories and experiences.

The exhibition invites educators, students, researchers, and the general public to experience Holocaust history through tangible fragments of memory. Endorsed by the BC Ministry of Education for teaching in BC classrooms, Fragments in Focus: A History of the Holocaust is bilingual teaching resource for audiences across BC, Canada and around the world.

The exhibition is available at www.fragmentsinfocus.ca.

New Exhibit: Greetings From Smithers

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:55:39 GMT

This new exhibition explores the history of Smithers tourism and recreation through postcards, photographs, souvenirs, and ephemera from the permanent collection of the Bulkley Valley Museum.

The many amazing sites and places featured in this exhibition that are enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike are located on the traditional territory of the Witsuwit'en people. The BV Museum is located on C'inulh K'it, Cas Yikh (Grizzly House) territory belonging to the Gidimt'en clan of the Witsuwit'en Nation. Other places visited by locals and tourists in regions surrounding Smithers may be located in the traditional territories of the Gitxsan and Nad'uten.

Explore the exhibit here.

Historic Walking Tours with the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:52:10 GMT

Join the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC for historical walking tours of Vancouver and Victoria this summer! Scan the QR code or visit their website for tickets.

Experience Japanese Culture, Food, Music, and Traditions at Nikkei Matsuri

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:44:06 GMT

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is excited to announce the 13th annual Nikkei Matsuri, an authentic celebration of Japanese culture. This year is extra special as we celebrate Nikkei Centre's 25th anniversary. Join us for a weekend of festivities at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby) on Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31 from 11am-7pm. Admission is free for those under 18 and over 65, and members. $15 ($12 advance) admission for adults.

For more information, including a list of highlights and performers, visit the event's webpage.

New exhibit "Are We There Yet?" at MONOVA

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:40:13 GMT

The Transit Museum Society (TMS) has partnered with TransLink to take part in a new transportation-themed exhibition at the Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA).

The exhibition, titled Are We There Yet?, is now open and will run until March 1, 2026. It offers fascinating insights into the history and future of transportation in Metro Vancouver.

For more information, visit the MONOVA website.

New Executive Director at BCMA

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:27:47 GMT

From the BC Museums Association:

"We are pleased to announce that Jules André-Brown will be serving as BCMA’s new Executive Director starting Tuesday, August 5, 2025!

As President, I know that I speak for all that Ryan Hunt’s departure this spring left a huge gap in the organization. Ryan is a forward thinker and connector who dedicated his time to building the BCMA into a well-respected organization across the country – thank you Ryan!

After Ryan Hunt’s departure, Council, with the support of BCMA’s Acting Executive Director Lorenda Calvert, embarked on a search for an Executive Director that is experienced in strategic planning and sustainable funding, highly focused and organized, and will uphold the values of the BCMA: accountability, bravery, equity, innovation, relevance and respect.

Jules represents all of these. Through his 15-year career of community-based work Jules has a proven track record of leading with sound financial stewardship and is highly experienced in community-based cultural work and strategic planning. He has dedicated his career to empowering community and nonprofits through governance and program development. Indeed, many of you may have met Jules in the past as he has championed and participated in several BCMA programs, including those related to professional development and leadership.

Jules demonstrated to the hiring committee his expertise when working and leading in a variety of cultural and nongovernmental organizations such as ArtStarts, Arts BC, BC Family Caregivers Association and Spectrum Society for Community Living.

Added to this is a wide range of educational qualifications in Leadership, Business and Community work that highlights his passion to support inclusive and productive communities throughout British Columbia.

Jules cares deeply about the cultural sector, dedicating his career to empowering communities and participating, not just professionally, but also in his day-to-day life.

After asking Jules to share some personal information, he noted that his children wanted the membership to know that Jules loves salty liquorice, used to build Trinidadian steel pans AND has a black belt in ninjutsu!

Welcome Jules, we look forward to working with you.

-Lynn Saffery, BCMA President"

Event Opening - Cecil Dawson: Worlds Colliding at the Alberni Valley Museum

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:24:56 GMT

Join the Alberni Valley Museum on Thursday, July 31st from 10am-2pm for the opening of Cecil Dawson: Worlds Colliding.

The exhibition Worlds Colliding presents the evocative and multilayered works of Cecil Dawson, a renowned Kwakwaka’wakw artist and Hereditary Chief of the Dzawada’enuxw First Nation. Rooted in ancestral knowledge, cultural reclamation, and artistic innovation, the exhibition invites viewers into a world where Raven, ancient beings, and sea creatures coexist beneath coastal waters.

Dawson’s art is not only a reflection of his heritage but also a catalyst for dialogue. The exhibition foregrounds his collaborative efforts with non-Indigenous artists to explore the complexities of cultural exchange, Indigenous protocol, and the impacts of colonial contact. This cross-cultural engagement challenges and enriches the conversation around shared artistic practices, boundaries, and responsibilities.

The formal opening will honour Indigenous traditions through ceremony, songs, and dances, recognizing the artist and the cultural significance of the exhibition.

The exhibition runs from August 1 – November 1, 2025

'Do You Carrot All?' New Exhibit Port Hardy Museum and Visitor Centre

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:20:08 GMT

"PORT HARDY, KWAKIUTL TERRITORY – The Port Hardy Museum and Visitor Centre is excited to announce the opening of The Carrot Campaign exhibit 'Do you Carrot All?’ at our Visitor Centre location (2520 Market Street).

In honour of this year's Filomi Days theme, 'The Year of the Carrot', we have curated a quirky exhibition about the Carrot Campaign of 1976. This campaign advocated for a highway connecting Northern Vancouver Island to the rest of Vancouver Island. Promises of this road date back to the establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1840s.

Before the creation of the highway, North Island residents could only travel by ferry to the South end of the Island and Vancouver. In the 1960s, treacherous logging roads opened for public use; this was not a solution. North Island residents came together to pressure the government to stop dangling the carrot (the highway) for votes, and to finally follow through and build it. As noted at the time by Campaign organizer, Roland Shanks, “That battered, half chewed, over-mature carrot that you clutch so tenaciously in your hand is mine! I want it now!”

Assistant Curator Brie Watson notes that "The Carrot Campaign is a strong example of how the determination and resilience of small communities can create positive political change, and can be a source of community pride."

“The exhibit parallels the spectacle and humour of the original Carrot Campaign, and we wanted to capture that spirit,” shares Curator Robin Folvik. “Roland Shanks generously donated most of what is featured in the exhibit. His collection made it possible for us to include many of the original Carrot Campaign materials.”

The Carrot Campaign exhibit ‘Do you Carrot All?’ was a collaborative effort of our staff. With guidance from Curator/Director Robin Folvik, contributors included Brie Watson (Assistant Curator), Miriam Xia (Curatorial Assistant), Ashley Cadwallader (Assistant Manager, Visitor Services), and Danya Gorodetsky (Volunteer). Tyler Nelson, Hyson Johnson, and Suzana Gogich provided additional support.

The Port Hardy Museum and Visitor Centre is operated by the Port Hardy Heritage Society, a non-profit organization. For more information about latest activities, exhibits or how to support the organization, visit https://www.facebook.com/PortHardyMuseum/

The exhibit will be on display for the rest of the summer, and we welcome visitors and community members to view it."

Names of a Sxweyxwiyam: How legendary historian Sonny McHalsie changed the Fraser Valley's understanding of itself

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 15:58:29 GMT

His colleagues say he is a man of integrity whose authenticity and genuine interest made his connections to Stó:lō elders possible. His family says his work was guided by their ancestors, and his acquaintances defer to his understanding of their shared history.

For more than four decades, Albert “Sonny” McHalsie committed himself to learning Stó:lō history and sharing it with both the Stó:lō and Xwelítem (the hungry people, the Halq'eméylem word for white settlers). Now, he is finally retired.

Read the full article here.

SAVE THE DATE: Heritage Plaque Unveiling in Nanaimo

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:56:15 GMT

HISTORY BUFF: Unions and organized labour in Nelson

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:53:41 GMT

Labour history in the Kootenays began in 1895 when Rossland became home to the first Canadian local of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM). Thanks to the WFM’s efforts, in 1899 the provincial government passed a law forbidding miners from working more than eight hours underground. In the West Kootenays, where 10-hour shifts were commonplace, mine owners and businessmen were outraged, and the WFM in Rossland were sharply criticized as “American agitators” and troublemakers. However, a petition signed by 3,000 district miners indicated widespread support among the workers, and several WFM union locals were established throughout the area.

Read the full article by Tressa Ford, Archives Assistant at the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery.

Conductorettes: The First Women to Drive Transit

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 15:51:07 GMT

Listen to this podcast featuring rare recordings of three feisty union women who worked as conductors, motormen and transit drivers in Vancouver beginning in 1943.

When many men were in Europe during World War II fighting fascism, 200 women worked as streetcar conductors in Vancouver, later becoming motormen and drivers.

Unlike other women who worked during the war in shipbuilding and aircraft assembly, these women were able to keep their jobs after the war, thanks to their union.

The union insisted the women had the same rights, privileges, and wages as the men. It played an important role in supporting the women, including helping one get her job back after she was fired for becoming pregnant.

Maple Ridge history advocate passes away

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 15:45:38 GMT

A lover of history, who showcased and safeguarded the heritage of Maple Ridge for decades, has passed away.

Val Patenaude, who was the director of the Maple Ridge Museum from 1993 to 2020, passed away on Friday, May 16, at the age of 72, following a stroke.

A celebration of life will be held in the fall in Maple Ridge.

Read the full article here.

Commercial shipbuilding in the BC interior

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:32:03 GMT

The Marion was a 61 ft. passenger/freight vessel built near Golden in 1888. Built for the Upper Columbia River service, this vessel was transferred in 1897 to service Kootenay Lake. Photo: The Nauticapedia

An excerpt from the summer issue of British Columbia History

By Robert G. Allan

When thinking of shipbuilding in BC, you’d probably picture coastal cities and towns where, indeed, most BC ships have been built. The last place you’d imagine is the rugged Interior. However, look at the extensive array of lakes and rivers that subdivide this province and the major north-south transportation routes they represent—there must have been local vessel construction to serve these important travel and trading routes.

Ship construction in the Interior has seen cycles of activity over time, beginning with the gold rushes in the Yukon and in BC in the late nineteenth century, and then again when the oil exploration boom and potential pipeline construction in the 1960s and 1970s in the Northwest Territories resulted in vessels being built for operation in the northern rivers of BC and Alberta as well as in the Mackenzie River system.

Limiting this discussion to “commercial” vessels (as distinct from the numerous successful small pleasure-craft builders located in the Interior of BC), a review of shipbuilding activity in the BC Interior shows the following numbers and types of vessels recorded over the past 165 years.

The Lytton was a 131 ft. passenger/freight vessel built in 1890 for the Columbia and Kootenay Steam Navigation Company, in Nelson. In 1890, it was in service between Revelstoke and Little Dalles, WA. From 1897 to 1904 it was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Photo: Royal BC Museum and Archives

Passenger and freight vessels

Clearly the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s resulted in the most significant number of vessels built per decade, mostly on the shores of Bennett Lake. These vessels were described as “passenger/freight vessels” or “freighters,” and they ranged in length from about 30 to 160 feet (9 to 48 metres). Many vessels were also built in this period for other routes as the population in the Interior expanded. The busiest routes were on Okanagan Lake, the Columbia River, the Arrow Lakes, and the upper and lower Fraser River.

Images of vessels typical of this era clearly illustrate that many (but certainly not all!) were quite sophisticated vessels.

The Clifford Sifton was built in 1898 on Bennett Lake for the Dominion Steamboat Line. In 1900 the vessel was taken through the Whitehorse Rapids. In 1904, it was wrecked in an ice jam near Klondike City. Photo: The Nauticapedia

Steel barges and workboats

Freight-carrying vessels, mostly sternwheelers, dominated those early years; however, as steel construction became more widespread after the 1950s, many barges and smaller workboats were built in BC for local and northern projects. Interior fabricators were able to offer lower prices than conventional coastal shipyards, especially for simple vessels where “shipwright” skills were unnecessary. Barges generally only require good panel-welding capability, and no compound curvature or other “ship complexities” are involved. Many barges and a few simple tugboats were built by and for Streeper Brothers Marine Transport, who operated a shallow-draft barging service out of Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson into the Athabasca and Mackenzie River systems.

The images show larger working vessels that were built in the Interior during this busy period. Later, in the 1990s, a number of large logging truck ferries were built for trips across Babine and Williston Lakes.

The Argenta was a 92 ft. vessel built in 1900 at Mirror Lake, south of Kaslo. From 1900 to 1910, it was in service on Kootenay Lake. The vessel was broken up in 1910 and machinery and fittings sold. Photo: The Nauticapedia

Coastal vessels with roots in Salmon Arm

One interesting aspect of the Interior shipbuilding story is the construction of at least six west coast trollers in Salmon Arm between 1964 and 1969 by Ernest Wahl of the famed Wahl family, who built many dozens of highly regarded west coast fishboats from their yard in Prince Rupert. According to Ryan Wahl, “Indeed Ernest had a shop in Salmon Arm on the Shuswap. The boats were built and transported in sections and assembled at the coastal location, including Steveston, I believe.” [1]

The reason for this apparent anomaly is documented in Legacy in Wood, written by Ryan Wahl about the family's boat-building enterprise. The Wahl’s boat-building shop in Prince Rupert burned down in 1966 and to continue the business, Ernest Wahl purchased an old building in Salmon Arm: “It was a two-storey high chicken coup (sic). Like a place for raising chickens. And then he just ripped the top floor right out of it. It was probably 50 or 60 feet long and 20 feet wide.” [2] Boats were built there in sections, then trucked down to the Lower Mainland for final assembly and outfitting.

The Slocan was built in Rosebery in 1897. It was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was rebuilt in 1905 and operated until 1928. Photo: The Nauticapedia

Not built in the Interior

In addition to these “local” builds, many vessels which served in the Interior were built on the West Coast (or on the Great Lakes) and transported by truck or rail, usually in sections, then reassembled on the shores of the BC lake or river in their service areas. Despite the historic significance of some of these vessels, for the purposes of this article they don’t qualify as built in the Interior! This applies in particular to a number of ferries with long service histories in the Interior.

The Arctic Eagle (now RDV/Gator) was a pusher tug built in 1975 in Fort Nelson. Photo: The Nauticapedia

Sandy Point, a west coast troller built by Ernest Wahl in Salmon Arm in 1967. Photo taken in Nanaimo, 2020. Captain Ernest Greenaway (1929-2017) restored the Sandy Point in the 1990s and owned it until 2017. Photo: Shelley Greenaway

Preserved for history

Inland vessels currently preserved for public display were all built elsewhere and shipped to BC for assembly and operation. Though, thankfully, these vessels have been saved as a testament to the inland vessel operations in BC, unfortunately the builders have not been similarly acknowledged. However, even these vessels’ longterm survival is by no means assured.

The inland vessels which are currently preserved for historical purposes include the following:

SS Moyie

The Moyie is a sternwheeler built in 1898 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) that operated on Kootenay Lake from 1898 until 1957. Designated as a national historic site in Canada and on the BC Register of Historic Places, the Moyie is dry-berthed in Kaslo.

The SS Moyie had a lengthy career on Kootenay Lake, but has now been a museum longer than it was in service. Photo: Greg Nesteroff

The Moyie is the world’s oldest intact passenger sternwheeler, with registered dimensions of 161.7 ft. x 30.1 ft. x 5.1 ft. The hull was built by Bertram Iron Works of Toronto.

The upper works were built in BC by the CPR under the direction of J. Bulger at a build cost of $41,275. The SS Moyie is in the custody of the Kootenay Lake Historical Society. Given the vessel’s status as a National Historic Site, its long-term preservation is somewhat assured, but maintaining an old wooden vessel fully exposed to the elements is a significant challenge.

SS Naramata

The Naramata is a steel-hulled, steam-powered tugboat commissioned by the CPR and prefabricated in 1913 in Port Arthur (now part of Thunder Bay), Ontario, at a cost of $40,000. Assembled at the Okanagan Landing shipyard, the Naramata served the farmers and communities of Okanagan Lake towing barge-loads of fruit and other local produce to local markets and distribution centres, until being retired in 1967. It was subsequently dry-berthed in a sand berm in Penticton but has experienced hull deterioration. The tug was recognized in 1975 as a designated provincial heritage site.

Today the vessel’s caretaker, the SS Sicamous Marine Heritage Society, is focused on the preservation of the Naramata by raising the entire vessel out of the wet sand so the hull can be repaired and properly coated for long-term protection from the elements. Currently that work is not funded or assured.

The Naramata. Photo: Greg Nesteroff

SS Sicamous

SS Sicamous is a steam-powered sternwheeler built for the CPR in 1914 and used to transport passengers and cargo to communities along Okanagan Lake. The ship continued in that service until 1936.

Measuring 228 ft. x 40.0 ft. x 8.0 ft., the Sicamous was built at Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company shipyard in Port Arthur, transported by rail in sections, and reassembled at the Okanagan Landing shipyard. Today it is dry-berthed in Penticton and is functioning as a museum cared for by the SS Sicamous Marine Heritage Society. It is regrettably NOT recognized as a national historic site in Canada, so its longterm preservation rests on the goodwill of the City of Penticton and the patrons and supporters of the vessel.

The SS Sicamous was one of the three largest sternwheelers to ply inland waters. Photo: Greg Nesteroff

Merriwake

An historic vessel on a smaller scale is the coastal gillnetter Merriwake. The connection to the Interior is its historic association with the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, and the fact that it is now kept in the Kootenays as a tribute to its builders and original owners, from whom the boat was seized.

The following extract from the “Statement of Significance” by the Slocan Valley Historical Society well describes Merriwake’s story:

The Merriwake is a 9.4 metre single-screw Japanese Canadian gillnetter fishing boat of wooden construction. The heritage value of the Merriwake resides in its nationally important historical associations and in the physical properties of the vessel itself. It is valuable for being a rare surviving example of one of 1,137 coastal fishing boats owned and operated by Japanese Canadians that were confiscated by the federal government during World War II. It is also valuable for demonstrating the skilled craftsmanship within the large pre-war Japanese Canadian boat building industry. The boat was built on the BC North Coast in 1929 and was known as S.C. 73 and Sucia 2 before taking the name Merriwake. It was most likely built in Cow Bay in Prince Rupert, a centre of Japanese Canadian boatbuilding.… The construction of the boat has been attributed to the Matsumoto Family, one of the main fishing boat builders in 1920s and 1930s Prince Rupert. During Internment in the Slocan Valley during the Second World War the Matsumoto family used their carpentry skills to build many of the shacks that housed their fellow Japanese Canadians. [3]

After a life on the coast, Merriwake is currently owned by the Slocan Valley Historical Society.

The Merriwake prior to its restoration. Photo: Slocan Valley Historical Society

Register of historic vessels needed

This brief look into the once significant role that shipbuilding has played in the development of the interior of BC, and the lack of remaining evidence of that work highlights the absence of a central, focused department within the provincial or federal governments to preserve or even to document and celebrate the maritime history of this province. At present only the amazing database that is The Nauticapedia identifies the vessels that have helped to build this province. It is hoped that the creation of a formal register of historic vessels of BC and western Canada will go a long way to remedying that unfortunate situation.

Where are they now?

Given the extensive list of vessels built in the Interior, it is worth questioning what has become of them. The notes about many of the gold-rush era boats indicate quite clearly that the lives of these boats were typically short as they were lucky to survive the rugged and demanding river and lake service for even 20 years. After that, if the vessel was not wrecked, many became “barges” for miscellaneous cargoes, but frequently the records indicate the vessel was dismantled and the machinery reused. It is not apparent that any Interior-built vessels from before 1950 still exist.

Notes

[1] Ryan Wahl, personal communication with author, March 2025.

[2] Wahl, personal communication with author, March 2025.

[3] “Statement of Significance,” Slocan Valley Historical Society, 2020.

Robert G. Allan is an award-winning, third-generation naval architect, following his father and his grandfather, who began working as an independent consulting naval architect in BC in 1928. Robert is executive chairman of Robert Allan Ltd., the most senior company in its field in Canada, and well-regarded internationally. A graduate of the University of Glasgow, Robert is a registered professional engineer (retired) in BC, a Fellow of both the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. He is a recognized authority on escort tugboat design and has authored numerous papers and several texbook chapters on the subject of tugboat and workboat design.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:37:00 GMT

An excerpt from the Summer 2025 issue of British Columbia History.

By Mark Forsythe

1 Keep Calm and Buy Canadian

One of many posters and memes circulating on Canadian social media in defiance of the trade dispute with the US. Photo: CanadaMemes.com

A British wartime slogan has been rebooted during the Trump trade war launched against Canada. The original slogan, “Keep Calm and Carry On,” appeared in 1939 to raise morale as Britain faced the threat of invasions and bombings during the Second World War. It was one of three posters created by the Information Ministry and saw limited use at the time, but it was “rediscovered” at a bookstore in 2000 and quickly co-opted as an advertising slogan. Today it’s appearing in social media posts to promote buying Canadian products in reaction to punishing tariffs and threats to Canada’s sovereignty. Variations include “Keep Calm and Move to Canada” and “Keep Calm, I’m Canadian.”

2 New Beginnings

Katzie house post created by Carlyn Andres features a frog motif. It is one of four house posts in the main exhibition hall created by local First Nation artists. Photo: Mary Forsythe

The ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new museum and cultural complex came two years later than expected, but Fort Langley’s salishan Place by the River is finally in the hands of its staff, who are now moving the collection across the street from the old museum. The facility is a collaboration between the Township of Langley and local First Nations: Kwantlen, Matsqui, Semiahmoo and Katzie. The opening of the three-storey, 39,340 square foot (3,654 square metre) arts, culture, and heritage centre was delayed due to construction deficiencies. In the coming year salishan Place by the River will begin sharing settler and Indigenous stories. An Indigenous drum motif stamped into the floors welcomes visitors and symbolizes the human heartbeat. The new complex includes a Fraser Valley Regional Library branch and anchors an impressive cultural district that includes the BC Farm Museum (with its own expansion plans) and the Fort Langley National Historic Site.

3 Rebuilding at Telegraph Cove

Whale Interpretive Centre at Telegraph Cove, before the fire. Photo: killerwhalecentre.org

The largest public collection of marine mammal skeletons in the province was incinerated when fire tore through the Whale Interpretive Centre (WIC) at Telegraph Cove. The fire on New Year’s Eve also destroyed part of the Telegraph Cove Resort, which owns the museum space. However, their cabins and hotel remain standing and they are operating this summer. About a third of the historic boardwalk and other businesses were lost; both the resort and Whale Interpretive Centre are in the midst of rebuilding campaigns. The WIC’s collection of articulated skeletons was gathered and conserved over a 45-year period, highlighting local species like humpback, minke, killer whales, otters, and sea lions. Mary Borrowman, director and manager at the WIC says, “We are taking it one step at a time but we do plan on working with the owners of Telegraph Cove Resorts to rebuild.…The support from the North Island community has been amazing and also from all over the world. It is what is encouraging us to carry on and come back stronger.” Find campaign information for WIC at CanadaHelps.org: https://tinyurl.com/fyzun85w.

4 History Underfoot

Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria website banner. Photo: oldcem.bc.ca

“Learn about the famous, the infamous, the cruel, the gentle, the rich and the poor.”— Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria

A wander through a local cemetery with a knowledgeable, engaging guide at your side is a great way to soak up local history. The Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria offers a remarkable array of walking tours—most of them at the beautiful seaside Ross Bay Cemetery. If you’re visiting the capital this summer, hook up with their enthusiastic volunteers (a.k.a. taphophiles) for a tour. Sunday options include Murder Most Foul, Métis Connections, Victoria’s History in Songs and Sea Shanties (sung graveside at mariners’ plots), Detecting Queer Lives, Skeletons from Victoria’s Closet, Emily Carr Tour and more. Details about tours and other excursions can be found on the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria website: https://oldcem.bc.ca. Can’t get to Victoria? Watch more than a dozen tours on their Youtube channel: https://oldcem.bc.ca/tours/youtube/.

5 Stirring Up Ghosts

Stirring Up Ghosts homepage

Bruce Coughlan and his band, Tiller’s Folly, have been writing and singing songs about BC history for almost 30 years, travelling to schools and performance venues across the province. Their stories in song range from George Vancouver’s arrival at Spanish Banks and early encounters with First Nations, to voyageurs paddling the Fraser River and the exploits of gold rush figures like the Cariboo’s John Cameron. And there are ghosts, including Victoria’s Kitty O’Reilly.

Many years have come and have gone
A story’s told so the legend lives on
That a maid with a blue dress on
Still haunts the house by the harbour
And there, I fear the ghost of fare Kitty O’Reilly
Will haunt evermore

The songs and stories behind Tiller’s Folly are now gathered together by Coughlan on the website Stirring Up Ghosts, where you can read more about the people, places and events in Pacific Canadian history, heritage, and culture—and hear the songs performed. Have a listen: https://stirringupghosts.ca/stirring-up-ghosts. •

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Richmond Art Gallery explores hybrid forms of storytelling

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:10:10 GMT

Richmond Art Gallery presents two new summer exhibitions from now until Aug. 24. Curated by Rebecca Wang, The Roaming Peach Blossom Spring features Qiu Anxiong (Shanghai) and Howie Tsui (Vancouver) who find inspiration in ancient mythology and martial arts fiction. Curated by Zoë Chan, Enigmas & Dreams: Works on Paper by Alvin Jang & Anna Wong highlights two under-recognized local Chinese Canadian artists whose radically differing works embrace experimentation, improvisation, and the unconscious.

“The Roaming Peach Blossom Spring brings together for the first time the work of two contemporary artists that draw on the cultural legacy of the Song dynasty (960–1279), a period widely regarded as the pinnacle of artistic achievement in Chinese history,” says Wang.

“Richmond provides a unique context for this exhibition, as more than half of its population consists of Chinese immigrants and people of Chinese descent. While the cultural references may particularly resonate with the Chinese community, the compelling visual language offers an enriching experience for all visitors, as the works speak to prevalent global issues such as urbanization, ecological loss, and diaspora.”

Qiu Anxiong draws on the aesthetic and philosophical sensibilities of Song dynasty court and literati painting in his animated films, which adapt the earliest encyclopedic cosmography, Classic of Mountains and Seas (c. 400 BCE–200 CE). The exhibition will mark the first time all three films in his major series The New Book of Mountains and Seas (2006–2017) will be presented together in Canada.

Howie Tsui transposes the wuxia (martial arts fiction) world into his paintings, lightboxes, and videos. Gif Roulette (2020–ongoing) and Jumbo (2024)—both debuting in Vancouver—draw on looping fragments from the films and animations that shaped his youth, and extend the wuxia realm to the now-sunken floating restaurant Jumbo Kingdom in Hong Kong. Presenting the two artists’ distinct practices and perspectives, The Roaming Peach Blossom Spring explores the cultural complexity within shared ethnic identity and encourages dialogue across its diverse subgroups.

Enigmas & Dreams: Works on Paper by Alvin Jang & Anna Wong pair the work of two local artists. Alvin Jang presents two sci-fi-inspired series: The Colony (1982), which depicts a colourful world overrun by a dense population of worms, and Pillow Talk (2000), which evokes the surreal realities of hallucinations, dreams, and fantasies. These are accompanied by a series of abstract drawings and prints from the late 1960s, by the late Anna Wong. Bringing to light the hybridity of her visual vernacular, Wong’s work reveals the lively gesturality of Chinese brush painting and the experimental mark-making of Abstract Expressionism.

“I wanted to curate an exhibition that would work well in conversation with The Roaming Peach Blossom, and was drawn to both Alvin Jang and Anna Wong for their focus on drawings and their instinctive way of working,” says Chan.

“Alvin and Anna seem compelled to create through the relinquishment of logic, using each work instead to further experiment and play, rather than to stick to restricted, circumscribed paths. Eschewing straightforward interpretation, these enigmatic works resist fixed structures or finality in a really exciting way.”

She adds, “As deeply dedicated artists, both deserve much more recognition for their unique art-making and aesthetics. Jang has maintained a daily studio practice from his home in Steveston since the 1970s, while Wong, who grew up in Vancouver’s Chinatown, studied and taught at the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York for several years.”

Enigmas & Dreams also features a specially commissioned title wall by Brother Jopa, a Vancouver-based lettering artist, designer, and muralist, who specializes in hand-drawn typography and calligraphy.

A message from the new BCHF president

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 00:49:06 GMT

Sarah Lim is pictured at centre holding the microphone.

June is a vibrant month with a wide array of celebrations and festivities across the province including National Indigenous History Month, Pride Month, Dragon Boat Festival, and over in my hometown in Prince Rupert, the beloved Seafest Parade.

As someone born and raised on Ts’msyen territory, I was exposed to Indigenous worldviews and cultures at a young age that were different than those of my Chinese immigrant parents. This is one of the many reasons I was drawn to the mission of the BC Historical Federation and its commitment to public history.

To have the opportunity to uplift the often sidelined or hidden histories of a vast range of communities is a real honour; however, this is not without challenges. Stories of residential school denialism and the harm this causes survivors, their families, and their communities continue to emerge. While moments like these can be quite alarming and discouraging, they serve as a reminder that we must all continue to be vigilant, to learn, and to bring others along on the complex and challenging journey towards truth, healing, and acts of reconciliation.

As we begin a new year at BCHF, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Rosa Flinton-Brown for her leadership as BCHF President from 2022-2025, and who continues to do integral work as Treasurer. A special welcome to our new directors who have joined the 2025-26 board: Lorne Hammond, Chloe Heuchert, and Chad Soon.

I look forward to connecting with you over the next few years and to the work that lies ahead of us. Don’t hesitate to reach out and say hello!

Warm regards,

Sarah Ling
BCHF President

Summer Issue of British Columbia History coming soon

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 01:01:29 GMT

Coming soon to your email inbox or mailbox!

The summer edition of British Columbia History magazine features a theme of shipbuilding.

Stories include:

Commercial Shipbuilding in the BC Interior by Robert G. Allan.
Merriwake Update: Historic Japanese Canadian boat project sailing along by the Slocan Valley Historical Society.
Matsumoto Shipyard by Daien Ide.
Lost Lighthouses of the Arrow Lakes by Greg Nesteroff.
SS Sicamous Marine Heritage Society by Katie Pereira in conversation with Aimee Greenaway.
Shipbuilding in the West Kootenays and Okanagan: A Historical Overview by Michael Cone.
The Empress of Ireland and the Story of the Broken Ring by Sébastien Hudon.
The Nauticapedia's List of Ships Built in the Interior, 1890-2022 by John MacFarlane.

Plus we have regular contributions from Front Words columnist Mark Forsythe and books editor Dalys Barney, and Snuneymuxw Titumels William A. White reflects on the meaning of the visit of the Coast Salish cultural specialist Willie Pierre to the Nanaimo Museum.

Not yet a subscriber? You can purchase single issues of British Columbia History magazine online or receive all four annual issues by becoming a subscriber or member of the BC Historical Federation.

A photographic mass biography of First World War Japanese Canadian soldiers

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:59:24 GMT

By Debbie Jiang

I am honoured to receive a Centennial Legacy Fund grant from the British Columbia Historical Federation, for my work on a photographic mass biography of First World War soldiers of Japanese descent.

Since the day I led “Lest We Forget Cenotaph Research Project” workshops at Library and Archives Canada, I wanted to show students the ethnic diversity in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. What I discovered in aging yellowed envelopes was a paper trail of the history of a visible minority group’s political stance.

The Japanese Canadian community was eager to enlist in the Canadian army. The right to vote and equal rights were at stake. Is there among your ancestors a pioneering spirit who hoped for a better future for all Japanese Canadians by answering the call to arms?

Patriotic, they were keen to serve under the Anglo-Alliance of 1902 between Great Britain and the Empire of Japan – many of the soldiers upon immigrating to Canada were naturalized British subjects.

While there is a photographic honour roll of the fifty-five war dead, there does not yet exist a collection of photos of the remaining original Japanese Canadian volunteer soldiers. The battalion was organized and sponsored by Mr Charles Yasushi Yamazaki whose presentation trophy I helped save from the auction block last December. Writing these soldiers’ biographies is the simple part, unearthing the photos is the ultimate challenge. In order to do this, I am appealing to the public for help.

These warriors were very popular among their white comrades, and more than a few served as personal batmen to officers. King George V and Queen Mary took special interest in them on their hospital visits. Several had served in their youth as soldiers in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and were revered by the enemy. Many were married men with children – a complete anomaly compared to white soldiers, who were mostly between the ages of 18 and 25, single men.

The loss of life was heavy, with 25 per cent of the original battalion laying down their lives on foreign battlefields. They proved their loyalty to a country that would betray them twenty years after they returned home as heroes. Despite their service and sacrifice to Canada during the First World War, veterans whose battle honours include Vimy, Passchendaele, Arras and Hill 70, they were interned during the Second World War and several injuriously exiled to Japan in 1946.

Now, with the digitized archival government records made easily accessible by the Landscapes of Injustice initiative, the full story of internment and dispossession can be told. It is possible to piece together these soldiers’ stories post-Armistice.

Several went on to start farms on land that was granted to them via the Soldier Settlement Board, only to be stripped of them by the same board during the Second World War (to give to a white returning soldier). Others resumed their careers in the fishing industry only to have their boats confiscated and sold without consent in 1942.

How could a hero in one war be treated as an enemy alien in another? The irony is not lost on me and I endeavour to collect, preserve and tell the history of British Columbia, Canada and Japanese Canadian soldiers of the Great War.

The timing of compiling this mass biography project comes on the heels of advocacy work I have been doing. Last spring, I was successful in my bid to have the names of two fallen Japanese Canadian soldiers included on the City of Richmond’s cenotaph.Private Hikotaro Koyanagi and Private Kazuo Harada were finally recognized after over one hundred years of being forgotten.

Here are the names of soldiers whose photos I am searching for: Manza Araki, Kaiza Chiba, Seijiro Chiba, Chutaro Chujo, Taichi Fujii, Sataro Fuji, Yoshimatsu Fukaye, Yichimatsu Fukushima, Bunshiro Furukawa, Shinjiro Goto, Bunkichi Hamade, Teizo Hamamatsu, Saburo Harada, Mosaburo Hayashi, Tsunenejio Hirai, Takaji Hirota, Robert Rikuzo Hoita, Takezi Hoshizaki, Masakichi Ehara, Niichi Ikeda, Tomasaburo Inohara, Kandayu Inouye, Kosho Matano, Mosaki Iwasaki, Kinnosuke Iwasaki, Hirokichi Isomura, Shigeshi Iwashita, Sakuziro Izukawa, Takakichi Kaji, Otoji Kamachi, Tsurumatsu Kamei, Soichi Kanda, Kameji Katena, Katamasa Kato, Yoshio Kawai, Kinjiro Kawase, Kiichi Kimoto, Shigeru Kondo, Yeisaku Kubodera, Jennojo Kubota, Kuwajiro Matsuda, Nobio Matsuda, Zenkichi Matsumoto, Tamotsu Mikuriya, Tomejiro Miyagawa, Suketaro Miyahara, Eigoro Miyata, Noboru Murakami, Sakutaro Murata, Saburo Muto, Eijiro Nagai, Sasuke Nakagawa, Manichi Nakamura, Tomoyoshi Nakamura, Shigeji Nakata, Masaji Nakauchi, Takashi Namba, Tanizo Naruse, Masaru Nishijima, Yasunobu Nishimura, Tsunezo Nonaka, Ryotaro Obayashi, Tosabura Okutsu, Sentaro Omoto, Toshimitsu Omoto, Tomoichi Otsubo, Kantaro Saito, Yashichi Saito, Yasukichi (Yashichi) Sakamoto, James Den Sato, Saburo Sato, Yoshikatsu Sawada, Jinsiro Shiga, Kichiji Shimizu, Jihei Shimizu, Ichimatsu Shintani, Genseki Sobuye, Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Yasaku Tajino, Kanae Takahashi, Yasuo Takashima, Kanichi Tohana, Thomas Tomoda, Kiyozo Tomoguchi, James Jitsui Tsubota, Masataro Uyeda, Nobuichi Uyeda, Raymond Kenji Uyehara, Nobuhei (Nobuhu) Watanabe, Otojuro Yamamoto, Otamatsu Yamamoto, Zenkichi Yamasaki, Hiroma Yano, Torakichi Yasuda, Kaura Yoshihara, Matakichi Yoshikawa, Kazuo Yoshizawa.

As we mark the 80th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 2025, let Canadians know and remember that it would take four more years after 1945 for freedom to come to all interned and dispossessed people including veterans of the First World War.

On April 1, 1949, Japanese Canadians were finally able to freely move back to the coast of British Columbia. Today, we stand on the shoulders of these men; let us remember them by putting faces to their honoured names.

Please scan high resolution photos and email them to me at jcanadianscef@gmail.com by December 31, 2025. You will be acknowledged and given photo credit. Thank you for your kind assistance.

Forest stories told through art, artifacts at Nelson Museum

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:43:39 GMT

This summer, the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery invites visitors to experience the forest like never before—through the hands of artists, the lens of history, and the echoes of culture.

WOOD is a visually striking group exhibition featuring eight acclaimed contemporary artists from across Canada. From traditional birch bark biting to immersive audio/visual installation, sculpture, weaving, and carving, these artists showcase the incredible versatility of wood as both medium and message.

Participating artists include Peter von Tiesenhausen, Samuel Roy-Bois, Xiaojing Yan, Rita McKeough, Susan Point, Pat Bruderer, Stephen Noyes, and Nadia Myre. Together, they demonstrate how wood can shape—and be shaped by—cultural, environmental, and artistic identities.

The exhibition opens with a special artist panel on Friday, July 11, featuring many of the eight artists in conversation. A full-colour exhibition catalogue will also be released during the run of the show, offering deeper insight into the works and the ideas behind them.

The artists featured in WOOD bring a wide range of perspectives and practices to the exhibition.

Peter von Tiesenhausen is an Alberta-based artist known for his land-based works and environmental stewardship; his practice blends sculpture, installation, and performance to address themes of time and transformation.

Samuel Roy-Bois, originally from Quebec and now based in British Columbia, is celebrated for his large-scale installations that blur the boundaries between art, architecture, and everyday life.

Xiaojing Yan, a Chinese-Canadian artist, combines traditional Chinese materials like lingzhi mushrooms and ink with contemporary sculptural forms to explore cultural identity and transformation.

Rita McKeough, a beloved figure in Canadian media art, has spent decades creating immersive installations and sound works that fuse activism, humour, and empathy.

Susan Point, a Coast Salish artist from Musqueam, is internationally recognized for revitalizing Coast Salish design through contemporary wood carving, serigraphy, and public commissions.

Pat Bruderer (Half Moon Woman) is one of the few remaining practitioners of the ancient Indigenous art of birch bark biting and is a passionate cultural educator and knowledge keeper.

Stephen Noyes blends traditional woodworking with modern design, crafting refined objects that speak to place and material and using cedar gathered from both British Columbia and Washington state to craft the burden basket on display.

Nadia Myre, a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, is a multidisciplinary artist whose work in beading, sculpture, and participatory projects has been shown around the world, including a retrospective currently showing at the National Gallery of Canada, and the Biennale of Sydney. “The incredible challenge and compensatory reward of group exhibitions that illustrate the diversity of any given medium, such as WOOD, is that a vast landscape of past and present, traditional and contemporary, political and personal, and all points in between starts to be seen,” says Nelson Museum curator Arin Fay, “like the forest for the trees.”

Running concurrently in Gallery B is Deep Roots, an art/history exhibition that looks at the community’s connection to the forest, past and present. Through archival photographs, artifacts, contemporary artworks, film, and written reflections, Deep Roots reveals the ongoing relationship between people and place—and the many ways that connection has evolved over time.

Together, WOOD and Deep Roots invite visitors to reflect on the forest not just as a resource, but as a source: of creativity, memory, meaning, and identity. These exhibitions are more than the sum of their parts—they are a reminder that these multi-faceted stories, rooted in wood, are still growing.

Upcoming Vancouver Heritage Foundation walking tours

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:56:33 GMT

Vancouver Heritage Foundation has some walking tours coming up!

June 25 at 6 p.m and July 5 at 10 a.m.: Walking the Line with John Atkin

From 1891 to 1954, the BC Electric interurban Central Park Line ran between New Westminster and Vancouver. At its peak the Central Park Line operated with 16 Stations. Following some of those stations from west to east, this set of walks will be exploring the history, heritage and legacy of BC Electric interurban Central Park line. The June 25 tour will explore the area around the Lakeview Station and the July 5 tour the area around the Gladstone Station.

June 28 at 10 a.m.: Sunsets Sunny Slope with Rob Howatson

As the hill steepens, the neighbourhood lore deepens. Join native South Vancouverite Rob Howatson for a stroll around Lower Sunset, where quiet residential streets meet the noisy bustle of the city’s largest industrial area.

If you are interested please use the link here to register.

Johnson Group Benefits and Travel rebrand: Monday, June 30

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 18:56:30 GMT

Effective July 1, Johnson Insurance Group Benefits and Travel operations will come together with belairdirect and rebrand as belairdirect group benefits and belairdirect travel insurance, respectively.

To further support their system integration to belairdirect, their Group Benefits and Travel departments will be closed from Saturday, June 28 at 2 p.m. PST to Wednesday July 2 at 3:30 a.m. PST for planned system upgrades.

All services will resume on Wednesday, July 2.

LiterASIAN Festival 2025: “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act”

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:33:02 GMT

The 2025 LiterASIAN Festival arrives with the theme of "Origins," an exploration of heritage and resilience that reflects two significant milestones: the 30th anniversary of the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop and the centennial of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Join award-winning Chinese Canadian community historian, curator, and author Catherine Clement in exploring the human experience of the Chinese Exclusion Act as revealed through the stories of the lives it touched – and that are featured in her new book, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, June 28
Location: Chinese Canadian Museum (51 E. Pender St.)
Time: 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Cost (includes museum admission): $15/general admission visitor; free for CCM annual pass holders
*GST not included
Register: Registration link here
Book Pre-orders: Pre-order book here

Experience John Lennon’s Iconic Rolls-Royce

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:22:32 GMT

On display at the Royal BC Museum until mid-January, the 1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Touring Limousine features a vibrant, kaleidoscopic paint job that has become a fan favorite. This iconic car was used by the Beatles in 1965 when they drove to Buckingham Palace to receive medals from the Queen. Originally painted Valentine Black, Lennon had the car repainted in 1967 by artist Steve Weaver, who incorporated elements of the psychedelic era and Romany designs. This customization was completed just before the release of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Weaver used latex house paint for the design, which has proven vulnerable over time. The Royal BC Museum has carefully monitored the car’s paint condition and undertaken conservation efforts to preserve it.

In 1987, Jim Pattison generously donated the vehicle to the museum after its display at Expo '86 in Vancouver. The Rolls-Royce has remained in operational condition for over fifty years, with its powerful engine supporting the brakes—a necessary feature given its substantial weight of 3,000 kilograms.

This iconic car is part of the Museum’s exhibition, Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change, opening on May 30. The exhibition will feature artifacts that highlight music’s powerful role in social and political change, including items from Neil Young, Elton John, Tegan & Sara, and Chuck D of Public Enemy.

A Major Milestone for the Museum Renewal: REDIP Grant Brings Project to $5 Million Raised

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:08:34 GMT

ROSSLAND, BC – The Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre is thrilled to announce a significant milestone: a $1,000,000 grant from the Province of British Columbia through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP).

This grant supports the Museum’s ambitious “Elevate the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre: Heritage Hub & Economic Catalyst” project—an initiative designed to enhance infrastructure, expand year-round programming, and attract visitors to the region through a dynamic, inclusive, and immersive museum experience.

The REDIP funding underscores the Museum’s dual role as a steward of local heritage and a driver of regional economic diversification and cultural tourism. With this contribution, the project has now secured a total of $5 million toward its $5.9 million goal. The Museum continues to seek both financial and in-kind support to close the remaining gap.

“This generous support from the Province is a huge step forward for our community and our organization,” said Joelle Hodgins, Museum Director. “This investment builds on over a decade of community-driven planning and fundraising. We’re so close to fully realizing this vision and can’t wait to welcome visitors into the renewed Museum space next year.”

The multi-phase Renewal Project includes major capital upgrades and new interpretive features—most notably the immersive Mine Experience, which will bring Rossland’s rich industrial heritage to life through interactive, sensory-rich exhibits and expanded programming. Additional improvements include a reimagined entrance, enhanced accessibility, and flexible indoor and outdoor gathering spaces.

"The Rossland Museum is not just a great spot for tourists, but a pillar for the community that preserves important history and facilitates programming in the City of Rossland," said Steve Morissette, MLA for Kootenay-Boundary. "I'm grateful our government could support them in continuing to expand their services so their impact can be felt for years to come!"

The REDIP grant reflects the province’s commitment to long-term, sustainable community development. The Rossland Museum project was one of just 80 initiatives selected this year for its strong economic and cultural impact.

The Museum is deeply grateful to the Province of British Columbia and all the generous supporters who have brought the project this far—including Teck Trail Operations, Columbia Basin Trust, BC Arts Council, Heritage BC, the Raymond Gaudert Estate, and numerous individual donors, sponsors, and community organizations.

As the project enters the final design and early construction phases, the Museum welcomes additional contributions to help close the final funding gap.

To learn more or support the project, visit www.rosslandmuseum.ca/renewal

BCMA Webinar: Searching for our Heritage with the Government of Yukon

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 17:51:03 GMT

Wednesday, June 18th, 2025

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm PT

Access is one of the largest barriers to repatriation. The Government of Yukon's Searching for our Heritage project locates artifacts of Yukon First Nations origin housed in museums around the world, helping to facilitate research and ultimately return belongings home.

Join the BCMA and Cathy Ritchie, Collections Management Advisor for the Government of Yukon, to learn about the Searching for our Heritage Database, how it came to be, explore how it can be used, and discuss its successes and challenges.

VIDEO: Pentecostal Preacher Woman: The Faith and Feminism of Bernice Gerard

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 00:08:09 GMT

In the video below, Linda Ambrose, author of Pentecostal Preacher Woman: The Faith and Feminism of Bernice Gerard (2024, UBC Press) presents at the BC Historical Federation's annual conference on May 3 in Williams Lake. Ambrose provides a summary of her book, the winner of the 2025 Lieutenant Governor's prize for historical writing.

Bernice Gerard (1923-2008) was an evangelical pastor, talk-show host, university chaplain, municipal politician, and a musician. The book explores her multifaceted life describing her as one of the most influential spiritual figures of twentieth-century British Columbia, whose complicated blend of social conservatism and social compassion has lessons for our polarized times.

Based on Rev. Gerard’s personal archives and life writing, Pentecostal Preacher Woman foregrounds her own voice to trace the complex evolution of a conservative woman’s ideas about faith and society.

Reflections from the BCHF’s outgoing president

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 20:27:25 GMT

BCHF president Rosa Flinton-Brown (pictured) presented a speech at the awards dinner at the annual conference in Williams Lake on May 5.

Rosa's recent remarks reflect her understanding of the critical nature of our work, the current threats to the historical record and how we can support each other in it. An excerpt is below.

Rosa will remain with the BCHF in her role as past president/treasurer for the next three years. She is very excited to support Sarah Ling, an excellent historian and experienced leader, as she takes over the presidency of the BCHF.

While I am not a historian myself, my involvement in this organization has deepened my appreciation for the members of the BCHF. Public historians are the architects of our social fabric. The work you do transcends academic interest—it weaves together the disparate threads of individual lives, community experiences, and cultural traditions. When you recover forgotten voices and overlooked narratives, you help create a more complete understanding of who we are as a society. In an era of fragmentation and division, this work of connection and contextualization has never been more essential.

As we learn more about what has been happening across the border over the last 100 days, we are reminded, once again, of a very sobering reality. We must confront an uncomfortable truth: history is fragile. It can be lost, altered, or deliberately erased. We have witnessed this in our own province, where certain narratives—particularly those of Indigenous peoples—were systematically suppressed by government policies. The residential school records that disappeared. The documents regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act that are just now becoming available for the first time. The countless women's stories never deemed worthy of official record.

These are not just gaps in our archival collections; they are wounds in our collective memory. They remind us that history is never neutral—it reflects power structures and priorities. Current events underscore the ethical responsibility that comes with this work. When we preserve the past, we are making a statement about what deserves to be remembered.

Archives and record-keeping are acts of resistance as much as they are acts of preservation. The digital revolution has transformed our field in ways that expand our reach and capabilities, allowing us to safeguard deteriorating materials and make collections accessible beyond physical walls. But these advances also create new vulnerabilities—digital decay, format obsolescence, the overwhelming volume of information being created daily. Meeting these challenges requires not just technological solutions but institutional commitment and public support.

And now a terrifying new challenge, that a government can choose to erase large swaths of these digital archives with relative ease. How do we, as a historical community, speak out and act to avoid the mistakes of the past? How do we build meaningful relationships across borders to allow for a replication of records, a duplication of archives to ensure that the historical record cannot be “disappeared”?

Throughout this weekend, we have experienced together that peculiar mixture of sadness and revelation that comes with uncovering difficult histories. There is genuine grief in confronting the violence and exclusion that mar our provincial story.

Yet there is something profoundly healing in this work. When you recover silenced voices and forgotten experiences, you open the possibility of a more honest reckoning with who we have been—and who we might become. There is redemption in truth-telling, even when the truths are painful. There is dignity in remembering, even when the memories are difficult.

This tension between sorrow and enlightenment is at the heart of what historians and storykeepers do. You dwell in this space not because you enjoy discomfort, but because you believe that a society can only move forward when it has fully acknowledged where it has been.

Tonight, as we celebrate achievements in your field, let's also celebrate each other and the community you've built together. In a profession that often involves solitary hours in archives or behind computer screens, you sustain each other. As we enjoy this evening and the year ahead, let's continue supporting one another in this vital work. Let's share our successes, learn from each other's approaches, and remember that while our individual projects matter tremendously, it's our combined effort that truly preserves the fullness of British Columbia's story.

Thank you all—not just for being here tonight, but for the work you do every day to ensure that our history endures in all its complexity, challenge, and wonder.

Restored Revelstoke gravemarker highlights Japanese-Canadian history

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 20:07:12 GMT

A restored gravemarker has been dedicated in Revelstoke for Jennie Kiohara, a young Japanese-Canadian woman murdered 120 years ago.

If you missed it ... see the BCHF annual report here!

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 20:06:43 GMT

The BCHF's annual report highlights the important work of the organization for the 2024-25 fiscal year. We hosted an amazing conference, delivered four excellent BC History magazines and honoured writers, historians and projects with awards and grants. All the details are here: 2025-annual-report-bchf.pdf

Please take special note of the financial statements. The treasurer's report (page 20) details the necessity of increasing subscription and membership fees to meet the rising costs of the print magazine. The motion to increase membership fees was passed at the annual general meeting on May 2. If you have any clarifying questions or concerns, please contact Rosa at treasurer@bchistory.ca.

How Sonny McHalsie changed the Fraser Valley’s understanding of itself

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:42:59 GMT

After more than 40 years, Albert (Sonny) McHalsie (seen above during a BCHF field trip in 2024) has retired as a cultural advisor and Sxweyxwiyam from the Stó:lō Resource and Research Management Centre after more than 40 years.

Read more in the Fraser Valley Current.

Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra awarded $2,500 from Centennial Legacy Fund

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 22:54:28 GMT

Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra of Belonging Matters Consulting is the recipient of a BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund award in the amount of $2,500.

The funds will support research, design, and curation of a project called Pyaar and Basketball - Exploring Heritage, History, and the Brownness of Basketball in BC.

The project merges a basketball tournament and a story exhibit as a means to bring racialized youth into the cultural landscape of BC history.

A basketball tournament proposed in Surrey, BC will be set against the backdrop of story telling panels and imagery highlighting the significant contribution of Punjabis and Filipino communities in BC's diaspora within the sport in solidarity with the foundations of Black identities to the sport.

VIDEO: The Hidden journals - a Coast Salish Family Story

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 17:48:57 GMT

In 1791, Captain Vancouver and Third Lieutenant Joseph Baker, along with other officers and crew, set sail from Falmouth Harbour in England, for a 5 year journey to find the North West Passage.

This Coast Salish family story weaves together primary source narratives, personal recollections, knowledge keeper voices, and new revelations. It shows how and why Vancouver's journals were suppressed when he returned to England. The journal descriptions of the high level relationships and alliances with the Indigenous people they were meeting were redacted and kept from later historical materials which then informed educational textbooks. This is a re-interpretation of the story of those times, through an Indigenous lens. Baker and Tasi's research into primary archives and oral knowledge around the world is a significant contribution to reconciliation, and correcting an injustice.

Watch the full video here.

Register your site to participate in Historic Places Days

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 17:45:47 GMT

Historic Places Days is July 11-20, 2025

From the National Trust for Canada:

"Join hundreds of historic sites across Canada for the ninth annual Historic Places Days! This nationwide event invites you to help shine a spotlight on historic places from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Sites like monuments, cultural landscapes, geocaches, and more are welcome to register!

Over 900 historic places participated last year, and we are poised to reach even more places and people across Canada.

Learn more about Historic Places Days and register today!

New for Historic Places Days 2025

This year we invite you to share stories from arts, crafts, storytelling and artistry that connects us to our past. From intricate woodwork, textiles weaving, Indigenous traditional crafts, music, and more. Exploring historic places through the lens of craftsmanship and creativity allows us to not only admire their beauty but also celebrate the enduring legacies that continue to inspire and evolve.

Please contact historicplacesdays@nationaltrustcanada.ca for further information."

VIDEO: Cataline - King of the Packers by Dr. Lorne Hammond

Thu, 29 May 2025 03:11:54 GMT

Dr. Lorne Hammond, retired curator at the Royal British Columbia Museum, takes us on a journey through the Cariboo, following the legends of the packer, “Cataline.”

Cataline (Jean Caux) was one of the most famous packers who ran trains of horses or mules in British Columbia. Pack trains delivered materials required to live and work, and were vital to the building of railways, roads, and telegraph lines. Hammond explains how the pack trains followed trails created by Indigenous peoples and later by fur trading companies, to reach settlements in rugged terrains including Barkerville.

Presented at the BCHF Conference in Williams Lake, May 2025.

Watch the full video here.

"Umami: Savouring Artistic Nikkei Identity" Exhibit Opening

Thu, 29 May 2025 02:55:27 GMT

Art by Reiko Pleau for "Umami"

From Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre:

"In our 25th anniversary year at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC), we celebrate artists of Japanese ancestry with the Umami: Savouring Artistic Nikkei Identity exhibition from February through September in the Karasawa Gallery.

Just as “Umami” represents the rich and complex layers of flavour in cuisine, this exhibition delves into the depth and richness of nikkei artistic identity. Featuring a diverse range of artists, from emerging to established, including Japanese Canadian Legacies Art fund awardees. From traditional to contemporary art practice, the Umami exhibition shares the rich essence of our Japanese Canadian creative community.

Anchoring the full run of the exhibition is an interactive heritage inspired contemporary multi-media installation by Annie Sumi and Brian Kobayakawa called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is best known as a traditional Japanese technique of mending ceramics with gold. Annie and Brian’s Kintsugi conceptually mends broken and shattered experiences of what it means to be Canadian of Japanese ancestry through original music and spoken word activated by the visitor manually manipulating a Singer sewing machine that survived the era of Japanese Canadian internment and dispossession.

In Part 2, we introduce Molly JF Caldwell, the estate of Yoshiko Hirano, Marlene Howell, Vivien Nishi, and Reiko Pleau. All of the artists investigate Japanese Canadian experience in their own style and media. Caldwell reimagines vintage textiles. Hirano, a long-term resident of Nikkei Home honed her skill in sumi-e. Howell paints for the love of her heritage and sometimes dark history. Nishi honours her father’s internment era experience with manga-like illustrations, and Pleau mines the complex history and connection to her maternal ancestors."

Visit the exhibit's website page here.

VIDEO: Beneath Dark Waters - The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck

Thu, 29 May 2025 02:51:57 GMT

Author Eve Lazarus describes the shocking tragedy of the Empress of Ireland, which sank near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in 1914 with the loss of more than thousand lives, and her connections to the story, including her deep-dive research into the victims and survivors from all across Canada.

Watch the full video from the Vancouver Historical Society here.

VIDEO: Always on Call - Adventures in Nursing, Ranching and Rural Living with Marion McKinnon Crook

Wed, 21 May 2025 17:02:23 GMT

Marion McKinnon Crook received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Seattle University (although a Canadian from the Fraser Valley) and worked as a public health nurse in the Cariboo until 1986 and in the Fraser Valley until 1989. Those were the days of treacherous roads, severe and dangerous weather and wide-spread populations. Her original nursing district encompassed 3,600 square miles. During her nursing career in the Cariboo, she wrote and published with trade publishers: ten novels for young adult and middle grade readers. She also researched, wrote and published non-fiction around teen problems such as suicide, eating disorders and adoption.

Her memoirs Always on Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching and Rural living and Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin have proven to be popular reads. She is presently working on a biography, Bloomsbury to Barkerville: The Life of Miss Florence Wilson.

Marion presented at the British Columbia Historical Federation's annual conference in Williams Lake, May 3, 2025.

Watch the full video here.

Museum of Vancouver Re-Opening Feature Galleries

Wed, 21 May 2025 16:49:25 GMT

Half of the Museum of Vancouver’s galleries have been closed since September 2024 as HVAC upgrades were implemented in the 1960s-era building. But on June 20, 2025, three new exhibitions will open:

The Work of Repair: Redress & Repatriation at the Museum of Vancouver
Deep-Seated Histories: Chairs from the Collection
Future Makers: Chairs by New Designers

Whether you’re a regular, a first-time visitor, or someone who hasn’t been to the Museum of Vancouver in years, there is something fresh and engaging for everyone this spring,” says newly appointed CEO Ryan Hunt. “From exploring the history of Vancouver through chairs, to reflecting on how the Museum is working to redress harms, to giving a platform for future makers to share their innovative work, you will find something to inspire you at MOV.”

To learn more about each of the new exhibits visit the MOV's website.

VIDEO: The Francophone Ranchers of the BC Interior Plateau, 1860s to 1870s with Maurice Guibord

Tue, 20 May 2025 23:13:03 GMT

Maurice Guibord from the Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique makes a presentation at the annual conference of the British Columbia Historical Federation, May 2, 2025.

In 2019, the SHFCB received a grant from Digital Museums Canada to launch onsite research in the Cariboo and the Okanagan on the history of Francophones who launched ranches in those regions in the 1860s-70s, to hold oral history interviews with the descendants of these families, and to create from the results a bilingual digital exhibition available on the website of DMC, in both official languages.

The eight families that became the focus of the project are, in alphabetical order: Boucherie, Guichon, Isnardy, Lequime, Minnaberriet, Patenaude, Pigeon, and Versepuech. They were not the only Francophones to have established ranches in the B.C. interior, but they stood out in the research, both in their historical presence during those decades but also in the contributions of their descendants in a wide array of fields.

The history of these ranches, it must be stressed, is a history of colonization, of the establishment of businesses and industries, then of villages and towns, on lands appropriated from First Nations. Still, you will see how the Indigenous members of these families found their respective places, then as well as more recently, during their historical journeys. It is indeed from these families that we have been directed to disseminate the facts unearthed during this project.

The presentation includes new and sometimes staggering facts that came to light during the project, where members of mixed ancestry triumphed over a succession of difficult paths.

Watch the full video here.

Call for Applications 2025 Terry Reksten Memorial Fund

Tue, 20 May 2025 23:10:52 GMT

It's that time of year again, applications are now open for the Terry Reksten Memorial Fund (TRMF)!

The Friends of the BC Archives (FBCA) administers the Terry Reksten Memorial Fund, which honours the popular BC historian who passed away in 2001. The Terry Reksten Memorial Fund offers two (2) grants of $2000 each to community archives, historical associations, or museums. The grants are intended to assist in acquiring, preserving, indexing, and/or disseminating archival material relating to BC and its regions.

For application information or to learn more about Terry Reksten and her legacy, visit the FBCA Website.

Applications to the TRMF will be accepted until June 17, 2025.

Phyllis Webstad shares story at historical conference in Williams Lake

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:20:53 GMT

Just over six years since she began speaking her truth full-time, Phyllis Webstad shared her story during her keynote speech for the 2025 BC Historical Federation Conference in Williams Lake.

“Life can be understood backward but must be lived forward,” said Webstad as she spoke about coming to peace with the past.

Webstad presented to about 35 people in the afternoon of the conference’s first full day of events. She shared stories from her childhood and talked about living off the land with her granny before attending residential school.

Read the full article here.

In Memoriam: Cheryl Entwistle

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:12:33 GMT

It is with sadness we have learned of the passing of Cheryl Entwistle on Jan 27, 2025

Cheryl was a good friend to many within the BC History of Nursing community. Her enthusiasm for participation, wearing costumes and setting up displays at nursing events was already appreciated. Cheryl was a true, thoughtful, kind friend and advocate for Nursing.

Cheryl entered Regina General Hospital School of Nursing and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1965. Following graduation, she accepted a staff position at Riverview General Hospital in Calgary. Cheryl moved to Vancouver in 1978 to take up a faculty position at the University of British Columbia. During her UBC years she was a Lecturer, Clinical Instructor and Director of the Learning Resource Centre. Cheryl completed her Masters Degree in Education in 1984. Following graduate studies she was rehired to UBC faculty, serving in various management positions. In the final years of her distinguished teaching career, she was appointed Director of the Post RN Program. She retired in 2009.

Cheryl’s professional involvement included executive positions with the British Columbia History of Nursing Society (BCHNS) and with the Canadian Association for University Schools of Nursing (CAUSN). She made valuable contributions to these organizations and planning of national conferences. Cheryl was largely responsible for the presentation of the opera Florence Nightingale, The Lady with the Lamp in 2006 and coordinated the joint presentation between BCHNS and The Canadian Association for the History of Nursing to an international gathering of nurses from around the world. Cheryl was also involved and contributed to the National Organization of Nurse Educators, the Distance Education Organization, and the Nursing Laboratory Educators. Many nursing colleagues and students have benefited from Cheryl’s deep commitment to professional nursing.

The BCHF extends its heartfelt condolences to Cheryl's friends, family, and the many people who mourn her passing.

belairdirect Scholarship

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:08:00 GMT

This year, Belair Insurance Company Inc. (“belairdirect”) is pleased to offer 50 scholarships worth $1000. To apply, the student must be:

a resident of a province or territory of Canada
completing high school in 2025;
have a minimum cumulative average of 75% over the last three terms of available marks
be enrolled in an undergraduate program on a full-time basis for the 2025-2026 academic year at a recognized publicly funded Canadian post-secondary institution or CEGEP (if living in the province of Quebec).

Applications are due by July 15th, 2025. For more information, and how to apply, please download this PDF.

Revelstoke Museum and Archives receives Storytelling Award

Wed, 07 May 2025 15:40:27 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation has awarded the Revelstoke Museum and Archives with its Storytelling Award for their Brown Bag History bi-weekly lecture series.

The Storytelling Award recognizes excellence in storytelling in non-print formats, including in-person presentation, audio, visual and digital mediums.

A long-standing program which has been running since 2003, the Brown Bag History program covers a wide variety of subjects related to the history of Revelstoke and the surrounding the area.

The program is praised for its depth of research and its focus on telling inclusive histories which highlight the diversity of the Revelstoke region.

Hosted by curator Cathy English, with occasional guest speakers, Brown Bag History has spanned more than 400 talks to date. Since 2020, the talks have been added to the Revelstoke Museum and Archives’ YouTube Channel. (You can watch a recent installment above.)

The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday and comes with a $500 prize and a certificate.

Agassiz-Harrison Museum, Revelstoke Museum win Cultural Resource Accessibility Award

Wed, 07 May 2025 15:21:49 GMT

Ruth Moffat at work on the digitization project at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum.

The Agassiz-Harrison Museum and the Revelstoke Museum and Archives will share the BCHF Cultural Resource Accessibility Award.

The Agassiz-Harrison Museum is being recognized for its recent digitization project, which has resulted in improved online access to the organization’s archival and newspaper holdings, including the Agassiz Record, Agassiz Observer and Agassiz Advance between 1923 and 1958. The project furthers the reach of researchers and students learning about the region’s past.

The Revelstoke Museum and Archives is being acknowledged for its accessibility project. Led by Rachael Lewis, the project which developed a range of tools, including sensory kits and audio tours, for visitors with diverse abilities. The project helps Revelstoke’s history and collections become more accessible to all visitors.

The Cultural Resource Accessibility Award honours excellence in cultural resource management which connects British Columbians with their history and highlights steps being undertaken by communities to improve visibility and access to British Columbia’s cultural resources.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday. The organizations split the $500 award prize and received certificates.

Golden Museum honoured with BCHF Advocacy Award

Wed, 07 May 2025 15:08:16 GMT

Brittany Newman of the Golden Museum and Archives

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce that the Golden Museum and Archives has been awarded the BCHF Advocacy Award for the museum’s solar panel project.

The Advocacy Award recognizes initiatives and projects undertaken within the museum and heritage sector which aim to create positive change within the world.

The Golden Museum and Archives recently undertook building upgrades with the goal of bringing the organization’s power usage to net zero. The project, which will be accompanied by a display informing visitors both about the solar panel system and current energy production levels, is being recognized for its active, forward-thinking approach to climate change and demonstrates environmental sustainability within the heritage sector in British Columbia.

The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday and comes with $250 and a certificate.

Honourable mentions were awarded to Madison Bridal and Jazmin Hundal of the British Columbia Museum Association for their work developing the IBPOC Cultural Professionals Network.

Award of Recognition: Cathy English

Wed, 07 May 2025 14:30:00 GMT

Cathy English

Cathy English is the recipient of a BCHF Award of Recognition.

Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.

English is being recognized for her long, exemplary service at the Revelstoke Museum and Archives. Curator at the Museum for more than 40 years, Cathy has become synonymous with history and heritage in the city.

Her approach, which focuses on bringing Revelstoke to the forefront in a way that is robust and inclusive of all, has allowed for the uncovering of stories from underrepresented communities in Revelstoke.

English is also being recognized for her dedication to teaching and guiding young professionals and youth, having actively mentored hundreds of students, interns and emerging professionals new to the heritage sector.

The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday.

Award of Recognition: Deborah Chapman

Wed, 07 May 2025 14:15:12 GMT

Deborah Chapman giving a cemetery tour.

Deborah Chapman is the recipient of a BCHF Award of Recognition.

Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.

Longtime curator and archivist of R.J. Haney House in Salmon Arm, Chapman has been the backbone of the historic site for 35 years.

Throughout this time, she has undertaken countless projects to operate and improve the historic site, which is a cornerstone of the region.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday.

Award of Recognition: Dr. Stephen Davies

Wed, 07 May 2025 13:47:02 GMT

Dr. Stephen Davies of Vancouver Island University is the recipient of a BCHF Award of Recognition.

Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.

Dr. Davies is being recognized for the creation of “The Canadian Letters & Images Project,” which has scanned and made more than 40,000 war letters sent by Canadian soldiers from the warfront back to Canada available to the public. His work on the project, which has spanned more than 25 years, has given voice to thousands of Canadian War Veterans. The project is available online through https://www.canadianletters.ca.

he award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday.

Doukhobor jam factory story wins Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award

Mon, 05 May 2025 17:14:51 GMT

Jonathan Kalmakoff

A story examining the short life of a Boundary industry has won the BC Historical Federation’s Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award.

“The Doukhobor Jam Factory at Grand Forks,” by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff, appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of British Columbia History magazine. It was chosen by a panel of judges from among 20 eligible articles published in the magazine last year.

The story examined the events that led to the construction of the factory in 1935 and its demise after just 10 days of production. One judge called it “deeply researched” and said it is “more than the history of a jam factory. It answers questions about a major factor in the complex fiscal collapse of the Doukhobor colonies and the eventual sale of communal lands.” Another called it “a fascinating look at a lesser-known bit of history.”

“It was such a privilege to submit this article to BC History and to serve as guest editor of the issue in which it appeared,” Kalmakoff said.

“In writing it, my hope was to reorient the historical narrative about Doukhobors, in a small but meaningful way, from being a ‘problematic’ people, unable to escape the debate associated with their suitability as Canadians, to being ‘province-builders’ who made a significant collective contribution to the growth and development of British Columbia.”

Kalmakoff is a Regina lawyer, researcher, and writer. He is the creator of the Doukhbor Heritage website at doukhobor.org and a leading authority on Doukhobor heritage in Canada. He is a past recipient of a BCHF Centennial Legacy Grant to support his research into land titles and Doukhobor-owned property.

The award was announced Saturday during the BCHF’s awards gala in Williams Lake and comes with $250 and a certificate. Honorable mentions were also presented to Catherine Clement for “A Match Not Made in Heaven,” and Wayne Norton for “A Question of Perspective: James Harold Trigg’s First World War Internment Photographs.”

Philip Yandle was the founder, editor, publisher, printer, binder, and distributor of the BC Historical News (now BC History) from 1968 to 1977. His wife Anne Yandle was also very active in BC Historical News for almost 40 years and served as its book reviews editor. In 2007, the BCHF renamed its Best Article Award Award in honor of the Yandles.

PRE-ORDER NOW: "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act" by Catherine Clement

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 23:52:12 GMT

On June 24, 2025 to celebrate the launch of community historian, curator, and author Catherine Clement’s new book, "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act".

Building on the stories in the award-winning exhibition of the same name and exploring the lives of dozens more who lived through the Exclusion Act, this book presents an unflinching look at a monumental and shameful chapter in Canada’s origin story.

"The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act" is now available for pre-order through the Chinese Canadian Museum's website for in-person pick-up on or after the book’s release on June 24. Pre-order now to reserve your copy in time for this launch event and get it specially signed by author Catherine Clement.

Shipping options are available through external retailers.

RSVP for the book launch here.

EVENT: Chinese Canadian Genealogy Resources

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 23:02:05 GMT

When: May 29th, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Where: Virtual/Online

Cost: Free

Are you interested in learning about Chinese Canadian genealogy and family history resources?

Join us for a workshop online or in-person on resources for Chinese Canadian genealogy. In this special joint presentation, we will hear from the experts at both Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Vancouver Public Library. You will learn how to access and search digitized resources on the LAC website, including census, immigration and other records, and discover genealogy resources available at Vancouver Public Library. By the end of this presentation, you will have the tools needed to begin researching your own family history.

Saving vital Canadian films - new collection offers rich portrait of 1920s working class history

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:54:55 GMT

From the BC Labour Heritage Centre:

"The new collection of virtually unknown archival films, including many featuring work and workers, is being saved on the website "The Moving Past". The films are from as early as 1917 when such productions were silent, but background music has been added to the restored versions.

The value of these films lies in critical viewing. Industry is shown through the "lens of the state". Workers are blamed for unsafe practices. Images of masculinity, femininity, white settler culture, morality and well-heeled tourism steer audiences away from thoughts of radicalism and social critique.

David Sobel is the force behind The Moving Past, which aims to save the films from deterioration by digitizing and sharing as many as possible."

In the collection is "Fresh From The Deep" (1922), a 4 minute silent film that follows halibut fishers on the North Coast of B.C. to the canneries of Prince Rupert Harbour. You can watch "Fresh From The Deep" here.

VIDEO: "What's not to love about the Vancouver Special?" with Dr. Jennifer Chutter

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:48:59 GMT

Jennifer Chutter explores the history of the Vancouver Special house – who designed it and how it responded to the need for a larger affordable house for a changing cultural demographic, especially in East Vancouver. She delves into the opposition it created in neighbourhoods and at City Hall, leading to its "banning" in the 1980s after almost 20 years of it being the most popular housing style in parts of the city.

Watch the full video here.

EVENT: Watercooler Wednesday - May 7th

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:45:54 GMT

The British Columbia Museum Association is bringing back Watercooler Wednesday! Connect with Museum, Gallery and Heritage professionals from across British Columbia. Gather around the digital watercooler to catch up, chat, ask questions and seek advice.

Learn more here.

De-escalation & Harm Reduction Toolkit for Museums, Heritage, and Cultural Institutions

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:43:53 GMT

The British Columbia Museum Association (BCMA) has released a De-escalation and Harm Reduction toolkit as part of their Safety+ resource collection.

From the BCMA:

"Museum and cultural workers all over BC have expressed feeling unprepared to respond to crisis situations involving community members and patrons experiencing emergencies, especially those relating to mental health crisis and drug overdose. This toolkit is meant to provide workers with the knowledge and tools to assess and respond to emergencies while feeling safe and empowered. Our intention is to share a resource that can initiate discussions within your workplace so that your organization can take a collective commitment to life-affirming and humanizing practices whenever possible. We hope this supports you to be in service to your community and move from a place of love!"

The toolkit can be accessed here.

Hundreds of items returned to First Nations in Vancouver Museum’s ongoing repatriation process

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:39:26 GMT

Photo: Sierra William, Loretta Jeff and Chantu Williams with three of the 29 qatŝ’ay (coiled root baskets) that were repatriated and are now back in Tŝilhqot’in territory.

In 1974, the remains of a Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation ancestor that had been donated to the Museum of Vancouver seven years earlier were returned to the Cape Mudge Reserve, on the southern tip of Quadra Island, to be respectfully reburied.

It was long before museums around the world would collectively recognize the ethical imperative to return culturally and historically significant Indigenous objects to their rightful owners.

It would be another two decades before the museum would carry out another transfer of this nature, with the return of a collection of archaeological belongings to the Secwepemc Heritage Park, but by the early 2000s, when a new policy was officially added to its collections procedure, the ripple effect of repatriation was in full swing.

Since then, the museum has returned home a total of 384 belongings and 59 ancestors, says Sharon Fortney, the museum’s senior curator of Indigenous collections, engagement and repatriation.

They include repatriations to Indigenous communities in both B.C. and far-flung countries, including the return of a Korowai cloak to New Zealand’s Māori in 2010 and 255 belongings and ancestral remains to the Saginaw Chippewa in the United States in 2012.

Read the full article here.

EVENT: IBPOC Tea & Talk (Virtual)

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 16:44:53 GMT

Brew yourself a cup of tea and sit down with Jazmin and Madison to chat, seek advice, and get to know other cultural professionals of colour.

These sessions are always free, and don’t require registration.

*A gentle reminder that these sessions are for folks who identify as Indigenous, Black, or a Person of Colour. Thank you for respecting this affinity space.*

Learn more here.

Horn heist: B.C. train museum gets railroaded by targeted thefts

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 16:37:03 GMT

Brian Wich is a self-described "train nut."

He is also the park manager of the Central Railway and Forestry Museum in Prince George, a city in north-central B.C.

Wich says the museum had been warned that one of its priceless artifacts — a vintage Nathan M5 Airchime Train Horn was at risk of being stolen.

He says pictures of the horn were found circulating on a Discord server in the United States.

"The fellow that saw it there actually phoned a friend of his up here who is a collector, who then immediately phoned us and warned us that perhaps our horn was in jeopardy," said Wich.

The museum staff immediately tried to remove the horn for safekeeping from its position atop a locomotive but couldn't because the bolts were rusty.

When they returned the next day with the right tools to remove it, they discovered it had been stolen in the middle of the night.

Read the full article here.

Kelowna Museum exhibit highlights Japanese Canadian dispossession

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:51:06 GMT

A new exhibition is shedding light on the personal histories of seven families affected by the forced removal and dispossession of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during the 1940s.

In 1942, the Canadian government ordered the forced removal of nearly 22,000 Japanese Canadians from B.C.’s coast. The exhibition, through photographs, artifacts, archival documents, and personal stories, explores the impact of these events.

The exhibit is part of Landscapes of Injustice, a seven-year research project led by the University of Victoria in collaboration with 15 institutions, including the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre and Library and Archives Canada. The project investigates how Japanese Canadians lost their homes, businesses, and communities during the Second World War, yet found ways to rebuild their lives in Canada.

“This exhibition confronts a dark chapter of our shared history, giving voice to the Japanese Canadian families who endured forced displacement and dispossession,” said Jillian Povarchook, executive director of the Kelowna Museums Society.

The exhibition is now open to the public at the Okanagan Heritage Museum and runs until June 22. For more details, including hours of operation, visit the Kelowna Museums website.

West Van purchases Horseshoe Bay's Boathouse restaurant for new art museum

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:47:26 GMT

The 1981 building, which also formerly housed The Keg and the Lodge restaurants, sits on land that has been owned by the Sewell family since the 1930s.

Read the full article here.

In memoriam: Naomi Miller (1927-2025)

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 02:56:54 GMT

Naomi Miller, an honorary lifetime member of the BC Historical Federation, has died at 98.

Miller was the BCHF's president in 1986-87 and honorary president in 2005-06. She was editor of the British Columbia Historical News (now BC History) from 1988-98. Under her guidance, the magazine doubled its page count.

She wrote Fort Steele: Gold Rush to Boom Town and co-edited The Forgotten Side of the Border with Wayne Norton. She also wrote for the BC History of Nursing newsletter, and was a history columnist for the Tri-Village Buzz.

Miller received honorary life memberships from the BC History of Nursing Society, the Friends of Fort Steele Society, and the Kootenay Lake Historical Society. She also received an award of merit from the BC Museums Association for helping to develop the Golden Museum, and was presented with the BC Heritage Award in 1999. She donated the $10,000 prize to the SS Moyie in Kaslo, where she grew up.

Miller died on Feb. 15. Her full obituary can be found here and a longer biography by Nowell Berg can be found here.

Ground broken in Slocan for Japanese-Canadian boat project

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 02:36:06 GMT

Contractor Dave Madden, Slocan Valley Historical Society director Lynnda Moore and society president Joyce Johnson.

Seven years after acquiring a last-of-its kind Japanese-Canadian fishing boat, the Slocan Valley Historical Society has announced construction of the vessel’s shelter is underway.

“After many unexpected delays, we have finally broken ground on the next step in this project,” says president Joyce Johnson.

“The Merriwake has been restored to the condition she was in when she was confiscated during World War II. We are excited to display the boat and share her history, as well as tell part of the internment story.”

Located at Main Street and Fitz Avenue in the Village of Slocan, the display will be accessible and free to all.

The original design for the shelter came from internationally renowned architect Gene Kinoshita, whose family was interned in Slocan. Nelson Rocha of Studio 9 Architecture + Planning Ltd produced the current plans and will oversee the build. Rossland engineer Alison MacLeod of MacLeod Nine Consultants Ltd. is responsible for structural engineering. Nakusp firm Madden Timber Construction was awarded the contract to construct the building.

Construction is anticipated to wrap up this fall.

“This project has been a labour of love for our small society and the many generous donors who have supported us,” says Johnson.

The SVHS will host an opening ceremony to celebrate this significant historical project once finished.

The Merriwake has had a long path to reaching Slocan. It is one of the oldest surviving Japanese-Canadian boats and is in excellent condition for its age. It is a 31-foot gillnetter built in 1929, probably by Matsumoto Boatworks in the Prince Rupert area.

Along with all Japanese-Canadian-owned fishing boats, this craft was impounded by authorities during World War II. It was later sold to BC Packers, and had a series of owners thereafter. Its previous owner, Ted Fitzgerald, brought the boat to Kaslo in 2011, coincidentally another of the internment camps.

The boat was restored by Eric Chevalier of the Copper Nail boatshop in Bonnington.

Architect's drawing of the Merriwake shelter.

New exhibition open now at Amelia Douglas Institute for Metis Culture and Language

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:33:42 GMT

From the Amelia Douglas Institute:

"In early 2025, 13 Métis artists participated in an MNBC Heritage Arts Mentorship with Cree-Métis artist Cynthia Boehm: this is the result.

Come to the ADI Showroom and see our exhibition of 13 new mini dog blankets created by amazing artists in our community. See photos of these blankets on some of the artists' own cats and dogs!

Métis dog blankets are a vibrant and meaningful part of Métis material culture. Originally used to decorate and protect dogs that pulled sleds and carried goods, these carefully crafted blankets tell stories of artistry, community, and connection to animals and the land.

Open April 22 to June 27, 2025. Book a visit online or drop in Tues-Thurs, 11-12."

You're Invited to the Grand Opening of the Lytton Chinese History Museum!

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:27:26 GMT

On Saturday, May 3rd, celebrate the Grand Opening of the Lytton Chinese History Museum. Please RSVP if you plan on attending!

VIDEO: The Brewmasters of Brewery Creek - Vancouver's Beer Pioneers with Noelle Phillips

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:17:07 GMT

Beer historian and enthusiast Noëlle Phillips follows independent brewing from the City's inception in 1886 into the Prohibition years of the late 1910s, and talks about the consolidation and corporate concentration of brewing that dulled down the market until craft brewing, led by Granville Island Breweries, took off in the 1970s.

Watch the full video here.

Notice of AGM for the BC Historical Federation: May 2, 2025

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:12:34 GMT

The AGM of the British Columbia Historical Federation will be held on Friday, May 2nd at 2:15 pm at the Museum of the Cariboo-Chilcotin and the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame in Williams Lake. The AGM will also be live-streamed on Zoom for those who cannot attend in person.

Register for the AGM here.
View the AGM package here.
Read the 2024-25 Annual Report here.

Finalists announced for the British Columbia Historical Federation’s Historical Writing Competition

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 14:56:33 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 Historical Writing Awards. The awards will be announced during the awards gala taking place this year in Williams Lake on May 3 at 6:30pm.

In alphabetical order, the list is as follows:

Linda Ambrose, Pentecostal Preacher Woman: The Faith and Feminism of Bernice Gerard, UBC Press.
Chris Arnett, Signs of the Time: Nłeʔkepmx Resistance through Rock Art, UBC Press.
Blair Mirau, The City of Rainbows: A Colourful History of Prince Rupert, Heritage House.
Noëlle Phillips, Brewmasters and Brewery Creek, Touchwood Editions.
Chad Soon and George Chiang, The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey, Orca Book Publishers.
Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson and Robert Davidson, A Haida Wedding, Heritage House.

The BC Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing will be awarded together with $2,500 to the author whose book makes the most significant contribution to the historical literature of British Columbia. The second-place winner will receive $1,500 and third place, $500. One book will also be awarded the Community History Award, worth $500. Certificates of Honourable Mention may be awarded to other books as recommended by the judges.

The 2024 competition received 24 publications, all of which add to the compendium of historical writing in British Columbia.

VIDEO: Steveston Interurban Tram with Henry Ewert

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:30:09 GMT

Eminent rail-transit historian Henry Ewert describes a golden age of interurban train travel in the Vancouver area, focusing on the line that traversed Lulu Island's farms and racetracks and connected Steveston and its canneries with Marpole in South Vancouver, and from there into downtown Vancouver, from 1905 till the final closure in 1958.

Watch the full video here.

New CEO at the Museum of Vancouver

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:26:52 GMT

Ryan Hunt to Take the Helm of Vancouver’s Oldest Cultural Organization

The Vancouver Museum Society’s Board of Directors is happy to announce that Ryan Hunt has been selected as the new CEO of Vancouver’s oldest cultural institution, the Museum of Vancouver (MOV).

Following Mauro Vescera’s retirement at the end of 2024, the MOV underwent an extensive search to find a new CEO. Ryan Hunt was selected from a wide range of candidates. Ryan has worked in GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) sector roles in Ontario, Korea, and his home province of BC, including at the London Arts/Heritage Council, Oil History Museum of Canada, the Local Government Management Association of BC, and as the Co-Founder of Canada’s first mobile makerspace, the MakerBus.

Since 2019 Ryan has worked as the Executive Director of the BC Museums Association (BCMA). Notable achievements include:

supporting more than 50 First Nations communities access repatriation funding through the 2020 Repatriation Grant program;
partnering with the BC Heritage Emergency Response Network on emergency response training for museums and heritage sites across BC;
and contributing to having the BCMA named Charity Village’s Best Not-for-Profit Employer for Workplace Mental Health (Under 20 staff) in 2023.

“I am thrilled to have Ryan Hunt as our incoming CEO,” the MOV’s Board Chair, Bruce Granville Miller says. “He has a deep knowledge of the museum sector from his time as executive director of the BC Museums Association. Ryan is noted for his energetic and collaborative approach to management and has valuable experience with all levels of government and First Nations.”

Ryan steps in at an exciting time. After months of HVAC work forcing the feature exhibition wing to close, the MOV will be launching three exhibitions in June, including The Work of Repair: Redress & Repatriation at MOV. Plus, with plans for community consultations to renew the permanent galleries—and the first phase of the Sen̓áḵw development due to be complete at the end of 2025, the time is ripe for transformation and new beginnings.

“I’m eager to connect with the Museum’s partners and meet new ones,” incoming CEO Ryan Hunt says. “I look forward to supporting impactful collaborations with neighbouring arts and culture organizations to benefit our community.”

Ryan Hunt will officially commence his role as the Museum of Vancouver’s CEO on May 1, 2025.

The Whalers Washing House finally coming home

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:51:28 GMT

Taken more than 100 years ago, the Whalers Washing House is finally coming home.

Twenty-five members of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) are heading to New York on March 25 to repatriate what may be the largest treasure of a First Nation ever taken to the United States. The American Museum of Natural History is finally relinquishing the unique Whalers Washing House, consisting of four wooden whales, 88 carved figures, and 16 ancestral remains.

The shrine, originally located on an island on Jewett Lake at Yuquot (colonial, Friendly Cove), was where the families of whalers went to conduct purification rituals in preparation for the whale hunt.

Read the full article here.

Available Now: "Mining Camp Tales of the Silvery Slocan" by Peter Smith

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:47:12 GMT

The intriguing story of British Columbia’s most productive silver mining region and the vibrant communities that built up around it in the late 1800s.

Mining Camp Tales of the Silvery Slocan tells the often-overlooked story of British Columbia’s silver rush and its accompanying boom towns. In the 1890s, mining camps like Sandon, Three Forks, Whitewater and their neighbours, New Denver, Silverton, Slocan City, Kaslo and Nakusp, thrived. Prospectors and miners from Idaho, Montana, and other mining centres arrived in droves to reap the silver harvest. Capitalists flooded in from Spokane, Seattle, Vancouver, and from investment centres across North America and the world.

This silver rush ushered in a frenzy of activity, where cultures clashed, greed and racism prevailed, law and order was a matter of perspective, and yet, somehow, people still united in song, dance, and a spirit of community. Although the boom era was short-lived, the rush left a legacy that endures to this day. This book opens up a wealth of historical facts, anecdotes, and archival material on a chapter of mining history that has been largely forgotten until now.

PETER SMITH is a lifelong history buff, award-winning author, and retired civil servant. He holds a post-graduate degree in Folklife Studies from the University of Leeds (UK), and has published articles in British Columbia Magazine and the Silvery Slocan Historical Society newsletter. In 2020, he won the BC Historical Federation’s Community History Award for his extensively researched first book on BC’s silver rush. Peter lives in Ladysmith, BC.

You can purchase "Mining Camp Tales of the Silvery Slocan" from Heritage House Publishing.

Available Now: "The O'Keefes of O'Kanagan" by Ken Mather

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:38:15 GMT

The tumultuous rags-to-riches story of the famed O’Keefe ranching family by acclaimed historian and former Ranch Curator Ken Mather.

Founded in 1867, the Historic O’Keefe Ranch offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of an early farming community in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. The O’Keefes of O’Kanagan , a welcome resource for any visitor to the site, is an in-depth look into the multiple branches and generations of the family that gave the ranch its name.

When Michael O’Keefe arrived in Canada as a penniless Irish immigrant in 1819, he had no idea the impact his descendants would leave on the Canadian West. Michael’s son Cornelius arrived in British Columbia, also penniless, in 1862, and over the course of fifty years became a prosperous rancher, farmer, and developer, marrying three times (one of whom was a member of the Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation) and fathering seventeen children. Indeed, the story is as much the story of the strong women who lived and worked on the ranch, persevering through it all.

KEN MATHER has been researching western Canadian heritage for over four decades, working in curatorial, management, and research roles at Fort Edmonton Park, Barkerville, and the O’Keefe Ranch since the early 1970s. He is the editor of the Okanagan Historical Society Report and is the winner of the Joe Martin Memorial award (2015) for his contribution to BC Cowboy Heritage. He is the author of several books on pioneer and ranching history, including Stagecoach North, Trail North (a finalist for the British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Historical Writing), Ranch Tales, and Frontier Cowboys and the Great Divide. Ken recently relocated to Chilliwack, BC.

A book launch will be held at the Vernon Branch of Okanagan regional Library on Tuesday, May 6th at 6:30 pm. For more information please visit the library's event page.

You can purchase "The O'Keefes of O'Kanagan" from Heritage Group.

Restoring Relations with the K’ëgit Totem Pole

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:01:55 GMT

A khiyt (winter) dispatch from Witsuwit’en yintah (territories)

Hagwilnekhlh Ron A. Mitchell, Chief of Cinegh Lhay Yikh (House of Many Eyes) in Likhsilyu (Frog Clan), addresses Witsuwit’en delegates during a ceremonial gathering in front of the K’ëgit totem pole at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris in October 2024. Photo: Mélanie H. Morin

By Hagwilnekhlh Ron Mitchell, Dzïggot Ron Austin, ’Ilhdesinon Birdy Markert, We’es Tes Sandra Martin Harris, Jean Matheson, Diana Wilson, Toni Michell, Drew Harris, Helen Harris, Tyler McCreary, Joanne Connauton, Mélanie H. Morin

In October 2024, a delegation of Witsuwit’en hereditary chiefs, elders, artists, and youth embarked on an emotional and historic journey to Paris, France. Their goal was to reconnect with a significant piece of their cultural heritage—the K’ëgit totem pole belonging to C’idimsggin’ïs, housed at the Quai Branly Museum.

This journey, deeply rooted in cultural revitalization and healing, was an opportunity to see and honour the totem pole that was taken from Witsuwit’en lands in 1938. For many of the delegation members, this trip was more than just a visit; it was a powerful act of reclamation and a step towards strengthening their connection to their ancestors and cultural identity.

A history of displacement

In 1938, surrealist artist Kurt Seligmann travelled to British Columbia, seeking to purchase a Northwest Coast Indigenous totem pole. After corresponding with anthropologist Marius Barbeau, he learned of the K’ëgit pole, one of the oldest and most intricately carved poles, which stood in the Witsuwit’en village of Tsë Cakh (Hagwilget). Despite the significance of the pole to Witsuwit’en cultural and spiritual identity, the local Indian Agent pressured Likhsilyu House Chief Hagwilnekhlh Arthur Michell and his relatives into selling it for a mere $100.

The pole was taken down, broken into pieces, and shipped by train and boat to Paris. After being reassembled, it was first displayed outside the Musée de l’Homme (Museum of Man). In 2001, it was further restored and transferred to the Quai Branly Museum, where it now resides inside near the visitor information desk.

For Hagwilnekhlh Ron Mitchell, the current House Chief of C’inegh Lhay Yikh, the trip was bittersweet. “It’s quite emotional when I think about our people. I will be happy to see the totem pole and a part of our house and chief’s history, but sad at the same time. I was disheartened when I heard that they took it apart to move it. They should never have done that without understanding what it means to our people.”

The delegation, including Witsuwit’en chiefs, elders, artists, and youth, as well as researchers and educators, reconnects with the K’ëgit totem pole 86 years after its removal. Back row: Dzïggot Ron Austin & Tyler McCreary. Middle row: Brad Markert, Hagwilnekhlh Ron Mitchell, ’Ilhdesinon Birdy Markert, We’es Tes Sandra Martin Harris, Jean Matheson, Joanne Connauton, & Diana Wilson. Front row: Mélanie H. Morin, Drew Harris, Toni Michell, and Helen Harris. Photo: Mélanie H. Morin

Youth perspectives: reconnecting and rediscovering

For many of the youth on the trip, this experience was transformative. It allowed them to see firsthand the impact of colonization on their heritage while also inspiring them to deepen their connection to their language and traditions.

Diana Wilson, one of the youth delegates, reflected on the sense of unity created during the trip: “I have been working on learning the Witsuwit’en language and culture, and never dreamed I’d be invited to go on a trip like this with my people. We all became so much like a family crew.”

For Drew Harris, the journey sparked a newfound commitment to her cultural identity. “I wasn’t very involved in learning about my Witsuwit’en lineage, and this experience has motivated me to do so,” she shared.

In addition to visiting the Quai Branly Museum, the group also took the opportunity to visit the Eiffel Tower and Juno Beach. These are sites deeply connected to Witsuwit’en war veterans, who participated in the liberation of France only to find themselves sleeping in the park beneath the Eiffel Tower after being denied access to accommodations in Paris on the basis of their race. Jean Matheson expressed gratitude for these experiences, stating, “It was great to have the additional opportunity to visit the Eiffel Tower and Juno Beach, as it connects to our Witsuwit’en history and war veterans.”

The Witsuwit’en delegation members prepare for a ceremony to honour Witsuwit’en veterans at Juno Beach in Normandy. Photo: Toni Michell

The emotional reunion with K’ëgit

Master Carver Dzïggot Ron Austin, who has long dreamed of seeing the K’ëgit pole, was deeply moved by the reunion. “It’s an amazing opportunity to see the pole that may have belonged to my grandmother’s older brother, C’idimsggin’ïs. It means a lot as an artist to see what my ancestors created before me in person.”

For Toni Michell, the experience was overwhelmingly emotional. “It was such an emotional experience being reunited with K’ëgit, and we need to return K’ëgit back to our homelands. K’ëgit has been away far too long.”

Even after the delegation left, the connection to the totem pole remained strong. Helen Harris reflected on her farewell to K’ëgit: “Since saying nenyust’ën’ (see you later), I’ve been sending K’ëgit love from across the ocean.”

Ts’akë ze’ ’Ilhdesinon Birdy Markert also experienced a shift in perspective during the trip. “When we first began this voyage, I was set on keeping the pole where it was and to begin a cross-cultural exchange, but when I came face to face with K’ëgit, I knew I wanted its return.”

Hagwilnekhlh Ron A. Mitchell and Dzïggot Ron Austin stand solemnly during K’ëgit totem pole ceremony. Photo: Mélanie H. Morin

Restoring relations and revitalizing culture

The delegation’s visit to the Quai Branly Museum was not just about seeing the totem pole; it was about reclaiming Witsuwit’en history and restoring cultural connections that had been severed by colonial forces. Ts’akë ze’ We’es Tes Sandra Martin Harris emphasized the significance of totem poles in Witsuwit’en identity: “Our stories shared on ts’an (totem poles) are such an integral part of our crests, names, identity, and connection to the yintah (territories) in our Clans, House Groups, and villages. We did not get to witness its life force while it stood firmly on the land for all to witness.”

The trip was made possible through collaboration between the Likhsilyu Clan, Kyah Wiget Education Society, Florida State University, York University, Bulkley Valley Museum, and School District 54 (Bulkley Valley). Funding was generously provided by the Wetzin’kwa Community Forest Corporation, British Columbia Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research, and Bulkley Valley Community Foundation.

Looking to the future

The delegation’s visit was a powerful reminder of the resilience of Witsuwit’en culture and the importance of ongoing efforts to revitalize traditions, language, and identity. The trip not only strengthened intergenerational connections but also sparked important conversations about cultural restitution and the future of the K’ëgit pole.

While the pole remains in Paris for now, the bonds rekindled between the delegation and their heritage signal a future where Witsuwit’en culture continues to thrive, especially songs, stories, and language. As the youth who travelled to Paris returned home, they bring with them a renewed sense of purpose and pride in their identity—and a deepened commitment to ensuring that the stories of their ancestors, carved into totem poles like K’ëgit, are never forgotten.

Delegation Members

Hagwilnekhlh Ron Mitchell, Witsuwit’en Head Chief of Cinegh Lhay Yikh of Likhsilyu and Witsuwit’en Language Instructor.
Dzïggot Ron Austin, Witsuwit’en Chief in Cinegh Lhay Yikh of Likhsilyu and Witsuwit’en Artist.
’Ilhdesinon Birdy Markert, Witsuwit’en Matriarch in Cinegh Lhay Yikh of Likhsilyu and District Principal of Indigenous Education for School District 54.
We’es Tes Sandra Martin Harris, Witsuwit’en Matriarch in Cinegh Lhay Yikh of Likhsilyu and Indigenous Focusing-Orientated Therapy (IFOT) and Reiki Practitioner.
Jean Matheson, Witsuwit’en Member of C’inegh Lhay Yikh in Likhsilyu and Witsuwit’en Language Learner.
Diana Wilson, Witsuwit’en Member of Cas Yikh in Gidimt’en and Witsuwit’en Language Learner.
Toni Michell, Witsuwit’en Member of C’inegh Lhay Yikh in Likhsilyu and Witsuwit’en Language Learner.
Drew Harris, Witsuwit’en Member of C’inegh Lhay Yikh in Likhsilyu.
Helen Harris, Witsuwit’en Member of Tsë Kal Kiyikh in Likhsilyu, Community Language & Culture Department Coordinator for Kyah Wiget Education Society, and Witsuwit’en Language Learner.
Tyler McCreary, PhD, Associate Professor in Department of Geography at Florida State University.
Joanne Connauton, MA, Member of Wahnapitae First Nation and PhD candidate in Department of Geography at Florida State University.
Mélanie H. Morin, Bulkley Valley Museum Staff Researcher.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 01:34:30 GMT

An excerpt from the spring issue of British Columbia History

1 Under New Management

Opening ceremonies at Historic Hat Creek Ranch. Photo: Mary Putnam

It’s been one year since the Bonaparte First Nation’s St’uxwtews Pesuten Heritage Society started managing Historic Hat Creek Ranch site. Established in 1860 during the gold rush, the ranch’s roadhouse was an important stop on the Cariboo Wagon Road. It also employed local First Nations. Located 11 kilometres north of Cache Creek, the site is now weaving settler and Indigenous stories together like a braided rope.

General manager Brandy Cooper-Chardon says it has been a rewarding transition year. “We approach this blending with respect and balance, emphasizing that these stories are intertwined yet distinct. Our guided tours and interpretive signage aim to present both perspectives — acknowledging the rich cultural heritage of the St’uxwtews people alongside the impact of settler history. Historic Hat Creek Ranch is a perfect place to showcase where the past meets the present.”

The ranch will open for the new season on May 1, employing 30 to 35 people from Indigenous and non-Indigenous backgrounds. “This staffing mix fosters cultural exchange and community-building. The economic impact has been positive, with increased tourism benefiting local businesses in Cache Creek and surrounding areas. Moreover, our employment opportunities support both youth and cultural ambassadors, promoting skills development and heritage preservation.”

Visit Historic Hat Creek’s website at hatcreek.ca.

2 Ancient Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts have a long history of cultivation by Indigenous peoples. Photo: Mark Forsythe

Indigenous peoples have tended forests and shrubs for food like crabapples, bitterroot, and cranberries for millennia. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that hazelnuts were transplanted and grown at least 7,000 years ago by the Gitxsan, Tsimshian, and Nisga’a peoples in the Skeena River region. This is roughly the same period that wheat and barley were being grown in the Nile River Valley, and corn was planted in Mexico.

Chelsey Geralda Armstrong, an ethno-ecologist and archaeologist from Simon Fraser University’s Department of Indigenous Studies, told CBC News that their research “cuts through assumptions of B.C. and the Northwest Coast being wild and completely untouched.” This also underscores oral history about Indigenous people cultivating hazelnuts in communities at the confluence of major rivers. DNA testing revealed that shared genetic clusters of hazelnuts are “consistent with the movement of humans across the landscape.” Hazelnuts were likely traded, and the word for hazelnut is similar in different Indigenous languages.

The authors conclude: “This study highlights the often-overlooked agency of Indigenous Peoples in shaping species range and distributions in North America.”

3 Rebirth of a Museum

Lytton Chinese Museum’s new interior. Photo: Courtesy Lytton Chinese History Museum

Almost four years after the Lytton Chinese History Museum burned to the ground, a new museum will open on May 3. An extensive collection of artifacts (once described as being second only to the provincial collection) was lost, but some remains were sifted out of the ashes, including broken pots covered in melted glass. They will be on display as part of the museum’s own story. Owner Lorna Fandrich started to rebuild the collection shortly after the 2021 fire that consumed most of the village and took two lives.

“I am most excited about the new items in the Chinese laundry display. They were donated by a family that collected them from an old laundry in Zeballos. So many individuals have come forward with artifacts and I am truly grateful. Although many of the items are not from the Lytton area, they are from the same era and tell the Lytton Chinese story.”

Lorna checked reconstruction progress every day for five months. “We removed the two small display rooms and created a better traffic flow through one large room. It has been amazing to see that it is a huge step-up from what we had before.”

The Village of Lytton also lost its community museum; plans for a new one are included in a “community hub” being built, thanks to a $25 million federal grant. Donations of Lytton-related artifacts, documents, and money are most welcome. Contact the museum at lyttonchinesehistorymuseum.com.

A new park to honour Chief Cexpe’nthlEm, a revered leader and peacemaker, is expected to open this spring. It will include a lookout to the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, interpretive signage to share the Cexpe’nthlEm story, and landscaping for a new community gathering space.

4 Canyon Renewal

New signage at Yale highlights the Fraser Canyon’s history, recreation, and culture. Photo: Mark Forsythe

Come back! That’s the hope of communities along the wondrous Fraser Canyon route, once the main corridor into the Interior. After the Coquihalla Highway opened in 1986, local Canyon businesses and communities suffered severely; in recent years wildfires and floods have also been devastating.

In 2019 Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart began to collaborate with local governments, Indigenous communities, and businesses to develop a new tourism master plan to revitalize the Canyon route. Provincial funding has produced two impressive highway sign installations at opposite ends of the Canyon, in Yale and in Lytton.

The signs include Nlaka’pamuxcin, Halq’eméylem, and English languages to highlight viewpoints, historical sites, recreational opportunities, and communities. Meanwhile, reconstruction of the Village of Lytton, along with restoration projects at Alexandra Bridge (spearheaded by the Spuzzum First Nation and New Pathways to Gold Society) and at Alexandra Lodge (by owners Shirley and Ken MacKinnon), bode well for the future. Why not explore the Canyon Route and its 10,000-year history this summer?

5 Personal Archive of Climate Change

Climate Disaster Project website. Image: climatedisasterproject.com

These are truly historic times. Climate change is intensifying with new extremes each year; the task of comprehending heat waves, wildfires, and flooding can be mind-numbing. The Climate Disaster Project, based at the University of Victoria, aims to capture the individual human stories that make the consequences of climate change tangible and relatable.

The project is building an online archive of stories based on interviews with people who have been affected around the world. Stories range from the trauma of losing a home during BC wildfires to the loss of lives and livelihood after typhoons slammed into the Philippines.

The Climate Disaster Project is led by faculty and students, with contributions from climate scientists, journalists, psychologists, and climate disaster survivors. The project’s website allows a spark of hope: “We can survive this new age of disaster if we build empathy and solidarity around the experience of climate change. Because story creates community, and community creates hope.”

Read or share your own stories by visiting the project’s website: climatedisasterproject.com/share-your-story

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Spring Issue of BC History Magazine features Repatriation and Rematriation

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 16:44:53 GMT

The spring edition of British Columbia History magazine features a theme of repatriation and rematriation, and pictures the Maiyoo Keyoh headdress on the front cover along with Jim Munroe, Petra A'huille, Charlotte Munroe, and Seraphine Munroe. Stories include:

The Cultus Lake Princess Contest Through Stó:lō Women's Voices, by Juliana Schneider Medeiros
Lucy Bell Receives Reconciliation Award, by Stacey Brzostowski
Restoring Relations with the K'ëgit Totem Pole: A khiyt (winter) dispatch from Witsuwit'en yintah (territories), by Hagqilnekhlh, Ron Mitchelle, Dzïggot, Ron Austin, We'es Tes, Sandra Martin Harris, Jean Matheson, Diana Wilson, Toni Michell, Drew Harris, Helen Harris, Tyler McCreary, Joanne Connauton, and Mélanie H. Morin
Ni uchxwiyunem? (Did you listen?), by William A. White - My Precious: Museum Collections and Repatriation of Cultural Objects, by Chad Hellenius
Repatriation and Reconciliation as Basic Heritage Operations, by Leia Patterson

Plus we have regular contributions from Front Words columnist Mark Forsythe, BCHF scholarship winner Lydia Kinasewich, and books editor Dalys Barney. Rick James also shares his research on historic seedlings that now flourish in Victoria.

Here are some ways you can get the digital or physical magazine:

Become a subscriber to the magazine and receive 4 issues a year! Sign up to receive DIGITAL or PHYSICAL editions.
Become a member of the BC Historical Federation and receive 4 issues of BC History per year.
Order individual copies from our online shop.
Seek out our retail providers to obtain a copy.
Visit your local library to borrow a physical or digital copy. If they don't have it, request that they become a subscriber.

EVENT: Vitality - Iconic Images, Hidden Stories

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:55:23 GMT

From the Chinatown Storytelling Centre:

"Join us for the launch party of our upcoming special exhibition, Vitality: Iconic Images, Hidden Stories, presented by Nicola Wealth, on Friday, April 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Enjoy an inspiring evening of storytelling with the curators about how the exhibition came to life and remarks from special guest speakers. Guests can enjoy 10% off all Vitality merchandise and exclusive offers at select restaurants and bars—perfect for continuing the evening in Chinatown!

Admission is $10, with all proceeds supporting the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation’s mission to revitalize Chinatown."

Learn more and buy your tickets here.

VIDEO: Reflections on "The Paper Trail" with Elwin Xie

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:53:48 GMT

Join us for an evening with our knowledgeable and illustrious Museum Interpreter and Tour Guide, Elwin Xie, as he shares his lived experience growing up in Vancouver’s Chinatown and his familial ties with the feature exhibition "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act."

Drawing on his conversations with visitors to the Chinese Canadian Museum since opening on July 1, 2023, Elwin will discuss how his encounters have helped clarify some family questions and illuminate colourful stories within the pioneer overseas Chinese community (Lo Wah Kiu 佬華僑) in Saltwater City 鹹水埠 (Vancouver) that came searching for their mythological Gold Mountain (Gum San 金山).

Elwin Xie is one of the inaugural museum assistants at the Chinese Canadian Museum, leading acclaimed tours and providing interpretation of exhibitions for visitors. Elwin was born in Vancouver Chinatown and raised in the family business, Union Laundry (274 Union Street), during the 1960s. Like most Chinatown children, Elwin attended the inner-city schools of Strathcona Elementary and Britannia Secondary. Alongside his siblings, he worked in the family laundry after school and on weekends.

Elwin’s family story is a quintessential first-wave immigrant Chinese Canadian one. His deep family roots run parallel to the history of the Chinese in Canada: railroad construction, head tax, 1923 Exclusion Act, “Paper Sons”, even with an indentured servant girl (mui tsai 妹仔) within the narrative. The multi-generational family did sustenance labour to survive in Canada, including work in Hastings Sawmill, laundry, diners, restaurants, and waste disposal. His fluency in Yin-Ping Cantonese, a dialect of the Gold Mountain (Gum San 金山) trailblazers, remains a work in progress.

Watch the full video here.

The Revelstoke Railway Museum welcomes new Executive Director

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 20:03:52 GMT

Victoria Hill has been hired as the new Executive Director at Revelstoke Railway Museum.

Born and raised in Rosslyn Village in the District of Thunder Bay, surrounded by the history of the fur trade and the development of the railway and great lakes shipping, Victoria was exposed to significant aspects of Canadian history growing up. She started her educational journey at the University of Lethbridge completing a Bachelors of Arts degree majoring in History. She also has an M.A. in Heritage Contemporary Practice from the University of Kingston London, and an M.A. in The Country House: Art, History and Literature from the University of Leicester.

Victoria has worked at the Founder's Museum and Pioneer Village, and worked with Historic Royal Palaces and Royal Museums Greenwich while completing her M.A. Victoria has also worked at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay where she was the Lead Interpretive Support Worker where she delivered educational programming and interpreted the fur trade. She took a year out of this position to work for Walt Disney World as a cultural representative in the Epcot Canada Pavilion.

Prior to completing her second M.A., Victoria completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.

Most recently Victoria worked for the Oliver Paipoonge Heritage Park as the Assistant Curator managing the front of house operations and curatorial needs of the museum. Victoria joined the Revelstoke Railway Museum at the end of February 2025.

VIDEO: Making Art in Chinatown About Chinatown

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 19:49:29 GMT

The School Room: Reshaping Collections Artist Series - Episode 3

A second-generation settler of Chinese heritage, Janet Wang is a Vancouver-based visual artist and educator working within a traditional painting practice, integrated with sculptural installation practices and digital media. Her creations explore the construction of identity through the appropriation and disruption of social patterns and familiar gestures. Wang pays homage to the canons and traditions of history, both the artistic and the quotidian, in order to use the familiar as a meeting point with the viewer. She has exhibited her work throughout Canada and internationally.

On this episode, learn about Janet’s "Here, There," a new installation on display at the Chinese Canadian Museum in the "Reshaping Collections: Where History Meets Art" exhibition.

Watch here.

Lift off: Wheelchair elevator boosts accessibility at Revelstoke museum

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 19:41:50 GMT

A wheelchair-size elevator, servicing the building's Boyle Avenue parking lot and all the way up to the museum's second floor, has been operational for about a month. It offers a north-facing view of the neighbourhood and mountains, and can accommodate two people standing or one person with a larger mobility device.

The elevator is a major step forward — or lift up, rather — for the 1926-constructed heritage building, and something museum curator Cathy English has been talking about installing for as long as 15 years.

Read the full article here.

VIDEO: Voices Through Time - Correspondence of the First WOrld War with Dr. Stephen Davies

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:11:18 GMT

Dr. Stephen Davies of Vancouver Island University describes and illustrates the extraordinary Canadian Letters and Images Project – a heartrending collection of letters home from WWI soldiers describing their hopes, fears, injuries and their longing to be with their families. Anyone who has ever seen or read a war story needs this to complement their understanding of life as soldiers lived it.

Watch the full video here.

Smithers Community Heritage Register open for public insight

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:07:12 GMT

A Community Heritage Register is a heritage planning tool to potentially save historic buildings, parks, and totem poles from development that could alter or delete the past of a town or city. In Smithers, two buildings currently have Heritage designation: The Central Park Building, which is home to the Smithers Art Gallery, the Bulkley Valley Museum, and numerous artist studios. It was built in 1925 and received heritage designation in 1981. The other is Smithers Canadian National Railway Station at the end of Main Street, which was built in 1919.

Kira Westby, the Bulkley Valley Museum Director has been working for nearly seven years on a project to identify other locations in Smithers which might benefit from being included on a Community Heritage Register. A Community Heritage Register is enacted by local government, unlike Heritage Status, which is federally bestowed.

Smithers community members can nominate properties now using this online form.

VIDEO: Chinatowns and Belonging in British Columbia

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:02:38 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation’s quarterly magazine chronicles British Columbia’s unique story through the words and images of community writers, public and academic historians, story keepers, and more.

Featuring some of the contributing authors of this newest issue themed on Chinatowns and moderated by Aimee Greenaway, managing editor of the BC History Magazine, this panel discussion explores different facets of the vibrant histories of Chinatowns across the province.

Speakers:

Imogene Lim, author of “Beyond Chinatown: The Chinese and English Phrase Book”
Catherine Clement, author of “A Match Not Made in Heaven”
Sarah Ling, author of “Canned Salmon and China Lily: Chinese and Indigenous relations in Small-town British Columbia”
Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese, author of “Not So Uncommon an Oath: The ‘Chicken Oath’ in BC Chinese Canadians’ Testimonies”
Elwin Xie, author of “Sharing Stories of My Chinese Community”

Watch the full video here.

Rediscover Vancouver's Past - Join Us for the Incorporation Day Luncheon!

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 15:42:31 GMT

From the Vancouver Historical Society:

"Paradise? Picture this: a bid red interurban tram drifting through Richmond in the 1950s, making its way from downtown Vancouver to Stevenston via Marpole. Can you imagine at time when this system was the backbone of transportation?

So how did we let go of something so essential? Fast forward to today, and we're now spending billions to bring it back!

Join us as we explore this fascinating part of Vancouver's history at the Vancouver Historical Society's Incorporation Day Luncheon.

Date: April 6th

Location: Quilchena Gold Club

What's Included: A delicious buffet lunch, displays about BC Electric Railway (BCER), and a presentation by special guest Henry Ewart, author of The Story of the BC Electric Railway."

Seats are limited, purchase your ticket here.

Canadian Museums Association Awards King Charles III Coronation Medals

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:24:30 GMT

March 3, 2025, Ottawa, Ontario — The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) was proud to recognize the outstanding contributions of museum professionals across Canada during a special ceremony in Victoria, BC on February 19, 2025. 14 recipients were presented with the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal by CMA’s Executive Director & CEO, Janis Bomberry at a reception at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

C lick here to view the list of recipients, including several British Columbia-based heritage professionals who have made significant contributions to the field.

Chemainus Valley Museum plans special exhibit on Japanese Canadians

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:51:59 GMT

The Chemainus Valley Historical Society is planning to examine the historical experience of Japanese Canadians living in the community.

In a letter to North Cowichan, society president Ron Waller said a special exhibit on the subject is being planned at the Chemainus Valley Museum from late July to early October, 2026.

He said the exhibit is intended to coincide with plans initiated by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society and the Festival of Murals Society to install a heritage mural commemorating the Japanese community in Chemainus, which was once prosperous and plentiful, on municipally owned land on Croft Street, just below Water Wheel Park, in August, 2026.

Read the full article here.

Toddler's $4k offer ends apple pie bid war in support of Salmon Arm heritage site

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:46:07 GMT

Three-year-old Goldie Gustard got to savour the apple-pie flavour of success after entering a $4,000 winning bid in the Best of the Shuswap Pie Baking Contest and live pie auction.

A local B.C. Heritage Week tradition hosted by and in support of R.J. Haney Heritage Village and Museum, this year's pie baking contest (for apple, fruit or berry pies), held at the Mall at Piccadilly on Saturday, Feb. 22, drew fierce competition with wide variety of mouth-watering creations to challenge the palates of participating judges. In the end, Bonnie Peterson once again took the red first-place ribbon, her ninth, this time for a tart cherry pie. Coming in second was Norma Harish for a Pink Lady apple pie. The third-place ribbon was won by Kate Korda for her Fresh B.C. apple pie.

The competitive spirit grew more intense during the live pie auction, with 17 pies on the block for the Haney fundraiser. A couple of local kids wound up getting involved in the auction action including Goldie who, with father Glen (the two representing Tech-Crete Processors), wound up in a bidding war with developer Bill Laird over a classic apple pie made by Missy Blair. Goldie's persistence and a $4,000 bid brought an end to the philanthropic battle, which had been entertaining for all involved.

Read the full article here.

VIDEO: Fundraisers, Axe-Wielders, and Star Witnesses with Aimee Greenaway

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:19:03 GMT

New video from the Vancouver Historical Society: "Fundraisers, Axe-Wielders, & Star Witnesses: Women on both sides of the Greater Vancouver Island Miners' Strike 1912-1914"

Women played essential roles as activists in a divided community during the Great Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike, 1912-1914. Join Aimee Greenaway for stories about women in Extension BC and Ladysmith, BC - from axe-wielding Minnie Axelson to Charlotte (Maffeo) Schivardi who was nicknamed a "non-union Joan of Arc" by the press. Stories are drawn from archival sources, give women back their names and voices, and highlight the integral role they played in the drive for justice and woman's rights.

Aimee Greenaway grew up in Extension, BC listening to stories about the Great Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike. She is curator at the Nanaimo Museum and Managing Editor of British Columbia History magazine.

Watch the video here.

ONLINE EVENT: When History Meets the Environment

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:12:20 GMT

This year’s Canada’s History Forum explores how history and education can help us understand and address environmental challenges. Join us on Thursday, March 20th from 6 pm until 9 pm to explore how learning from our environmental past can inspire action toward a sustainable future.

The event is free , but pre-registration is required.

‘This is reclamation’; Tk’emlúps Kúkpi7 Casimir discusses historical designation for former residential school site

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:47:53 GMT

The Kamloops Indian Residential School, which was in the building now known as the Chief Louis Centre, was opened in 1890, and closed in 1978. Those who attended were between the ages of four and 18, from over 108 communities and at least 38 different Indigenous nations from across British Columbia.

Now the school, along with three other properties on the site have been designated as a national historic site by the Government of Canada and Parks Canada.

“Our survivors, and our intergenerational survivors and those not yet born, they are going to be able to take pride in that real collective history is what is being made today,” said Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir.

Read the full article here.

B.C.’s oldest colonial-era cemetery is now an unassuming park in downtown Victoria

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:41:11 GMT

It’s a small greenspace sitting in the shadow of Christ Church Cathedral and across from the Provincial Law Courts on Quadra Street. While there are several monuments inside the park, it’s not obvious that Pioneer Square was once Pioneer Cemetery.

John Adams, with the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria says it’s a popular stop on his walking tours.

“There are benches, there’s grass, there are trees. But underneath what most people don’t know is that there are still 1,300 people,” he says.

Read the full article here.

Nuxalk Strong exhibit to feature treasures not publicly seen in decades

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:28:51 GMT

“These treasures that were gifted to their grandfather and father are going to be in the exhibit and hadn’t been seen by the nation since 1923 when they left and went to Ontario…” — Dr. Jennifer Kramer, curator, Pacific Northwest at the Museum of Anthropology

Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology (MOA) is opened its doors on Feb. 21 to the very first exhibition dedicated to the Nuxalk Nation.

The year-long show titled Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun, will feature 71 treasures, artwork, dances, and stories acquired from private collections, six different museums and from the MOA’s own collection.

The Nuxalk Nation have lived for more than 14,000 years on the central Northwest Coast located at Bella Coola, B.C. They are recognized for their distinct style of painting, carving and weaving. Additionally, many of the treasures from the community incorporate a unique colour of blue used in their masks and regalia.

Read the full article here.

Exploration Place, BC Bob launch partnership for fundraiser

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:23:37 GMT

The Exploration Place is joining forces with BC Bob Kronbauer, one of British Columbia’s most popular content creators, for a limited-time fundraiser featuring exclusive merch inspired by Mr. PG, the local museum and Loki the Magpie.

Kronbauer, is known for his engaging storytelling about provincial history and fun facts, has built a dedicated following of 150,000 on TikTok and 85,000 on YouTube, where he shares fun stories about the province’s past and present.

He hosts a new show, “Now You Know BC” on CHEK in Vancouver Island. His content highlights the quirky, unexpected, and iconic elements of our province. He’s referred to The Exploration Place as his favourite charity in Prince George.

The merchandise collection includes hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, t-shirts, toques, tote bags, and a limited-edition Mr. PG neon sign.

Read the full article here.

Black History Month Roundup #2

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 20:07:47 GMT

Here is a roundup part 2 of more Black History Month events/exhibitions taking place throughout BC, compiled by Madison Bridal, Special Events Coordinator for the BCMA.

AVC: Black History Walking Tour 2025 Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite

Dates: February 15th and 22nd
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Union Street & Quebec Street; Andy livingstone Park Vancouver, BC V6A 4E7
Presented by AfroVan Connect and Black Space Media INC

DARK MATTER (presented by Kickstart Disability) Tickets| Eventbrite

Wed, Feb 19, 2025
6:00 PM -8:00PM
825 E Hastings St

Community Treasures | City of Surrey

Dates: January 28-April 27
Museum of Surrey

Roots of Resilience Collection by Tarcila Neves

January 31 - February 28, 2025
Richmond Cultural Centre Upper Rotunda

AVC: Black History Walking Tour 2025 Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite

February 15th & February 22
1:00PM - 2:00PM
Quebec ST & Union ST (in front of the Andy Livingstone Tennis Court)

BCMA Advocacy Town Hall

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 20:05:39 GMT

Museums, galleries, heritage sites, and cultural institutions matter - it’s time to come together and make our voices heard!

Join the BCMA Advocacy Committee for an online town hall discussion on February 26 at 12:00 pm and discuss how we can help our sector unite in collective advocacy.

Economic pressures and the looming instability of the United States have the potential to increase government austerity and decrease grants, funds, and support programs that our sector relies on. While the BCMA advocates for the museum sector as a whole, we are strongest together. Now is the time to be bold, bringing together the hundreds of voices of our members to advocate with shared messages. We have the potential to change government policies and spending and ensure a brighter future for our sector.

Exploring Pastimes through the VHEC Archives

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 20:04:10 GMT

Exploring Pastimes through the VHEC Collection

Thursday, February 20 at 6 pm

What do a wooden dog, a chess set, jump ropes, and a dollhouse have in common?

Join the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for a unique exploration of pastimes and memories before, during, and after the Holocaust.

The event begins with a guided tour of our cornerstone exhibition, In Focus: The Holocaust Through the VHEC Collection. We’ll highlight how everyday objects, such as toys and games, provided moments of respite and connection during some of history’s darkest times.

After the exhibition tour, join VHEC’s expert archivists for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our archives, where we’ll delve deeper into personal artefacts and testimonies—including the newly acquired Oberlander family fonds. This rare opportunity will reveal more about how objects and memories of leisure were intertwined with survival and continue to speak to the human experience.

This event is free and open to the public. Recommended for ages 12 and older.

Energizing the Golden Museum and Archives: A Solar Project

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:23:12 GMT

From the Golden Museum:

"The Golden Museum and Archives is excited to announce a major building upgrade coming in early 2025. This project focuses on the installation of a large solar array designed to bring the Golden Museum’s power usage to net zero, meaning the building will generate as much power as it uses.

Throughout 2024, the Museum has been working with A Fit Right Efficient Energy Company Inc. and GreenLight Power to create a design that will reach the goal of being net-zero. This project, funded by Columbia Basin Trusts Non-profit Smart Grant, Destination BC’s Tourism Climate Resiliency Initiative Grant, and BC Hydro’s Solar Rebate Program, will create organizational and environmental sustainability.

“We are seeing more buildings and businesses take on solar projects,” Brittany Newman, Executive Director of the Golden Museum says, “I think that climate change and the visible effects it is having globally have really impacted the way people think. Solar is a great way to cut down on gas emissions and create a more sustainable community. We’ve seen what extreme weather has been doing, especially locally, so people are taking whatever steps they can to lessen their environmental impact. There is currently a lot of public and financial support out there for environmental sustainability projects, right now. I encourage people to do some research and look into it. Also, propane, gas, and electricity are not getting any cheaper, so installing a system that makes a building self-sufficient has a definite appeal.”

The Museum was built from a kit in 1970 by community volunteers. The 3300 sq. ft. building relies on electricity for heat, and costs between $6,000 - $7,000 a year to power. The Solar Array being installed on the museum will greatly reduce this cost and we estimate that the system will pay for itself within 12 years. Additionally, with the effects of climate change, including the on-going droughts, a self-generating system means that the museum is no longer reliant on hydroelectric generated power.

The unique shape of the building and its age have provided some challenges. Engineering inspections of the roof and upgrades to the building’s electrical service were required before the project could even begin. It took many months of planning and designing to ensure the optimal output of energy from the placement of panels. The building’s rounded roof ensured that a simple system wouldn’t work.

“The Museum has been a fun system to design, as [the panels] are being place on the side of a Quonset which has added a level of difficulty, but these are the types of challenges I enjoy most,” Thad Mertick, owner of A Fit Right Efficient Energy Company says. “Especially when we are able to find such a great answer, which has turned into a very efficient, clean, and advanced system.”

While the main focus of this project is to become sustainable, the museum is also a place of learning. Because of this, part of the project includes a display that will be installed in the museum gallery so that visitors can understand how the system works and monitor the energy production. This display is the first part of a future exhibit exploring power generation in Golden and Columbia Valley. The team is excited about the learning components this project offers, with Thad stating, “I love the thought of the museum and the mixture of old with the new technology. It’s really exciting.”

The 39.4KW system, worth approximately $100,000, is expected to be installed on the Museum this spring."

B.C.'s legendary Martin Mars water bomber makes final journey to its permanent home

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:14:02 GMT

The Philippine Mars water bomber, a legendary aircraft that fought wildfires in B.C. for nearly 50 years, has completed its final flight.

The massive plane left its longtime base at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni, B.C., on Sunday, bidding farewell to B.C.

After a brief stop in San Francisco, the aircraft landed in Arizona's Lake Pleasant on Monday evening.

Read the full article from CBC here.

Sooke Region Museum launches Survey and New Logo

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:23:01 GMT

From the Sooke Region Historical Society:

"The Sooke Region Historical Society invites the community to play an active role in shaping the future of the Sooke Region Museum & Visitor Centre.

“As the museum approaches its 50th anniversary in 2027, we’re looking for input from residents and visitors from East Sooke to Port Renfrew to reflect the needs, values, and stories of the region and create a shared vision for the future,” said Doni Eve, Society president.

Residents are invited to respond to a community-wide survey on the museum’s current offerings and provide new ideas. You can access the survey at sookeregionmuseum.ca

“Your ideas belong in a museum,” said Michelle Richard, Museum executive director. “We’re also excited to use this opportunity to reveal a new logo. We asked local designer Jen Eckert to update the best elements of the former logo, and local artist Shelley Davies added Indigenous elements.”

Jen's design is inspired by the tin roof of the museum, the lighthouse, and the tree that symbolizes the Sitka and Western Red Cedar, so important to our local history and an integral part of our natural heritage.

Shelley describes her inspiration, “I chose the Bald eagle “Qelensen” for its wisdom . Known to be highly regarded by Coast Salish as it flies high and close to Creator.

I also chose the Raven (SQTO) not because he is a trickster but because he is also known to bring back higher knowledge from the Creator. Raven has also been referred to as a storyteller which I feel represents the Museum well as they tell the story of the community.”

“Your input will help us grow with the changing needs of the region ensuring the museum remains a vibrant hub of culture, education, and connection for generations to come,” Richard said.

Since its founding in 1977, the Sooke Region Museum has been dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich human and natural history of the Sooke region. From exhibits and archives to community programs, the museum celebrates stories and heritage that make the region unique. Follow the museum’s Facebook and Instagram or visit www.sookeregionmuseum.ca."

BCHF Seeking a Membership Coordinator

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 19:17:03 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation is seeking a Membership Coordinator to join the board of directors to take on the volunteer position that coordinates and registers membership of the non-profit society.

The position would be ideal for someone who has a computer and an hour or so a week to answer email inquiries, undertake light data entry, process payments, and manage the membership database.

As part of the role, the Membership Coordinator serves on the board of the Federation and contributes to the decision-making process of the Society. The Membership Coordinator works as part of a team, and enjoys interacting with individual and society members from around the province.

The BCHF is an entirely volunteer-led Society that promotes the rich and diverse history of British Columbia. This mandate is delivered through the hosting an annual conference, publishing a quarterly magazine, delivering a small granting program, and recognizing excellence in public history through a number of awards and scholarships.

Interested applicants should contact Shannon to learn more: shannon@bchistory.ca.

Ushering Agassiz's history into the digital age

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 17:34:53 GMT

On a chill day in early January, the sometimes-bustling interior of Agassiz’s historic train station-turned-museum is quiet and empty. The banner for a half-finished Lunar New Year display hangs on a wall between two windows. But on the second floor, museum manager Maria Martins is busy working. Around her, tucked away inside closets, cupboards, and shelves throughout the Agassiz-Harrison Museum are thousands of physical reminders of the community’s history.

Martins is ready to usher those artifacts into the digital age.

“The amount of information that has been able to be captured here over the years is incredible, but it's just not accessible to the public,” Martins told The Current during a visit to the historic train station that houses the museum and its archives. The goal is to change that.

Digitization. System alignment. Volunteer development. Those activities may not sound glamorous, but they form what Martins believes are the most important responsibilities of her position. And her work is already showing fruit.

Read the full article from the Fraser Valley Current.

Black History Month Events

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 19:50:29 GMT

Madison Bridal, Special Projects Coordinator for the BC Museums Association, has compiled a list of events happening in February for Black History Month. Information and links for the events are below:

BC Black History Awareness Society:

History & Heritage Day

February 8 at the Royal BC Museum
1pm - 4pm, free admission

An Evening of History, Culture and Fashion

February 8 at the Royal BC Museum
5:00 PM - 7:00pm, free admission, registration required

Mentor Tea – BC Black History Awareness Society

February 16 at the Baumann Centre
1pm-3pm, ticketed

Ross Bay Cemetery Guided Tour – BC Black History Awareness Society

February 23 at 1495 Fairfield Road
2pm - 3pm, admission $5/$2

Music and Words – BC Black History Awareness Society

February 24 at the Belfry Theatre
7pm - 9pm, by donation

City of Surrey:

Black in BC: Celebrating Black Excellence 2025

February 7 at the Surrey Arts Centre
3-7 pm

BC Black History: Resilience Amid Racism

February 13
1–2pm
Online

Online Speaker Series: Building a Future - Adult

February 19
12 - 1 pm
Online

(Hosted by the Museum of Surrey)

Black History Movie: Legacy of Resilience: A Black Pioneer Story

Tuesday, February 25 at Surrey Library, Newton Branch
3–4pm

Vancouver:

Black History Month Celebration

February 22
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Central Library

Black History Month | Vancouver International Film Festival

Multiple dates/showings

Atlanthos: Youth-Driven Innovation Through Afrofuturistic Storytelling

February 6 at the Museum of Anthropology
7 – 8:30 pm
North Vancouver

Sounds & Pressure : Reggae in a Foreign Land Series -

February 26 at the North Vancouver City Library
7:00 PM
Coquitlam

Black History Month Family Day

February 15
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Maillardville Community Centre, 1200 Cartier Avenue, Coquitlam, BC, V3K 2C3 Canada

Speaker Series: Building a Future/Reparations in Canada

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:27:11 GMT

From the Museum of Surrey:

"Many Canadians take pride in the history of the Underground Railroad. They celebrate that Canada, specifically what is now Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes, was the destination for freedom‐seeking enslaved Africans fleeing slavery in America. But Canada also has its own untold, dark history of slavery.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade spanned 400 years with more than 12 million African people held in bondage. In Canada, the system of racial chattel slavery was introduced by the French in the 17th century. The term “chattel slavery” relates to the fact that enslaved people are treated as commodities or resources to be traded and/or sold. This chattel slavery was a dehumanizing and violent system of abuse and subjugation. Importantly, Europeans viewed slavery in racist terms. Indigenous and African peoples were seen as less than human. White supremacy justified the violence of slavery for hundreds of years.

Canada’s economy and infrastructure was built using chattel slavery; and the fruits of this unpaid, brutal labour are still enjoyed across the nation today. Reparations is a term which signifies righting a wrong and undoing harms of the past. While this is an expansive effort in the U.S., Canada falls far behind. In this conversation we are asking: Why isn’t making reparations a wide-spread effort in Canada? What reparations, if any, are being made in Canada to Black communities? How would reparations support Black communities? Could these reparations build equity and bolster the economy as a whole? Start the conversation with Dominique Jacobs regarding Reparations in Canada.

When: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 – 12:00-1:00pm
Where: Online via Microsoft Teams
Cost: Free
How to Register: Call/Email the Museum of Surrey: 604-592-6956 or museum@surrey.ca

More About our Speaker: Dominique Jacobs

Dominique Jacobs (she/her) was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Her family fled persecution from the apartheid regime to migrate to Canada in the 80s. She holds a degree in Professional Communications and has over 20 years of vast experience as a Communications Professional, having worked in both Canada and South Africa.

Dominique contributes to community non-profits, particularly expanding engagement by developing a strong brand voice and identity. Through her Communications consulting business, she supports organizations interested in social and climate justice, anti-racism and anti-oppression practices.

In collaboration with AACCCS (African Arts and Culture Community Contributor Society), Dominique facilitated anti-racism engagement sessions for BC Black communities. The report she wrote for the Ministry of the Attorney General, based on the sessions, was used to build BC’s new Anti-Racism legislation. At present, she is leading the communications strategy for the Black in BC Leadership Summit through AACCCS and is building an environmental steering committee for bioregional cooperation in the Westshore communities."

Celebrating Nikkei Artists: "Umami" Exhibition at NNMCC

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:23:19 GMT

From the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre:

"In our 25th anniversary year, the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC) celebrates the vibrant and diverse artistic expressions of Japanese Canadians with the "Umami: Savouring Artistic Nikkei Identity" exhibition from February through September in the Karasawa Gallery.

Just as “Umami” represents the complex layers of flavour in cuisine, this exhibition delves into the depth and richness of Nikkei artistic identity. Featuring a diverse range of artists, from emerging to established, including Japanese Canadian Legacies Art fund awardees. From traditional to contemporary art practice, the Umami exhibition shares the rich essence of our Japanese Canadian creative community.

Anchoring the exhibition is the interactive and thought-provoking Kintsugi installation by Annie Sumi and Brian Kobayakawa. This contemporary multimedia piece, inspired by the traditional Japanese art of mending ceramics with gold, conceptually mends broken and shattered experiences of what it means to be Canadian of Japanese ancestry. It utilizes a Singer sewing machine that survived the era of Japanese Canadian internment and dispossession. By manually manipulating the machine, visitors can activate original music and spoken word, creating a unique and moving experience.

Part 1 of the Umami exhibition also showcases the work of Todd Inouye, Ken Mizokoshi, and Wendy Tanaka, each offering unique perspectives on the Japanese Canadian experience through their distinct artistic styles. Inouye's work focuses on materiality and healing. Mizokoshi takes an archival approach to photography. Tanaka combines portraiture of both family members and treasured objects. Inouye, Mizokoshi, and Tanaka will be in attendance at the Exhibit Opening + Artists’ Conversations on February 13.

Experience the Umami exhibition and explore the rich tapestry of Nikkei artistic expression. Visit the NNMCC from February to September 2025.

Part 1: Feb 8 – May 17, 2025

Part 2: May 27 – Sept 27, 2025

Molly JF Caldwell
Yoshiko Hirano
Marlene Howell, Bryan Kobayakawa & Annie Sumi
Vivien Nishi
Reiko Pleau

Supported by the Province of British Columbia and the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society."

Vancouver Art Gallery unveils an exhibit exploring Emily Carr’s mystical forests

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:19:53 GMT

The Vancouver Art Gallery invites visitors to delve into the mystical landscapes of British Columbia through Emily Carr: Navigating an Impenetrable Landscape, a year-long exhibition celebrating one of Canada’s most renowned artists. Running from January 25, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the exhibition presents over 20 of Carr’s renowned forest paintings, offering an exploration of the spiritual and physical interplay within BC’s rainforests.

Carr’s work, deeply rooted in her reverence for nature and influenced by European Modernism, transformed how British Columbians see their environment. Known for their vivid depictions of the dense coastal rainforests, Carr’s paintings often capture the beauty and mystery of our natural spaces, simultaneously inviting viewers into their depths and keeping them at bay.

Read the full article here.

New operator named for Fort Steele

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:51:32 GMT

Cranbrook Archives, Museum and Landmark Society will take over operations of Fort Steele Heritage Town on April 1.

The organization has a six-year contract and will assume management of the heritage attraction from the Friends of Fort Steele Society, which has been operating it since 2004.

salishan Place by the River Grand Opening

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 00:01:38 GMT

On Saturday, February 8, Mayor Eric Woodward, together with members of Council, and the Fraser Valley Regional Library, will be celebrating the grand opening of salishan Place by the River, the Township of Langley’s new arts, culture, and heritage centre in Fort Langley.

Attend the public open house at salishan Place by the River and also celebrate the opening of the new Fort Langley Library. Learn about the plans for salishan including programs, services, and the phased opening of the museum and its exhibits in the coming months.

Saturday, February 8 from 12:30 to 4:00pm
23430 Mavis Avenue
Free admission.

For more information on salishan Place by the River visit tol.ca/salishan.

Mary Ann Moore reviews "This and That: The Lost Stories of Emily Carr (Revised and Updated)"

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 23:59:36 GMT

Emily Carr (1871–1945) intended to call this collection of stories written in the last two years of her life (1943–1945): Hundreds and Thousands. That title was used though, in 1966, for the publication of selected passages from Carr’s journals.

Ann-Lee Switzer discovered the stories in the BC Archives of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. Five previously unpublished stories have been added to the collection first published in 2007. Nearly thirty of Carr’s original illustrations are also included.

Read the full review here.

Signs of the Times: Nɬʔkepmx resistance through rock art

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 23:24:15 GMT

From the Friends of the British Columbia Archives:

"We are excited to announce our first event for our 2025 Speaker Series!

Join us on February 9th for Chris Arnette's talk on Nɬʔkepmx resistance through rock art. Chris Arnett is an archaeologist and heritage consultant. He has worked with First Nations communities, including Tsleil-Waututh, Lil’wat, Nlaka’pamux (Lytton and Kanaka Bar), Upper Similkameen, Gitgat’a, and Maori (Ngāi Tahu) on rock art research since 1985. He lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia."

Learn more and register here.

VIDEO: Women's Labour History in Vancouver - A Virtual Walking Tour with Natasha Fairweather

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:59:12 GMT

Join Natasha Fairweather, the Project Manager at the BC Labour Heritage Centre, for this virtual walking tour of sites in Vancouver with a significant women's worker history, highlighting some of the job actions leading to progress on women's equality in the workforce.

Watch the full video here.

Vancouver Art Gallery’s month-long celebration explores Black creativity

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 21:58:58 GMT

The Vancouver Art Gallery is marking Black History Month with Celebrating Black Futures, a month-long programme dedicated to exploring art, music, literature, and film through the lens of Black culture and creativity. Organized in collaboration with partners such as Artspeak, Nooroongji Books, Space Lab, the Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver Black Library, and We the Roses, the programme celebrates Black contributions while fostering dialogue and inclusion.

Read the full article here.

Bridging the Gap Initiative Moves Forward

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 18:12:50 GMT

On January 13th 2025, historical societies from across Canada met again.

The following societies participated: Société historique du Canada / Canadian Historical Association (SHC/ CHA); Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française (IHAF); Fédération Histoire Québec (FHQ); British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF); Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society (NFLHS); Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society (RNSHS); Ontario Historical Society (OHS); Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society (SHKS); Historical Society of Alberta (HSA); Yukon Historical & Museums Association (YHMA); New Brunswick Historical Society (NBHS); and Réseau du patrimoine et de l’histoire francophones et acadiens du Canada (RPHFAC). Histoire Canada / Canada History sent its regrets

The group discussed their plans for the upcoming year, including potential meetings and the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion within their organizations as well as in historical narratives. They shared their efforts to increase diversity, such as publishing special editions of publications or collaborating with other organizations. The conversation ended with a proposal of two main actions to continue their contribution to the national conversation on diversity, a panel discussion and a shared report presenting their different initiatives.

New Exhibit "Reframed: Understanding New West Through Photos" at New Westminster Museum & Archives

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 17:29:55 GMT

New Westminster Museum and Archives holds 230,000 photographs documenting scenes of the city’s history and its people. Community members donated the majority of these photographs creating a preferred narrative of our past, influencing the stories told through exhibition, programming, and the media, and omitting the contributions of those not captured in this historic record.

Reframed: Understanding New West Through Photos critically examines photographs acquired by New Westminster Museum and Archives since 1950. The exhibition articulates the role these images have played in shaping community narrative, and reframes them to present a more genuine picture of the city’s past. By looking at who is, and is not, present in these photographs, we explore how a limited number of photographers shaped the early historic record of the city. This exhibition compares the original vision of the photographer with the impact of their work. Evidence of forgotten stories appear at the fringes of their images and beyond the cropped areas of photos used for publication. Reframed considers the role developing technology played in empowering New Westminster’s communities to document their own lives. With thousands of unnamed faces in the collection, this exhibition highlights the power that names hold to discover hidden histories from marginalized populations.

The exhibition critically examines the ways in which we can reframe our knowledge about the city by highlighting its marginalized stories.

The exhibit's opening reception will take place on February 6th from 6pm to 8pm. The exhibit runs from February 6th, 2025 until June 29th, 2025.

Master Haida artist to debut at Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 17:23:33 GMT

After a career that has traversed 50 years, Haida artist Kihl’ Yahda Christian White is presenting his first major solo exhibition this February.

The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver is hosting the show’s opening on Feb.1 with White in attendance. The displays will be available to view until next year.

The featured artwork spans his entire career and includes collaborative pieces made with apprentices.

Read the full article here.

Virtual Panel Talk: Chinese Canadian Convos with BC History Magazine

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 20:55:20 GMT

On Thursday, February 20, the Chinese Canadian Museum is hosting a virtual panel talk entitled "Chinese Canadian Convos with BC History Magazine."

The special virtual program highlights stories from our winter 2024 issue of BC History, which featured a theme of Chinatowns.

Panelists include Imogene Lim, Catherine Clement, Elwin Xie, Sarah Ling, and Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese in conversation with magazine editor Aimee Greenaway.

The online event is free to attend, registration is required. Visit the Museum's website to learn more and sign up.

Nominations and Applications Sought - Recognition Awards and Centennial Legacy Fund

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 16:08:47 GMT

The annual deadline of March 1 is approaching and we're looking for your nominations and applications!

Recognition Awards

The BCHF Recognition Awards honour individuals and organizations who are making a difference in the BC historical and heritage sector. Recipients will be recognized at the annual conference, held in Williams Lake May 1-4. Please consider making a nomination today.

READ THE GUIDELINES AND APPLY HERE

Centennial Legacy Fund

The Centennial Legacy Fund (CLF) is a small funding program that supports individuals and organizations working on projects to promote and preserve BC history. Past funding has supported initial research, exhibitions, acquisition of conservation supplies, documentation of oral histories, and the digitization of important collections. Apply by the deadline to be considered for a grant of up to $5,000.

READ THE GUIDELINES AND APPLY HERE

Fire destroys buildings, parts of historic boardwalk in Vancouver Island's Telegraph Cove

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 00:57:43 GMT

Parts of the historic boardwalk and a number of buildings in Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island were destroyed by a large fire, Port McNeill Fire Rescue said on December 31st.

The fire department issued a public safety announcement asking people who were going to the area to watch the fire to stay away as it was hindering the efforts of crews to extinguish it.

"This is a devastating loss to the North Island," the department wrote on social media.

Read the full article here.

In a changing world, what role do museums play today?

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 23:07:45 GMT

Royal B.C. Museum CEO sounds off on their importance: 'It's how we teach, how we learn, how we educate, how we get to know one another'

Read the full article here.

'A Christmas miracle': Couple retrieves photos from 1968 Okanagan wedding

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 22:48:01 GMT

When Margaret and Barry Sharman tied the knot in Enderby on July 20, 1968, it was the beginning of a "wonderful" life together, and nearly 57 years later the Penticton couple still has fond memories of that special day.

But until recently, memories of their wedding were all the Sharmans had. Like many young couples getting married, money was tight for the Sharmans, such that they couldn't afford to pay their wedding photographer for their nuptial photos.

Thanks to the Enderby and District Museum (and a little luck), the Sharmans have now seen their wedding photos for the first time.

Read the full article here.

'Bypass the Expected' at Sooke Region Museum's latest exhibit

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 22:40:40 GMT

There are many ways to get from A to B, and some options make the journey more fun than the destination. Visitors can head off the beaten path and explore the unexpected ways people move throughout the region at Sooke Region Museum’s latest exhibit, Detours: Bypass the Expected, running through December 2025.

Showcasing the history of transportation methods, whether by water, wheels, foot, or air, the exhibit features some intriguing artifacts from the museum’s collection, diving deep into three areas of transportation: industry, commuting, and recreation.

In Detours, visitors can learn about a uniquely “Sooke” item, the Flowline Tricycle. This tricycle was specifically made to ride the Flowline so it could be inspected efficiently. This employed ‘hand-cycling,’ which is better for keeping balance than pedalling. On this trike, the arms work while the feet steer and keep the rider stable.

Read the full article here.

Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum gets a new executive director

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 21:02:35 GMT

The Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum (CBCRFM) is welcoming Baptiste Marcere as their new Executive Director. Marcere will be succeeding Katherine Carlson after she became the Executive Officer for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) of Northern B.C.

Marcere is from France and has earned a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences. Marcere will be bringing his experience from past appointments as the Executive Director for the LaMaison Gabrielle-Roy in Winnipeg and the North Peace Cultural Centre in Fort St. John. According to the CBCRFM, he has also worked closely with First Nation communities in Manitoba.

The CBCRFM adds that they are excited to have “Baptiste’s passion for community engagement and history to support the development of tourism and education in the region. Being bilingual, Baptiste will also be able to serve visitors and stakeholders of the Museum in French.”

Museum of Anthropology unveils first exhibit dedicated to the Nuxalk Nation

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 20:54:29 GMT

The Museum of Anthropology is gearing up to present the first exhibition dedicated to the vibrant culture, history, and ongoing revitalization efforts of the Nuxalk people from Bella Coola. Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun, opening on February 21, is co-curated by Nuxalk Nation cultural director Dr. Snxakila Clyde Tallio and Museum of Anthropology curator of the Pacific Northwest Dr. Jennifer Kramer.

The exhibition offers a deep exploration of the Nuxalk community’s journey to reclaim sovereignty, rebuild cultural practices, and safeguard their treasures for future generations. Visitors can witness the strength and resilience of a nation reconnecting with its ancestral belongings through a collection of over 70 items, including masks, regalia, raven rattles, and mountain goat wool robes. Many of these items are on loan from institutions such as the Royal BC Museum, Burke Museum, Glenbow Museum, and private collections. A significant highlight is the return of cultural treasures originally gifted to ethnographer TF McIlwraith in the 1920s, which will be repatriated to the Nuxalk Nation at the exhibition’s close in 2026.

Read the full article here.

LGBTQ Purge exhibit on display at Nanaimo library

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 20:47:00 GMT

An exhibit is travelling through Vancouver Island libraries that details the unfair dismissal of LGBTQ members from Canada's civil service, RCMP and armed forces between the 1950s and the 1990s.

On loan from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the pop-up exhibit titled 'Love in a Dangerous Time' includes several boards detailing the stories of Canadians impacted by what has become known as the 'LGBTQ Purge,' during which tens of thousands of people were investigated as part of a policy of demoting and firing LGBTQ workers.

Read the full article here.

Volunteers fight to stop demolition of ‘important’ Port Alberni building

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 19:55:54 GMT

Climbing up into a 1950s-era logging truck in Port Alberni on Thursday, 84-year-old Hank Bakken said he could almost smell the timber at his back and feel the hillside air rushing by his face after making a life as a logging truck driver.

“Just makes my day. I almost feel like I’m 18 again. It’s quite a feeling,” Bakken told CHEK News.

Now, the Port Alberni retiree volunteers with the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Museum on 9th Avenue.

It’s a place that brings the past to life, with hands-on exhibits, storytelling and the actual logging machines that put Port Alberni on the map and made it a rich place in the 1950s, when a young Bakken was just starting out.

Read the full article here.

Museum of Northern BC commemorates 100 years with a reflective exhibit

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 19:25:22 GMT

It was 1924 when a cultural treasure in Prince Rupert was born, finding its first home upstairs of the Canadian Bank of Commerce on 2nd Ave at 5th Street.

Fast forward to 2024, following a plethora of social, economic and technological changes, and it proudly celebrates its enduring mission to keep the art and history of the North Coast alive.

This year the Museum of Northern B.C. is celebrating its 100 years with a new reflective exhibit.

“Unlike the Museum of Northern BC, very few arts and culture institutions in B.C. have a century of unbroken service to its community,” said Susan Marsden, director of the museum.

“It seemed an ideal time to celebrate the museum with an exhibit looking back on the 100 years of the museum’s history in the context of events in the city and the province,” she added.

Read the full article here.

Renowned whale museum lost to fire in B.C.'s Telegraph Cove was a 'labour of love'

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 19:17:43 GMT

Photo: British Columbia Magazine

Mary Borrowman is mourning the loss of the Whale Interpretive Centre in Telegraph Cove, B.C., a popular tourism attraction that helped fuel the local economy and drew visitors from around the world.

The centre, which housed a large collection of marine mammal skeletons, was destroyed during the Dec. 31 fire that levelled parts of the Vancouver Island resort village.

"We had probably the largest marine mammal skeleton collection hanging in Western Canada, and it is just as world renowned now," Borrowman said.

Read the full article here.

Visit the Whale Interpretive Centre's website here to learn how you can help them recover from the fire.

Retiring archivist shared, shaped Sechelt’s history

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 19:12:32 GMT

The sagacious steward of the Sechelt Community Archives is stepping down after almost three decades overseeing the community’s collection of historical records.

Ann Watson, withdrawing from her duties at the age of 91, plans to travel extensively with her husband Ivor. Liberated from her customary Thursday office hours at the archival stacks on Teredo Street, Watson also intends to step up her pickleball coaching and competitive gameplay at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre.

Watson began organizing Sechelt’s collections in 1997. She had just completed a relocation of archival materials from the Anglican Church’s Christ Church Cathedral to the Vancouver School of Theology. During the subsequent decade, she traveled to and from Vancouver each week, setting the cathedral records in order while instituting archival systems in Sechelt.

“What I found out,” she said, “is that you find a job you like and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Read the full article here.

The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act final curator's tour

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 20:21:29 GMT

On this tour from the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver, curator Catherine Clement will walk you through her feature exhibition commemorating the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. Learn more about the unique stories about various exhibition displays and the behind-the-scene work done by her team for this project.

Looking Back on 2024 at Revelstoke Museum & Archives

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:25:56 GMT

Photo: Laura VanZant, Assistant Curator, and Cathy English, Curator, at the Revelstoke Business Excellence Awards. Cathy English won "Employee of the Year" and the Gift Shop was a runner-up in the Retail Excellence category.

Revelstoke Museum & Archives declared 2024 as their "Year of Getting Things Done." They recently posted all of their changes, projects, and achievements from the last year on their blog.

Check out what they have been up to here!

Sidney Museum's 19th Annual LEGO® Brick Exhibition: A Hidden World

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:18:43 GMT

From The Sidney Museum:

"The Sidney Museum and Archives is delighted to announce the return of its annual LEGO® Brick Exhibition! Back for its 19th consecutive year, the exhibit will open to the public on December 20th and will run until March 30, 2025.

Hundreds of LEGO® creations will be displayed throughout the Museum, many of which play into this year’s subtheme, A Hidden World. Walk through the gallery to see hidden details and unique angles that highlight the attention-to-detail employed in the creation of LEGO® sets. Visitors can anticipate returning displays drawing from themes such as Architecture, Star Wars™, and Lord of the Rings™ alongside new featured sets like Notre-Dame de Paris, Jaws, plants and animals, and much more!

Also new to the exhibit is a “Community Creations” display, where visitors can enter to display their custom LEGO® creations for everyone to enjoy for one month of the exhibit. The Sidney Museum is still accepting submissions. To learn more and enter a creation visit sidneymuseum.ca/programs/lego-community-creations

Interpretation throughout the Museum will highlight the history of the hobby, how it gained its widespread popularity, and fascinating facts about specific sets on display. Popular activities such as our Museum-wide scavenger hunt and “Guess the Bricks contest” will also be returning. Whether reconnecting with an old hobby or continuing your LEGO® adventures, Sidney Museum’s exhibition is sure to delight and inspire visitors of all ages this winter!"

The Sidney Museum and Archives is located at 2423 Beacon Avenue, in the lower level of the Olde Post Office building. The Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00am - 4:00pm, except December 25-26 and January 1st. Entrance is by donation. Please visit the Museum’s website to get up-to-date details on upcoming exhibits and events.

2025 Heritage Week: Pastimes in Past Times

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:13:52 GMT

This year, Heritage Week celebrates the many ways people have spent their leisure time throughout history, highlighting how these activities have shaped the cultural fabric of today.

From February 17 to 23, 2025, culture and heritage organizations across the province are invited to host an event in their community to celebrate Heritage Week. Attend an event, spread awareness about Heritage Week on social media using promotional tools & resources, and encourage municipalities to advocate for heritage by issuing a proclamation formalizing the week.

More information and details can be found on the Heritage BC website.

Royal B.C. Museum unveils new exhibits, including fresh look at some old ones

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:11:20 GMT

Stunning wildlife photography, Indian chintz textiles, migration journeys of Chinese Canadians and the music of resistance and change are among new exhibits coming to the Royal British Columbia Museum in 2025.

Tracey Drake, chief executive of the Royal British Columbia Museum, says this year’s exhibits span space and time, from 13th century India to 18th century Hong Kong, and from the natural world to the supernatural realm of music superstars.

Read the full article here.

Director-curators at New Media Gallery bid farewell to New Westminster

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:09:21 GMT

Sarah Joyce and Gordon Duggan have curated works by more than 200 artists from dozens of countries around the world during their decade at the helm of the New Media Gallery – but they are getting set to embark on a new adventure.

In May 2014, the City of New Westminster announced that Joyce and Duggan would be the new director/curator team at the gallery, which was set to focus on contemporary art that uses new media and technology, including video art, sound art, light art, robotic art, and web art. The pair are wrapping up their work at the gallery and getting set to embark on their next challenge.

Read the full article here.

The Museum of Vancouver’s SAGE Toolkit paves the way for sustainable art and circular design

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:07:38 GMT

The Museum of Vancouver is leading the charge toward sustainability in arts and culture by launching the SAGE Toolkit: an initiative focused on decarbonizing the sector through practical, circular solutions. SAGE (Sustainable Arts and Green Ecosystems) offers guidance for museums, galleries, and theatres to reduce waste and integrate environmentally-conscious practices into their operations.

Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the toolkit emphasizes circularity, which aims to minimize waste and maximize the reuse of materials in exhibitions and theatre sets. The resource is the culmination of nearly two years of collaboration among designers, curators, and sustainability experts under the leadership of the museum’s director of collections and exhibitions, Viviane Gosselin, and sustainability consultant Maureen Cureton.

Read more about the SAGE Toolkit and how to access it here.

New skateboarding exhibit lands at Vancouver Island pop culture museum

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

The latest exhibit at the Pop Cult Museum at PD's Hot Shop in Qualicum Beach follows skateboarding through the decades, from early homemade boards in the 1930s right to the present day.

Wheels of Freedom traces the evolution of skate culture, as well as the boards themselves — and how new technology influences the activity and vice versa.

Read the full article here.

New videos from B.C. Labour Heritage Centre

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:34:36 GMT

A new collection of short videos has been released by the B.C. Labour Heritage Centre.

B.C. Labour Heritage Moments showcase key topics in over 100 years of B.C.’s labour history. The nine videos are 3-4 minutes each. Titles include Indigenous Longshoremen, Ginger Goodwin, Injunctions and Collective Bargaining Rights.

The Centre used clips from its own extensive oral history collection, as well as other archival sources to illustrate the videos.

Each video was researched and written by staff members Natasha Fairweather and Donna Sacuta. Fairweather also narrates each episode. Video and sound editing was provided by Rob Leichner of the Canadian Labour Congress.

The collection was released at the B.C. Federation of Labour Convention in November. The Centre encourages organizations to use the videos at their events, in education programs and on social media.

The Moments Collection can be viewed and downloaded on YouTube and on the Centre’s website.

Canada's first national meeting of historical societies is a success

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:33:44 GMT

In 2022, at the suggestion of the research project Agents mémoriels, un engagement citoyen d’hier à aujourd’hui, the Canadian Historical Association (CHA) and the Fédération Histoire Québec (FHQ) launched a call to national, provincial and territorial historical societies to initiate a conversation on common issues. The result was the Bridging the Gap initiative, which produced a report on the current state of historical societies in Canada.

The conversation broadened on November 4, when the first national meeting of Canada’s historical societies was held. In addition to the members of the steering committee - the CHA, the FHQ, the Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française (IHAF) and the British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) - the following societies took part:

· Canada’s History

· Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society (NFLHS)

· Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society (RNSHS)

· New Brunswick Historical Society (NBHS)

· Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society (SHKS)

· Historical Society of Alberta (HSA)

· Yukon Historical & Museums Association (YHMA)

At the meeting, they discussed the contemporary issues they face in order to continue their work and remain relevant to their communities and Canadian society today. They agreed to continue the discussion, with the aim of maintaining this link and encouraging the sharing of experiences and successes. To be continued.

Beyond Chinatown: The Chinese and English Phrase Book and Dictionary

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:51:40 GMT

Title page, Chinese and English Phrase Book and Dictionary, 1897. Courtesy Imogene Lim

An excerpt from the Winter 2024-25 edition of British Columbia History.

By Imogene Lim

When someone says the word “Chinatown,” a certain image comes to mind. In British Columbia, it is of Vancouver or Victoria’s streetscapes of narrow laneways or buildings of two- or three-storeys in height, recessed balconies, “Chinese” businesses and associations, as well as a gateway to signal to the visitor that they have arrived. Each of these Chinatowns holds a distinction in the Canadian context: Victoria as the oldest, Vancouver as the largest. Both are in populous urban centres. Historically, they were a hub for migration (or destination) and dispersal, as well as commerce.

But many early immigrants to Canada sought opportunity and fortune outside Vancouver and Victoria (the reason that those early Chinese referred to their destination as Gold Mountain, Gum Saan). [1] Their existence is represented in the historical record through physical remains, including cemeteries; oral history; and ephemera. In BC, where did the early Chinese find work or home—a place of belonging—besides Vancouver or Victoria?

As a result of a Legacy Project of the province, launched in 2015, [2] Heritage BC produced Chinese Canadian Historic Places Cultural Map, available on its website: https://heritagebc.ca/cultural-maps/chinese-historic-places-map.

The interactive map, which announces the depth and expanse of the Chinese Canadian presence in BC, was created through a community-nomination process. What sites might be missing? What will be remembered after the last Chinese Canadian pioneer dies in their remote community, or when there are only “newcomers” present? Erasure happens. [3] According to John Meares’ s expedition, Chinese arrived as early as 1788 accompanying the ship’s crew as artisans. [4]

Through the passage of time, information is lost. However, there is one resource that the average person interested in Chinese Canadian history may have overlooked—in part, because of its title, Chinese and English Phrase Book and Dictionary. [5]

It is not obvious from the title that place names were included—to be valued by those who purchased or had access to it. [6] The back of the book includes names of countries from every continent except Antarctica, plus “Principal Town Names of Canada” [7] and “Principal Cities and Towns in the United States.” [8] Of specific interest to BC History readers is “Places, Names of British Columbia,” [9] which lists over 200 locations.

Composite image of the BC place names listed in the Chinese and English Phrase Book and Dictionary, 1897

In the late 1800s, the places that mattered changed over the course of a century or more. As evident in BC, there has been an ebb and flow of population and industry, resulting in the boom and bust of communities. [10] For example, McDame Creek in the Cassiar Land District is unlikely to be known to most today; it is noteworthy because gold was found there by a prospector named Harry McDame.

For Chinese pioneers coming to Gum Saan, knowing the locations of various gold strikes [11] offered the potential of economic success. Though McDame Creek was meaningful enough to be included in the CEPBD, [12] equally important is to acknowledge its cultural significance to Black Canadian history. McDame and his partner, John Robert Giscome, were both from the Caribbean. According to the geographical name’s origin notes, McDame and Giscome may have been part of the 1858 emigration of San Francisco Blacks to Vancouver Island. [13]

Consider another place name, this time in the United States: Asotin, Washington. In 2024, it is neither a principal city nor a town, yet there it is in the CEPBD. [14] Its population in 2022 was just under 1,200. [15] Historically, it was known as a Nez Perce winter camp, [16] and more importantly to immigrants of the day, gold was discovered in the area. [17] Again, in the late nineteenth century, gold was an allure to many, including those who were Chinese.

Some place names were by association, that is, created with the use of the descriptor “China,” plus a “fill-in-the-blank” geographic feature, to create place names such as, “China Creek, “China Bar,” et cetera. [18]

Screenshot of a map of BC geographical names with the term “China.”
BC Geographical Names

Even the pejorative “Chink” was employed to denote where early Chinese had lived and worked. Although none of these anonymous Chinese sites are stated in the phrase book, the notes about the origin of a particular name in the BC Geographic Names database [19] are revealing.

For example, consider the phrase book listing of Beaver Creek; [20] in the BC Geographic Names database there are over a dozen locations with this exact same name.

Screenshot of a map of BC geographical names with “Beaver Creek.”
BC Geographical Names

Which Beaver Creek in the screenshot is the one listed in phrase book? Presumably one of these Beaver Creeks had an association with Chinese immigrants. As mentioned, “Chink” was used in past place names; this was true, according to the BC Geographic Names database, for a creek originally “identified as Beaver Creek in 1912,” then the name “Chink Creek [was] adopted 1 March 1938” and finally changed in 1963 to its current designation of Atrill Creek. [21] Given the location of Atrill Creek, a.k.a. “Chink” Creek, in the Bulkley Valley, it perhaps is the Beaver Creek listed in phrase book.

The association of “China” with a place establishes a Chinese presence, yet the individuals who lived there remain unknown. Being nameless, these individuals were “erased from the story of building BC and Canada,” [22] unlike the example of Harry McDame. Think again how the word Chinatown is used: China + town; it is a defined space outside of China that is inhabited by Chinese people and, more often than not, is located on the margins of a town or city. [23]

Yet, this town within a town has no moniker to honour the memory of any notable resident. This is part of a larger discussion on naming and memorialization [24] mentioned here to encourage the reader to consider how a place becomes known—within the community and outside of it. [25] For example, the eponymous cities of Vancouver and Victoria are named after Captain George Vancouver and Queen Victoria. [26]

These were and are the names familiar to residents and visitors since the 1800s. However, among those who resided in Vancouver’s and Victoria’s Chinatowns, each city was known by a Chinese name based on descriptors of their respective geographic locations, that is, 鹹水埠 haam sui fao (“saltwater city”) and 大埠 dai fao (“big port”), respectively. [27]

One other aspect to consider in thinking about “Chinatown,” whether the neighbourhood is an urban or rural setting, is that the name is assigned by those who do not live there. Though the word Chinatown might be used today, among early Cantonese speakers the place name was 唐人街 tong yun gai (“street of Tang [dynasty] people” [28]).

A Chinatown in the mid-twentieth century could consist of city blocks of buildings and thousands of residents, like in Vancouver or Victoria, or less than a handful of structures and families or individuals that everyone knew, like in Alert Bay. [29] As well, the sights and sounds of the place are marked by the people and not necessarily the structures.

People make the place. This is a reminder that our view of contemporary prominent Chinatowns, specifically Vancouver’s and Victoria’s, has affected the way we perceive, even “imagine,” Chinatowns of the past. By examining the place names of BC found within the Chinese and English Phrase Book and Dictionary, the reader comes to know the geographic extent to which early Chinese sought economic success. Moreover, with additional analysis of specific locales the narrative of one of the oldest settler groups in BC is enriched and expanded well beyond urban Chinatowns.

ENDNOTES

1. See Ann Hui, Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada’s Chinese Restaurants (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2019).
2. Government of British Columbia, “Historic Places,” last updated May 3, 2018, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/legacy-projects/historical-sites-artifacts/historic-places.
3. Imogene Lim, “Erasure: A Statement on Racism, Inclusivity and Equity,” Heritage BC (blog), August 9, 2020, https://heritagebc.ca/2020/08/09/erasure-a-statement-on-racism-inclusivity-and-equity/
4. Farzine Macrae, dir., 1788 (Vancouver: Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, 2008), 9:36, https://youtu.be/V7e9tTvpmvo?si=GdXpfVD6pXyvqMdP; Kathryn Mannie, “The Rise and Fall of Chinatown: The Hidden History of Displacement You Were Never Told,” Global News, May 26, 2022, https://globalnews.ca/news/8793341/chinatown-history-toronto-vancouver-montreal-canada.
5. Chinese and English Phrase Book and Dictionary (Vancouver: Thomson Stationery Company, 1897). Two copies, with preface dates of 1910 and 1913, are available through the Chung Collection, UBC Library Open Collection. From the title page, the book appears to have been registered in 1897, which is the date I use in referring to it.
6. I own a copy of the Chinese and English Phrase Book and Dictionary, hereafter cited as Phrase Book, courtesy of my father, who acquired it on his return to BC in 1937. His family left Cumberland’s Chinatown, where he was born, in 1928. My copy has a preface with the date 1910.
7. Phrase Book, 367–372.
8. Phrase Book 372–391.
9. Phrase Book, 360–367.
10. Sheri Radford, “6 Real-Life BC Ghost Towns You Have to Visit Once in Your Life,” Daily Hive, July 22, 2024, https://dailyhive.com/mapped/ghost-towns-british-columbia.
11. Duane and Tracy Marsteller, “Cassiar Gold Rush,” The Historical Marker Database, last updated February 24, 2022, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=187916.
12. Phrase Book, 364.
13. Government of British Columbia, “McDame Creek,” BC Geographical Names (hereafter cited as BCGN), https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/16334.html.
14. Phrase Book, 372.
15. Data USA, “Asotin, WA,” 2022, https://datausa.io/profile/geo/asotin-wa.
16. The Nez Perce are an Indigenous Peoples who travelled with the seasons in an area “in what is now Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana.” Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, 2021, https://critfc.org/member-tribes-overview/nez-perce-tribe/.
17. City of Asotin, “History,” 2020, https://cityofasotin.org/area-information/history; Happy Avery, “Asotin, City of—Thumbnail History,” HistoryLink.org Essay 11080, June 30, 2015, https://www.historylink.org/file/11080.
18. Winnie L. Cheung, Carolyn Heiman, Imogene Lim, David H.T. Wong, and Jim Wong-Chu, Celebration: Chinese Canadian Legacies in British Columbia (Victoria: Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, 2017), 12–13, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/our-history/historic-places/documents/heritage/chinese-legacy/celebration-book-pdf-copies/celebration_final_with_cover_lo-res_spreads.pdf.
19. BCGN, database page, accessed September 1, 2024, https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/web.
20. Phrase Book, 361.
21. BCGN, “Atrill Creek,” https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/9840.html.
22. Imogene Lim, “Erasure 2.0: Gatekeepers,” Heritage BC (blog), August 2, 2021, https://heritagebc.ca/2021/08/02/erasure-2-0-gatekeepers.
23. “In Nanaimo and Kamloops, for example, civic governments segregated Chinese Canadians, attempting to confine them to the outskirts of town.” Government of British Columbia, “Anti-Chinese Politics,” Chinese Legacy BC, lines 11–12, last updated November 24, 2016, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/history/anti-chinese-politics. This is notable in Cumberland where the Chinese, Japanese, and Black communities were not part of the town proper; see Figure 11 in David Chuenyan Lai, Chinatowns: Towns Within Cities in Canada (Vancouver, UBC Press, 1988), 74. “Chinese Canadians were segregated socially, economically and politically.” Government of British Columbia, “Discrimination,” Chinese Legacy BC, line 1, last updated November 24, 2016, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/history/discrimination. See also Cheung et al., Celebration, 56.
24. See Cindy E. Harnett, “In An Act of Reconciliation, Victoria’s Trutch Street Gets a New Name,” Times Colonist, July 10, 2022, https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/in-an-act-of-reconciliation-victoria-street-gets-a-new-name-5568424; Sarah Reid, “Victoria Parents Pushing to Rename Elementary School,” CTV News Vancouver Island, last updated September 26, 2019, https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/victoria-parents-pushing-to-rename-elementary-school-1.4610897.
25. Prior to the changes in immigration policies in the late 1960s, the majority of Chinese immigrants came primarily from the province of Guangdong, China, and more specifically, from the Pearl River Delta; see Mannie, “The Rise and Fall of Chinatown”; and Paul Yee, Saltwater City: An Illustrated History of the Chinese in Vancouver (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1988), 9–10). Chinese Canadians today are much more diverse in their backgrounds; they are not a monolithic ethnocultural group.
26. BCGN, “Vancouver,” https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/24320.html; BCGN, “Victoria,” https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/22474.html.
27. Pronunciation is in the Cantonese dialect. See Yee, Saltwater; and Downtown Victoria Business Association, Mysterious Chinatown: Self-guided Heritage Walking Map, 2021, https://downtownvictoria.ca/downtownvictoria.ca/uploads/2021/10/mysteriouschinatown_e.pdf.
28. Mannie, “The Rise and Fall of Chinatown.”
29. See Imogene L. Lim, “Here and There: Re/Collecting Chinese Canadian History,” Canadian Issues, Fall 2006, 61–64, https://www.proquest.com/docview/208683910?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals; which reflects on assumptions of what a Chinatown looks like.

Imogene Lim (林慕珍) is an anthropologist with roots in Cumberland and Vancouver’s Chinatowns. Both her maternal and paternal grandfathers were head tax payers, arriving in 1892 and 1890, respectively. Much of her current work involves communities on Vancouver Island associated with early Chinese Canadians. Family documents continue to serve as a source of inspiration and research; they are a reminder that she is a lo wah kiu descendant.

Canoe journey marks McMillan Expedition bicentennial

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:37:09 GMT

By Mark Forsythe

It was 200 years ago that a band of 41 men journeyed from the Columbia River to the Fraser River and back. They left Fort George (Astoria, Oregon) on Nov. 18 in three canoe-shaped Columbia River boats, led by Scotsman and Hudson’s Bay Company employee, James McMillan. In the face of depleted beaver stocks and advancing American settlement their mission was to find a site for a new fort north of the Columbia. Fort Langley was built three years later at Derby becoming the first European settlement in what is now the Lower Mainland. This at a time when Yale was the region's metropolis with its bounty of salmon, and an important meeting place for Sto:lo peoples.

The Livings Arts Society recently took to the river with the Fort Langley Canoe Club to commemorate the Voyageurs’ arduous journey. Songs, readings from expedition journals and a brisk paddle on the Bedford Channel made for a memorable day. Most 1824 expedition members were Canadien Voyageurs, but there were also Iroquois, Kanakas, an Englishman, an American and Metis, including Francis Noel Annance, a clerk, translator and hunter with the HBC who kept a journal. When they were forced to wait out fierce winds at Bellingham Bay local Indigenous guides knew a route that eliminated the need to paddle around Point Roberts and they nosed into the Nicomekl River at Mud Bay.

“We find the little river very winding and full of brush, logs etc. Towards the evening we come to the worst place; Dragging our boat through willows, shrubs, briars and beaver dams til we come to the portage and encamped.” They made two miles the next day, dragging and carrying their boats to the Salmon River. “The portage is handsome prairie. The fish excellent.” On Dec. 16 they emerged onto the Fraser River across from today’s McMillan Island: Sto:lo country.

(The Langley Heritage Society was one of the sponsors of the weekend event which also included presentations from BC and Washington State historians.)

Nelson Izu-Shi Friendship Society receives 2024 city heritage award

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 19:43:14 GMT

Back row: Nelson Heritage Working group chair Berdine Jonker, Izu-Shi Friendship Society member Will Taylor. Front row: society members Grace Nanako and Jim Sawada, mayor Janice Morrison, and society member Bernie Zimmer.

The City of Nelson and its Heritage Working Group have presented present the Nelson Izu-Shi Friendship Society with the 2024 Heritage Award and a $1,000 honorarium for its Cottonwood Park signage project.

A non-profit volunteer group that supports the sister city relationship that has existed between Nelson and Izu-shi, Japan since 1987, the Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society holds seasonal cultural events and workshops to introduce Japanese Canadian culture, arranges multigenerational exchange visits and stewards the Friendship Garden in Cottonwood Falls Park.

As part of their park caretaker role, the Society undertook a huge initiative to develop display signage telling the stories of Cottonwood Creek. Over a five-year span, it has worked closely with researchers, Indigenous leaders, local historians, Nelson families, and the Museum and Archives to research and develop this project, publicly launched in October of this year.

Ten signs in black steel frames and protected by tempered glass take us through the fascinating stories of the wildlife, the people and their histories, and the environment of Cottonwood Creek.

“The Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society is surprised and very pleased by this unexpected honour,” says president John Armstrong. “We really appreciate the recognition of our work and the contributions of others over the past five years. We hope the signs will inspire greater interest in the little-known parts of Nelson’s history and lead to a new awareness of the value of Cottonwood Creek and the potential for its restoration as it flows through our community.”

"The dedication and commitment of the Nelson Izu-Shi Friendship Society's members and volunteers to undertaking the Cottonwood Signage Project has been impressive,” said Berdine Jonker, chair of the Heritage Working Group. “The extensive knowledge imparted, the attention to historical accuracy and the engaging design of the signage makes the Nelson Society the ideal recipient for the 2024 Heritage Award.”

The city’s Heritage Working Group established this award in 2015 to recognize individuals, groups, businesses, or other organizations that have made an outstanding contribution towards the preservation and/or promotion of Nelson's heritage. Previous winners are the Hume Hotel, the Nelson Electric Tramway Society, Nelson CARES, the Nelson Museum & Art Gallery, Joern Wingender, Peter Bartl, Greg Scott, the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce and Cartolina.

Cumberland Museum publishes new book, "A Place Called Cumberland"

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:04:41 GMT

The Cumberland Museum & Archives announced the launch of their new book, "A Place Called Cumberland" earlier this month.

This beautifully crafted publication celebrates the rich history and vibrant stories of their community. It is the culmination of extensive research and collaboration that reflects the voices and experiences of Cumberland's diverse past and present.

Learn more on the museum's website here. Copies of the book can be purchased directly from them, or online here.

CMA News: National Museum Policy Joint Letter to the Government of Canada

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:57:04 GMT

From the Canadian Museums Association:

The CMA, as part of a coalition of Canadian museums, and national and provincial heritage organizations issued a joint statement to the Government of Canada regarding the development of the new National Museums Policy for Canada. As passionate advocates for our country's museums and cultural heritage, we are deeply concerned about the policy vacuum in which Canada’s museums are currently operating.

Our current National Museums Policy dates from 1990, a pre-internet era that could not have anticipated the seismic shifts in technology, climate, and society that we all now face. This outdated framework has led to a critical situation where existing programs, despite their original intent, are no longer fit for their original purpose.

We urgently need a National Museums Policy that:

Addresses the realities of the digital age and climate crisis
Provides sustainable, inflation-adjusted funding
Supports museums in their roles as educational institutions, community hubs, and guardians of our collective memory
Recognizes and leverages museums' potential in fostering social cohesion and democratic values
Prioritizes self-determination for Indigenous peoples and Indigenous cultural heritage rights including repatriation/rematriation
Implements innovative strategies inspired by global best practices

The time for action is now. We cannot afford to let our museums – these vital custodians of our heritage and significant contributors to our economy – falter due to outdated policies and inadequate support.

Read the joint statement here.

Oliver & District Heritage Society celebrates 2024 accopmlishments

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:36:09 GMT

The Oliver & District Heritage Society has had a busy year and is celebrating their accomplishments!

The ODHS updated their Collections Management Policy in 2024 to better reflect the mission, mandate, and vision of the ADHS as well as changing attitudes in the Museum sector. There is a summary version available on their website, but a full version is available upon request.

The ODHS also completed making an interactive video that tells the fascinating story of the historic irrigation canal system that runs through their area. The ODHS worked with professional and local artists, and are very proud of the finished product! You can watch the video here.

You can visit the ODHS website here. Congratulations on a busy year!

Online Programs through Vancouver Public Library

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:32:58 GMT

The Vancouver Public Library is offering 2 online programs in the new year that may be of interest to BCHF members.

January 23rd: "Chinese Canadian Genealogy Resources"

February 18th: "Family History and Genealogy" (with Library and Archives Canada)

Both programs are free, and are offered virtually so that anyone can attend! Click the links to register today.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 18:46:27 GMT

An excerpt from the Winter 2024-25 issue of British Columbia History

To Be Seen, To Be Heard exhibit. Photo: Mark Forsythe

By Mark Forsythe

1 To Be Seen, To Be Heard

The summer reopening of the Museum of Anthropology couldn’t come soon enough for eager patrons. The Arthur Erickson–designed building that graces the UBC campus was closed for 18 months to undergo major seismic upgrades because the concrete pillars underpinning the Great Hall were at risk of tumbling in an earthquake. The closure was also an opportunity to consult with Indigenous communities and reinvigorate interpretation.

To Be Seen, To Be Heard: First Nations in Public Spaces 1900–1965 is a new multimedia exhibition that explores how Indigenous people represented themselves in urban public spaces during the dark period of potlatch bans, cultural erasure, and restricted rights. Archival images of Indigenous people attending community parades, protests, tourist venues, and royal visits are projected on large screens while the voices of Indigenous people reflect on their meaning. The pursuit of land rights, their laws, and cultural expression were always propelling Indigenous people to be seen and heard at these public events. Curated by Dr. Marcia Crosby (Ts’msyen/Haida) and Karen Duffek (MOA Curator, Contemporary Visual Arts + Pacific Northwest), the exhibition continues in the Audain Gallery at the Museum of Anthropology until March 31, 2025.

2 Parksville Museum: Hidden Gem

A 1950 fire truck holds centre court in Parksville’s original firehall. Photo: Mark Forsythe

At first glance the Parksville Museum appears to be a modest cluster of cabins tucked inside a copse on the edge of town. Roam the site and you may be surprised by its scope and variety of local storytelling. Eight heritage structures fan out from an inviting courtyard, including the Mosaic Pavilion that explores local logging history and the benefits of more contemporary sustainable forest practices. There’s also a blacksmith forge, an historic Knox Church, E&N Railway displays, a post office, a schoolhouse, a children’s nature trail, and a renovated main exhibit hall bursting with local stories and artifacts.

Like many British Columbia nonprofit heritage sites, the museum is closed during the winter (Mosaic Pavilion and Marion Craig Courtyard are open yearround) but there’s plenty of activity behind the scenes. This includes new interpretation for the town’s original firehall. The museum is gathering stories from former fire department members and fire chiefs. Museum manager/curator Rachel Filko says the history of the firehall represents an important chapter in the community’s history; the fire truck was purchased thanks to fundraising by local women. “We think stories like this—about the people of Parksville and how they helped create our community—are the stories we want to highlight.” Th e exhibit will also highlight fire prevention and safety in response to the growing threat of wildfires.

Visit the Parksville Museum website at https://parksvillemuseum.com.

3 Ship Shape for Restoration

Newly renovated boat repair space at Britannia Shipyards. Photo: Mark Forsythe

There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly planed wood. This will be in abundance at the newly renovated boat repair shed at Steveston’s Britannia Shipyard. The Richmond Boat Builders’ structure was constructed in 1932 by Japanese Canadian boat builder Saeji Kishi and operated as the Kishi Boatworks Company until the Kishi family was interned in 1942. The structure recently saw major restoration and improvements to the mechanical systems. This newly outfitted shed will be used to restore boats from these traditional skills and techniques in action as work begins on the Crystal S.

The 3.2-hectare historic shipyard includes the 1889 shipyard building (originally built as a cannery), stilt houses, a Chinese bunkhouse, a seine net loft, and the newly restored Murakami House. Take a stroll along Britannia Shipyards’ boardwalks for a powerful connection with BC’s maritime history.

4 Patricia Theatre Magic

Patrons enjoy the 1952 classic Singin’ in the Rain at the Patricia Theatre. Photo: Grant Lawrence

The Patricia Theatre in the historic Powell River Townsite is looking marvelous after acquiring new seats, carpets, an air conditioning system, a refurbished lobby, touch-ups to the peacock-themed murals, and a new projection screen. The Patricia came to town in 1913 (the existing structure was built in 1928) and is the longest continuously running theatre in Canada. Since 2021 it has been owned by the qathet film society, which successfully generated donations for a new digital projection system and sound system improvements.

CBC host and author Grant Lawrence was in attendance at a summer reopening. “It all looks and sounds really awesome. Single-screen theatres are magical, special places … and the Patricia is one of the best.” The theatre is also forging new relationships with the local Tla’amin Nation, whose members once faced segregation inside the theatre. An Indigenous film festival is now held each fall surrounding the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Visit the qathet international film festival website at https://www.qathetfilm.ca.

5 Mapping BC’s Industrial Heritage

New Industrial Heritage Places map. Image: Heritage BC

Canneries, sawmills, and ghost towns speak to British Columbia’s industrial past. A new interactive Industrial Heritage Places Map, created by Heritage BC, pinpoints 76 sites (1860s through the 1950s), providing historical context for each. The sites were sourced from nominations across the province. “Together, the sites help show the impacts of industry, both positive and negative, on changes within a growing province, and show the changing values of the communities they impacted,” says Heritage BC.

Click on Lillooet Tomato Cannery to discover it was operated by Japanese Canadians forced into internment camps during the Second World War. Lillooet offered perfect growing conditions for tomatoes, and their production became the camp’s main industry, creating jobs and family income. An accompanying historical context document called Setting the Scene also explores industry as a colonizing force, with its profound impact on First Nation communities and the associated environmental costs. The map is found on the Heritage BC website, https://heritagebc.ca/cultural-maps/industrial-heritage-places. •

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Winter issue of British Columbia History explores Chinatowns

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:29:22 GMT

The winter edition of British Columbia History magazine will be on its way to mailboxes as soon as the postal strike ends and will be available digitally in the meantime. Megan Koyanagi is the guest editor and the theme is Chinatowns. Stories include:

• Beyond Chinatown: The Chinese and English Phrase Book; by Imogene Lim
• A Match Not Made in Heaven, by Catherine Clement
• A Sense of Belonging: Chinese Societies, by Larry K.F. Chin
• Canned Salmon and China Lily: Chinese and Indigenous relations in Small-town British Columbia, by Sarah Ling
• Remembering Smithers Chinatown, by Kira Westby and Eric Holdijk
• Not So Uncommon an Oath: The “Chicken Oath” in BC Chinese Canadians’ Testimonies, by Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese
• Sharing Stories of My Chinese Community, by Elwin Xie

Plus we have regular contributions from Front Words columnist Mark Forsythe, writer-in-residence Spencer Legebokoff, and books editor Dalys Barney. Dalys also looks at The Longest Shot, a recent book celebrating the legacy of Larry Kwong, the first player of Asian descent in the NHL.

To subscribe or order individual copies go to https://www.bchistory.ca/magazine

VIDEO: From Sen̓áḵw to Kitsilano to Sen̓áḵw Again: A Quick History of Kitsilano

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 17:41:12 GMT

Vancouver's beachside neighbourhood Kitsilano is examined and analyzed in this well-illustrated lecture to the Vancouver Historical Society by Michael Kluckner, beginning with the Sen̓áḵw indigenous village at the mouth of False Creek. Kitsilano's notable characters and housing are described over a century of development and returning to the mini-city now being built on a portion of the old Indian Reserve and the high-rises proposed for its the long-settled streets.

In memoriam: Bob Hayes (1954-2024)

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 00:42:01 GMT

Kelowna's Bob Hayes, a recipient of a 2017 BCHF Certificate of Recognition, has died at 69.

Hayes was an elementary school teacher and regular history contributor to the Daily Courier.

His BCHF award was the result of a nomination from the Kelowna Museums Society, whose executive director wrote: "His approach is inclusive, he is an assiduous researcher, his demeanour is kind and humble, and his generosity is selfless."

Revelstoke Museum & Archives launches new "Stories Beneath The Surface" book

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 20:36:02 GMT

Just in time for holiday gifting, Revelstoke Museum & Archives is releasing their new book, "Stories Beneath The Surface", an accompaniment to their on-site and digital exhibits of the same name.

The photographs in this book portray life in the valley prior to the building of the Hugh Keenleyside dam, particularly the area known as Revelstoke Reach, from Revelstoke to Arrowhead. Discover the rich history of this region, as you dive beneath the surface and discover the lost stories of the valley.

"Stories Beneath The Surface" is available in-person, or online through the museum's store.

Full Summary:

On June 9, 1969, the Hugh Keenleyside dam on the Columbia River was officially opened just north of Castlegar, B.C., creating a reservoir that stretched over 240 km.

The reservoir created by the dam wiped out or severely affected several communities between Revelstoke and Castlegar, and displaced 2000 people.

The construction of the dam was part of the terms of the Columbia River Treaty between the governments of Canada and the United States, and it was originally built solely as a storage dam, with no hydro-electric generation. It was built to control the flow of the Columbia River into the state of Washington, for flood control, irrigation, and maximization of the Grand Coulee Dam. The people who lived on the Columbia River were not consulted, nor were the Sinixt people or any other Indigenous nations.

More than 50 years later, the impacts of a dam built so far away and so long ago are often not understood by people moving to the valley. People visit the “flats” south of Revelstoke and notice the fluctuation of the water, but don’t know its cause. The stories of the valley have been flooded out along with the farmland and the communities that once existed.

VIDEO: "Oliver's Irrigation Ditch: Lifeline of a Community"

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 20:31:52 GMT

Photo from the Oliver & District Heritage Society Collection.

For over 10,000 years the Sylix Okanagan Indigenous peoples have inhabited and used the land and waterways in Oliver and the Okanagan Valley for hunting and gathering purposes, and this continues today.

One of the earliest records of ‘’settlers’’ engaging in agriculture and irrigation within the Okanagan Valley dates back to the 1890’s with Chung Wu, an immigrant from China. He built a waterwheel alongside the Okanagan River to water vegetables in his garden; these vegetables were sold at the nearby mining towns of Fairview and Camp McKinney. Chung Wu left the area after a flood affected his crop, leaving him unable to restart his business.

The Irrigation Canal (‘’Ditch’’) Project was initiated by BC. Premier John Oliver (1918-1927) and his government to help support returning World War One veterans who were often unemployed and impoverished. The Oliver region has a dry, semi-arid climate, and Premier Oliver sought to harness the agricultural potential of the land. Veterans would be provided with work constructing the canal in exchange for discounted land to farm, supporting the drive to grow more fresh produce in post-war BC. The plan became known as the South Okanagan Lands Project (SOLP). The ‘’Ditch’’ started just north of Gallagher Lake and stretched south towards the US border; upon completion it was over 40 km long and was gravity fed by utilizing the natural slopes of the land. Nine labour or ‘’Ditch’’ Camps were established for construction workers to live in, providing all the necessary amenities. The camps each housed up to 150-300 men. Very few women are recorded as being employed on the canal, with none on physical construction.

Read more, and watch the full video, here.

WORKSHOP: "Archival Googling: Using Archives Portal Europe as an aid for Archives in the web sphere"

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:21:14 GMT

From the Association of Canadian Archivisits:

"Join us for a special Lunch and Learn session on December 16th: "Archival Googling: Using Archives Portal Europe as an aid for Archives in the web sphere". In this workshop, participants will test first-hand how archival research in multiple archival institutions can be conducted via Archives Portal Europe, an online archive catalogue repository which allows simultaneous archival research in thousands of institutions from more than thirty European countries in 24 languages and 5 alphabets through one simple online search system. Participants will engage with the new opportunities (and challenges) offered by Archives Portal Europe as an international aggregator of archival descriptions."

South Asian Studies Institute receives over 3 million photos

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:17:46 GMT

The SASI received over 3 million photographs taken by the legendary BC photojournalist, the late Mr. Chandra Bodalia. These extraordinary images have been entrusted to SASI for stewardship and preservation.

As part of its key initiative, the South Asian Canadian Digital Archive, at the South Asian Studies Institute, plans to digitize, preserve, and provide open access to these invaluable photographs. This important project is a collaboration with the RBCM and BC Archives, ensuring that the rich visual history captured by Bodalia is safeguarded and made accessible for future generations.

Read more here.

Grist Mill & Gardens in Keremeos wants to hear from YOU!

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:08:46 GMT

From the Grist Mill & Gardens:

As we prepare to celebrate 40 years as a heritage site next year, we've been diving into our archives—old photos, documents, and stories that capture the incredible journey of the Grist Mill & Gardens. It's been a joy to revisit these moments and reflect on everything that makes this place so special.

Now, we’d love to hear from YOU!

Do you have a favorite memory of the Grist Mill? Maybe a photo from a family visit, a special event, or even a quiet moment in the gardens? Your stories are a vital part of our history, and we’d be honored to include them in our 40th-anniversary celebrations."

Share your memories and photos here.

Museum of Vancouver Makes Donation to the Association of Forest Communities of Petén in Guatemala

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:52:54 GMT

From the Museum of Vancouver:

"The Museum of Vancouver is pleased to announce that a donation of $5,000 has been made to the Association of Forest Communities of Petén (ACOFOP) in Guatemala, thanks to purchases of art, furniture, jewellery and more from Reclaim + Repair: The Mahogany Project. A cheque presentation ceremony was held at the Consulate General of Guatemala in Vancouver on October 28, 2024.

Reclaim + Repair: The Mahogany Project was on view at the Museum of Vancouver from July 20, 2023 through September 2, 2024. Thirty-one local designers and makers were selected to create 22 objects made from vintage mahogany. This wood was harvested from the 1950s to 1970s in Guatemala and Nicaragua and came from a local business that designed and manufactured boating equipment. When it closed, the leftover wood was stored for decades before it was donated it to the MOV’s upcycling design program, SAGE. The MOV partnered with Propellor Studio, who selected the designers whose work would become part of the exhibition.

Works created for the exhibition were for sale with the goal of donating a portion of the sales to Indigenous-led reforestation efforts in Central America, where the mahogany was extracted.

Thanks to support from the Consulate General of Guatemala in Vancouver and the National Council for Protected Areas (Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas, CONAP), the Association of Forest Communities of Petén (Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Peten: ACOFOP) was selected to received $5,000—one-third of the sales from The Mahogany Project exhibition."

Read the full release here.

The School Room Podcast: The Story of Mah Tin Yick and the Oriental Home

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:47:41 GMT

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923 is the only immigration law in Canadian history to have prevented a particular group from entering the country on the basis of race, specifically barring people of Chinese descent from legally entering Canada from 1923 until 1947 with very few exceptions. Preventing entry denied many prospective Chinese people opportunities for new experiences and economic gain in Canada. However, it also meant that the Chinese already in Canada were prevented from having their families join them in their new lives across the Pacific.

Mah Tin Yick was one of many Chinese whose life was profoundly impacted by this draconian law. Arriving in Victoria from China in 1885, just before the head tax was implemented, Mah Yick settled in Salmon Arm, British Columbia and ran a hand laundry business with his family. However, tragedy struck when his partner passed away just after the Exclusion Act came into effect, leaving him struggling to care for his two young daughters on his own.

On this episode of the School Room podcast, host Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee is joined by Janet Bradley Worthington, Mah Yick’s granddaughter. Tune in to hear about how Mah Yick was personally impacted by the family separation the Exclusion Act brought on, the role the Oriental Home and School played in Janet’s family history, and what it took for Janet to uncover these stories through searching Chinese Canadian archival records.

Full video/audio available here.

VIDEO: "Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong"

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:44:03 GMT

In her time, Anna May Wong was a legendary beauty, witty conversationalist, and fashion icon. Plucked from her family’s laundry business in Los Angeles, Anna May Wong rose to stardom in Douglas Fairbanks’s blockbuster The Thief of Bagdad. Fans and the press clamored to see more of this unlikely actress, but when Hollywood repeatedly cast her in stereotypical roles, she headed abroad in protest.

Anna May starred in acclaimed films in Berlin, Paris, and London. She dazzled royalty and heads of state across several nations, leaving trails of suitors in her wake. She returned to challenge Hollywood at its own game by speaking out about the industry’s blatant racism. She used her new stature to move away from her typecasting as the China doll or dragon lady, and worked to reshape Asian American representation in film.

In this talk moderated by UBC Professor of English Dr. Mary Chapman, biographer Katie Gee Salisbury will discuss the vibrant, radical career of a groundbreaking artist, bringing an unsung heroine to light and reclaiming her place in cinema history. Also included in this talk is the story of Wong’s first trip to Canada in 1924 and the actress's experience crossing the border under the U.S. Chinese Exclusion Act.

Watch the full video here.

B.C. museum to honour Chinese Canadian troops who fought in war and for citizenship rights

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:38:15 GMT

Former B.C. judge Randall (Bud) Wong remembers getting out of bed early one morning when he was five to greet his uncle at the train station in Vancouver at the end of the Second World War.

It was 1945 and his uncle Delbert Yen Chow was returning from India after years of service as an infantryman.

"I remember very vividly my uncle coming off the train, and he was wearing his army uniform and knapsack," Wong, 83, said.

"We were so happy to see him that we took him home, and then he came to live with us."

The service of Chinese Canadian soldiers like Chow in the First and Second World Wars will be honoured by a new exhibition at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver's Chinatown.

Read more here.

Historic squatters' shack finds new home at Vancouver's Heritage Harbour

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:32:40 GMT

Photo: Carole Itter, Dollarton Cabin, 2015

The Blue Cabin has a new home at the Vancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour.

Not bad for a modest squatter’s shack built in the 1920s. But it’s an appropriate location, given its new life as a floating residence for artists.

The cabin spent several decades on the North Vancouver waterfront beside the McKenzie Barge and Derrick shipyard near Cates Park. The story goes that a Norwegian craftsman built it in Coal Harbour, got a job at McKenzie in 1932, and floated it over to the North Shore to live in.

In 1966, the legendary local artist and musician Al Neil moved in. With the blessing of McKenzie Barge, Neil and his partner Carole Itter lived there for almost five decades, for many years getting free rent in exchange for Neil being an “unofficial beach watchman.”

In 2015, McKenzie Barge sold the land near where the cabin was located, and the structure had to be moved or torn down. A group of artists saved it and moved it to the Maplewood Flats in North Van, where it was restored by Jeremy and Sus Borsos.

Read the full story here.

All aboard!: North Pole Express returns to Squamish this holiday season

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:28:37 GMT

It will soon be "All aboard!" for the North Pole Express, which returns to Squamish's Railway Museum of British Columbia on Nov. 23.

The popular all-ages holiday attraction, which takes guests on a ride to the "North Pole" to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, runs Nov. 23, 24 and 30, as well as Dec. 1, 7 and 8, 14, 15 and 21, with several trips and packages per day to choose from.

The immersive attraction sees the train headed to deliver "much needed wrapping paper and bows to Marshall P. Bear, the Polar Bear who is the head of Santa’s workshop.

On the ride along the way, passengers meet all sorts of characters. Guests can enjoy cookies, unlimited hot chocolate and marshmallows at the North Pole and take in many activities.

New exhibition at the Amelia Douglas Institute in Surrey

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 00:19:17 GMT

Lii fil di nutr istwayr, Threads of our History: Exploring Métis Identity and Culture Through Clothing is an exhibition that explores a pillar of Métis culture that is shaped by historic events including the fur trade, economic and political change, resistance, and displacement. The revitalization of traditional Métis arts and creating new methods of sharing Métis culture and stories through clothing and self-decoration is a testament to the resilience the Métis Nation.

The exhibit runs from now until the end of March, 2025.

Learn more here.

Chinese Canadian Museum Wins Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive!

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 00:15:09 GMT

The Chinese Canadian Museum is proud to announce it has won this year’s Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive!, Canada’s most prestigious history museum award. The award is a partnership between the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) and Canada’s History Society (CHS), with the support of Ecclesiastical Insurance and will be presented by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada at an upcoming ceremony.

The Chinese Canadian Museum first opened in July 1, 2023, coinciding with the centennial of the Chinese Exclusion Act, as Canada’s first museum to honour the contributions, history, heritage and the rich and diverse stories of past, present, and future Chinese Canadians. Located in Vancouver Chinatown in the historic Wing Sang Building, the museum showcases the diversity of the Chinese Canadian diaspora and heralds cultural experiences and connections to significant Chinese Canadian historical perspectives and modern-day narratives, and the community’s contribution to the nation.

“It is with great honour that we receive this enormous accolade from the Governor General of Canada with the History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive!, recognizing our achievements and dedication to preserving our Chinese Canadian heritage,” says Grace Wong, Board Chair of the Chinese Canadian Museum. “This is a testament to the power of museums in shaping understanding, fostering dialogue, and inspiring future generations to appreciate the richness of Chinese Canadian history, stories, and our contributions to the building of Canada.”

The museum’s powerful grand opening exhibition, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act curated by Catherine Clement, marks the 100th anniversary of the Act, and takes an unflinching look at Canada’s important but often-forgotten exclusion years, which lasted until 1947.

Since its founding as an independent, non-profit charitable organization in March 2020, the museum has presented six featured exhibitions at its main location and its two former temporary sites in Vancouver and Victoria, and offers numerous in-person and online programs to communities across Canada.

“Our goal is to create a positive, inclusive and transformative place where people can gather to bridge cultures and generations, and learn about our shared history as Canadians,” explains Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum. “This Governor General award is a reflection of our commitment to elevate Chinese Canadian voices, enrich our legacy, and engage with diverse communities across Canada.”

The History Alive! award honours individuals or institutions that have made a significant achievement and remarkable contributions to a better knowledge of Canadian history. It encourages and celebrates excellence specifically in the presentation, preservation and interpretation of national, regional or local history. For more information on the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive, visit https://www.canadashistory.ca/awards/governor-general-s-history-awards.

About the Chinese Canadian Museum | chinesecanadianmuseum.ca

The Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia is an independent, non-profit charitable organization founded in March 2020 to create a museum honouring and sharing Chinese Canadian history, contributions, and living heritage. Guided by its mission statement “Connecting to Chinese Canadian stories – addressing inclusion for all”, the Chinese Canadian Museum aspires to provide an invigorating and transformative experience for present and future generations through its exhibitions and educational programming throughout B.C. and Canada.

The first of its kind in Canada, the Chinese Canadian Museum opened to the public in 2023 and is located in the historic Wing Sang Building in Vancouver Chinatown.

Spencer Chandra Herbert appointed as the new Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport - Spencer Chandra Herbert

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:15:16 GMT

From the BC Museum's Association:

"On Monday Premier Eby announced a new cabinet, naming MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert as the new Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport. MLA Chandra Herbert has represented Vancouver-West End since 2009 and is a long-time arts advocate. His arts background includes serving as the associate producer of the United Nations World Urban Festival and collaborating with numerous organizations such as the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, the Stanley Park Ecology Society, and the Save St. Paul’s Coalition.

Both the BCMA and the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage have sent welcome letters to Minister Chandra Herbert and we hope to meet with him soon to promote the impact of our members and to advocate for continued support.

As part of BC Museums Week 2023, Spencer Chandra Herbert spoke on a webinar about effective government relations. The recording can be accessed here and is a good way to get to know our new Minister. He was joined in the webinar by Jim Rutkowski, who has been named David Eby’s interim Chief of Staff.

MLA Lana Popham is returning to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The BCMA has sent her a letter, as well, thanking her for her work as the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport and wishing her well in her new position.

If you wish to join us in welcoming the new Minister or your local MLA, the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage has prepared a template letter to help you share our sector’s key messages and magnify their impact."

Reclaimed Voices highlights Revelstoke’s overlooked stories

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:17:20 GMT

Reclaimed Voices, Revelstoke Museum & Archives’ (RMA) latest exhibit breaks down “glorified nostalgia” and shines a spotlight on stories long overlooked in dominating historical narratives. Hosted in the second floor exhibit room, soon to be accessible by the upcoming lift, the exhibit features panels focusing on some of the lesser known stories in Revelstoke, such as the historical Japanese population, Sinixt populations during Revelstoke’s earlier years, children who called Revelstoke home, and more.

“This exhibit came about due to a recognition that as museums and archives we are often missing stories and perspectives,” Cathy English, Curator, told a packed room at the opening of Reclaimed Voices. “I do a lot of research from the local newspapers, going back to 1890, but I have to be constantly aware that these stories were written mostly from a white, British, male perspective, and there is often racist content, as well as a total ignorance of other cultures and genders.”

Read the full article and learn more about the exhibit here.

VIDEO: History of Senakw - Michael Kluckne

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 23:34:55 GMT

Vancouver Historical Society President Michael Kluckner presents an informal history of Senakw/Vanier Park at the opening of a lecture in September, 2024

Watch the full video here.

VIDEO: Burning History - Uncovering the Role of Fire in BC's Ecosystems

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 19:37:16 GMT

In this unique two-part presentation, Jen Baron describes from a cultural ecologist's point of view the evolution of BC's forests and how, when they're managed as commodities, wild fires become more destructive; then, artist Liz Toohey-Wiese explains how a diverse group of painters and sculptors have come together to create shows and books on the subject of Fire.

Watch the full video here.

Kootenay Columbia Educational Heritage Society Digitizes High School Yearbooks

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:32:59 GMT

The Kootenay Columbia Educational Heritage Society was established in 2005 to collect and preserve the history of education in School District No. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia), which comprises the former School Districts No. 9 (Castlegar) and No. 11 (Trail). The Society manages an archives in the basement of the JL Crowe Secondary School in Trail and has undertaken a number of projects over the years to inform the public of the history of education in the School District.

Their latest project is to digitize the high school yearbooks of the current and former high schools in the District and make them available to the public via the internet. They have partnered with UBC Okanagan Library/Special Collections and Archives to have the yearbooks placed on their BC Regional Digitized History website with a link available on their website.

The site currently contains the yearbooks of the JL Crowe High School (72), the Trail High School (7) and the Trail Jr. High School (9). This fall the yearbooks of the Rossland High School will be digitized and in 2025 the yearbooks of Castlegar and Beaver Valley schools will be digitized. The last 25 years of the current school yearbooks are being withheld for privacy reasons.

To view the yearbooks, click here.

Support the BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund!

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:25:59 GMT

In 2024, with your help, we were able to fund four incredible projects through the Centennial Legacy Fund (CLF), awarding a total of $10 000 to support small, innovative, and hard-to-fund projects in BC. In the coming weeks we will be highlighting these projects, and we hope you will consider partnering with us again to make these grants possible in 2025! The Centennial Legacy Fund is sustained through donations from individuals and organizations like you who believe that historical research, preservation, and commemoration are essential for building a bright future together.

To donate to the Centennial Legacy Fund, click the link to be redirected to the BCHF CanadaHelps page, and receive an automatic tax receipt upon donation.

Directory Assistance: For What City?

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:16:47 GMT

The UBC Library needs your help! They are digitizing British Columbia directories in order to make them available publicly online, and are looking for 2 indexes. Can you help find them? Read the request from Doug Brigham below:

"I'm reaching out to the local history community to try and locate copies of two indexes for British Columbia directories:

The Researcher's Guide to British Columbia Nineteenth Century Directories: A Bibliography and Index (Lutz & Young, 1988)
The Researcher's Guide to British Columbia Directories, 1901-1940: A Bibliography and Index (Young & Lutz, 1992)

I would like to digitize the indexes as part of a project I'm working on: a map-based platform for locating BC towns and directories. The indexes are held fairly widely in libraries, but I'm having trouble locating copies that I can use for digitization.

If you have copies of either of these indexes that you are willing to sell or donate to the project - or if you know someone who might be - I would appreciate hearing from you!

And if you'd just like to connect to talk about BC directories, I'd love that too."

If you can help, contact Doug at doug.brigham@ubc.ca

Mac-Paps saluted

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:59:54 GMT

Ron Verzuh at the Mac-Pap memorial next to the BC Legislature.

Remembering Canadians who fought in the Spanish Civil War

By Ron Verzuh

On Nov. 11, 2024, volunteers will place white flowers on the graves of British Columbians who volunteered to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The commemoration at B.C. cemeteries is the unique initiative of the Mac-Pap Tribute, a group dedicated to recognizing what many see as “forgotten soldiers.”

The Mac-Paps, or Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, were part of the International Brigades that fought General Francisco Franco’s fascist forces as they seized power from the elected government. More than 1,600 Canadians fought alongside the Spanish Army.

“When you start doing the research you start falling in love with them and feel terrible that nobody knows about them and nobody’s acknowledging them. So it’s just a little way to pay tribute to these people,” said MacPap Tribute organizer Pamela Vivian. “They’re not recognized here in Canada, no one talks about them, barely anyone knows about them.”

The Canadian government prohibited the Mac-Pap volunteers from going to Spain. In fact, it passed the Foreign Enlistment Act which had stiff sanctions against fighting fascism there and the RCMP enforced it, relentlessly following the volunteers. Many tried to re-enlist to fight Hitler in the Second World War but were barred because of their history.

Going further, the King government did not support the Spanish government in its fight for democracy against Franco who was assisted by both the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini and the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The civil war is viewed as the prelude to the world war, with Germany and Italy using Spain as a testing ground for the war machinery that would lead to the death of tens of millions.

“Many Mac-Paps were denied the right to serve and some contributed to the war effort as Merchant Mariners,” Vivian said. “This tribute is a way to honour them this Remembrance Day.”

The organizers can be emailed at macpaptribute@gmail.com.

Some people also saluted the Mac-Paps on Oct. 28, 2024, when 86 years ago, a woman known as La Pasionaria stood on a platform in Barcelona, Spain, to thank the International Brigades volunteers as they were asked to stand down. The war ended several months later.

Several books commemorate the Mac-Paps, including a newly released novel by Vancouver author David Spaner called Keefer Street. A permanent memorial to the volunteers is situated near the BC Legislature.

Ron Verzuh is a writer, historian, and BC Historical Federation board member.

Mac-Pap memorial next to the BC Legislature.

Witsuwit'en delegation travels to Paris to reconnect with historic totem pole

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:51:49 GMT

A group of Witsuwit’en hereditary chiefs, elders, artists, and youth will visit Paris this month to view a historic totem pole taken from their territory nearly a century ago. The K’ëgit pole was sold under pressure in the late 1930s, and has since been housed at the Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Museum since 2001.

“It’s quite emotional when I think about our people,” said Hagwilnekhlh Ron Mitchell, current House Chief of the C’inegh Lhay Yikh (House of Many Eyes) of the Likhsilyu Clan (Small Frog). “I will be happy to see the totem pole and a part of our house and chief’s history, but sad at the same time.”

In 1938, surrealist artist Kurt Seligmann travelled to B.C. to purchase a totem pole, driven by his fascination with Northwest Coast Indigenous art. After consulting with anthropologist Marius Barbeau, who had studied the region’s totem poles, Seligmann selected the K’ëgit pole from the Witsuwit’en village of Tsë Cakh (Hagwilget). The pole, revered for its age and craftsmanship, depicts the story of K’ëgit, a supernatural figure. It was originally raised in the early to mid-1800s by C’idimsggin’ïs, a former house chief of C’inegh Lhay Yikh.

The delegation asserts that the pole was sold under duress. With backing from the Department of Indian Affairs and the local Indian Agent, Seligmann purchased the pole from Likhsilyu House Chief Hagwilnekhlh Arthur Michell and other Witsuwit’en members for a mere $100. The community leaders were pressured into agreeing to the sale, which resulted in the pole being shipped to Paris. It was displayed at the Musée de l’homme (Museum of Man) before being moved to the Quai Branly Museum.

SD54 District Principal of Indigenous Education ’Ilhdesinon Birdy Markert, a descendant of the pole’s original sellers, views the visit as a step toward healing. “It’s an emotional uncovering of past stories regarding our traditions that are difficult to pull apart,” she said. “I want young people to understand what our ancestors went through as they dealt with colonization and how hard they fought to keep our culture and traditions alive.”

Read the full article here.

EVENT: In the Trenches, Among the Tanks: First and Second World War Records and Resources

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:44:31 GMT

Join Library and Archives Canada for an introduction to available resources for military history research. Learn how to search for service records for personnel from the First and Second World Wars. Discover techniques for accessing the collections and digitized records such as war diaries, photographs and other resources.

WHEN: Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

WHERE: Online

Hosted by the Vancouver Public Library.

VIDEO: Holiday 1909 - Charles "Chappy" Chapman

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:40:19 GMT

In 1909, Charles “Chappy” Chapman, Fred Perry, Billy Gray and Charles Macdonald set off for the headwaters of Seymour Creek in North Vancouver. The four friends, members of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club, planned to survey the rugged and virtually unexplored terrain during a summer holiday. They carried survey and photographic equipment, gear and supplies for two weeks, and a pie. Chapman’s granddaughter, Lid Hawkins, discovered his journal decades later. She blended his notes and spectacular photographs of the area to create Holiday 1909, as a tribute to their adventure.

Watch the full video here.

EVENT: Reflections on "The Paper Trail" Exhibition with Elwin Xie

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:37:57 GMT

From the Chinese Canadian Museum:

As The Paper Trail to 1923 Exclusion Act exhibition draws to a close, Elwin Xie, Chinese Canadian Museum tour guide and interpreter, will share what he has learned while further researching his family.

Join us for an evening with our knowledgeable and illustrious Museum Interpreter and Tour Guide Elwin Xie, as he shares his lived experience growing up in Vancouver’s Chinatown and his familial ties with the feature exhibition The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.

Drawing on his conversations with visitors to the Chinese Canadian Museum since opening on July 1, 2023, Elwin will discuss how his encounters have helped clarify some family questions and illuminate colourful stories within the pioneer overseas Chinese community (Lo Wah Kiu 佬華僑) in Saltwater City 鹹水埠 (Vancouver) that came searching for their mythological Gold Mountain (Gum San 金山).

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024
Location: Chinese Canadian Museum (51 E Pender St.)
Time: 6:30-8:30 P.M.
Cost: $5/annual pass holder; $8/general admission visitor; free for youth, student, and senior annual pass holders
*GST not included
Register: Registration link here

Marking 100 years since a Doukhobor leader’s death

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:49:01 GMT

On Oct. 29, 1924, a train explosion between Grand Forks and Castlegar claimed the lives of Doukhobor leader Peter V. Verigin and eight others. Whether the explosion was accidental or deliberate has never been definitively determined.

To commemorate Verigin’s life and the centennial of this tragic and history-altering event, the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ has been hosting a monthly speaker series.

For more on Verigin’s life, click here.

For more on the explosion, see the Canadian Mysteries website.

For more on the history of the monument erected at the site of the explosion, click here.

VIDEO: 1907 White Riot

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:24:14 GMT

Artist Henry Tsang speaks on his art project and book about the 1907 riot that trashed Vancouver's Chinatown and damaged the Powell Street Japanese community, led by members of the Asiatic Exclusion League and organized labour.

Watch the full video here.

Reconciliation Toolkit for Non-Indigenous Archives now available

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:21:53 GMT

The CCA Archives Advisory Services Working Group is pleased to announce that the Reconciliation Toolkit for Non-Indigenous Archives in Canada is now available. The toolkit can be found at this link: https://archivescanada.ca/toolkit/. This Toolkit was made possible thanks to the support of the Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists.

The Reconciliation Toolkit for Non-Indigenous Archives compliments the work of the Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce (TRC-TF) of the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives, which is working on compiling resources to assist Indigenous communities developing their own archives. Together, these resource portals encourage members of the archival community in Canada to develop the skills and knowledge needed to make connections with their local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

The information in this toolkit will support non-Indigenous archives working toward putting the Reconciliation Framework into action within their current archival management practices.

The intent of the Toolkit is to answer "where do we even begin and how do we stay on the path towards Reconciliation?” The Toolkit is intended to be a starting point to support information professionals develop new ways of understanding the Indigenous records within their holdings and develop respectful and reciprocal relationships with their Indigenous colleagues/communities.

The Archives Advisory Services Working Group will be updating the resources on this Toolkit regularly. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact aaswg@archivescanada.ca.

Amanda Christmas joins Okanagan Archives

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:19:31 GMT

Okanagan Archives is excited to introduce Amanda Christmas as their new Executive Director.

From Okanagan Archives: "Amanda brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to our organization. Her passion for history and dedication to community engagement make her a perfect fit for leading our efforts to preserve and share the rich heritage of the Okanagan Valley. With her at the helm, we are confident that Okanagan Archive will continue to grow and evolve, bringing innovative ideas and renewed energy to our projects. We look forward to the exciting developments under Amanda’s leadership and are thrilled to have her guiding us into this new chapter."

Park dream coming true at Lytton

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 18:25:10 GMT

story and photos By Mark Forsythe

The ceremonial cutting of a rawhide ribbon on Tuesday marked the launch of a new park project to honour Chief Cexpe’nthlEm, a revered leader and peace-maker in the Lytton region.

Cexpe’nthlEm, also known as Spintlum, was the key figure who convinced his people and neighbouring First Nations to pursue a truce with American miners in conflict with Indigenous peoples during the Fraser River gold rush of 1858. This decision averted a full scale war that could have dramatically altered the course of history in what became British Columbia. Cexpe’nthlEm descendants were among those in attendance.

Ernie Michel sings beside the Spintlum memorial that will be part of a new park.

People gathered above the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers at the Splintlum memorial for a ceremony punctuated by traditional songs, prayer and speeches. Wind gusts through the canyon prompted singer Ernie Michel to remark that ancestors were in attendance too, "they’re telling us that they’re here.”

The park project has been a dream since 2007 when the New Pathways to Gold Society began collaborating with the Lytton First Nation, the Village of Lytton and St Barnabas Anglican Parish. Over the last 17 years the Society has generated almost $8 million for projects in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities along the corridor stretching from Hope to Barkerville. Seed money for the Chief Cexpe’nthlEm Park Project has come from the Province of British Columbia.

Councillor and former New Pathways to Gold Society board member Byron Spinks and Amy Charlie prepare to cut the rawhide ribbon.

Work will begin immediately on creating a park that will feature a new lookout, interpretive signage to share the Cexpe’nthlEm story, and landscaping for a new community gathering space. Lytton First Nation Chief Niakia Hanna told the gathering there are many different interpretations of the Spintlum legacy and that he had to fight his own people — and the miners marshalled against them.

Councillor Byron Spinks said women were behind the decision to opt for peace because going to war during the salmon season would have left people starving the following winter. Lytton mayor Denise O’Connor said the park project will, "help educate people about this important part of a shared history ... and the park will be a place for people to come together.” Work is expected to be completed in the spring of 2025.

The Spintlum Memorial sits high above a breathtaking view of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers.

Lytton First Nation Chief Niakia Hanna

Enter your publication for the BC Historical Writing Awards

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 19:29:54 GMT

It's that time of year again - we are accepting entries for the British Columbia Historical Federation Historical Writing Awards!

Entries are being accepted for books that were published in 2024, which are on a topic of British Columbia History.

View our Awards Page for more information and to complete the online entry form. Applicants will submit three copies of the publication to PO Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 2R7 where they will be forwarded to our judges.

Awards will be presented at the 2025 BCHF Annual Conference Awards Banquet held in Williams Lake on Saturday, May 3.

APPLY ONLINE

Vancouver Maritime Museum set to revitalize St. Roch Gallery to include and honour Inuit perspectives

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 18:09:59 GMT

The Vancouver Maritime Museum is embarking on a significant revitalization of its St. Roch Gallery, set to offer a more immersive and inclusive experience beginning in August 2025.

The gallery, which showcases the legendary vessel that was the first to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east, will undergo its most extensive update since its original unveiling in 1974. This project aims to bring new life to the stories of St. Roch’s Arctic expeditions, incorporating Indigenous perspectives and modern technology to enhance visitors’ understanding of these historic journeys.

The updated exhibit will feature multimedia presentations, additional artifacts, and sound and light installations that will provide deeper insight into the crew’s experiences and the significant contributions of Inuit guides like Panikpakuttuk. The museum is collaborating with Inuit artists and historians Maarta Kyak and Deborah Kigjugalik Webster to ensure these narratives are authentic and respected.

“The story of the St. Roch and the crew, including Inuit and their stories, is an intriguing part of Arctic history that needs to be told more fully. After months of the team working on this interpretive plan and schematic design, it was presented to us. I was so moved to tears,” shares Kigjugalik Webster in a statement. “It really touched my heart to realize that visitors will soon be able to learn the full story of the St. Roch through an Inuit lens. I’m very happy that the Vancouver Maritime Museum is moving forward. In this time of reconciliation, it’s very important to share all of our history and in a way that was not done before.”

The full revitalization is expected to be complete by May 2026.

See the full article here.

Residential school memorial created in Port Hardy dedicated at Canadian Museum of History

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 18:03:37 GMT

Image: Stanley Hunt and partner Lavina Hunt stand next to the newly-installed monument in the Canadian Museum of History. COURTESY CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY/MARIE-ANDRÉE BLAIS

A Kwakwaka’wakw artist’s memorial carving dedicated to those who attended residential schools ended its three-year cross-country journey from Port Hardy on Monday when it was formally unveiled as a display in the Canadian Museum of History’s permanent collection.

Indian Residential School Memorial Monument, a stark black-and-orange pillar covered with 130 individually hand-carved unsmiling faces created by master carver Stanley Hunt, was inaugurated in front of a crowd of around 900 people that included Canada’s chief of defence staff Gen. Jennie Carignan.

About 50 Kwakiutl community members travelled from Fort Rupert (T’sakis) to usher in the monument’s next chapter, at the museum in Gatineau, Que., across the Ottawa River from Ottawa.

Hunt said the delegation was met by an Algonquin Elder on Monday morning in accordance with Algonquin protocol. “We answered them with our drum and song, the songs of seeing the monument here in Ottawa for a journey all the way across the country.”

Everywhere they stopped during the journey, residential-school survivors came to see the carving, he said.

The 18-foot-tall, four-feet-wide carving topped by a raven features an inverted cross, as well as an upside-down maple leaf and abbreviations for the RCMP and the North-West Mounted Police.

Read the full article here.

Victoria Chinatown Museum to be made permanent

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 17:59:16 GMT

Canada’s oldest Chinatown now has a permanent space to tell its story.

What was intended as a temporary exhibit in Victoria’s Fan Tan Alley will now be made permanent, and be named the Victoria Chinatown Museum.

The Victoria Chinatown Museum Society is now seeking provincial and federal funding so it can expand the facility and share Chinese Canadian history and stories with visitors from B.C. and around the world.

Those efforts got a boost when B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin came on board as the museum’s honourary patron.

“We believe our history is important and now having her honour be our honourary patron means that everyone will understand the importance of Chinese Canadian history as Canadian history,” society chair Grace Wong Sneddon said.

The museum first opened in 2021 and has hosted 100,000 visitors since then.

See the full article, with videos, here.

Caetani Centre Captures Essence of Culture Days

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 17:52:27 GMT

The Caetani Centre is heading straight into Culture Days by hosting several free and by-donation events that celebrate the creativity and innovation of artists, makers, and creators in the Okanagan.

”We’re pleased to be able to offer such a diversity of events showcasing different artistic and cultural mediums: a multi-media exhibition, an Okanagan-produced documentary, and the launch of a new book of powerful poetry,” says Laisha Rosnau, Caetani Centre Executive Director.

“We invite he community to join us for one or all of these events. Sveva Caetani was a champion of the role of arts and culture in the life of a community, and we believe she’d be happy her former home is now host to such a variety of cultural experiences.”

Starting Sept. 27, the Centre will once again waive the fee for self-guided tours and offer them by donation inside the historic home of Italian duke Leone Caetani, his partner Ofelia Fabiani and their daughter, the renowned artist Sveva Caetani.

Visitors can learn the fascinating story of the Caetanis and see select displays of treasured family artifacts in the 130-year-old heritage home. Self-guided tours will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 27 to Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

While at the Centre, visitors can also check out the new exhibition, Reflections on Belonging, an immersive exhibition in the Caetani Gallery, presented in collaboration with the Vernon and District Immigrant and Community Services Society (VDICSS).

Supported by the Government of Canada's Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program, the exhibition invites visitors to explore themes of identity, community, and belonging through dynamic storytelling, immersive art installations, and interactive experiences. Also on display is a selection of Sveva Caetani’s works from her renowned Recapitulation Series.

Reflections on Belonging is open to the general public Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information about Sveva Caetani and the Caetani Centre, please visit www.caetani.org

Mill Bay celebrates changing times

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 01:28:28 GMT

Times They Are A’Changing is the theme of a new exhibit at the Mill Bay-Malahat Heritage Museum near Victoria.

Thanks to the local historical society, visitors can learn who invented the egg carton, the radio and how many gadgets have been replaced by the cellphone (dozens). The season runs from March to September or by appointment.

The museum, free (donations welcome) and open Sunday afternoons, comes with a docent or guide who kindly walks visitors through many historical moments, including the nearby Bamberton cement works, a one-room school (the Beatrix Potter books) and a telephone switchboard.

To tax your history knowledge the museum posts a large red question mark at intervals. You are invited to guess what artifact is under them. One is a leather glove finger stretcher. A flint-fired hand warmer may puzzle many. Those who like memory quizzes will enjoy the wall of old LPs or the one about old TV shows. Can you remember your favourites?

The museum is at the back of the church at 2851 Church Way on the Malahat Highway outside the town. Website: heritagemuseummillbay.com. Phone: 250-733-0955. A nearby market offers fresh produce and delicious ice cream.

Unveiling the Truth Behind “Hidden” Histories

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 22:11:16 GMT

An excerpt from the Fall 2024 issue of British Columbia History.

Many locations in Victoria, such as Fort Rodd Hill and the BC Legislature, shown here around 1910, have been suggested as Tartarian architecture. (City of Victoria Archives Item M09575)

By Stephanie Halmhofer

“Maybe the History we’ve been told is a lie!” [1] “Their true history was covered up!” [2] “Hidden History!” [3] Beyond being in the short introductory paragraph I read on the r/Tartaria subreddit page, these are phrases I hear nearly every day as an archaeologist who studies pseudoarchaeology, or archaeological conspiracy theories.

History has long been a popular subject for conspiracism—its popularity can impact how people engage with history—especially in online spaces where the line between fact and fiction can become blurred. At first glance the idea of a technologically advanced Tartarian empire whose history has been hidden from us seems like a harmless conspiracy theory, but the blurring of the line can also open the gate to some very dangerous paths.

The terms misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theory are at times used interchangeably, but there are differences between them. Misinformation refers to false information that is shared whether or not there is intention to mislead. [4] Disinformation refers to false information that is shared with the intention to mislead. [5] And conspiracy theories are beliefs that an “organization made up of individuals or groups was or is acting covertly to achieve some malevolent end.” [6] Conspiracy theories rely on three principles: nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected. [7]

Although conspiracy theories seem to be a relatively recent phenomenon, conspiracism has been part of North American culture since at least the 1890s [8] if not earlier. [9] However, following the 9/11 attack and subsequent advent of internet forums, [10] today conspiracy theories have become “normalized, everyday ways of understanding the world that are tangible in many different manifestations of contemporary culture.” [11]

There are distinguishable styles of communication between “traditional” pseudoscientific forms of conspiracism and newer antiscientific forms, which Federico Pilati and his research partners described as “conspiracy theory” versus “conspiracy-without-theory.” [12] Pseudoscientific traditional conspiracy theories “attempt to mimic the language and methods of science” [13] to present alternative theories with the appearance of academic credibility, although they rely on cherry-picked data and logical fallacies to reassemble scientific or historical facts into those alternative theories. Pseudoscientific conspiracy theories are common in longer-form formats such as internet forums, books, and television documentaries that appeal to quests for evidence and promote discussion of the evidence. [14]

In contrast, antiscientific conspiracy theories, or conspiracies-without-theory, are popular in short-form internet spaces such as social media. Antiscientific conspiracy theories reject such scientific methods and language, favour preconceived notions and subjective beliefs, and promote trolling and antagonistic discussions. Conspiracies-without-theory are less interested in evidence and alternative narratives and instead “appeal to emotions and values” to present “emotionally charged” post-truth narratives. [15]

Social media platforms provide an environment that favours fast-paced, emotionally-charged short-form content and immediate and confrontational interactions, ideal for conspiracies-without-theory. This is not to say that someone engaged in pseudoscientific conspiracism cannot also engage in antiscientific conspiracism in their social media posts—overlap happens. But recognizing the distinctions between conspiracy theories and conspiracies-without-theories is important to finding the most effective strategies for addressing them.

History, including archaeological tellings of history, has long been a popular subject for conspiracy theories through its perceived role as a powerful legitimizer of such narratives. [16] The past is used as a construction material that adds powerful temporal depth to contemporary conspiratorial narratives. [17] Archaeology is especially useful in this regard because it is viewed by conspiracy theorists as an authoritative science in the reconstruction of the past. Thus archaeology, as an authoritative science, can provide scientific “facts” to legitimize conspiratorial narratives. [18] And where there is no archaeology to support an alternative narrative, “pseudoarchaeology and pseudohistory can be fostered and supported to fill the breach.” [19]

Tartarian adherents commonly reference “horse and buggy,” as seen in this Tiktok video screenshot about Vancouver, to suggest that even as late as the early twentieth-century the tools and technology did not exist for constructing large, intricate buildings and, therefore, those buildings were actually constructed by technologically advanced Tartarians. (Screenshot from author)

The popularity of historical conspiracy theories, sometimes also referred to as “alternative histories” or “pseudohistories,” is made obvious through countless popular books, websites, television shows on traditional cable channels and on streaming platforms, and long videos on YouTube that present an astonishing variety of alternative narratives about human history. They are, however, united by what political scientist Michael Barkun termed as “stigmatized knowledge” claims: claims that “true” history has been forgotten, superseded, ignored, rejected, and/or suppressed. [20]

In stigmatized knowledge claims, stigmatization becomes proof of truth—something must be true because it has been rejected, suppressed, et cetera. Stigmatized knowledge claims are sticky, acting like a glue that easily binds historical conspiracy theories to additional conspiratorial narratives whose adherents are already primed to view claims of stigmatization as proof of truth. [21] As religious studies scholar David G. Robertson noted, “If one believes that what we are told about the present is a lie, then it makes sense that the past would be a lie too.” [22]

The reverse can also be true—if one believes that what we are told about the past is a lie, then it makes sense that the present may also be a lie. [23] The Tartaria conspiracy theory [24] is one such example of how historical conspiracy theories blur the line between fact and fiction and open the doors to more dangerous beliefs. Though it is based on elements from older conspiracy theories like Fomenko’s New Chronology, [25] Tartaria first appeared online between 2016 and 201826 and is currently very popular in social and digital media spaces like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube.

In its most basic sense, Tartaria is an alternative history about an ancient, technologically advanced Tartarian civilization that spread around the world from north-central Asia, constructing magnificent cities everywhere it went. Tartaria is said to have disappeared some time in the 1800s when a sudden and global cataclysm of sorts resulted in a mud flood that destroyed or covered up Tartarian cities. The reason the world has not heard about Tartaria until now is because that history has been suppressed by hiding and altering historical records and demolishing surviving Tartarian structures.

The Tartarian conspiracy theory includes elements common to nearly all historical conspiracy theories, such as the colonization of locations around the world, the possession of advanced technology (especially regarding energy storage and conduction), the suggestion that people of the time were unable to build large architecture without intervention from someone more advanced, and that an environmental cataclysm destroyed Tartarian civilization.

But what sets Tartaria apart is its intense focus on historical architecture, predominantly elaborate styles such as Neo-Classical, Beaux-Arts, and Second Empire, as well as star-shaped bastion forts.

The presence of these architectural styles around the world is said to be evidence of Tartaria’s global spread, and external basement windows that are low to the ground are considered evidence that the building was partially covered by mud during the great mud flood, leaving only the tops of the buildings visible while the rest are buried underground. Red bricks are also important to Tartaria adherents, who believe the bricks were used to store energy.

Additionally, late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century world’s fairs, which were full of elaborate but temporary structures, are argued to have been Tartarian capital cities that were “co-opted to teach a falsified history of the world.” [27] Tartaria adherents argue that the buildings were taken down not because they were always intended to be temporary, but rather because they were demolished as part of the plan to hide Tartaria. [28]

The Tartarian conspiracy theory references architecture found around the world, including in British Columbia. The Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, for example, was suggested as Tartarian architecture in the popular r/Tartaria subreddit page. (Photo courtesy of Coquitlam City Archives)

Tartaria is more than just an alternative history; it is an alternative reality in which the line between what is real and what is fake is intentionally confused. History is replaced with fantasized narratives about the past that can be used to support idealized narratives about the present. Who the Tartarians were and why Tartaria’s history has been hidden has never been clearly defined in the Tartarian conspiracy theory and that is where an opening exists to connect Tartaria to more harmful beliefs. Historical revisionism, including the use of mythologized histories, is considered by experts to be a key characteristic of the global far right, and Tartaria is no exception. [29]

On the Tartaria Britannica website, for example, one can find articles arguing far-right white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy beliefs [30] that ancient Aryans were violently exterminated by invading Tartarians. [31] And recently far-right American media personality Stew Peters [32] released a full-length documentary film about the Tartarian empire, drawing on antisemitic conspiracy theories that wealthy elites from the Rothschild family are involved in hiding the truth about Tartaria’s history. [33]

Because of their ability to connect their adherents to additional harmful beliefs, it is important to address historical conspiracy theories when we encounter them, whether in conversation with someone or if we see them online. Finding effective methods can be challenging, but there are several excellent guidelines available, such as The Debunking Handbook, [34] that outline different strategic methods and help us identify when to employ them. [35] Debunking is the most well-known method and refers to factually correcting incorrect information after that incorrect information has been spread. Although the efficacy of debunking is variable, following the suggested method of 1) simplistically stating the fact, 2) warning once that you are going to discuss disinformation, 3) explaining how that disinformation misleads, and 4) repeating the fact can help improve its efficacy.

Debunking is useful for traditional conspiracy theories that emphasize the importance of evidence, but in the case of antiscientific conspiracies-without-theories, which are not as interested in evidence, debunking is not likely to work. Instead, experts recommend pre-bunking in most cases. Pre-bunking refers to pre-emptively refuting disinformation and conspiracism to build resistance against it. Pre-bunking explains the techniques used to manipulate an audience and promotes critical thinking to enable people to recognize conspiracist and disinformative narratives when they encounter them. When people know what to look for, disinformation and conspiracism loses its ability to deceive. [36]

Not everyone who adheres to historical conspiracism does so with harmful intent. Not all Tartarian believers, for example, subscribe to the far-right beliefs that have been connected to Tartaria. But because historical conspiracism and revisionism have a long history of being used for harmful purposes and because the possibility exists that someone drawn to historical conspiracism can become connected to more dangerous beliefs, it is important that historical conspiracy theories be addressed as they are encountered.

Repetition and patience are key; you cannot change someone’s mind overnight. It is also vitally important to have accessible, factual information that can fill the hole that pre-bunking and debunking creates. Write public articles or blog posts. Write threads or posts on social media. Create or live-stream videos so that when someone opens Instagram or TikTok they’re less likely to encounter Tartaria first and, instead, will find themselves awestruck by human history as it is. No Tartarians needed.

Endnotes
1. Tartaria Uncovered: AntiquiTech, Tesla, Mud Flood & Beyond! Reddit, accessed May 7, 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/20240507224925/https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria
2. Tartaria Uncovered: AntiquiTech, Tesla, Mud Flood & Beyond!
3. Tartaria Uncovered: AntiquiTech, Tesla, Mud Flood & Beyond!
4. Stephen Lewandowsky et al., The Debunking Handbook 2020, p. 4, sks.to/db2020, https://doi.org.10.17910/b7.1182.
5. Lewandowsky et al., Debunking Handbook, 4.
6. Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America, 2nd ed. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013), 3.
7. Barkun, Culture of Conspiracy, 3–4.
8. Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 105–29.
9. Jaron Harambam, Contemporary Conspiracy Culture: Truth and Knowledge in an Era of Epistemic Instability (London: Routledge, 2020), 8; Egil Asprem and Asbjorn Dyrendal, “Conspirituality Reconsidered: How Surprising and How New Is the Confluence of Spirituality and Conspiracy Theory?” Journal of Contemporary Religion 30, no. 3 (2015), 367–82.
10. Federico Pilati, Tommaso Venturini, Pier Luigi Sacco, and Floriana Gargiulo, “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism: A Comparison of the Flat Earth Society’s Internet Forum and Reddit,” New Media and Society, May 14, 2024, 3, http://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241252593.
11. Harambam, Contemporary Conspiracy Culture, 8.
12. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 1.
13. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 3.
14. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 4.
15. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 4. The Cambridge Dictionary defines post-truth as “relating to a situation in which people are more likely to accept an argument based on their emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.”
16. James R. Lewis, “Excavating Tradition: Alternative Archaeologies as Legitimation Strategies,” Numen 59, no. 2/3 (2012): 202–21, https://www.jstor.org/stable/23244959.
17. Stephanie Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History: Atlantis, Aryans, and the Use of Pseudoarchaeology by the Far-Right,” in Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times, ed. by Christopher T. Connor, Matthew N. Hannah, and Nicholas J. McMurray (Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 2024), 53-82.
18. Lewis, “Excavating Tradition.”
19. Bettina Arnold, “Pseudoarchaeology and Nationalism: Essentializing Difference,” in Archaeological Fantasies, ed. by Garrett G. Fagan (Abingdon: Routledge, 2006), 156.
20. Barkun, Culture of Conspiracy, 26 – 29
21. Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History,” 59–61.
22. David G. Robertson, UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age (New York: Bloomsbury, 2016), 16.
23. Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History,” 61.
24. For an excellent introductory explainer of the Tartaria conspiracy theory, listen to Episode 273: “The Tartarian Empire,” QAnon Anonymous (a.k.a. QAA) Podcast. The episode is available on all major music and podcast streaming services. See also Zach Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire,’ the QAnon of Architecture,” Bloomberg.com, April 27, 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-04-27/inside-architecture-s-wildest-conspiracy-theory; and Brian Dunning, “Tartaria and the Mud Floor,” Skeptoid Podcast, February 2, 2021, https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4765.
25. Fomenko’s New Chronology argues that human history prior to the 1600s has been entirely fabricated. See the Wikipedia entry, “New Chronology (Fomenko), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_chronology_(Fomenko).
26. Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire.’”
27. Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire,’” para. 22.
28. Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire.’”
29. Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History,” 53-54.
30. Brian Duignan, “replacement theory,” in Encyclopaedia Brittanica Online, May 31, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/replacement-theory.
31. True Aryan History, “The Mongol Empire Never Existed,“ Tartaria Britannica, March 4, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20231202085845/https://tartariabritannica.com/blog/the-mongol-empire-never-existed/.
32. Kiera Butler, “The Far-Right Bounty Hunter Behind the Explosive Popularity of ‘Died Suddenly,’” Mother Jones, May–June, 2023, para. 5, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/02/stew-peters-the-far-right-bounty-hunter-behind-the-explosive-success-of-died-suddenly/.
33. Eyes on the Right, “Stew Peters Promotes Claim That the Capitol Was Built by a Race of Giants,” Angry White Men [blog], May 21, 2024, https://angrywhitemen.org/2024/05/21/stew-peters-promotes-claim-that-the-capitol-was-built-by-a-race-of-giants/.
34. Lewandosky et al., Debunking Handbook 2020.
35. Stephanie Halmhofer, “A [Semi-] Solicited Guide on Pre-bunking and Debunking,” Bones, Stones, and Books, February 2, 2024, https://bonesstonesandbooks.com/2024/02/02/a-semi-solicited-guide-on-pre-bunking-and-debunking.
36. Sander van der Linden, “Countering Misinformation through Psychological Inoculation,”in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 69, (2024): 1–58, https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aesp.2023.11.001.

Stephanie Halmhofer grew up in Steveston. She has worked as an archaeologist in several Canadian provinces and is currently also a PhD student at the University of Alberta. The narrowed focus of her research is on Brother XII and the Aquarian Foundation through which she studies the archaeology of conspirituality and conspiritual landscapes. More broadly, her research also examines the use of pseudoarchaeology in far-right and conspiritual worldviews.

VIDEO: Chinese Canadian Voices in Poetry

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 19:10:13 GMT

How have Chinese Canadian stories and history been expressed through poetry? Moderated by Vancouver’s current Poet Laureate, Fiona Tinwei Lam, and joined by award-winning spoken word artist Christopher Tse and emerging poet James X. Wang, this combined poetry performance and panel discussion will explore how Chinese Canadian identity, including the history around the Chinese Exclusion Act era, has been upheld through contemporary works of poetry.

Watch the full video here.

Cultural Road Trip to Discover BC's Heritage Sites

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:11:50 GMT

Our province is teeming with history, but many of us haven’t had the chance to visit the various heritage sites spread out across British Columbia because, well, let’s face it, our province is pretty big. While plenty of museums and exhibits can be found in our bigger metropolitan areas, there is so much more to discover once you get away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities.

To discover some of lesser-visited spots, BC Living has compiled a list of a few key places you should check out on a cultural road trip, with stops in New Denver, Revelstoke, Wells, Prince George, and Prince Rupert. Each area pays homage to the key industries that shaped us as a province—just think logging, mining, and even fishing!

Check it out here.

Ken Blackburn reflects on a career at the junction of heritage and art

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:08:33 GMT

As Ken Blackburn steps away from 19 years at the Museum at Campbell River, he took the time to reflect on its transformation from a dusty archive to a highly respected institution that is a key player in not only the cultural life of the community but also its economy.

Blackburn came onboard with the museum as it, like many others across the country, was stepping into a central role in incorporating heritage and culture into the economy and identifying the added value of culture and cultural institutions as partners in prosperity.

It has now established itself as a major player and that will serve Campbell River well in the coming years, said Blackburn the now-retired Programs Manager for the Museum at Campbell River.

Read the full article here.

Sooke museum's summer team breathes new life into local history

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:04:57 GMT

Summer is always a busy time at the Sooke Region Museum.

Over the past four months, five students have played a crucial role in their ongoing projects at the Museum and Visitor Centre.

You can read more about their achievements in this article.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 16:22:54 GMT

An excerpt from the fall issue of British Columbia History

1 New Digs for Sasquatch

The new Harrison Hot Springs Visitor Centre. Photo: Mark Forsythe

The mythical Sasquatch has deep spiritual and cultural meaning for the Sts’ailes people who believe Sasquatch (Sa:sq’ets) watches over the land. Red ochre paintings depicting the shape-shifting creature date back thousands of years, and Sasquatch continues to have pride of place at a newly constructed Harrison Hot Springs Visitor Centre, home to the Harrison Sasquatch Museum. Its collection includes casts of mysterious footprints, first-hand accounts, photos, maps, and conjecture about the hairy creature, also dubbed Bigfoot.

There have been more than 3,000 documented sightings in the region over the last century. Harrison Hot Springs is at the epicentre. The Sts’ailes people adopted a stylized Sasquatch figure for their logo and flag; a nearby provincial park bears the name; and Harrison Hot Springs has promoted itself as Land of the Sasquatch. Sasquatch statues, murals, mugs, and socks abound in the lakeside village, which also hosts Sasquatch Days each summer. Located at 499 Hot Springs Road, the museum promises “an immersive journey through the realms of both fact and folklore.” Admission is free.

2 BC’s Francophone Ranchers

Francophone ranchers: Ernest Patenaude, left, at Harper’s Camp, today the village of Horsefly, near the present-day city of Williams Lake, 1896. Photo: Horsefly Museum P982-15cn

BCHF member and executive director of La Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Maurice Guibord, has been uncovering stories of Francophone ranchers in the Cariboo, Thompson, and Okanagan. A grant from Digital Museums Canada supported oral history interviews with descendants whose families established ranches in the 1860s and 1870s.

Daryl Minnaberriet is the great-grandson of Louis Antoine Minnaberriet, who came from the Basque region of France. He first chased gold in California and in 1861 began ranching near Spences Bridge. He married La’staa, a local Indigenous woman, and preempted 160 acres of land. Daryl remarks, “Preempted is another fancy term for stealing native land.” Louis Antoine later left La’staa and their son to start a new European family. A common practice at the time, it still rankles Daryl.

Basque Ranch remains in operation and is now owned by the Cooks Ferry Band—in a sense it has come full circle. Learn more about the contributions of the Minnaberriet, Boucherie, Guichon, Isnardy, Lequime, Patenaude, Pigeon, and Versepuech families at the Digital Museums Canada website, digitalmuseums.ca/funded-projects/the-francophone-ranchers-of-british-columbias-interior-plateau.

3 100 Years of BC Books

Howard White shares publishing tales at SFU Harbourside. Photo: Greg Dickson

Don Stewart (left) in conversation with Vancouver writer Rod Mickleburgh. Photo: Greg Dickson

Book lovers paid $25 each to gather at SFU Harbour Centre to celebrate publisher Howard White and Vancouver bookseller Don Stewart. The venerable pair have logged more than 100 years in the BC book trade between them. Howard and Mary White’s Harbour Publishing has brought 1,000 titles into the world—many with a BC historical focus. Early success came with Raincoast Chronicles, which captured the spirit and culture of the coast.

The Sunshine Coast-based publisher eventually acquired an extensive Douglas & McIntyre catalogue and helped launch other BC publishing houses. Howard was encouraging his own competition, as BC Bookworld founder Alan Twigg remarked. The one that got away was distribution rights for the Harry Potter series—before it went viral.

Alberta-born Don Stewart knew book-selling would be his lifetime occupation at age 21, when he purchased MacLeod’s Books. Anyone passing through its doors marvels at stacks of books rising from floor to ceiling. (A Stan Douglas photo of this organized chaos once hung in the Vancouver Art Gallery). Request a title, and Don knows where to locate it among the estimated 100,000 titles. “It’s very important to offer books at all levels to people,” said Don in a Vancouver Sun profile. The event was presented by BC Bookworld, philanthropist Yosef Wosk, the Simon Fraser University Library, and the Alcuin Society.

4 PARC Campus Takes Shape

The PARC Campus under construction; PARC is an acronym for Provincial Archives, Research and Collection. Photo: Gregg Carmichael

The new Royal BC Museum facility to house the BC Archives is now beginning to look like a building. Located at Colwood, in Greater Victoria, the PARC (Provincial Archives, Research and Collection) Campus is a 15,200-square-metre structure built from mass timber, engineered from compressed wood. The $270-million facility won’t be large enough to accommodate the entire provincial collection; much will remain in storage in the Victoria region, but there will be expanded lab and research space for public access to artifacts.

BCHF and Friends of the BC Archives have urged more meaningful consultation with BC Archives. There have now been online engagements with staff and surveys for public input into province-wide access to services, research and educational services, staffing levels, Indigenous reconciliation, and improved public access to the Colwood location. (Additional bus service from downtown Victoria is planned.) Find more information at the Royal BC Museum Collections and Research Building Project website, collectionsandresearchbuilding.ca.

5 Final Flights

Hawaii Mars in flight. Photo: Coulson Aviation

The Martin Mars water bombers are possibly the most admired aircraft to ever grace BC skies. British Columbians watched these massive planes tackle forest fires for five decades. Now out of service, the last two surviving Mars aircraft have been donated by Coulson Aviation to two museums. The iconic red and white Hawaii Mars made a low pass along the Vancouver Island coastline during its final flight from Sproat Lake to the BC Aviation Museum in Sidney. The Philippine Mars, with original US Navy colours, is bound for the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Built during the Second World War to carry US troops and cargo, they were later converted into the world’s largest water tankers after a consortium of BC forest companies acquired four Mars in 1958 (25,000 litres could be scooped up in 22 seconds.) One crashed while fighting a fire in 1961 with the loss of four lives; another was destroyed by Typhoon Freda in 1962. In 2007 Coulson Aviation purchased the last two and grew its fire-fighting fleet into the largest (in volume) in the world. Many British Columbians lamented the Mars’ final retirement in 2015, but enthusiasts can get a close look at Hawaii Mars, soon on permanent display at the BC Aviation Museum, bcam.net. •

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Totem pole in Vancouver's Stanley Park moved

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 23:01:08 GMT

One of the totem poles in Vancouver's Stanley Park has been moved to the University of B.C.'s Museum of Anthropology.

The Kakaso'las totem pole has been on loan to Vancouver's largest park since 1985, according to the city's park board. Now that loan has expired, it has been returned to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA).

It is six metres tall, and features many important figures in Kwakwaka'wakw culture: the thunderbird, a sea-bear holding an orca, a man holding a frog, Bak'was (the wild man of the woods), Dzunuk'wa (giant of the woods) and a raven.

Kakaso'las was carved by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Ellen Neel in 1955. The Alert Bay-born artist made waves at the time for being one of the first female carvers to find success in a traditionally male-dominated space.

You can read the original article from CBC here.

FREE virtual info session on applying for Digital Museums Canada funding

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 17:32:58 GMT

Digital Museums Canada (DMC) helps build digital capacity in Canadian museums and heritage, and cultural and Indigenous organizations, giving people living in Canada unique access to diverse stories and experiences. They have invested in more than 240 projects with nearly $20 million in funding. This is an excellent way to share your history and heritage with the nation!

In advance of the application deadline, DMC is hosting information sessions, in French and English, for their Community Stories and Digital Projects streams.

You can learn more about the program and sign up for the information sessions by visiting the DMC website here.

Okanagan Archive is back in action!

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 17:07:19 GMT

The following is shared by the BCHF on behalf of Okanagan Archive:

Okanagan Archive is excited to announce that we are back in action and more dedicated than ever to sharing the rich history of the Okanagan Valley with our community. After overcoming the challenges of the pandemic, we’re thrilled to unveil several new initiatives aimed at reconnecting with history enthusiasts and the public.

One of our major highlights is the reimagining of Archivos, our magazine that has been a staple since 2005. We’re revamping Archivos to bring you fresh perspectives and enhanced content, starting with a newly designed fall issue. This updated version will continue to offer the in-depth articles, stunning visuals, and compelling stories that you’ve come to expect, but with a modern twist that reflects our evolving approach to documenting and celebrating local history.

In addition to the magazine, we are proud to present our newly redesigned website at www.okanaganarchive.ca. This revamped site serves as a comprehensive resource for exploring our extensive collection, accessing digital archives, and staying up-to-date with our events and publications. We’ve worked hard to make it both user-friendly and rich with content, making it easier for you to engage with our historical materials.

At Okanagan Archive, we are passionate about preserving and celebrating our local history. As we continue to dig deep into our vaults and complete the scanning of valuable historical pieces, we look forward to sharing these discoveries with you.

For more information about our projects, events, or to get involved, please visit the Okanagan Archive website!

Canadians of South Asian heritages museum

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 17:02:21 GMT

The Province has launched a public engagement to inform the vision for a new museum or cultural centre in B.C. This museum or cultural centre will highlight the histories, cultures, and contributions to British Columbia from Canadians of diverse South Asian heritages.

To learn more, please visit: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/southasiancanadianmuseum/

VIDEO: Son of James at the Chinese Canadian Museum

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 16:59:21 GMT

Son of James blends a fusion of rock, blues, and jazz with the mystical sounds of Chinese instrumentation. Like a big rig rolling down a dusty highway carrying a cargo full of silk, Son of James calls their sound “Chynatruckerfunk.”

Listen here.

Save the Date: Conference 2025 Williams Lake May 2-3

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 02:02:05 GMT

SAVE THE DATE - MAY 2-3, 2025

The BCHF is excited to announce that the Museum of the Cariboo-Chilcotin and the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame Society will be the host organization for the 2025 BCHF Annual Conference.

The BCHF Annual Conference is a much-anticipated event that brings anywhere from 40 to 80 local and academic historians, knowledge-keepers, heritage professionals, history enthusiasts, authors, collectors, and the interested public together in a different BC community each year.

The 2025 event runs over 2 days and offers networking opportunities, presentations of local and provincial history, a unique field trip, a silent auction of local history books, and an awards banquet where those working and writing in the BC historical sector will be recognized and celebrated.

The BCHF gratefully acknowledges that the conference will be held on the unceded traditional lands of the Secwepemc and Tsilhqot'in Peoples, neighbouring the T'exelcemc (Williams Lake) and Xat'súll (Soda Creek) First Nations.

Planning will take place this fall and registration will open online in early 2025. Please visit our website where details will be provided.

The conference will include an evening reception at the Museum and Cowboy Hall of Fame, historical and cultural presentations from historians and knowledge keepers about Cariboo-Chilcotin history, a unique history-themed field trip, the BCHF AGM, and the BCHF annual awards banquet.

Local organizers are working hard to show you the flavour of the area!

If you are interested in being a sponsor, presenter, or vendor for the conference, please contact shannon@bchistory.ca.

Fall issue of British Columbia History about teaching and learning

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 19:33:29 GMT

The latest issue of British Columbia History will be making its way to your inbox soon. The theme is teaching and learning, specifically about the province’s history. Stories include:

• “Saffron Threads Weaves a Tapestry of Diverse Study and Inquiry,” by Satwinder Bains
• “Denbei Kobayashi: Nurturing Japanese culture in the Okanagan,” by Jean-Pierre Antonio
• “Thinking Historically,” Lindsay Gibson in conversation with Aimee Greenaway
• Japanese-Canadian Educators During the Internment Years, by Megan Koyanagi
• “The Long Road to Full Collective Bargaining for BC Teachers,” by Ken Novakowski
• “British Columbia Black History Timelines,” by Jamila Douhaibi
• “Unveiling the Truth Behind ‘Hidden’ Histories,” by Stephanie Halmhofer
• “Peter O’Reilly’s Diaries,” by Misao Dean and Timothy Fitzthum
• “When did ’Textbook’ Become a Bad Word?” by Kelsey Beaudry

Plus there are regular contributions from writer-in-residence Spencer Legebokoff, Front Words with Mark Forsythe, Refracting History with Dalys Barney, and more.

To subscribe or order single issues, click here.

New dinosaur trackway site discovered in Peace region, verified by Royal BC Museum

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 18:38:19 GMT

A new dinosaur trackway site has been found in the Peace region. Tracks from several different dinosaurs were found, as well as bird tracks and possible mammal tracks.

Read about this exciting new discovery here.

Arthur Erickson’s Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver goes above and beyond to meet new seismic standards

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 18:29:51 GMT

In the 1990s, scientists discovered that the coastline of the Pacific Northwest falls along the Cascadia subduction zone, a tectonic fault line capable of producing 9.0-magnitude earthquakes, the last of which is estimated to have occurred in 1700. Despite the Museum of Anthropology’s careful attention to site and history, its architects and engineers were blissfully unaware of the structure’s susceptibility to seismic activity and designed the Great Hall’s structure independently from the rest of the museum.

Since 1994 the University of British Columbia has devoted $200 million to seismic upgrades on its existing building stock. After Erickson’s death in 2009, the Museum of Anthropology’s freestanding Great Hall was identified as a significant seismic risk, and the university announced plans for a renovation in 2018.

The completion of this restoration marks a significant milestone and an important chapter in the preservation and protection of BC's history. You can read all about it in this article from The Architect's Newspaper.

VIDEO: The Tumultuous Weeks Leading to the First Humiliation Day

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 18:25:36 GMT

Creator and curator of "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act", Catherine Clement, explores the tumultuous days leading up to July 1, 1924 – a day the Chinese community would christen "Humiliation Day." Discover the ways the community tried to halt the Exclusion Act's mandated registration, and hear how different cities in Canada reacted when it was clear that all hope was lost. This material is only lightly covered in "The Paper Trail" exhibition. So here is your chance, 100 years later, to learn and remember what our community went through on July 1, 1924.

Watch the full video here.

Online exhibit highlights the history of Francophone Ranchers in British Columbia’s Interior Plateau

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 23:29:31 GMT

A new online exhibit is highlighting the history of Francophone ranchers in BC. The Société historique francophone de Columbia-Britannique's exhibit with Digital Museums Canada explores this rich history through community stories and photos, bringing life to a topic many know little about.

Click here to start exploring the online exhibit, or watch the video presentation on YouTube here.

Sidney Museum explores loss of liberties in new exhibit

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:11:27 GMT

The Sidney Museum & Archives is excited to unveil a new travelling exhibit, Lost Liberties: The War Measures Act.

During the 20th century, the War Measures Act was enacted three times by the Canadian Government. During World War I, World War II, and the 1970 October Crisis, the civil liberties of Canadians were suspended in the name of national security. Lost Liberties focuses on minority groups who were targeted during these times including the instances of internment of Canadians of European origin, the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians, and the arrest of people in Quebec.

An additional display of local connections has also been created by Museum staff. Displacing Differences will present how these injustices happened right on the Saanich Peninsula by showcasing information on the D’Arcy Island lazaretto, the imprisonment of Doukhobors on Piers Island, Japanese Canadians who were forcibly uprooted from Sidney, and the forced displacement of W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples.

“Lost Liberties provides us with a unique opportunity to share historically under-represented narratives”, says Michael Goodchild, Executive Director of the Sidney Museum. “The impact of the War Measures Act over the 20th century is not widely known, and we are honoured to pair the exhibit’s national perspective along with examples closer to home.”

Lost Liberties: The War Measures Act is a travelling exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History and generously supported by a grant for the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund. It runs from August 5-November 29, 2024 at the Sidney Museum.

Learn more about the museum on their website.

New BC Register of Historic Places launches

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:04:01 GMT

The new BC Register of Historic Places (BCRHP) has been launched, with information on over 5000 registered sites across BC. The new site provides increased access to information about officially recognized or protected historic places in British Columbia, and showcases the diversity of historic sites across the province.

You can access the BCRHP here.

VIDEO: Why is the Heather Pavilion, the first Vancouver General Hospital built in 1906 so important?

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:01:47 GMT

Former City councilor Marguerite Ford is interviewed about the importance of the Heather Pavilion that has served the health care needs of the people of Vancouver for over 115 years. Once thought lost in a series of additions, the Heather Pavilion still stands as a heritage designated building.

Video recorded and produced by Elwin Xie in 2023 for the Heather Heritage Society.

Watch the full video here.

In Memoriam - Ron Denman

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 18:39:16 GMT

The BCHF was saddened to hear that Ron Denman of Hope, BC, passed away on June 26, 2024.

Ron was well known in BC's historical and museum community as a long time museum professional and community historian. He worked for the Museum of Northern BC in Prince Rupert for some time before becoming the Manager of the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society for several years.

Ron contributed to the historical record in Chilliwack, including editing a number of community history book project including: The Chilliwack Story, Memories of Sardis: The First 100 Years, 50 Years of Military Presence in the Fraser Valley: 1942 – 1991 Base Chilliwack, and Chilliwack's Great War: At Home and Oversees (Ferguson). Ron also led the development of many original exhibitions that explored local history in Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley including the award winning Brewer's Gold, an exhibit about hop farming.

Image: Ron Denman accepts his Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012 surrounded by family, board members and staff of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives.

Fashion designer brings work back to Haida roots in new exhibit

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:05:44 GMT

Dorothy Grant celebrates 40 years in fashion, and her work's deeper meaning, in Haida Gwaii Museum showcase.

When Dorothy Grant entered the fashion world in 1988, she did not fit easily into any of the established categories.

She was one of the first Indigenous fashion designers in the industry, making her stand out from many others as she combined traditional Haida ceremonial dress with contemporary style.

"Mainstream fashion didn't know what to do with me. The art world didn't know what to do with me," Grant said, adding that only the Haida people appreciated her work.

But when museums began to purchase her work in 1991, it signalled something significant to the Haida designer — a change in the industry's relationship with Indigenous artistry that has since grown.

Read the full article from CBC here.

When mammoths roamed Vancouver Island

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:02:23 GMT

Image: SFU archaeology researchers Laura Termes examines a specimen in her lab.

Mammoths, the massive pre-historic ice age cousins of the modern-day elephant, have always been understood to have inhabited parts of British Columbia, but the question of when has always been a bit woolly.

Now, a new study from Simon Fraser University has given scientists the clearest picture yet of when the giant mammals roamed Vancouver Island.

Read the full article on these pre-historic bests here.

Historic Martin Mars water bomber completes final flight in B.C.

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:58:51 GMT

Thousands gathered at Patricia Bay Park on Vancouver Island north of Victoria on Sunday to witness the final landing of the historic Hawaii Martin Mars, a legendary aircraft that fought wildfires in B.C. for more than 50 years.

The massive aircraft, with a capacity to carry more than 27,000 litres of water, departed from its longtime base at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni and landed in Saanich Inlet, before heading to its new home at the B.C. Aviation Museum.

Nine Canadian Forces Snowbirds jets accompanied the water bomber on its last journey, passing over a number of communities en route to its final destination.

Read the full article from CBC here.

Kelowna's museum gets a front entrance freshen-up after 57 years

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:56:39 GMT

People with mobility issues will find it easier to enter Kelowna’s downtown museum after the end of September.

Improvements are being made to the accessibility ramp at the front of the museum, located on Queensway next to the transit station.

The existing staircase will be re-aligned to allow for the slope of the existing accessibility ramp to be decreased. Additionally, rest areas will be placed along the new accessibility ramp.

A new sidewalk linking the museum entrance with the nearby parkade will also be installed, and the whole front entrance area will be beautified with new landscaping.

The museum, which opened in 1967, has not seen changes to its entrance since then. The stairs have been deteriorating in recent years, prompting the renovation and improved accessibility.

Work begins on Friday and will continue through the end of September, per a city release. During construction, the museum will remain open, but there will be no ramp access for people in wheelchairs or others with mobility issues during the work period.

Full article from Kelowna Daily Courier.

Historic Barkerville reopens after wildfire evacuation

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:47:08 GMT

After tourists and residents alike were forced to flee the historic community of Barkerville in B.C.'s Interior 12 days ago, the town reopened Friday, August 2nd.

Officials ordered the evacuation of the area on July 21 as the Antler Creek wildfire drew near. The order included Bowron Lake, the community of Wells and the historic town of Barkerville — described on its website as the largest living history museum in western North America.

Before the evacuation order became official, Stewart Cawood said people in the town watched as plumes of smoke billowed above nearby Proserpine Mountain.

"It definitely sunk all our hearts," Cawood told CBC's Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk.

"We started taking preemptive action and getting the fire crews in from nearby Wells to help us get the hoses deployed so that the buildings were protected."

Read the full article from CBC here.

Lytton Chinese History Museum's construction progresses!

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 23:56:20 GMT

3 years after a fire destroyed the town of Lytton, the Chinese History Museum is being reconstructed with plans to eventually reopen.

On August 2nd, the museum posted on their Facebook page that the blue fence was finally gone, and painting the building would be the next step.

Keep up with the museum's progress by following them on Facebook.

Pothole Ranch Homestead swept away by Chilcotin River

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 23:42:26 GMT

The Pothole Ranch in Farwell Canyon, near where a landslide dammed the Chilcotin River, was swept into the river when the natural dam broke earlier this week, sending a flood of water downstream.

Abandoned after the Second World War, the structures on this homestead were a testament to the tenacity of early pioneers in the region, who dealt with extreme weather and unfavourable conditions as they carved out a life in the valley.

This summer has seen many historic sites in B.C. threatened, damaged, or destroyed by extreme weather conditions.

Read more about the history of the ranch in this article from The Williams Lake Tribune in 2020.

One of the world's oldest sacred shrines could return to B.C.

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 23:36:50 GMT

Members of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations Whalers’ Shrine Repatriation Committee travelled to New York recently in an effort to try to bring back one of the world’s most sacred structures.

Committee members went to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to formally meet with the museum’s Cultural Resources Office.

The representatives from the First Nations in British Columbia are keen to bring the Whalers’ Shrine back home to Yuquot, a village in Nootka Island, on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island.

The shrine was where Nuu-chah-nulth whalers prayed and practiced ritual oosemich (bathing) to prepare for the physical and spiritual challenges they faced when hunting.

There are 88 carved human figures, four carved whale figures and 16 human skulls in the shrine.

Led by hereditary Chief Mike Maquinna, Chief Jerry Jack, and Elder Margaretta James, committee members discussed the next steps to complete the process required for repatriation.

Read the full article here.

First Nations artefacts coming home from Canada after museum deal

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 17:48:27 GMT

First Nations artefacts housed at the Museum of Vancouver in Canada will return to Australia following an agreement struck by the Queensland Museum.

Queensland Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch met with the Museum of Vancouver last year to push for the return of Queensland artefacts during a $126,000 ministerial study tour to Canada and the United States.

The state government says an arrangement with the museum was recently struck, and work will now begin on the repatriation of artefacts and secret sacred material.

The artefacts will initially be transferred from Canada to the Queensland Museum, before they are returned to the communities they came from.

Read the full article here.

VIDEO: Conversations with a Conservator - Caring for your Family's Paper Trail

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 17:45:57 GMT

Led by professional museum conservator Tara Fraser, this workshop explores what causes deterioration in our collections and how to prevent it, including information on the proper materials and techniques needed for handling, preserving and storing family photographs, documents, heirlooms, and other precious items.

Watch the video here.

An interview with historian Daniel Marshall

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 21:23:40 GMT

Daniel Marshall is one of British Columbia’s most-prominent historians, having spent decades chronicling the province’s past. His academic and popular histories have played a key role in shaping today’s understanding of the origins of British Columbia.

Marshall curated a 2015 Royal BC Museum exhibit on the gold rush and also co-hosted The Canyon War: An Untold Story, an award-winning documentary that brought new light to a pivotal conflict between Indigenous peoples and heavily armed American miners in the Fraser Canyon.

Marshall has now published a new book called Untold Tales of Old British Columbia. The Current spoke to Marshall about how the practice of history has changed over the last 40 years.

Read the full interview from The Current here.

Stonehenge travels to the Royal BC Museum

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 21:19:09 GMT

Discover one of the most mysterious and unique stone monuments in the world and what it meant to the people who built it with Stonehenge. The exhibition features 400+ ancient artifacts, including the burial belongings of the Stonehenge and Amesbury archers, both of which have never been seen before in North America. Packed with archaeological insight and cutting-edge scientific research, Stonehenge explores this iconic World Heritage Site.

Working from what remains of the world’s only linteled henge, archaeologists have studied the people and communities who built Stonehenge 4,500-5,000 years ago. Learn about how these stones were transported incredible distances, shaped and jointed, and set into a vast landscape in which people have gathered for millennia.

For more information, visit the RBCM website.

Japanese Canadian curator, activist Grace Eiko Thomson passes away at age 90

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:56:59 GMT

Grace Eiko Thomson, a museum curator and author who covered the Japanese Canadian experience, passed away at the age of 90 on July 11th, 2024.

Thomson was the founding curator of the Japanese Canadian National Museum, now known as the Nikkei National Museum in Burnaby, B.C.

The National Association of Japanese Canadians confirmed in a statement that Thomson died peacefully at her home in Winnipeg.

Read the full tribute to Thomson from the CBC.

VIDEO: The Story of Átl'ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound, with Diane Mitchell & Eric Andersen

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:49:03 GMT

Historian Eric Andersen, and Diane Mitchell on behalf of the Átl'ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound Biosphere Region, talk about the past, present and future of this corner of our world. Diane opens Howe Sound’s geological history and concludes with a look into the future, a future dependent on the people who make their home here. Eric talks about the region's history, with a focus on the economic and commercial use which flourished thanks to the unique natural attributes of Átl'ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound.

Watch the full video here.

"In-Cow-Mas-Ket" by Susan Allison available in digital form

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:00:00 GMT

The Princeton and District Museum and Archives Society has made available a digital version of Susan Allison's book, In-Cow-Mas-Ket. This book, published in 1900, recounts many of the First Nations oral histories that she was told as a young settler in the Similkameen Valley, in her own poetic style.

This volume surfaced during their processing of the massive Rev. Dr. J.C. Goodfellow collection and was dedicated to him by Susan Allison in 1929. The digitization was done in-house by Neal Dangerfield of the Princeton Museum.

Access In-Cow-Mas-Ket here.

The Witness Blanket tours to the Nelson Museum

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:24:53 GMT

From August 9th to September 20th, 2024, the Nelson Museum will host the touring reproduction of Carey Newman's powerful exhibition, The Witness Blanket.

Seemingly disconnected remnants of clothing, crumbling buildings, and fragmented cultures are woven together into a blanket, designed to shine light on the Indian Residential School system that connects them, and stand as a monument to the resiliency and strength of those who survived them.

Inspired by a woven blanket, Witness Blanket is a large-scale work of art created by master carver Carey Newman, containing hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings, and traditional and cultural structures from across Canada.

Visit the Nelson Museum's website here.

Learn more about The Witness Blanket travelling exhibit here.

VIDEO: "Reminiscences of the Heather Pavilion at VGH"

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:16:36 GMT

Retired Vancouver nurses Elizabeth Kirkwood and Kathleen Murphy reminisce about their student nursing days and their careers working in the Heather Pavilion at the Vancouver General Hospital. Both women play an active role in ensuring the preservation of the Heather Pavilion built in 1906 as the first building of the Vancouver General Hospital/

Watch the full video here.

Okanagan Print Triennial at Kelowna Art Gallery

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:12:50 GMT

The Okanagan Print Triennial offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into the global printmaking community. This open, juried show is dedicated to showcasing the creative forays made in printmaking across Canada and beyond, at a time when experimentation dominates and traditional practices and processes are challenged. This year, Okanagan Print Triennial will feature such a diversity of style and subject matter that visitors can look forward to leaving the exhibition with a true appreciation of contemporary printmaking.

The Okanagan Print Triennial was initiated in 2009 by Kelowna-based printmaker Briar Craig, and supported by the Kelowna Art Gallery, the Vernon Public Art Gallery, and the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus. The winner of the 2024 Triennial will be given a solo exhibition at the Kelowna Art Gallery in 2027.

The exhibit runs until October 27th. Learn more about the Kelowna Art Gallery here.

"It's never been a more dangerous time for B.C.'s museums and heritage sites"

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:01:35 GMT

"Last week a major heritage site in British Columbia was moments away from being destroyed by a wildfire and was saved by the herculean effort of the B.C. Wildfire Service and site staff, new fire breaks, and a miraculous last-second shift in the winds.

Elsewhere in the province, art galleries and museums in central B.C. are opening their doors for free to evacuees displaced by wildfires in Alberta.

Each day museum, gallery, and heritage workers and volunteers are going to work while waiting to hear if they will be forced to evacuate their sites, homes, and communities.

It has never been a more dangerous time for B.C.’s museums, galleries, and heritage sites — and this danger takes a significant toll on the people who devote their lives to safeguarding our irreplaceable cultural heritage."

Read the full article by Ryan Hunt, Executive Director of the BC Museums Association, here.

Book Review: "A River Captured"

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 20:02:03 GMT

Ron Verzuh reviews "A River Captured: The Columbia River Treats and Catastrophic Change" by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes.

Excerpt:

"American-born author Eileen Delehanty Pearkes came to the northern banks of the Columbia in 1985 to do further research into its history. She was partly interested in learning more about the river as a food source for First Nations like the Sinixt or Lakes People that were falsely declared extinct in 1956.

We follow her research much like we might tag along with a traveler exploring new territory. She is a modern-day David Thompson, the explorer who first mapped his way along the river’s 2,000 kilometres to the Pacific Ocean in 1806. Except that she has other goals in mind than finding new trade routes for a rapacious corporation like the North West Company.

Dedicating her book to the river, she writes that she wants “to see for myself how and why the fish no longer spawn in the upper Columbia region.” She also wants to see how the First Nations people who lived next to the river were devastated by its capture."

Read the full review here.

After 113 years, Royal B.C. Museum hands back chief's seat to coastal First Nation

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:48:29 GMT

A chief’s seat that has been in the Royal B.C. Museum’s possession for more than a century is being handed back to the Heiltsuk Nation near Bella Bella.

Marilyn Slett, a Carpenter descendant and the elected chief of the Heiltsuk Nation, said the seat is the first of Carpenter’s major works to be repatriated. “For this to come home, it’s a monumental day for us. It feels like Captain has come home.” “Captain Carpenter was a good leader. He made sure that the people in the Bella Bella were fed,” said Steve Carpenter, Captain Carpenter’s great-grandson.

The seat was reassembled from storage for the occasion, but will be taken apart to travel by truck to Heiltsuk lands in Bella Bella, where a larger celebration is set to take place on July 25.

Read more here.

Wooden boat restoration is back on at Britannia Shipyards

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 18:42:16 GMT

Resident shipwright, Dave Sharp is now working out of Richmond Boat Builders, a workshop originally built in 1932 by Japanese Canadian boatbuilder Saeji Kishi.

His current project is the repair and maintenance of the Silver Ann - built in 1968-69 by Sadajiro Asari - the last wooden gillnetter to be built in this workshop. Catch Dave in action during weekdays to see his latest project.

Visit their website here.

Dinner Theatre returns at R. J. Haney Heritage Village & Museum

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:54:44 GMT

Villains and Vittles Dinner Theatre returns for its 30th year at R. J. Haney House. Enjoy performances every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday evening from July 14th to August 25th.

This annual event for the R. J. Haney Heritage Village & Museum is a fun way to support the museum. To learn more visit their website.

Sod turned for 5500 Pavilion Project

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:41:07 GMT

The sod was turned on July 9th, 2024 to begin construction on the new roof that will shelter locomotive No. 5500 at the Revelstoke Railway Museum.

The project will build a roof over diesel locomotive No. 5500, a piece of designated Canadian Cultural Property. The locomotive was built in 1966 by General Motors in London, Ontario and was the first diesel-electric locomotive. It was a significant part of Canadian railway history and Revelstoke's railway history. The roof will protect the locomotive from inclement weather.

Original article from The Revelstoke Review.

"Victoria in the Time of Exclusion" launches at Chinese Canadian Museum

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:35:42 GMT

The Chinese Canadian Museum in Victoria has officially launched their new exhibit, "Victoria in the Time of Exclusion." Learn more about Chinese people who lived in Victoria during the dismal exclusion years (1923-1947) through surviving C.I. certificates.

This exhibit is an extension of the Museum's inaugural "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act" exhibition.

Learn more here.

Fort Langley Management Planning Questionnaire Open

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:31:59 GMT

Parks Canada is planning the future of Fort Langley National Historic Site, and are seeking the public's input.

Share your thoughts on the visions and strategies gathered for the new Fort Langley NHS Management Plan by taking their survey.

Survey available until July 23rd, 2024.

BCMA conference registration now open

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:27:50 GMT

Registration is now open for the BC Museums Association's annual conference.

The conference will be held in Prince George from September 23rd to 27th. Registration is open to Emerging/Underemployed Professionals, BCMA Members, and Non-Members.

Learn more about the conference and register here.

SLCC hosts travelling exhibit "Chief Dan George - Actor and Activist" from MONOVA

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:23:21 GMT

From July 10th, 2024 to February 2nd, 2025 the SLCC will be hosting the touring exhibit "Chief Dan George - Actor and Activist" created by MONOVA.

The exhibit explores the life and legacy of Tsleil-Waututh Chief Dan George, including his influence as a First Nations rights advocate and his career as an actor.

Learn more about the exhibit here.

Highway 3 Museum Tour launches in time for summer

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:10:39 GMT

The Princeton Museum has launched its Highway 3 Museum Tour guidebook in time for summer adventures! Discover 19 heritage sites and other partner institutions along Highway 3 and learn more about the history of the region.

Learn more here.

Revelstoke Museum launches "Stories Beneath The Surface" online exhibit

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 23:59:22 GMT

The "Stories Beneath The Surface" exhibit at Revelstoke Museum & Archives opened in 2018, telling the stories of the land lost beneath the waters of the Hugh Keenleyside Dam reservoir. Now everyone can experience these stories and more thanks to the new virtual exhibit, produced by the Revelstoke Museum & Archives in partnership with Digital Museums Canada.

The online exhibit features new content, from photos to oral histories, and makes the content available in both French and English.

You can access the exhibit here.

"Doug Hudlin Memorial Way" unveiled in Victoria

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 23:41:33 GMT

On June 23, the City of Victoria, with Doug's family, unveiled the commemorative "Doug Hudlin Memorial Way" sign on Higgins Street, just across from National Little League Park.

Doug worked for the City of Victoria but his love was being on the field as an umpire. Amongst many other achievements, he umpired the Canadian Little League Championships five times the Senior Little League World Series twice, and the BC Summer Games in 1988. He was a founder and served as first president of the BC Baseball Umpires Association from 1974 to 1979, and was inducted into the association's hall of fame in 2011. He is remembered for his empathy toward all the young players he umpired for spanning generations of baseball players.

Doug was also a founding director of the BC Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS). As the great-grandson of the earliest Black settlers in BC (Nancy and Charles Alexander), his family's history inspired his work.

You can read more here.

Pentlatch fish trap panel on exhibit

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 23:31:33 GMT

A 550- year old fish trap panel is on display at Vancouver Island University's Deep Bay Marine Field Station.

This is one of the largest and most complete examples of Pentlatch ingenuity. The significant cultural belonging was unearthed by the K’ómoks First Nation and archaeological collaborators and is on public display at the field station in Bowser for the next six months.

Read more here.

Anscomb wheelhouse returning to Balfour

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 17:45:25 GMT

When the Kootenay Lake ferry MV Anscomb was remodeled in 1972, after 25 years of faithful service, a few reminders of the old ferry managed to survive, the most impressive of which was her wooden wheelhouse and the captain’s quarters.

Acquired by a Balfour resident, it was taken ashore and for three decades used as a playhouse, chicken coop and storage shed. In 2008, the Balfour and District Business and Historical Association acquired it for $1.

Thanks to a highly successful fund raising campaign, corporate donations, grants and hundreds of hours of painstaking work by volunteers, this unique and historically significant project was painstakingly restored. It was unveiled to the public at the Balfour ferry terminal on June 13, 2013.

The wheelhouse occupied its rightful spot at the landing’s rest area from that time until September 2019, when it was removed on the request of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure so that service work could begin on upgrading the ferry terminal.

The Balfour and District Business and Historical Association has now announced the historic wheelhouse will be returning to the Balfour ferry terminal in early July. Tourists are encouraged to visit the historic wooden structure, explore inside and read about the ship’s history on storyboards. During the summer, the association will be hosting a “wheelhouse interpreter” on site to answer questions about the wheelhouse and the Balfour area.

A Social History of the South Okanagan 1920-50

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 16:54:43 GMT

A new book, A Social History of the South Okanagan 1920-50, by Robert and Patricia Malcolmson, is described as "A lively and colourful historical portrait of life in the South Okanagan, from Skaha Lake to Lake Osoyoos, including irrigating the arid landscape, early farm settlement, fruit-growing, rum-running, schooling, labour unions, racism, and the Osoyoos Indian Band."

It's available for purchase from the Osoyoos Museum and the Oliver Archives.

The Mark of a Generation

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 17:50:23 GMT

An excerpt from the Summer 2024 issue of British Columbia History

By Rizwaan Abbas

Growing up in the 1990s, my high school friends and I, like many 16-year-olds, eagerly awaited the opportunity to get behind the wheel. I envied the students with their nice rides as they piled into the Queen Elizabeth (Sr.) Secondary School parking lot in Surrey. My Punjabi Sikh friends loved the Ford Mustang GT 5.0, while my Italian cousins coveted the Chevy Camaro. But for me and my Indo-Fijian contemporaries, there was nothing more beautiful than the Honda Prelude.

My first love was the third- generation Prelude produced between 1988 and 1991. To me, it was a flying dart on the road, with a sharp nose on the front accentuated by quintessential '90s flip-top headlights tucked into the hood. The car cut the wind as it seemed to float. The front followed a clean straight line to the rear where it ended in a cheeky lip, curling over the truck, evoking a vision of streamlined speed. You couldn’t resist staring and turning your head as the car flew by,flashing the unmistakable flush-mounted taillights which were prototypically Prelude.

Three generations of the Honda Prelude. (@hereis.tim on Instagram)

Rizwaan Abbas, 46

I bought my first Prelude when I was 23 from a used car dealership on Kingsway in Burnaby. It was a grey 1990 SR model. Although I wanted a black one I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I sold it soon afterwards but never forgot the fuel efficiency or the go-cart feel of driving this machine. About 23 years later, I decided to address my middle-aged crisis with the car of my dreams once again.

I currently own a 1991 SR Special Edition model. This edition was actually manufactured in 1992 and comes standard with leather interior, anti-lock brakes, and the Prelude specialty: 4-wheel steering (4WS). I also own a 1988 4WS SI parts car.

I searched long and hard before I found the Prelude I wanted. Mine is night blue (as my daughter pointed out) and when the light hits it right, it looks jet black. I plan to take my time restoring this car back to its glory days of 33 years ago, and maybe give it to one of my children one day.

Imrooz Ali, 47

I owned a black 1989 SI model in the 1990s and early 2000s. I loved how my Prelude looked without the spoiler. The flat back trunk and that curved lip looked so good when the car was lowered. If you’re going to put wheels on your Prelude, make sure they are 5-star wheels. They look amazing!

Rav Lal, 50

I bought my Prelude in 1991, when I was 17. My best friend had one and I fell in love with it. Mine was the first-generation model, first produced in 1978, and these were the ones with the square headlights. They were the typical Honda of the time, sporty, small, cheap to run, well-laid out, and with good handling.

I loved the sunroof and the sporty look of the car, and I spent all of my money on my Prelude. This was during the time when car stereos were huge, and it was popular to put loud sound systems into cars. You could hear people coming from blocks away as the base got louder and louder and shook everything nearby … and the occasional car alarms went off too.

My Prelude was a 1982 model, which was the last year of the first-generation models. I spent thousands of dollars putting in the audio system and neon lights, and I tinkered with my Prelude daily. My car was originally silver but I painted it purple. Everyone loved my car; it was a spectacle … a tiny car with a bright purple paint job and a booming stereo. I got a lot of attention with it.

Occasionally I think about finding another classic Prelude to relive my youth, ha ha ha!

Rodrick Prasad, 47

My dad, Kamla Prasad, wanted to buy me a car for my high school graduation. He searched long and hard before finally deciding on the Prelude for its high safety rating, fuel economy, and excellent handling. Back then, a $5 coupon from Domo would give me a quarter-tank of gas! Dad bought my red 1988 Prelude for $9,800 in July 1993. It was a third-generation, 5-speed manual, 2.0 SI 4WS model that had only 65,000 kilometres on it. This car was way ahead of its time and won Honda the Car of the Year award in 1987 for its innovative design and handing.

The 4-wheel steering enabled the rear wheels to turn slightly when you turned the steering wheel, so the handling was impeccable. This was also the first time 4WS was available in a mass-produced vehicle. My car was pretty much stock and all I did was add a K&N air filter. These cars are so reliable, you could drive them forever.

Rodrick Prasad, early 1990s

In May or June 1994, almost a full year after buying the car, I graduated and was finally able to drive my Prelude. I loved the overall aesthetic of the car. The red colour mixed in with the flip-top lights, spoiler, and rims made my car unique and beautiful. It was very fast and easy to handle. Later, I added a sound system with an Alpine deck and CD changer, a Phoenix Gold amp, two 12-inch Dr. Crankenstein subwoofers, and all Phoenix Gold wiring. You could hear me coming from four blocks away.

My fondest memories of the car are during my long drives to Calgary and the fun I had at the drive-in theatres. This car was a chick magnet— whenever I went to car shows people would be checking out my car in the parking lot even though it was not part of the show. A few of my cousins had the second-generation model and my brother-in-law had a 1986 Prelude. All my Indo-Fijian friends loved my car.

I sold my Prelude in 1997 for $8,600 (I needed money for school) and I immediately regretted it; the car was written off two weeks later. That Prelude was meant for me, and I will never find another car as beautiful and loyal.

Firaz Yasin, 41

I have owned two fifth-generation Preludes in my lifetime. This was the last iteration of the Prelude, and this model came with the diamond headlights. The Prelude was discontinued in 2001. When I was 19, my father bought me a baby blue 1997 Triptronic model, and I later bought myself a custom silver 1999 manual one.

The body lines of the car really appealed to me, and I loved the ability to add tasteful mods. I would say the car culture was at its peak in the late 90s and early 2000s and made being in the car scene that much more fun. I enjoyed cruising with other drivers, and I made some lasting friendships.

Due to the cost of the vehicle ($30,000 new), you didn’t see many Preludes being driven in the Indo-Canadian community at that time (it was cheaper to own a Mustang), so in that sense it was niche in the community.

My Preludes made a big impression on my early adult years that will forever be with me, not just the car, but also the car community and friends I met along the way. Many nights were filled with just cruising the streets of Vancouver and making core memories with like-minded individuals.

Saif Hussien, 26

I bought a fourth-generation Prelude in May 2015, when I was 17. It was a red 1995 BB2 SI model. This is the one with the elongated hood and triangle lights in the back.

I loved everything about that car, the long digital dash and the overall design. I remember once my buddy and I took a road trip out to Peachland and filled both our cars with octane booster. I gave my Prelude all it had on that run and managed to hit 220 kilometres an hour!

The Ford Mustang was my first dream car. What can I say? Typical Surrey boy … but once the Prelude came into my life, no other car created the memories that it did. I would grab another in a heartbeat! It’s pretty funny but I remember the third-generation Preludes being a part of the household of a lot of Indo-Fijians. People of Fiji have always enjoyed Japanese domestic market cars and I’m sure that strong bond will only grow over time.

It still surprises me to this day that my Prelude used to turn more heads than my Mustang.

Rizwaan S. Abbas is a first-generation Canadian Muslim of Indo-Fijian descent. He is a director of the Indo-Fijian Cultural Society of Canada and has been working as an archaeologist in BC for the past 25 years. You can follow Rizwaan’s work at linkt.ee/riz031.

Historic Creston grain elevator being demolished

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:13:16 GMT

One of Creston's iconic two iconic grain elevators will be demolished, the Columbia Basin Trust has announced. The other elevator nearby has been restored and is now home to an art gallery. Both date to the mid-1930s.

Read more in the Creston Valley Advance.

Similkameen Star digitization complete

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:29:10 GMT

The Princeton and District Museum and Archives Society has announced the digitization of the Similkameen Star is finally complete. All issues of the newspaper from 1900-53 are available here.

The museum acknowledges funding assistance from the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and all the staff and students at the UBC library in Vancouver who worked on the project. They gave special thanks to Mimi Lam and Robert Stibravy with UBC and to Joan Taylor Mayo who gave them copyright permissions.

"This has been the cumulative effort of many people over seven years and will serve as an invaluable research tool on the subjects of the people and places that make up the history of the district of Princeton," the museum said in a news release.

Victoria’s Roxy Theatre back to screening movies

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 19:34:29 GMT

Google Street View

For the first time in over a decade, you can watch a movie again at Victoria's 75-yearold Roxy Theatre.

Read more in the Victoria Times Colonist.

Sidney Museum looks at queer history

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 19:04:53 GMT

A new exhibit with a focus on LGBTQ history on the Saanich Peninsula has been unveiled at the Sidney Museum for Pride Month.

Read more in the Victoria Times Colonist.

UBC Museum of Anthropology reopens

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 18:53:20 GMT

Bill Reid's The Raven and the First Men (Nick Kwan/Unsplash)

Following an 18-month closure for a $40-million seismic upgrade, UBC's Museum of Anthropology has reopened. While it has nearly 50,000 works from around the world, but the museum is best known for its Indigenous northwest coast art collection.

Port Alberni train back in business

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 18:37:47 GMT

A sight-seeing train in Port Alberni returns to the track this month for the first time since 2018. The train is powered by a locomotive once used by MacMillan Blodel and uses cabooses that once belonged to CN Rail. It's hoped it will lead to reinstating service between Port Alberni and the McLean Mill National Historic Site.

Read more in the Victoria Times Colonist.

68-year-old Victoria bakery’s building for sale

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 18:27:00 GMT

Google Street View

The owners of the Dutch Bakery and Diner in Victoria, which the Schaddlee family has operated since 1956, have put their Fort Street building up for sale. But they are hoping the business will go on.

Read more in the Victoria Times Colonist.

Permanent exhibit on LGBTQ2S+ history added at Nelson Museum

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 18:17:13 GMT

The Nelson Museum Archives and Gallery has officially launching a new permanent installation called We Love a Parade!, based on a 2021 gallery exhibition that celebrated the history of the West Kootenay Gays and Lesbians Society, meticulously compiled by longtime archives volunteer Michael Wicks.

Cache of scrapbooks found at Vancouver Chinatown family clan association

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 18:07:26 GMT

Google Street View

Two dozen long-forgotten scrapbooks have been rediscovered after more than a century on the top floor of Wongs’ Benevolent Association on Pender Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown (seen above).

Read more in The Vancouver Sun.

Rattenbury-designed building in Victoria for sale

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:54:37 GMT

1420 Broad Street in Victoria

Bell Media is selling its Francis Rattenbury-designed building in Victoria. The building, constructed around 1907, is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Read more in the Victoria Times-Colonist.

The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is back!

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 16:11:07 GMT

It's June and that means it's time for the Great Canadian Giving Challenge once again!

The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is a national public contest to benefit Canadian charities. Every $1 donated to a registered charity in June via CanadaHelps, automatically enters the charity to win an additional $20,000 donation.

The $20,000 grand prize draw will take place on Canada Day July 1st where one lucky charity will win!

Through the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, we are raising money for the BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund, which supports community historians who are uncovering the diverse cultural, social, genealogical, and geological history of BC.

Donate now

The BCHF thanks all donors for their continued support.

VIDEO: Reconciling Stó:lō Place Names

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:20:01 GMT

This presentation was delivered by Dr. Si:yémia Albert "Sonny" McHalsie and Dr. Keith Thor Carlson at the BC Historical Federation Conference on May 4, 2024 at the Gathering Place at the University of the Fraser Valley's Chilliwack Campus.

Si:yémiya is the Cultural Advisor / Sxweyxwiyam (Historian) at the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, Stó:lō Nation, in Chilliwack, B.C. He is also an instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley, and has taught in the past for the University of Victoria for the Ethnohistory Field School. Si:yémiya is an active researcher and publisher, having authored and co-authored various articles and books over the past twenty-five years. The guiding principle behind his research is the ancient Stó:lō tradition of “being of good mind.” His areas of expertise include Stó:lō place names, sxwōxwiyám (ancient narratives) and sqwélqwel (family histories), fishing, and oral history.

Professor Keith Thor Carlson holds the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous and Community-Engaged History at the University of the Fraser Valley, where he has additionally been appointed Director of the Peace and Reconciliation Centre. Keith has been partnering with Coast Salish communities, especially the Stó:lō, to help document and interpret history and cultural traditions since 1992. His research is designed and executed collaboratively with Indigenous communities to meet community-identified priorities.

Si:yémiya takes you to places within S'ólh Téméxw, sharing Hal'qeméylem place names, and telling some of the sxwōxwiyám (ancient stories) and sqwélqwel (personal and family histories) that give shape to Stó:lō culture, history and people.

Dr. Carlson explains how place-naming is an integral component of the settler colonial process, and suggests ways in how we can take action to move towards decolonizing, re-Indigenizing, and re-naming places that are known to have original Indigenous names.

Si:yémiya provided examples of place names that guided Indigenous communities while travelling that reflected their knowledge of sites with bountiful food resources; that commemorated historical events and occurrences; and that documented stories of origin and transformation.

Carlson spoke to the process by which colonialists asserted a degree of control by naming spaces and associating new memories that reflected settler heritages. He suggests empowering Indigenous communities to create policies and processes that lead to re-naming on Indigenous terms.

Filming and editing by Elwin Xie, BC Historical Federation.

Walhaschindig keeps ghost town's history alive

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:30:03 GMT

View of upper ranch and river bench, Wallachin. (Image D-08188 courtesy Royal BC Museum and Archives)

Since 2016, an annual event called Walhaschindig has drawn people to Wallhachin, a community built in the 1910s between Cache Creek and Kamloops that was supposed to be an orchard's paradise. The museum in the community's historic Soldiers Memorial Hall will be open five days a week through the end of September.

Read more in the Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal.

Snuneymuxw artifacts repatriated from Royal BC Museum

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:13:28 GMT

Nearly 100 objects, many likely thousands of years old, have been returned to the Snuneymuxw First Nation by the Royal BC Museum, including carved stone bowls, spindle whorls, and food processing utensils.

'Crucial consultation session' planned on BC's South Asian museum

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:08:49 GMT

Conversations continue about the creation of a museum in BC to celebrate Canadians of South Asian heritage. What is described as a “crucial consultation session” will be held June 13 in Surrey.

Historic Parksville tower may be relocated

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 16:55:01 GMT

(Google Street View)

Parksville council has voted to look into moving an historic E&N Railway watertower to Victoria. The tower escaped demolition in 2020, but a group that wanted to restore and relocate it to a spot nearby has faced challenges.

Read more in the Parksville Qualicum Beach News.

Revelstoke adopts heritage management plan

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 16:38:25 GMT

Revelstoke city council has approved a new heritage management plan to “safeguard the valued features of Revelstoke and its natural and cultural heritage.”

“The Heritage Advisory Commission is grateful and thankful to Denise Cook, planning staff, the city’s Indigenous liaison Dale Tomma, and the community for their great work on this important document for the present and future," said senior planner Erica Hartling on behalf of commission chair Laurie Lafontaine.

"The heritage management plan will be an undeniable asset and an important tool for Revelstoke to preserve its heritage and even more.”

According to a news release, the plan represents a commitment by the city, and the wider Revelstoke community, to increase efforts to sustain all aspects of Revelstoke’s heritage as a fundamental part of the city’s future. The plan:

• Provides direction on how events, places, and people in history are acknowledged, and promotes specific narratives that are foundational to the cultural functioning and identity of a people.

• Lays the foundation to adequately involve a more accurate representation of all the voices that make up Revelstoke, in discussions of heritage and policies that lay the groundwork for heritage management.

• Serves to ensure that there is this commitment, energy and effort to safeguard the valued features of Revelstoke, both its natural and cultural heritage, while promoting current best practices in heritage conservation in alignment with community values (identified in the OCP). The plan, a living document funded in part by the Columbia Basin Trust and Heritage BC, is composed of five parts:

1. Community Foundations: An introduction to the Heritage Management Plan and how it can be used as an effective tool for conservation. It outlines a vision for heritage in the city and includes a thematic framework and historical chronology to provide a contextual understanding in support of heritage policy development.

2. People, Culture and City: Identification of the natural and cultural forces that have shaped the community. It summarizes community heritage values and significant places.

3. A Fresh Start: From Vision to Actions: The goals for Revelstoke’s heritage program with outlines of policies and actions for the conservation of heritage in the city.

4. Using the Right Tools: Potential ways for the city to actively support heritage conservation, including identifying processes and policies for revitalizing Revelstoke’s downtown with an analysis of the Revelstoke Station heritage conservation area.

5. Appendices: Supporting documents for the guidance and direction found in the previous four parts of the heritage management plan.

The plan in its entirety can be found here.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 21:20:01 GMT

An excerpt from the summer edition of British Columbia History magazine.

A giant anvil was a collaboration between artist Maskull Lasserre and George Third & Son, a steel fabrication company that originated as a blacksmith shop in 1910. The photo features the 2018 Canadian Farrier’s Team: (left to right) Adam Degenstie, Matt Findler, Justin Fountain, and Ian Ritchie. Photo: Courtesy Rob Third

1 Heavy Metal
Where do you find a home for a massive anvil home for a massive anvil that weighs in at 14,000 pounds (6,350 kilograms)? The oversized sculpture was created by Squamish-based artist Maskull Lasserre for the Vancouver Biennale 2018–2019 and forged at George Third & Son, in Burnaby. It was an arresting, curious sight when exhibited at False Creek; two violin f-holes that allow ambient sound to reverberate inside the anvil added a touch of whimsy.

The anvil has now been acquired by the BC Farm Museum, in Fort Langley. Director Syd Pickerell thinks the museum is a perfect home for it. “Almost every farm in Western Canada had an anvil. In the beginning when the West was young, every small village had a blacksmith, and in the days before welders, the blacksmith used the forge and the anvil to meld iron together for new equipment and repairs. Soon farmers got their own forges and anvils for use in all sorts of ways.”

The BC Farm Museum wants to make some noise with it too and is applying to have the “World’s Largest Sculptured Anvil” recognized by Guinness World Records. The museum hopes this draws new visitors to its collection of 6,000 farming artifacts. You can’t miss it—the anvil is right beside the front entrance.

Part of the new design plans for the Lytton Chinese History Museum by Cedric Yu of Altforma Architects. Courtesy Lytton Chinese History Museum

2 Rise Again: Lytton Chinese History Museum
It’s been three gruelling years for the people of Lytton who are trying to rebuild lives and their community. They’re still recovering from the trauma of a 2021 firestorm that consumed most of the village and claimed two lives. As of spring 2024, about 20 permits were approved for new homes and businesses, including the Lytton Chinese History Museum.

The museum was wiped out, along with a rare collection of artifacts that told the story of Chinese sacrifice and contributions to life in the Interior: the miners, railway workers, merchants, and farmers. Museum owner Lorna Fandrich is hoping that reconstruction of her fire-safe facility will be finished by late summer, and efforts continue to locate new artifacts.

“We are picking up a lion dance costume, ceremonial drum, and a trunk donated by a family in Vancouver. With the new cantilevered ceiling the lion costume will be a wonderful addition. With over 500 donated artifacts since the fire, the Chinese story will continue to be told.”

The museum may be the first commercial building to reopen since the fire, and Lorna hopes that “it will act as a beacon of hope to all Lytton residents.”

It could be at least two more years before the Lytton Museum and Archives is rebuilt. Richard Forrest, a champion of the museum, died suddenly in late 2023. Artifacts that he had begun collecting are now being stored by the Village of Lytton.

The Hope Station House on its relocation journey orchestrated by Nickel Brothers. Photo: Courtesy Barry Stewart

3 On the Move
Taiko drummers pounded out encouragement as the 1916 Hope Station House was moved to its new location at 919 Water Street at the mouth of the Fraser Canyon.

Slated for demolition by the municipality, this last surviving example of a Class 2 Canadian Northern Railway station (later absorbed by Canadian National Railway) was successfully saved by a grassroots campaign. Now owned by the Tashme Historical Society, the 2,567 square foot station will be restored and transformed into a museum, visitor centre, and restaurant.

Some 8,000 Japanese Canadians crossed its platform during forced removal to internment camps. Of those, 2,644 men, women, and children were sent to Tashme internment camp in the nearby Sunshine Valley.

Ryan Ellan, president of the society, says there is still much work ahead: “We will continue to work alongside our talented heritage architect, Barry McGinn, finalizing the engineering aspects of the project and creating an opportunity for public fundraising. Countless private citizens and organizations have stepped forward to contribute in their own special ways to help make the Hope Station rehabilitation project a success.”

The project is expected to cost another $1.8 million. More information about the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum can be found on their website: www.tashmemuseum.ca.

The maya’xala video is available for viewing on Youtube.
Image: Courtesy Nanwakolas Council

4 Maya’xala: Respect
A visually stunning video produced by the Na̲nwak̲olas Council serves as both a welcome to tourists and a call to tread carefully near important archaeological sites. Once these sites are lost or damaged, they’re gone forever.

Focused on northern Vancouver Island and the southern Central Coast region, the video urges visitors to treat the territory with the same respect—maya’xala—they have for their own backyards. Chief Councillor of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation Christopher Roberts says showing maya’xala, or respect, deepens connections and the experience of visiting their ancestral territories.

Indigenous people have lived on this landscape for up to 14,000 years (possibly longer), and visitors can encounter ancient village sites, clam gardens, rock shelters, and petroglyphs, fish weirs, burial grounds, hunting sites, stone tools, and middens. Visitors are asked to be careful carrying kayaks across clam garden beds or shell beaches; to refrain from cutting trees, building toilets on grave sites, or sharing photos of burial sites on social media. Remnants of industrial logging have also scarred and damaged old village sites.

Produced in association with the Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast (MaPP), the lessons in this video apply to traditional territories everywhere in British Columbia. Watch the nine-minute video on the Na̲nwak̲olas Council’s YouTube page: https://tinyurl.com/MayaxalaRespect.

SV Dorothy in 1897 in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Photo: Courtesy UBC Archives – Uno Langman Collection

5 Still Sailing
The 30-foot sloop Dorothy is considered the oldest BC-built and registered yacht that still sails. Crafted for W.H. Langley, a clerk at the BC legislature, the sloop was launched in Victoria’s Inner Harbour in 1897 and proceeded to win countless races. Former owner Angus Matthews once said that she “moved like a rocket.”

Fans regard Dorothy as a living memory of BC maritime history. The graceful, sleek vessel has experienced fires and neglect and at one time, was abandoned under a bridge; in 1995 she was donated to the Maritime Museum of BC.

Riddled with dry rot, Dorothy was in serious need of restoration and sat on dry land for 20 years. Over the last decade the yacht has been lovingly restored in the shop of Gabriola Island shipwright Tony Grove, with finishing touches by Ladysmith Maritime Society volunteers. At the time of writing, Dorothy is back in Ladysmith Harbour and has won a restoration award from Classic Boat Magazine for Restored Sailing Vessel of the Year (under 40 feet), presented at the Royal Thames Yacht Club. The Maritime Museum of BC hopes to eventually find dock space back in the home waters of Victoria. •

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Summer issue of BC History spotlights Indo-Fijian history

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 18:27:28 GMT

The summer edition of British Columbia History, now on its way to your mailbox, looks at how Indo-Fijians have challenged and changed BC society. The guest editor is new BCHF board member Rizwaan S. Abaas. The story line-up includes:

• Indo-Fijians: Our long journey Home, by Rizwaan S. Abaas

• Decolonizing the Culture: Reclaiming May 14, by Rizwaan S. Abaas

• Violence and Profit: Canada's debts to the Girmitiyas of Fiji, by Donica Belisle

• Our Path to Healing, by Angelene Prakash

• Daal Reprise, by Sharin F. Ali

• Classic Curries Indo-Fijian Style, by Rubina Coker

Plus interviews with Cassius Khan, Kamila Singh, Rochelle Prasad, and Bobby Naicker; and contributions from regular columnists Spencer Legebokoff, Mark Forsythe, Snueymuxw Titumels William A. White, and Dalys Barney.

To subscribe, click this link.

VIDEO: The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 18:15:54 GMT

Global maritime and naval historian Barry Gough speaks with British Columbia History magazine editor Aimee Greenaway about his most recent book The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard: First Governor of Vancouver Island. Barry provides insight into his research methods into the province's early colonial history, provides tips for approaching and writing histories, and delves into the subject matter of his book. The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard received an honourable mention from this year's BC Historical Federation Historical Writing Awards.

VIDEO: Hockey Night in Chinatown

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 07:01:00 GMT

An inspiring evening on hockey from a Chinese Canadian perspective. Highlights from Hockey Night in Chinatown features author/teacher Chad Soon recounting Larry Kwong’s historic debut on NHL ice and Jenny Lee-Gilmore introducing her hockey-playing Mom, Kelly, on film and in person. Recorded on April 6 at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre in Vancouver.

Roberts Creek Community Hall celebrates 90 Years

Wed, 29 May 2024 23:06:42 GMT

The Roberts Creek Community Association marked the 90th anniversary of the Roberts Creek Community Hall with a celebratory photograph taken by Nancy Shields.

This milestone celebration was particularly special to the Association because, as part of its reconciliation efforts, it also unveiled the new name of the hall. It is now proudly known as the Xwesam-Roberts Creek Community Hall.

The BCHF 2024 conference in photos

Sun, 12 May 2024 19:14:02 GMT

Click this link to see a gallery of photos from our Chilliwack conference, including our keynote address, bus tour, and gala awards dinner!

VIDEO: You Got Trouble

Fri, 10 May 2024 18:44:05 GMT

History prof Madison Heslop delivers an entertaining lecture to the Vancouver Historical Society on the murder of a policeman on Vancouver's waterfront in 1913, showing how the toxic concentration of rootless male labourers, rooming houses and liquor outlets prompted a kind of moral panic in the wider community.

Heritage BC announces 2024 award recipients

Fri, 10 May 2024 16:53:33 GMT

Heritage BC recognized the Kootenay Lake Historical Society for its outer deck and weather envelope rehabilitation project on the SS Moyie at Kaslo.

Heritage BC recently announced the recipients of its annual awards, recognizing incredible achievements across the province in the categories of Conservation; Small But Mighty; Education, Communication, and Awareness; Indigenous and Diverse Cultures; Planning and Management; and Volunteers as well as the Ruby Nobbs Distinguished Service award.

The full list of winners can be found here.

BCHF welcomes four new directors to board

Thu, 09 May 2024 03:27:30 GMT

The BCHF board of directors welcomed four new members to the team last Saturday at its Annual General Meeting. Directors are elected to a one-year term and take on various portfolios within the organization.

Rizwaan Abbas, Surrey

Rizwaan was born and raised in Sparwood on the ancestral land of the Ktunaxa Nation. He has an associate degree from Douglas College, a BA in Archaeology from SFU, an MSc. in Paleoanthropology and Paleolithic Archaeology from University College London (UK) and a PSc. in Collections Management from UVic. He is a Director of the Indo-Fijian Cultural Society of Canada and has been working in culture resource management for over two decades. Rizwaan is an archaeologist for the Semiahmoo First Nation and a member of the Historical Discrimination against People of South Asian Descent Advisory Committee, in Vancouver, and the South Asian Canadian Museum Engagement Committee. Rizwaan was a guest editor of BC History Magazine and has curated an exhibit titled, “Surrey’s Pocket of Paradise” at the Museum of Surrey and authored a Chapter in the book, “The Social History of South Asians in British Columbia,” published by the University of the Fraser Valley, all where he showcases the heritage and history of British Columbia’s Indo-Fijian communities.

Chelsea Brown, Abbotsford

Chelsea Brown is a recent graduate of Oxford University where she received her Master of Studies in Global and Imperial History (2020). She has been involved in data management and collections projects at various institutions in the UK and Canada, including Early Modern Letters Online (EMLO), the Ashmolean, the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (MAE) at Simon Fraser University, and at several Provincial Heritage Properties here in BC. Chelsea has been working at the Kilby Historic Site since 2017 in various capacities between schooling, becoming curator in 2022. Recent projects at the Kilby Historic Site have included the repatriation of over 30 Indigenous baskets to the Sts'ailes and Sq'éwlets First Nations, collection digitization, and emergency planning.

Sarah Ling, Vancouver

Sarah oversees the development and implementation of the Chinese Canadian Museum’s public programming and exhibitions. She is the co-curator of Odysseys and Migration exhibition and curator of the historic period rooms at the Wing Sang Building. She holds a BA in English Literature with a minor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies, and a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of British Columbia, with a community-centered research background in Chinese and Indigenous relations on Musqueam territory. Born and raised in Prince Rupert, northern BC, she is passionate about establishing relationships and connections with individuals and communities across the province. As a filmmaker she has produced a number of documentaries featuring Chinese Canadian stories. She is an active volunteer in Vancouver Chinatown and is Past-President of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC. She enjoys creative projects, nature walks, and opportunities to spend time with her niece, nephews, and goddaughters.

Laura VanZant, Revelstoke

Laura VanZant is the Assistant Curator at the Revelstoke Museum & Archives. She received her B.A. in History & Archaeology from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017 and an Advanced Diploma in Museum Studies from Algonquin College in 2019. She is the former Curator of the Revelstoke Railway Museum and has also worked for Parks Canada and the Museum of Dufferin. Her passion is for community stories and sharing unheard voices and making the museum experience more accessible for all visitors. In her spare time, you can find her kayaking with her husband, curled up with a book and her cat, or cross stitching in her favourite chair.

UVic history prof wins Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award

Wed, 08 May 2024 03:56:54 GMT

A story looking at how coal fields in Port Rupert and Nanaimo were first cared for and worked by Indigenous miners has won the BC Historical Federation’s Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award.

“The Indigenous Miners of British Columbia’s First Coal Fields,” by John Sutton Lutz (pictured), appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of British Columbia History magazine. It was chosen by a panel of judges from among two dozen eligible articles published in the magazine last year.

One judge called the article “thought-provoking, intriguing, original, and innovative. It presents newly discovered, never-before-published ethnographic and archival material that shines a new light on Indigenous-colonial relations … Lutz portrays Indigenous peoples as having been powerful players in BC’s settler economy, who successfully exercised their rights and asserted their title to their traditional land/territory and resources.”

Another judge said the article “provides a fresh, well-researched and timely look at long-standing historical storylines and injects a new dose of reality and cultural recognition into the mix” while leaving the reader “questioning the lens through which we typically view early resource extraction narratives.”

The award was announced Saturday during the federation’s awards gala in Chilliwack and comes with $250 and a certificate.

“British Columbia History is a remarkable publication that brings the most interesting stories from our past to a wide audience,” Lutz said. “The diversity and quality of the stories and the care in editing is truly impressive. I really appreciate the honour of this award.”

Lutz is a professor of history at the University of Victoria. He is the author of Makuk: A New History of Aboriginal-White Relations, co-editor of the collection Towards a New Ethnohistory: Community Engaged Scholarship Among the People of the River, and co-editor of To Share Not Surrender: Indigenous and Settler Visions of Treaty Making in the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. His current research focuses on the impact of smallpox on the Indigenous People of the Pacific Northwest.

Philip Yandle was the founder, editor, publisher, printer, binder, and distributor of the BC Historical News from 1968 to 1977. His wife Anne Yandle was also very active in BC Historical News for almost 40 years and served as the book reviews editor until the year in which she died. In 2007, the British Columbia Historical Federation renamed its Best Article Award Award in honour of Anne and Philip Yandle.

Centennial Legacy Fund recipients announced

Wed, 08 May 2024 02:34:00 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) has announced four recipients of the 2023 Centennial Legacy Fund grants.

They are: the West Coast Ringette Historical Society ($2,500), Indo-Fijian Cultural Society of Canada ($3,700), Spencer Legebokoff ($700), and Letitia Johnson ($3,100).

Successful projects commemorate or preserve historical sites, cultural landscapes, or objects, and encourage new research, interpretation, or publication of British Columbia history.

The West Coast Ringette Historical Society's 50th Anniversary Documentation Project captures and documents the oral histories of former ringette athletes, coaches and builders in British Columbia. Ringette is a Canadian sport invented for female athletes in 1963, which was brought to BC in 1974. This is the first time ringette history in BC has been collected and documented.

The Indo-Fijian Cultural Society of Canada’s project will capture oral histories of the first Indo-Fijian Immigrants to British Columbia and the elders of BC's Indo-Fijian Community. The Indo-Fijian community is one of the four largest Diasporas in the world, yet there has been no previous research conducted on the heritage and history of the Indo-Fijian people in British Columbia and their contributions to BC’s society.

Spencer Legebokoff’s Doukhobor History Poetry Project will see him researching niche aspects of village life and politics and writing inspired poetry. As a result, the body of Doukhobor literature as well as literature that represents the history of the West Kootenay region will be expanded.

Letitia Johnson’s project called “Lasting Local Effect: Japanese Canadian Healthcare Professionals and Changes to Medicine in Remote Interior British Columbia (c.1940s-1990s)” will see her research how the labour of Japanese Canadians, as racialized healthcare professionals, changed remote medicine in BC in the 1940s. This project will be the first to consider how the presence of Japanese Canadian healthcare practitioners changed the healthcare provided in rural and remote areas of BC from the 1940s onwards.

The Centennial Legacy Fund was initiated in 2017 to acknowledge, in turn and collectively, Canada 150, British Columbia’s Union with Canada 1871 Sesquicentennial 2021, and the centennial of the founding of what is now called British Columbia Historical Federation, in 1922.

CLF Chair Quentin Wright congratulates Spencer Legebokoff at the BCHF Awards Gala on May 4.

W. Kaye Lamb Scholarships awarded

Wed, 08 May 2024 02:10:08 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2023-24 W. Kaye Lamb Award for Best Student Works.

The $1000 first prize in the third-and fourth-year category was awarded to Megan Yaskow for her submission “Wilderness to Wonderland: Prince George’s Anxious Ambition and the 1958 British Columbian Centennial.”

Megan is a third-year history major at the University of Northern British Columbia. Born and raised in Prince George, her work has been focused on British Columbian history with specific interest in social history, heritage studies, and energy history. Experience working at both the Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum and the Northern BC Archives has sparked specific research interest in museums and public history. Megan plans to continue her research of museums and memory through a Master’s Degree in History. Megan is currently working at the Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum.

For the 2023-24 year a $750 runner-up prize for the third- and fourth-year category was awarded to Amanda Payne for her submission “No Place for a Walk: Sex Work, Crime, and Community in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood during the 1980s-1990s.”

Amanda is a fourth-year student at the University of British Columbia, completing her BA in Anthropology with a minor in History. She also works part time at the UBC Lab of Archaeology Archives where she helps process historical records related to archaeology in BC. She is currently preparing her application to the Master of Arts in History program at UBC.

The W. Kaye Lamb Award is presented annually to outstanding post-secondary student essays and projects relating to the history of British Columbia. The award has been presented since 1988, initially known as the BCHF Scholarship. It was renamed the W. Kaye Lamb Award in 2001. In 2004, the BCHF introduced two award categories: one for students in their first or second year of study, the other for students in their third or fourth year of study.

The awards were presented on May 4, 2024 at the BCHF’s annual general meeting and award gala dinner in Chilliwack, BC, on the unceded traditional territory of the Stó:lō people.

Amanda Payne accepts her award in Chilliwack on May 4.

Recognition Awards honour societies, organizations, Individuals

Tue, 07 May 2024 23:04:56 GMT

On May 4, the BC Historical Federation presented its annual recognition awards in Chilliwack at the 2024 BCHF conference. The BCHF is proud to present the award winners across a number of categories.

Award of Appreciation

Emma Quan and Mark Forsythe were honoured for their time serving on the board of directors of the BC Historical Federation, each with an award of appreciation. Emma was instrumental in managing the organization's Instagram account and contributing to decisions of the board at regular meetings and Mark served as vice-president and spent many hours interviewing local historians and organizations, sharing history through video and in British Columbia History magazine. Mark continues to work with British Columbia History magazine as a columnist.

Award of Merit

Awards of Merit are awarded to individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the study or promotion of British Columbia history.

Earning an Award of Merit at this year's gala is the BC Black History Awareness Society for its 30 years of work creating awareness of Black history in B.C., celebrating historical and contemporary achievements and contributions. Recent projects undertaken by the Society include the development of the Hope Meets Action travelling exhibition in partnership with the Royal BC Museum, and the BC Archives Black History Records Research Guide in partnership with the BC Archives. Jamila Douhaibi accepted the award on behalf of the Society.

Also earning an Award of Merit is Dr. Lorne Hammond who was recognized for his work as curator in the history division at the Royal British Columbia Museum, spanning more than 25 years.

A fountain of knowledge and integral to the development of many popular exhibitions at the RBCM, Dr. Hammond’s expertise actively informed exhibitions including Festa Italian: Celebrating BC’s Italian Communities, Gold Rush: El Dorado in British Columbia, Century Hall and recently, Orcas: Our Shared Future. Lorne has written and lectured extensively on the energy and resource sectors in British Columbia and has been a staunch advocate and guide for younger generations of museum workers.

Award of Recognition

Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.

At the awards gala, the Maple Ridge Museum and Archives was recognized with an Award of Recognition for its exhibition: "What was Taken: The Forced Dispersal of Japanese Canadians in Maple Ridge." The exhibition, which explores the impact of internment on both Maple Ridge’s Japanese Canadian community and Maple Ridge itself, has provided a springboard and meaningful experiences for Japanese Canadian visitors to learn about their family histories. Many of these histories were not discussed by relatives who were interned. The exhibition has since been converted to a permanent exhibition.

Bright Light Awards

Each year, the BCHF awards organizations and individuals with three themed awards marking achievements in the access, preservation, and interpretation of BC history.

The Advocacy Award recognizing initiatives and projects that create positive change in the world, was awarded to Debbie Jiang for bringing awareness and voice to Japanese and Chinese Immigrants' contributions to BC and Canadian history through Kayak Magazine Issues #82 and #85, Beyond Gold Mountain – Canadians of Chinese Descent. Motivated by her desire to see minority groups' stories told as a part of Canadian history, Debbie has worked to uncover, teach and write about lesser-known stories yet to be found in Canadian textbooks. As a result of her advocacy work, the missing names of two Japanese Canadian soldiers will be added to the First World War honour roll on the City of Richmond cenotaph.

The Cultural Resources Accessibility Award, honouring those working to connect cultural heritage resources with people, was awarded to Catherine Clement, curator, and June Chow, archivist, of “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.” As a result of their work and advocacy, Library and Archives Canada opened up access to Chinese Immigration (C.I.) records, and their work led to the creation of a community archive of the C.I. certificates at the University of British Columbia.

The Storytelling Award, recognizing storytelling in non-print formats, was awarded to filmmakers Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok for the documentary film “Unarchived”. The film, published by the National Film Board of Canada and made publicly available, examines the gaps in British Columbia’s documented histories and highlights the work of community archivists and historians who are fighting to create inclusive spaces and narratives for all.

Awards Chair Anna Irwin poses with Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok, winners of the BCHF Storytelling Award.

2024 BCHF conference participants Impacted by depth of Indigenous Knowledge in S'ólh Téméxw

Mon, 06 May 2024 18:56:34 GMT

The BC Historical Federation conference was a one-day event that featured the Federation’s Annual General Meeting, a keynote presentation, and a guided bus tour of S'ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō homelands).

The keynote presentation centered on masking and unmasking Stó:lō placenames, delivered by Dr. Keith Carlson, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous and Community-Engaged History at the University of the Fraser Valley and Director of the Peace and Reconciliation Centre, and Dr. Si:yémiya Albert “Sonny” McHalsie, Cultural Advisor / Sxweyxwiyam (Historian) at the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, andinstructor at the University of the Fraser Valley.

The presentation explained how place-naming was an integral component of the settler colonial process, and suggested ways in how we can take action to move towards decolonizing, re-Indigenizing, and re-naming places that are known to have original Indigenous names.

The messages presented in the keynote presentation were subsequently seeded deeper into the minds of conference participants who joined a three-hour cultural bus tour of Stó:lō homelands where they saw and learned of original Indigenous place names and sxwōxwiyám (ancient stories) and sqwélqwel (personal and family histories) that give shape to Stó:lō culture, history and people.

Dr. Si:yémiya Albert “Sonny” McHalsie speaks to participants of the 2024 BCHF conference near Yale.

Winners of BC Historical Writing Award announced

Mon, 06 May 2024 18:12:42 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) has awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing to Jennifer Bonnell, author of Stewards of Splendour: A History of Wildlife and People in British Columbia published by the Royal British Columbia Museum in 2023. The award was presented on May 4 at the BCHF’s award gala dinner in Chilliwack, on the unceded traditional territory of the Stó:lō people.

The book explores the history of wildlife conservation in British Columbia, from pre-contact Indigenous stewardship to the present. It examines the ways that scientists, Indigenous leaders, hunter-conservationists and naturalists contributed to and contested wildlife management practices in the province.

Historian and academic Jennifer Bonnell of Toronto was on hand to receive the award that includes a $2,500 prize -- the largest for historical writing in BC. Second prize of $1,500 went to Katherine Palmer Gordon for This Place is Who We Are (Harbour Publishing) and third prize of $500 to Jonathan Swainger for The Notorious Georges (UBC Press).

Three books received honourable mentions: Wayne McCrory, The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin (Harbour Publishing), Barry Gough's The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard (Harbour Publishing) and Sam George with Jill Yonit Goldberg for The Fire Still Burns (UBC Press, Purich Books).

The Community History prize was awarded to Ellen Schwartz for Galena Bay Odyssey (Heritage House).

Jennifer Bonnell, winner of the 2023 BCHF Historical Writing Award.

BCHF Annual General Meeting (AGM) Package

Wed, 01 May 2024 03:26:02 GMT

The BC Historical Federation is getting ready to welcome members to Chilliwack for its Annual General Meeting, gathering and awards gala on May 4.

Attendees can now download the 2024 Annual Report and AGM package.

Please refer to our conference webpage to for venue address and other information.

Schedule:

AGM
9-10am (doors open at 8:30am)
Gathering Place, University of the Fraser Valley Chilliwack Campus. 45190 Caen Avenue, Chilliwack, V2R 0N3.

Keynote Presentation
10-11am
Gathering Place, University of the Fraser Valley Chilliwack Campus. 45190 Caen Avenue, Chilliwack, V2R 0N3.

Guided Bus Tour
12:30 pm-4:30 pm (please come early)
Leaves from the Stó:lō Resource and Research Management Centre. Building #10 – 7201 Vedder Road, Chilliwack, BC, Canada, V2R 4G5.

Awards Dinner
7-9pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Coast Hotel, Chilliwack. 45920 First Ave, Chilliwack, BC V2P 7K1.
Cash bar and silent auction.

Finalists announced for the British Columbia Historical Federation’s Historical Writing Competition

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 17:59:51 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2023 Historical Writing Awards. The awards will be announced during the awards gala taking place this year in Chilliwack on May 4 at 7pm.

In alphabetical order by author, the list is as follows:

Jennifer Bonnell, Stewards of Splendour: A History of Wildlife and People in British Columbia. Royal British Columbia Museum.
Sam George, with Jill Yonit Goldberg, Liam Belson, Dylan MacPhee, and Tanis Wilson, The Fire Still Burns. UBC Press, Purich Books.
Barry Gough, The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard. Harbour Publishing.
Wayne McCrory, The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin. Harbour Publishing.
Katherine Palmer Gordon, This Place is Who We Are. Harbour Publishing.
Ellen Schwartz, Galena Bay Odyssey. Heritage House.
Jonathan Swainger, The Notorious Georges. UBC Press.

The 2023 competition received 25 publications, all of which add to the compendium of historical writing in British Columbia.

Theatre has flourished in Nelson for more than a century

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 23:46:15 GMT

The Nelson opera house stood from 1898 until it burned in a spectacular fire in 1935. (Greg Nesteroff collection)

Nelson Museum archives assistant Tressa Ford looks at the history of theatre in that city. She writes: "In spite of instabilities of venue, funding and societal change, there has always been a stubborn dedication to theatre in Nelson."

VIDEO: Simon Chang: Passion for Fashion

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 00:14:57 GMT

A lovely afternoon of storytelling at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre with Simon Chang who shared his inspiring journey from Vancouver's Chinatown to becoming one of Canada's most commercially successful designers. ⁠

VIDEO: Little Othoa

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 00:11:38 GMT

In this presentation to the Vancouver Historical Society, historians Megan Davies and Tamara Myers tell the tale of Othoa Scott, a Hornby Island girl crippled by a back injury a century ago, using her life story to describe the development of a hospital for injured children in Vancouver, and the solariums in BC where they lived as they were treated and rehabilitated.

Advocacy group pushes for South Asian Museum

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 17:23:26 GMT

A group called the Museum Liberation Force is pushing for the creation of a museum dedicated to the South Asian community in BC. They say the project has progressed too slowly and its consultation process hasn't been effective.

Friends of BC Archives applauds naming announcement

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 17:15:33 GMT

The Friends of the BC Archives say they welcome the naming of the Royal BC Museum's Provincial Archives, Research and Collections Campus (PARC), scheduled to open in 2026.

"The decision by the Royal BC Museum and BC Archives to emphasize the Provincial Archives in the name underscores the importance of the archival collections housed in this new, state-of-the-art facility," they said in a prepared statement.

"Archives are essential sources of information and evidence that help societies understand the past and inform the future. Access to archival materials is essential for researchers, educators, writers, communities, and the winder public."

President Lara Wilson said they are happy to see the naming announcement and look forward to sharing information with their members and the public as the development of the facility proceeds.

"The Friends of BC Archives encourages the public's involvement in the government's engagement sessions about the new facility and associated services, and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts with BC Archives," she said.

Since the announcement of the new storage and research facility in 2020, Friends of the BC Archives have advocated for increased information sharing and engagement about the project with their members, many of whom are researchers accessing BC Archives' collections. The Friends are actively participating in the BC Archives information and engagement sessions about the new facility and future services.

"As a strong supporter of the work of the BC Archives, the Friends will continue to advocate for the secure preservation of equitable access to and appropriate resourcing for the care of our province's documentary heritage," they wrote.

Glimpses of the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood in BC

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:55:07 GMT

An excerpt from the Spring 2024 issue of British Columbia History, which is devoted to Doukhobor history.

By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff

Peter Vasil’evich “Lordly” Verigin

Born in 1859 in Russia, Peter Vasil’evich Verigin assumed leadership of Doukhobors in the Caucasus in 1886. Exiled to North Russia and Siberia for 16 years, he rejoined his followers in Canada in 1902. After a substantial loss of homestead lands in Saskatchewan in 1907, he led 5,000 of his followers to the West Kootenay and Boundary regions of British Columbia from 1908–1913, where they established his utopian vision of the Doukhobor community as the “Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood” (CCUB) on purchased lands. He died in a mysterious train explosion near Farron, BC, in 1924.

Formal portrait of Peter Verigin, undated. (BC Archives, Item No. D-06462)

British Columbia Wilderness

Between 1908 and 1913, the CCUB purchased 10,600 acres of heavily forested land in the Kootenay region, with many trees three to five feet in diameter and over 100 feet high. Another 4,700 acres of land purchased in the Boundary region was mostly open, virgin ranchland with light under- brush and timber stands, although it also contained several hundred acres of the roughest and wildest unbroken land. Within five years, they transformed this wilderness land into a veritable garden.

Doukhobor arrival in the Kootenays, 1908. (BC Archives, Item No. A-02072)

Communal Land Clearing

Upon arriving in British Columbia, the Doukhobors set about developing the land for fruit-growing. Hundreds of Doukhobor workmen laboured communally toward this effort. The underbrush was cleared manually using grub hoes, axes, saws, and shovels. Trees were cut by two men using cross-cut saws and then hauled to local Doukhobor sawmills to be milled into lumber for housing construction. Stumps and stones were pulled out with horses and a rotary drum and ratchet puller or blasted with dynamite.

Clearing land, Doukhobor settlement at Glade, 1912. (BC Archives, Item No. GR-0793.5, Accession No. 197904-015)

Communal Homes

As the land was progressively developed, the Doukhobors divided it into 100-acre plots and built houses (“doms”) on each plot from lumber milled on site. Architecturally unique and wholly communal in concept, each dom followed a uniform model and was 32 by 40 feet, two storeys high with an attic, and a half-basement for storage. The wooden buildings were never painted, although many were faced with brick. Each had nine bedrooms and housed between 35 and 50 persons. Usually two doms were built side by side, 60 feet apart, and joined by one-storey buildings in a U-shape that housed additional bedrooms. The image shows one such two-dom village at Brilliant in 1942.

Communal home and orchard at Brilliant, at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia rivers. Note the potato patch planted between the apple trees, 1930s. (Trail Historical Society Photo 13138)

Communal Orchards

The majority of arable land cleared by the Doukhobors was planted into fruit trees—apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, and others. By 1912, the Doukhobor Community was the largest fruit-grower in the Kootenay and Boundary, with 80,000 trees planted on 1,100 acres. By 1921, their orchards had doubled, and by 1931, they had 12,757 acres of fruit trees. All members of the Community were engaged in the growing effort. The image shows Doukhobor women and children picking apples in Ootischenia in 1930. Most of the fruit picked was shipped fresh to Prairie markets, while the rest was processed in the Community jam factory at Brilliant.

Doukhobor families working at Ootischenia. (Slocan Valley Historical Society Photograph Collection, Item No. 2013_01_3014)

Vegetable Growing

In addition to orchard growing, the Doukhobors communally cultivated vast tracts of vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, etc.), small fruit (strawerries, raspberries) and, to a lesser extent, grains (flax, oats, and wheat). By 1931, the Community had 9,775 acres dedicated to produce. Most of the produce was grown for domestic consumption within the Community, with the surplus sold fresh in local markets or else processed and canned for commercial sale.

Women weeding garden on community lands, Ootischenia. (BC Archives, Item No. C-01926)

Jam Factory

Beginning in 1911, the Doukhobor Community commenced a large-scale jam-making and canning enterprise as the Kootenay-Columbia Preserving Works, utilizing the fruits and berries the Community grew as well as the fruit crops of other growers to produce the famous “K.C. Brand” of jams enjoyed throughout North America. Initially, a 6-ton-per-day factory was operated in Nelson for four years, which was replaced by a new, larger 12-ton-per-day plant built at Brilliant in 1914. The Brilliant plant was continually expanded, with a plant for the manufacture of tin cans (1915), a fruit evaporating plant (1915), a tomato cannery (1923), and a doubling of capacity to become a 24-ton-per-day facility (1928). The Community built a second 12-ton-per-day plant in Grand Forks in 1935; however, it was destroyed by arson the same year.

Community fruit jam factory, Brilliant. (BC Archives, Item No. C-01769)

Doukhobor Brick-Making

Besides fruit-growing, the Doukhobor Community established brick-making works at Grand Forks (1909) and near Winlaw (1913) that produced high-quality bricks. The Doukhobors used the brick to build various industrial, commercial, and school buildings of their own, as well as to face their communal homes. The brick also found a ready market for commercial sale in the surrounding centres of Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, and Grand Forks.

Slocan Doukhobor brick factory, 1914. (BC Archives, Item No. E-00716)

Doukhobor Sawmilling

Doukhobors entered the logging and sawmilling industry in British Columbia between 1908 and 1912 during their large-scale land clearing for fruit-growing. Small mills were used, with most of the lumber used in the construction of their communal homes and buildings. By 1916–1924, the Community had expanded into large-scale commercial lumbering, with large mills established at Ootischenia, Krestova, Pass Creek, Grand Forks, Koch Siding, Hall Siding, Porto Rico, and Porcupine Creek, each of which was producing between one million and three million board-feet of lumber annually.

Doukhobor men at a community sawmill near Nelson, circa 1935 (BC Archives, Item No. E-00718)

Prayer Meetings

A mainstay of the Doukhobor faith is the moleniye or “prayer meeting,” a religious assembly for communal prayer, meditation, the recitation of psalms, and the singing of hymns. These were (and are) held weekly on Sundays, as well as during weddings, funerals, memorials for the dead, festivals, and other communal gatherings. Typically these were held in large community halls and other buildings; however, when the weather permitted, they were held in the open air.

Peter V. Verigin at open air mass moleniye at Ootischenia, circa 1922. (Simon Fraser University, Item No. MSC121-DP-019 http://digital.lib.sfu.ca/dkb-407/photograph-doukhobor-community)

Peter Petrovich “Chistyakov” Verigin

Born in Russia in 1881, Peter Petrovich “Chistyakov” Verigin arrived in Canada in 1927 to assume leadership of the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood following his father’s death. Chistyakov reorganized the organization, decentralizing it and making it less rigidly communal. He made significant efforts toward freeing the Community from its burdensome debt, embracing public education among its members, and uniting the various factions of Doukhobors in Canada. Following the bankruptcy and foreclosure of the Community in 1936–1938, Chistyakov established a successor organization in British Columbia, the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ, in 1939, just prior to his death.

Peter Petrovich “Chistyakov“ Verigin, circa 1930. (Simon Fraser University Doukhobor Collection, Item No. 001-023-001-001)

Doukhobor Singing

Acapella singing has been a mainstay of Doukhobor culture for generations and is uniquely complex in its high degree of harmonic sophistication. Performed without musically trained performers, written arrangements, or musical instruments, the acapella singing expresses various feelings—at times joyful and at times mournful, which is reflective of the Doukhobor historical experience and beliefs as expressed in song. The image is of a touring British Columbia Doukhobor choir performing in 1952.

BC Doukhobor choir on tour in Saskatoon. (BC Archives, Item No. C-01636)

Input sought on Gulf of George Cannery management plan

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 03:49:30 GMT

Parks Canada invites BC Historical Federation members to participate in the development of the next management plan for the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site.

A Parks Canada management plan guides management decisions and actions to protect, present and operate the site for the next ten years and serves as a key accountability document to the public.

The management plan will also guide the work Parks Canada and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society will accomplish together to ensure Canadians and international visitors experience and learn about heritage places and the stories of Canada’s West Coast fishing history.

Management plans are developed in consultation with Indigenous communities, as well as various partners and stakeholders, and the public. You are invited to join a virtual consultation session to provide feedback on the proposed vision and key strategies for the national historic site’s draft management plan.

The sessions are as follows:

Thursday, April 4, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Friday April 5, from 10:30 a.m. to noon p.m.
Tuesday, April 9, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 10, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 12, from 10:30 a.m. to noon p.m.
Tuesday, April 16, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Please indicate if you require any accommodations or assistance to access and equitably participate in these conversations about the future of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site.

In addition to group feedback sessions, there are other ways to participate. Public consultation will take place from March 19 to April 19, 2024, and you are welcome to join the conversation using features on the online platform, by requesting a consultation package by e-mail or mail, or by contacting Kate Humble directly to schedule a session for your organization: meghankate.humble@pc.g.ca or by phone at: 250-661-3781.

Are you organized? Join us!

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 16:45:17 GMT

Would you like to support the work of the BCHF in a small way without attending meetings? We are looking for a volunteer to do some basic banking and administrative tasks on a regular basis, consistently and reliably.

The role requires approximately 10 hours of work a month. You do not need to become a signing authority or board member, but you would be a welcome addition to the amazing BCHF team. This is ideal for a person who prefers to get involved in small ways with an organization before taking on a larger role.

Want to learn more? Contact rosa@bchistory.ca

The Francophone Ranchers of the BC Interior Plateau 1860s-1870s

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:49:36 GMT

This month will see the official launch, in English, of the digital exhibition The Francophone Ranchers of the BC Interior Plateau, 1860s-1870s.

It will take place with Société historique francophone de la C.-B. executive director Maurice Guibord at the Museum of Vancouver (Joyce Whaley room), 1100 Chestnut St., Vanier Park, on Friday, March 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.

In 2019, the SHFCB received a grant from Digital Museums Canada to launch onsite research in the Cariboo and the Okanagan on the history of Francophones who launched ranches in those regions in the 1860s-'70s, to hold oral history interviews with the descendants of these families, and to create from the results a bilingual digital exhibition available on the website of DMC, in both official languages.

The eight families that became the focus of the project are, in alphabetical order: Boucherie, Guichon, Isnardy, Lequime, Minnaberriet, Patenaude, Pigeon, and Versepuech. They were not the only Francophones to have established ranches in the BC interior, but they stood out in the research, both in their historical presence during those decades but also in the contributions of their descendants in a wide array of fields.

The history of these ranches, it must be stressed, is a history of colonization, of the establishment of businesses and industries, then of villages and towns, on lands appropriated from First Nations. Still, you will see how the Indigenous members of these families found their respective places, then as well as more recently, during their historical journeys. It is indeed from these families that SHFCB has been directed to disseminate the facts unearthed during this project.

Do not miss this launch, presenting the new and sometimes staggering facts that came to light during the project, where mixed-race members triumphed over a succession of difficult paths.

Selwyn Blaylock appears in Dictionary of Canadian Biography

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:59:32 GMT

Selwyn Blaylock meets in 1942 with representatives of the Workmen’s Cooperative. (Trail Historical Society)

BCHF board member Ron Verzuh has contributed an entry on industrialist Selwyn Blaylock to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Blaylock was a longtime executive with the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. As Verzuh explains, he was a friend to many in Trail, but a stern opponent of trade unions.

Read the whole thing here.

Bringing History Home - May 4

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:55:08 GMT

In a little over two months, members of the BCHF will gather in Chilliwack for the annual conference.

Tickets are being sold online for the one-day event happening on May 4th.

Tickets are still available for the Awards Dinner, and the AGM and Keynote presentations are free to attend in person or online. The guided cultural road tour with Dr. Si:yémia Albert "Sonny" Mchalsie is sold out and those hoping for a spot can request be added to a waitlist.

This year’s theme, “Bringing History Home,” reflects the work the sector is doing to tell more complete and accurate histories by giving voice and agency to individuals, communities, and organizations whose voices, stories, belongings, and records have been left out of historical narratives. The theme also reflects the work Indigenous nations and heritage organizations are doing to repatriate and rematriate belongings, ancestors, and treasures from institutions around the world.

BCHF members and the public are welcome to register to attend the AGM, Keyote presentation and awards dinner. Event details and registration information are available on the conference webpage.

The conference is sponsored by Johnson Insurance/BelAir Direct.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 18:58:59 GMT

An excerpt from the Spring 2024 edition of British Columbia History

Elasmosaur at Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre. Photo: Courtenay and District Museum website

1 Fossil Feat

Move over Pacific dogwood and Stellar’s jay—make room for a new provincial symbol. A fossilized marine reptile that lived 80 million years ago, when BC was mostly underwater, is now the province’s official fossil emblem. The fossilized remains of an elasmosaur were discovered by Mike Trask and his daughter Heather while exploring the shoreline of the Puntledge River in 1988. The 12-metre-long beast (withvery sharp teeth) now receives visitors at the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre, wherea second specimen, discovered in 2020, is also housed.

An online vote for an official fossil emblem was launched in 2018 by the province and BC Paleontological Alliance. The Puntledge elasmosaur faced some tough competition that included an ancestor of the Pacific salmon and an ancient crab. Deborah Griffiths, executive director at the museum in Courtenay, says the elasmosaur fossil is a remarkable discovery from BC’s prehistoric past, “and now, as the official provincial fossil, will help spark further interest in BC’s ancient ecosystems, while supporting palaeontological work, STEAM education [Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math] and tourism in this province.”

Take a selfie with BC’s official fossil during your next visit to Courtenay.

2 Nature and Conservation

“The question is not what you look at but what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Keeping any volunteer organization alive and relevant is an achievement, so multiple cheers for the Langley Field Naturalists group which has endured and thrived for half a century. To commemorate, the nonprofit has published On The Trail: 50 Years of Engaging with Nature (Hancock House). The decades have been marked by rapid urban expansion and the group has been central to helping save areas like Campbell Valley Regional Park and Brydon Lagoon (a former portage route for Indigenous peoples and, more recently, a sewage lagoon converted into a beloved local pond.)

The book’s colour photos are complemented by meticulous sketches from the late Glenn Ryder, a citizen naturalist who compiled an estimated 1.4 million field notes of plants and animals in BC and the Yukon. His efforts now form a baseline to measure the effects of climate change. It was Ryder’s call to conserve what is now Campbell Valley Regional Park that drew like-minded conservationists together like a family of determined corvids. On the Trail highlights conservation struggles and victories; habitat restoration efforts; educational campaigns; and field trips in search of bugs, birds, and bats. These are 50 years worth celebrating.

Learn more about the Langley Field Naturalists Society at langleyfieldnaturalists.org.

3 Lost Soldier Remembered

Jack Gin was astonished to learn that a Chinese Canadian kid named Fred Lee volunteered for Canada during the First World War. “As a child who grew up in Canada, educated here, we didn’t hear these stories”, says Jack. So the engineer and entrepreneur went in search of Fred’s story and he created an award-winning documentary in the process.

Finding Fred Lee is told through Gin’s eyes as he journeys to Lee’s hometown of Kamloops to uncover traces of this forgotten son. Lee was an honour roll student, the son of a pioneer businessman, and he signed up with the Rocky Mountain Rangers (a militia regiment in the Canadian army) at a time when Chinese Canadians couldn’t vote. Most could not hold a traditional job. He left town on the CPR—the railway that his father supplied with timbers and that thousands of Chinese men helped build. Lee survived Vimy with the 47th Battalion but was killed during the battle for Hill 70. Though the hill was captured, 1,877 Canadians lost their lives. He was 21 years old and his remains were never found.

The documentary takes viewers to a recently commemorated Hill 70 Memorial Park at Lens, France. A walkway emblazoned with maple leafs is named after Fred Lee, who is remembered on a panel dedicated to him. Jack Gin located Fred Lee’s nephew, and the search continues for other family members. The film has screened in Kamloops, at the Canadian War Museum, and at the Asian Film Festival in Vancouver, and it has won the best short documentary award at the International Art Festival in Berlin. Private Fred Lee is no longer forgotten.

Portrait of E.J. Hughes by Russell Treloar. Courtesy of Shawnigan Lake Museum

4 Museum Makeover

It’s been 40 years since the Shawnigan Lake Museum took over the town’s old firehall, and today space is at a premium. There’s no storage area or room for programming and events; staff and volunteers are shoehorned into very limited office space. Executive director Lori Treloar says the museum is a victim of its own success: “The community has donated stories and artifacts over the years and continues to do so … Shawnigan has a big story that needs to be shared!”

A campaign to expand the facility by approximately 3,000 square feet (278 square metres) was launched in 2016 thanks to a $100,00 donation. Grants and fundraising have generated more than $3 million (most recently a $500,000 grant from BC’s Destination Development Fund). Construction costs spiked following the Covid pandemic and some cuts were necessary, but the project is well underway with a reopening planned for Canada Day, 2024.

The E.J. Hughes Gallery will quadruple in size with plans to share more about his life and work at Shawnigan Lake, and it will highlight other significant local artists. A Kinsol Trestle Interpretation Centre will be added, and the larger space will allow more exhibitions and community gatherings. As Lori says, “The expansion project is about future-proofing the museum.”

Pithouses of Keatley Creek. Courtesy of Greg Dickson

5 Reading the Landscape

As you explore BC, keep your eyes peeled for signs of human history etched into hills and valleys. Remnants of the 576-kilometre-long Dewdney Trail that linked Fort Hope with Fort Steele in the East Kootenay can still be accessed in many places. Scramble up the scree beside the Similkameen River near Princeton onto a narrow, flat trail and it’s not hard to imagine miners in pursuit of gold in the 1860s. An old railbed near Royston, on Vancouver Island, whispers mining and logging history as coal, timber, and people were carried by train to the seaport at Union Bay. The Royston to Cumberland Rail Trail is an easy hike beneath the forest canopy.

Just upstream from Lillooet at Keatley Creek an array of circular depressions radiates across a bench high above the Fraser River. On the traditional territory of the St’át’imc peoples, more than 115 pithouses mark this as one of the largest prehistoric sites in Western Canada. The featured photo was snapped by British Columbia Historical Federation member Greg Dickson. “It was awe-inspiring in its dramatic setting and beauty. An incredible insight into human settlement two thousand years ago.”

Archaeologist Brian Hayden spent decades studying the site and his book, The Pithouses of Keatley Creek, 2nd ed., can be read at https://tinyurl.com/3s45juy2. Another valuable resource is People of the Middle Fraser Canyon: An Archaeological History, by Anna Marie Prentiss and Ian Kuijt (UBC Press). The nearby Bridge River Indian Band also operates Xwísten Experience Tours and hosts visits to other pithouse sites from June until September. Visit the tour website at https://www.xwistentours.ca. Happy travels, and don’t forget your binoculars.

Robin Fisher, guest in British Columbia Review’s YouTube interview series. Photo: Courtesy of British Columbia Review

6 In Their Own Words

Historian, biographer, and former CBC journalist Trevor Marc Hughes knows how to pose questions that allow authors to tell their stories. Hughes and the British Columbia Review (formerly the Ormsby Review) have launched a YouTube channel that features short, revealing interviews with BC authors—many with connections to BC history.

First up: Robin Fisher. The British Columbia Historical Federation awarded him the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing for his biography Wilson Duff : Coming Back, A Life. Others interviewed in this expanding series include Chilcotin/Cariboo writer Sage Birchwater; Briony Penn, biographer of scientist, naturalist, and educator Ian McTaggart Cowan; and Alan Twigg, who discusses his decades-long quest to put the spotlight on BC authors via BC Bookworld and ABCBookWorld.com. Most interviews can be viewed in 10 minutes or less and just might prompt the viewer to dash out and locate a copy of the authors’ books. Mission accomplished. Visit the British Columbia Review interview series at http://tinyurl.com/2uaprxr8. •

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

The Nelson-Fredericton connection

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 18:53:04 GMT

Silver King mining camp on Toad Mountain, circa 1890s. (Image I-55005 courtesy of the Royal BC Museum and Archives)

Frances Welwood looks at the intriguing links that exist between Nelson and New Brunswick, involving some of its most prominent early settlers.

The legendary Jack Lloyd lure

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 17:18:08 GMT

Michael Cone looks at the history of an effective but controversial fishing lure with a Kootenay Lake connection.

Hope railway station moved

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:13:24 GMT

The big move. (Barry Stewart photo)

On Feb. 16, the old Hope railway station was moved to a new home on Water Avenue, where it will become the new info centre and museum. While such moves normally take place at night, due to the public interest, a daytime move was arranged. The building, which dates to 1916 and was previously an arts centre, narrowly avoided demolition three years ago. The Tashme Historical Society was key to ensuring it was preserved.

Museum of Surrey presents Canadian Nurses in Wartime

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 19:07:30 GMT

The Museum of Surrey will celebrate International Women’s Day with a free event featuring Canadian Nurses in Wartime. It will presenting a theatrical performance of a poem highlighting women’s contributions in the war. It's on March 9 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Register by phone: 604-592-6956.

Spring issue of British Columbia History looks at Doukhobors

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:23:02 GMT

Coming soon to mailboxes and the Zinio virtual newsstand, the spring issue of British Columbia History is dedicated to Doukhobor history. It is guest edited by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff, who runs the Doukhobor Heritage site at doukhobor.org.

Among the stories included in this issue:

• "Preserving and Celebrating Doukhobor Culture in Art," by Vera Polonicoff

• "The Doukhobor Jam Factory at Grand Forks," by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff

• "Living Language at Twin Rivers School," by Addison Oberg

• "Reflections on an Apology," by Robert Chursinoff

• "Village in the Kootenays: Creston and the 1931 census," by Robert and Patricia Malcolmson

• "A Question of Perspective: James Harold Trigg's First World War internment photos," by Wayne Norton

Plus Dalys Barney debuts as our new books editor.

You can subscribe or buy single issues here.

Heritage Gems of Rupert-Renfrew Heights

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 21:17:39 GMT

Heritage activist and community historian Laura Saimoto's engaging presentation to the Vancouver Historical Society on the Rupert-Renfrew neighbourhood of East Vancouver was given to a large crowd at the Italian Cultural Centre.

She highlighted heritage gems of the neighbourhood including the lost streams that feed into the Still Creek and Burnaby Lake watershed, and the Renfrew Heights 1940s returned-servicemen's housing development by the federal government, once referred to by its residents as "The Projects." A number of the "Project Kids" attended the talk and contributed their memories.

Miners’ Union Hospitals in BC

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 20:07:07 GMT

The Ymir hospital operated from 1903-25. The building burned in 1930. (Greg Nesteroff collection)

Donna Sacuta of the BC Labour Heritage Centre has written an overview of the six Miners' Union hospitals that operated in the Kootenays, calling them "a radical response to the critical need for inclusive health care in BC’s mining communities more than 100 years ago."

Read the full story here.

BCHF looking for admin support

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 01:00:03 GMT

Join the BCHF team!

Looking for fulfilling volunteer work? We are looking for you! We're seeking an administrative support person to help us with tasks related to finance, membership, and subscriptions.

Time required? Two hours per week.

Location? From home, but would be helpful to live in a place that has a Coast Capital bank.

Start? April 1.

Interested? Contact jane@bchistory.ca or rosa@bchistory.ca

Civilizing the (Civic) Museum: Decolonial Work at the Museum of Vancouver

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 19:00:52 GMT

On Feb. 29 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. via Zoom, the UVic Committee for Urban Studies presents Civilizing the (Civic) Museum: Decolonial Work at the Museum of Vancouver with Vivian Gosselin, director of collections and exhibitions.

For decades, marginalized communities, public intellectuals and academic scholars have called out museums for their role in reinforcing – wittingly or unwittingly – colonial attitudes, racial and social inequality, environmental disconnect and excessive consumption.

In response to these criticisms and accompanied by much soul searching, (many) museums are deliberately leveraging their power as cultural influencers to make space for stories that challenge dominant narratives of progress and belonging (and not belonging).

The Museum of Vancouver has adopted models of co-creation and prioritizes community-led initiatives to pursue this goal. These practices support broader and more inclusive ways of conceiving the city’s past, present and future. This presentation will draw on examples of work at the museum to discuss how valuing and representing diverse knowledge, histories and experiences of the city in the museum space can help build more resilient communities.

Gosselin's work on historical and environmental literacy seeks to make the museum a more responsive, empathetic, and democratic public space that prompts people to recognize their own capacity to effect positive social change.

She has led and co-curated several exhibitions that have been recognized nationally and internationally. She has authored several articles on participatory museology and intercultural curation and is co-editor of Museums and the Past: Constructing Historical Consciousness (UBC Press).

Gosselin is currently involved in developing sustainable exhibition design practices with a team of city staff, architects and designers committed to creating a no-waste city. Rather than talking about radical innovation, she prefers to focus on the power of small wins as a mean of furthering the social work of museums.⁠

Gosselin is a member of the advisory group of the Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice. Since 2019, she has been a member of the advisory group for the Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice. She earned her PhD at the University of British Columbia.

To register for this virtual event, click here.

Aimee Greenaway named managing editor of BC History

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 03:36:10 GMT

Aimee Greenaway, who joined the British Columbia History magazine team as Books Editor in 2018, is excited to move into the Managing Editor role with support from the amazing K. Jane Watt.

Aimee is a sixth generation Nanaimo resident and grew up in the former coal mining town of Extension.

Her passion for local history was sparked by her own genealogy research, and BC history courses at Vancouver Island University (graduated in 2002 with a Bachelors of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Education). She worked at the BC Forest Discovery Centre from 2006-2011 and wrote a column on logging history in the Cowichan Valley Citizen. Aimee has worked at the Nanaimo Museum since 2011, and is the curator.

Aimee lives on a farm, and when she's not thinking about history she is usually playing the harp.

Heritage Legacy Fund intake opens March 8

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 23:56:19 GMT

The 2024 intake period for the Heritage Legacy Fund opens on Friday, March 8. Heritage BC is now accepting eligibility checks for all potential projects and programs.

The Heritage Legacy Fund supports a financial assistance program for heritage awareness, heritage conservation, and heritage planning. Program funds are used for community initiatives that conserve and increase the understanding and appreciation of heritage resources. Heritage resources may include existing heritage buildings, structures, sites, cemeteries, districts, cultural landscapes, or intangible heritage such as language and customs.

The Heritage Legacy Fund also supports Indigenous Partnership projects. Program funds will be used to support communities and heritage organizations in working towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through collaboration.

For detailed guidelines and eligibility requirements for the 2024 cycle, please visit our website and review the information available. Visit https://heritagebc.ca/funding/heritage-legacy-fund/

For questions about the grant ready or to start your eligibility check, reach out to Imogen Goldie at igoldie@heritagebc.ca

Image of the Gibsons Landing Heritage Playhouse by Rik Jespersen

30th anniversary of BC Black History Awareness Society marked in Victoria

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 18:19:53 GMT

The BC Black History Awareness Society is marking its 30th anniversary with Black History Month events in Greater Victoria. Among other things, the Royal BC Museum is celebrating Black History and Heritage Day on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

K-12 Komagata Maru lesson plans introduced

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 18:01:25 GMT

Passengers from the Komagata Maru, 1914. (City of Vancouver Archives CVA 7-127)

The Komagata Maru Lesson Plans Project was initiated in 2023. With six lesson plans, the project encourages students to examine key facts and events behind the Komagata Maru tragedy. Furthermore, it challenges students to engage in discussions and think critically about the event while learning about the biographies of key people such as Gurdit Singh, the man who chartered the ship to come to Canada.

Read more here.

Tours of Vancouver's Hogan's Alley offered during Black History Month

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 01:25:53 GMT

Throughout February, which is Black History Month, tours are being organized to teach people about Hogan's Alley, a vibrant community in southwest Vancouver that was home to many Black families until they were displaced in 1972 by a viaduct.

Read (and watch) more at CityNews.

Government apologizes to Sons of Freedom children

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:45:55 GMT

The BC government has formally apologized to Sons of Freedom Doukhobors who were removed from their parents and sent to residential school between 1953-59. The apology, delivered in Castlegar and Grand Forks, comes with a $10 million commitment and will be repeated later this month in the BC legislature. The apology fulfills a recommendation first issued by the BC Ombudsperson's office in 1999.

IN MEMORIAM: Fred Braches 1930-2024

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 15:51:50 GMT

The BCHF has learned of the death of Fred Braches of Maple Ridge.

Fred served as the editor of BC Historical News from Spring 1999 to Summer 2003 before the B.C. Historical Federation changed the magazine's name to British Columbia History. Later he won the BCHF Best Article Award for 2009 and the BCHF Website Award in 2008 for his Slumach website.

Obituary: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/30608924/friedrich-braches

BCHF conference registration now open

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 17:37:43 GMT

Come join us on May 4, 2024 for the BCHF annual conference being held in Ts'elxwéyeqw (Chilliwack).

This year, the conference will be a one-day event featuring the BCHF Annual General Meeting (AGM), a keynote presentation, a guided bus tour of S'ólh Téméxw, and the BCHF awards dinner.

The keynote presentation features Keith Thor Carlson, Professor of History at the University of the Fraser Valley and Tier One Canada Research Chair in Indigenous and Community-Engaged History, and Si:yémia Albert "Sonny" Mchalsie, Cultural Advisor / Sxweyxwiyam at Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre.

The AGM and keynote presentation will be held at the University of the Fraser Valley's (UFV) Gathering Place, Chilliwack campus.

The bus tour runs from 12:30 to 4:30pm, leaving from the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre. You will enjoy visiting places of cultural and historical interest and importance around S'ólh Téméxw "Our Land, Our World." Discover the land as narrated by Si:yémiya, learn Hal'qemélem place names, and hear the sxwōwiyám (ancient stories) and sqwélqwel (personal and family histories) that give shape to Stó:lō culture, history and people.

End the day with the BCHF gala awards dinner and awards presentation. Held at the Coast Hotel, Chilliwack, you can bid on local books in the silent auction, connect with colleagues, and celebrate the year's accomplishments in BC history preservation and storytelling.

Visit the BCHF website to learn more and to register online.

VIDEO: Promoting Health and Pleasure Tourism at Harrison Hot Springs, 1920-1930

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:13:13 GMT

In this presentation to the BC Historical Federation conference in Princeton last year, Lydia Kinasewich presented on her prize winning essay entitled: "Nature's Health Giving Waters: Promoting Health and Pleasure Tourism at Harrison HotSprings, 1920-1930."

The initial bathhouses and hotel built on the shore of Harrison lake in 1886 were designed for elite health-seekers, and early promotions focused on how the mineral waters could cure various ailments. However, after this first hotel was lost to a fire in 1920, Harrison Hot Springs was recast in the tourist gaze.

The new Harrison Hot Springs Hotel was completed in 1926 and this talk demonstrates how the owners of the resort attempted to retain the appeal of the healing environment while also promoting the modern luxuries that tourists increasingly expected in British Columbia during the interwar years.

Kinasewich recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in history from UNBC.

IN MEMORIAM: Mary Davidson (1930-2023)

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:02:27 GMT

Mary Davidson, who died Dec. 19, moved to Salt Spring Island in the early 1980s, where she joined the historical society and guided the establishment of the island's archives in 1989. The collection includes photos and stories from her family homestead.

Read the full obituary here.

IN MEMORIAM: Ts'ake ze' K'ilisët Violet Gellenbeck

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:56:54 GMT

K'ilisët Violet Gellenbeck at the Walk to Witset feast, September 2018. BVM visual record collection P984

The board and staff of the Bulkley Valley Museum in Smithers are deeply saddened by the passing of Witsuwit'en matriarch Ts'ake ze' K'ilisët Violet Gellenbeck on Jan. 4.

"Our condolences to all of her family, house, and clan, and to all those deeply feeling this loss," they said.

As was said in her eulogy, "she will be remembered for her dedication to the cause of Indigenous peoples. Over her life, she made countless contributions to advancing Indigenous concerns, including education and employment services, Witsuwit'en language and cultural revitalizations, protection of Indigenous women and girls, and defence of Witsuwit'en yintah."

"We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from K'ilisët," the museum said. "She was an instrumental voice in guiding the development of the Shared Histories research project and book, and the Alhk’ikh Ts’ëdilh (Walking Together) exhibition.

"We are honoured that one small part of her vast legacy will live on through our walls in the exhibition. Her words were always thoughtful, and thought-provoking, and we will continue to be guided by the values she espoused in our work."

She discusses the Shared Histories project, including the book (which won the BCHF historical writing prize) in this article.

BCHF award nominations sought

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:44:06 GMT

Has an organization or person you know made a difference in the history and heritage field? Are you starting a project relating to the history of British Columbia? Do you know of a project undertaken by a heritage organization that has had major impact in the community? The deadline for many of our funds, awards and scholarships is March 1. Click here to learn more.

Royal BC Museum wants to hear from you

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 17:53:58 GMT

The Royal BC Museum is seeking your input to create a reimagined museum that reflects all people in the province. They say they want to learn how the museum can best embrace diversity, connect people, foster a sense of community, and provide positive experiences for all.

To do so, they're inviting everyone to join them in series of conversations that will be held virtually and in-person in communities throughout the province. Through a collaborative process, we will dive deeper into the themes that were emphasized in earlier dialogues. They're also asking everyone to take part in an online survey that will help determine the future of your museum and archives.

Cranbrook heritage building demolished after fire

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 17:45:24 GMT

Demolition of the former Knights Hall in Cranbrook (pictured above in 2012) has been completed after the historic building was deemed unsafe after a fire on Dec. 19. The hall was the former nurses residence for the St. Eugene Hospital and was an apartment building until a previous fire in 2022.

Ktunaxa Nation launches book about language, culture and history

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 17:20:39 GMT

The Ktunaxa Nation has launched a book containing stories of the Nation’s people, culture, language and history. The title, q̓apkiǂ, means means "to tell someone everything." The book contains photos from Ktunaxa communities in both Canada and the US.

Maple Ridge Historical Society seeking board members

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:57:39 GMT

The Maple Ridge Historical Society says "due to unfortunate circumstances," it now finds itself at the absolute minimum number of board members needed to exist as a society. If you have time to support local history, see: https://buff.ly/3RoBSr

BCMA presents: Work From Home & Remote Positions

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:54:07 GMT

Since 2020, we have globally seen a rise in remote and hybrid work, but as we return to a “new normal,” many workplaces are abandoning these models. However, many museums, galleries, and heritage sites have limited workspace, equipment, accessibility, and funding obligations that make the idea of hiring a remote or hybrid employee simultaneously intriguing and complicated.

On Jan. 24, join Tammy Bradford for a webinar on the ins and outs of embracing work from home and hybrid positions in your workplace. Tammy will discuss the Creston Museum’s process of creating hybrid positions, the multifaceted benefits of work from home positions for both employers and employees, and some specific objections and hesitations that the Creston Museum has had to address in their process.

For more information and to register: https://museum.bc.ca/event-list/?eid=133

A look at a quintessential Chinese Canadian family

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 00:58:30 GMT

The Union Laundry on Union Street near Gore in Vancouver, probably in the early 1960s. (Courtesy Elwin Xie)

BCHF board member Elwin Xie will be this month's presenter to the Vancouver Historical Society.

Xie grew up in his parents’ home and business, the Union Laundry on Union Street just west of Gore, land that was transformed in the early 1970s for the Georgia Viaduct’s off-ramp onto Prior Street.

His family is representative of many long-time working-class Chinese families – perhaps it is even the quintessential Chinese Canadian family. He speaks Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Vancouver and on YouTube.

In addition to making videos for the BCHF and VHS, Elwin works at the newly opened Chinese Canadian Museum as a guide, and has been a museum interpreter at the Burnaby Village Museum since 2009.

Hidden Black history of the Lower Mainland

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 00:48:45 GMT

Stories regarding black farmers, settlers, and pioneers in BC tend not to get told because they didn't write the history books. The role Black people played has been largely erased. Can we find and retell their stories? Join a speaker series to learn about hidden Black histories of the Lower Mainland, presented by Shayla Bird and Carl Beach.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 14, 12 to 1 p.m.
Where: Online via Microsoft Teams
Cost: Free
How to Register: Register online (Course ID 00352880)
OR Call/Email the Museum of Surrey: 604-592-6956 | museum@surrey.ca

Shayla Bird

Shayla is a sister, daughter, educator, learner, and friend. Shayla is an adoptee from Atlanta who grew up in Abbotsford and currently resides in Hogan's Alley, known presently as Strathcona. Becoming an educator is both nature and nurture for her. Her biological father and his mother are both educators, and her parents are educators as well.

The past two years Shayla created a Black Student Union called Black Connections HS where roughly 60 Black youth from Grades 9-12 gather at bi-weekly meetings and engage in place-based learning activities. Shayla focuses her time on providing students with opportunities to see themselves represented in their various communities, encouraging educators to unlearn, learn, relearn and reframe and ultimately focusing on Black joy.

Carl Beach

Carlyle Beach graduated from UBC in 1972 with a B.A. in History. In his thirty-two years as a teacher and twelve years as a teacher-on-call, Carl presented Multicultural Anti-Racist Workshops to teachers (elementary and Secondary) throughout B.C. at Multicultural Camps, in Classrooms and on teacher Pro-D days and sponsored Multicultural clubs. As a BCTF member Carl has been on the Program Against Racism Committee, the Metro Zone Coordinator for the Committee Against Racism and the Educators Against Racism committee.

IN MEMORIAM: Al Donnelly

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 00:43:37 GMT

Al Donnelly with Boundary Historical Society president Joan Heart and vice-president Cher Wyers at an historic cabin near Greenwood.

Al Donnelly, who died Jan. 1, was an essential part of the Boundary Historical Society: a prolific writer, past president, and always a supporter.

In 2021, the BCHF recognized him with an Inspiration Award for his work documenting the Boundary and maintaining the society's 1899 cabin at Jewel Lake, seen above. Tackling duties around security, cleanliness and ground maintenance, Al’s work helped ensure the public will be able to enjoy the cabin for years to come.

Al also undertook deep research on the history of the Grand Forks and Greenwood areas. During the pandemic, he worked ceaselessly to locate, collate, research and write stories about the Boundary. The work has culminated into the production of the Boundary Historical Society’s 18th historical report publication.

VIDEO: Lessons Learned from Four Years in the Basement

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 00:28:36 GMT

The Princeton Museum began a full collection inventory and catalog process in 2020 after several prior attempts failed. This presentation by Todd Davidson to the BCHF conference last year provides some insights into what the museum has learned through this process.

Establishing a collections management system database from scratch is frightening. Todd talks about some fundamental questions that need to be answered before starting and how they affect the outcome. Todd discusses rapidly changing technology and how to posture for the future. Todd is the operations manager of the Princeton and District Museum and Archives Society.

From Boat Person to Rainbow Activist

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 00:15:45 GMT

Raymond Liens in a pride parade.

An excerpt from the Winter 2023-24 edition of British Columbia History.

By Eric Damer

Last summer, I chatted with Raymond Liens about his life work as an activist organizing workers to secure their rights, regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

ED: Hello. Raymond! Thanks for agreeing to the interview.

RL: My pleasure, Eric.

ED: I understand that you have had quite an active career in community and union organizing. How did this all begin?

RL: Well, I was born in Vietnam, where our family had settled for many generations, but after the American withdrawal in 1975 we were persecuted because of our Chinese heritage and our bourgeois status. Everything was taken from us—home, business, properties. We fled for our lives as boat people. In 1979, after months in a Malaysian camp, Canada took us in as refugees. We arrived in Vancouver before transferring to Winnipeg to start a new life.

ED: Wow, I’m glad you made it here safely. So how did you move into community organizing?

RL: My parents soon found work sewing garments but managed to save enough money to open a small Southeast Asian grocery store. It became a hub for our tight-knit community. Everyone knew everything about each other.

While in high school, I saw how kids from our community had no structured programs during the summer break, so I applied for a federal job-creation grant to run a summer camp. Stanley Knowles, our MP, had me over to his home to help with the application. I was only 17, but I got the grant. This encounter shaped my identity as a new Canadian tremendously.

I also worked as an interpreter because I spoke English, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese. I helped people with hospital visits, immigration appointments, the police, and even at the courts for minor crimes.

ED: And when did you begin working with unions?

RL: In 1988, United Food and Commercial Workers contacted me to help unionize a poultry processing plant that had many problems. The union had no one who could communicate with the workers, who distrusted unions because of their experience under the communist regime from which they escaped. We had to work fast, but eventually the majority signed up. This experience made me firmly committed to workers’ rights, and the potential of unions in securing those rights.

ED: This took place in Manitoba. How did you come to BC?

RL: It’s a bit of an accident, really. Someone who knew someone from UFCW [United Food and Commercial Workers] moved to BC in 1991, and learned that Glen Clark, then Minister of Finance, was hiring office staff. I was told about the opportunity, applied, and had an interview over the phone with him. Turns out Clark was looking for a constituency assistant, and he had the audacity to hire a kid from Winnipeg who had no real political experience. Of course, I accepted and spent five years working with him.

ED: Did this put an end to your union work?

RL: Of course not. After moving to Vancouver, I called my boyfriend in Quebec and invited him to join me in Vancouver. He wouldn’t come to Winnipeg, but Vancouver was fine. He arrived a few months later, but then I realized that I could not include him on my extended benefit plan. To me, the gender of one’s partner is totally irrelevant. I grew up in southern Vietnam, where the influence of Cambodian culture and Buddhism meant that sexual orientation and gender identity are not big issues at all. We don’t enforce strict gender roles or insist on particular sexual preferences.

ED: So how did you respond?

RL: Well, I petitioned my union, the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), to recognize same-sex couples. I had so much push-back! I had only one ally at first, but I persisted. I lobbied pretty hard until 1994, when the union finally changed the collective agreement to recognize same-sex partnerships. At that time, very few collective agreements included these rights.

ED: I guess you helped reform the union!

RL: Absolutely. My work with Clark shifted when he assigned me to work with Jim Green and others to set up a crown corporation called Four Corners Community Savings that would bring banking services to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Our board of directors included millionaires, business executives, people living on income assistance, and the street entrenched. Some were queer; everyone was treated equally and without any fanfare. This financial institution provided basic financial services for local residents until the provincial Liberals cancelled the project in 2004.

ED: And you were out of a job?
RL: Not really. By then I was working as the equity officer for the Hospital Employees Union—perhaps BC’s and maybe Canada’s first full-time union equity officer. I oversaw complaints investigations and conflict resolution in the workplace based on the BC Human Rights Code.

ED: I found a copy of your handbook, One Union, Many Colours.

RL: The HEU was in many ways ahead of its time, with everyone fully embracing diversity, including sexual and gender diversity. We also understood that Indigenous people’s struggles as First Peoples were distinct. One of our collective agreements in 1998 included language for gender-neutral washrooms, probably the first in Canada. Also, that year I helped organized HEU members and other Canadian Labour Congress unions to join Pride parades. Many unions hesitated, and not all queer union members wanted to come out. However, many did feel safer marching under their union banner. Finally, I assisted with the first “Pride and Solidarity” conference—the first queer activists’ convention of the Canadian Labour Congress. Hundreds of union and community activists met in Ottawa for the historic moment.

ED But you are not with the HEU now, are you?

RL: No, I left to work for a few years with UNITE HERE in New York City as organizing director. Compared to Canadian unions, American unions are much larger and more assertive. Organizers even jump barbed wire fences and sift through garbage to identify workers. The unions in the States believe that if undocumented workers pay taxes, they have the right to organize. One of my first victories was a workplace in California with mostly Hispanic and South Asian workers. There were so many problems that workers wouldn’t gather across cultural groups. But I persisted in meeting as one large group with translators. Within a week they recognized their common struggle and began to cooperate. After certification they bargained successfully for a collective agreement. At the celebration picnic, workers from both sides and their families shared food from their respective cultures. People discovered and enjoyed the taste of tortillas with curry, and naan with carne asada! I have always believed in the power of food to bring people together.

ED: But eventually you came back to Canada?

RL: Yes, and I’ve slowed down a little. I no longer work as a union organizer. Instead, I volunteer closer to home, where I sit on the board of the Massey Theatre, in New Westminster. We’re working to promote diversity in the arts and to support the theatre as a cultural hub with exhibitions, workshops, and creative activities. I also volunteer at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and teach cooking classes online. I still believe in the power of food to bring people together!

ED: I have to agree! Raymond, thanks so much for sharing some of your remarkable work in the labour movement.
RL: You are very welcome! •

Eric Damer is a Burnaby-based historian with an interest in local social and educational history. His clients include Burnaby Village Museum, University of British Columbia, BC Labour Heritage Centre, and the provincial and federal governments.

Save the date for the BCHF Spring Gathering

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 16:37:07 GMT

SAVE THE DATE — On May 4, 2024 the BCHF will be hosting a one-day gathering at the University of the Fraser Valley's Chilliwack campus.

The event features the BCHF Annual General Meeting (AGM), a keynote presentation, a guided cultural bus tour of Stó:lō territory, and the annual awards evening.

The one-day event takes the place of the usual multi-day conference format this year. To supplement the in-person spring event, an online presentation series is being planned for the fall.

2025 will see the return to a full in-person conference. If your organization is interested in hosting the conference, or if you would like to be considered as an online presenter for the 2024 fall series, please contact us: conference@bchistory.ca.

Please refer to the conference page of our website for more information about the 2024 Spring Gathering.

VIDEO: Bill Miner and BC's Gilded Age

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 21:45:24 GMT

One hundred and 20 years after Bill Miner came to the Similkameen country, he is still probably Canada’s best known desperado. Miner was known as George Edwards around Princeton where he played the part of a soft-spoken cattleman and prospector —kind to children and generous to all. In fact, he made his living rustling cattle, smuggling Chinese immigrants and opium across the border, and robbing trains. When Indigenous trackers led police to his camp after a 1906 train holdup, his carefully crafted story started to fall apart, casting an unflattering light on gilded age British Columbia.

Greg Dickson, who presented this story to the BC Historical Federation conference in Princeton this year, is a former CBC Radio journalist and a co-author of three best-selling books on BC history with collaborator Mark Forsythe. In 2014, they received the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for historical writing.

Métis Nation BC new operator at Point Ellis House

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 03:03:00 GMT

The Métis Nation BC has announced it has won the contract to operate Victoria's historic Point Ellice House. The Vancouver Island Local History Society stepped away from managing the site in March 2023, citing insufficient government funding. More details HERE

Happy Holidays from the BCHF

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 02:28:19 GMT

The board members of the BC Historical Federation would like to wish you and yours a happy holidays.

Our volunteers will be taking some time off to enjoy the season with family and friends.

Please note that our offices will be closed from December 15 to January 3. We look forward to seeing you in 2024!

IN MEMORIAM: Doug Boersema

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 03:10:16 GMT

Doug Boersema of the Telkwa Museum Society has died at 79. He's been involved with the museum for many years, including at least the last decade as president.

"He was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about local history in Telkwa and the Bulkley Valley at large," says Bulkley Valley Museum curator Kira Westby.

Read his full obituary here.

Bakery, Bulkley Valley Museum continue Cookies from the Archives

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 02:51:31 GMT

For the fourth year running, a bakery in Smithers is making cookies using old recipe books from the Bulkley Valley Museum. This time the proceeds are going to the Telkwa Museum and Widzin Kwah Canyon House Museum.

VIDEO: Printer's Devils

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 03:00:00 GMT

The grisly murder of a nurse, fierce opposition to measles and smallpox vaccines, death on the wartime battlefield and in the workplace, a crippling 1917 strike, the deadly 1918 flu pandemic, and life on the home front —these are just some of the historic events chronicled in Ron Verzuh's Printer's Devils.

In his presentation to this year's BCHF conference in Princeton, Ron tells the story of a weekly newspaper. The Trail Creek News/Trail News influenced its readers as Trail grew into a small smelter city and prospered.

Printer's Devils is a social history that traces how Trailites responded in times of economic crisis, war and life-threatening disease from1895 to 1925.

Verzuh is a writer, historian and documentary filmmaker. His previous book was called Smelter Wars: A Rebellious Red Trade Union Fights for Its Life in Wartime Western Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2022). Verzuh's work has been published in journals, magazines, newspapers and on websites. He grew up in the West Kootenay where the events in this book took place. Printer's Devils is his fourth book.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 02:42:04 GMT

Unveiling of commemorative plaque at the Kaatza Station Museum. Photo: Kaatza Historical Society

1 Labour hero
Darshan Singh Sangha was a union organizer and human rights activist who fought for equal pay, improved working conditions, and the right to vote. He arrived in BC in 1937 at age 19 and found a job at a sawmill where visible minorities were exploited and discriminated against. He went to the University of British Columbia, joined the Young Communist League and, eventually, the International Woodworkers of America (IWA). An idealist and excellent speaker, he campaigned in the 1940s to attract Indian, Japanese, and Chinese workers into the union.

The Kaatza Historical Society, the BC Labour Heritage Centre, and the Hari Sharma Foundation recently recognized Sangha’s contributions to the labour movement and to human rights. A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the Kaatza Station Museum in Lake Cowichan, also home to the IWA archives. The union’s Scott Lunny told those who gathered that “we continue to fight for workplace rights, migrant and immigrant rights, and to combat racism in our society. Thanks to Darshan Singh Sangha, we know what to do in the face of that injustice.”

Sangha advocated for Indian independence and returned home in 1948, where he was elected to the Punjab state legislature. Known as Darshan Singh Canadian, he was assassinated by extremists in 1986.

Victor Menzies diary. Photo: Pender Island Museum Society

2 Centennial Legacy Fund at work
Two-year-old Victor Menzies arrived on Pender Island with his family in 1893 aboard the side-wheeler Yosemite. The island had just two dozen residents and was without a school or church. Over his life Victor generated 33 handwritten booklets that are a first-hand account of pioneering island life between 1917 and 1971.

The British Columbia Historical Federation has awarded a $5,000 Centennial Legacy Fund grant to the Pender Island Museum to transcribe and preserve these diaries. Menzies kept meticulous daily records of his farming, community, and educational life—and his role as cemetery and school caretaker. An entry for April 16, 1923, describes the novel experience of listening to the radio. “Basil came up to help me and brought his radio, first we heard was fine & clear music … Basil repaired the disc harrow. I plowed.”

Centennial Legacy Fund grants were also awarded to the Boundary Historical Society to conduct ground penetrating radar research at the pioneer Phoenix cemetery, and to the Barriere and District Heritage Society for documenting the impact of the devastating McLure wildfire of 2003. Apply to the Centennial Legacy Fund here.

Lyle Wilson’s map painting. Image: Kitimat Museum and Archives

3 The soul of the traditional Haisla
A 2011 painting of a map by Haisla master carver and artist Lyle Wilson is now on display at the Kitimat Museum and Archives. The compelling map of traditional Haisla territory and sites was painted on a piece of cedar cut from a 700-year-old tree. It features about 150 place names and landmarks in the Haisla language, surrounded by animals. The artist says it highlights “history, politics, language, and tradition in its map form.”

As a youth, Wilson was fascinated by his grandfather’s marine map collection. His uncle later taught him the Haisla names of landmarks at a time when the language was disappearing. Wilson notes in his artist’s catalogue, “Since the time of first contact, European diseases have killed large numbers of Haisla people, making conditions favourable for the English language to become the dominant means of communication.… My generation blames the previous one for not teaching us, while our elders perceive us as being uninterested. Yet both generations agree, and lament, that the Haisla language is dying out.”

Wilson first created a map of place names and clan crests in 1995. His 2011 map honours language, tradition, and documentation. Now part of a permanent display at the Kitimat Museum and Archives, it’s on loan from the Haisla Nation Council and sponsored by the NorthPac Forestry Group.

Pictured (L-R) The Flying Seven: Jean Pike, Tosca Trasolini, Betsy Flaherty, Alma Gilbert, Elianne Roberge, Margaret Fane, and Rolie Moore. Photo: Township of Langley

4 “Come fly with me”
A giant mural dedicated to the famous Flying Seven now graces an exterior wall at the new Langley Regional Airport (YNJ). Adhering to the credo that a woman’s place was in the sky, each of the female pilots flew out of Langley at one time.

The aviators formed their own flying club in 1936 and soon staged a dawn-to-dusk flying patrol above Vancouver to promote the idea of women in aviation. They tried to enlist during the Second World War, were refused, and then took to the skies to drop pamphlets for a “Smash the Nazi” campaign that raised $10,000 for the war effort. This allowed purchase of eight aircraft for pilot training. The Flying Seven also set up a school to train women for aviation jobs.

The Township of Langley awarded the mural project to Randi Hamel, Taj Jamal, Kelly Mellings, and Allan Whincup of Pulp Studios and noted that, “led by Rosalie ‘Rolie’ Moore, the flying seven broke barriers and showed the world the can-do spirit of Langley!”

Royal BC Museum’s Old Town, New Approach. Photo: Greg Dickson

5 Old Town, New Approach
It has been two turbulent years at the Royal BC Museum that included allegations of a toxic workplace. Former premier John Horgan’s dream of a new $789 million facility was scrapped; CEO Alicia Dubois resigned after 16 months on the job—and the popular Old Town was closed for “decolonization.”

Public backlash to the closure was searing, so a scaled-down version of the pioneer Old Town reopened this summer. As tourism minister Lana Popham put it: “We have heard you.” Old Town, New Approach has added contextual panels with more diverse and inclusive interpretations of BC history and stories. The train station, hotel, saloon, printing shop, and Chinatown are back, along with a new exhibit about railway porters developed with the BC Black History Awareness Society.

HMCS Discovery, the gold mine, farm, and cannery are closed, and the First Peoples’ Gallery is being used for discussion and collaboration with Indigenous communities. Some of these exhibits may reopen in 2024 and the Royal BC Museum says Old Town will continue to evolve “as we work with communities to share their experiences and cultures.”

Edelweiss Village sign with chalets in the background, view from the CPR track, date unknown. Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

6 Edelweiss Village
“The love of the mountains is a thing that is very hard to explain.” —Ed Feuz Jr. (1884–1981), Swiss mountain guide and resident of Edelweiss Village

A Swiss-themed village near Golden has new owners, and the BC-based foundation established to preserve its historic buildings is optimistic it can work with the new Alberta-based investor group. Ilona Shulman Spaar of the Swiss Edelweiss Village Foundation says the village’s six chalets will be staying; the new owners understand their significance and are reviewing options for building restoration.

Swiss mountain guides are legendary in BC’s mountaineering community. The Canadian Pacific Railway drew them into the Columbia Valley to develop mountain tourism at the turn of the last century; they led thousands of ascents in the Rockies without one fatality. By 1912, the railway had built six Swiss-style cabins on a hillside to accommodate the guides and their families. Descendants of Swiss mountain guide Walter Feuz, brother of Ed Feuz, listed the the village for sale in 2022, and gave the Swiss Edelweiss Village Foundation an important artifact collection and furniture. The foundation has a dream to create a museum on the site and continues to fundraise. Visit the fundraising site, Saving Swiss Edelweiss Village in Canada: https://www.gofundme.com/f/swissvillage

The University of Calgary’s Department of Art and History recently created an immersive virtual tour that can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/mr3tpwpd

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

VIDEO: Upper Similkameen History, Culture, and Heritage

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 02:38:35 GMT

Dawn Johnson is an Elder from the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and a Director with the Princeton and District Museum and Archives. In her presentation, which took place at the British Columbia Historical Federation's 2023 conference in Princeton, Dawn speaks about okra, pictographs, the Ashnola peoples and society, first contact with newcomers, Fort Okanogan, ranching, pack trains, Band activities today, and language.

From "Killer" to "Orca": A West Coast Story

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 18:59:48 GMT

Dr. Jason Colby teaches environmental history at the University of Victoria and gives an entertaining presentation to the Vancouver Historical Society on how the "killer whales" of sensationalized news stories became the beloved orcas of the West Coast and Salish Sea in the 1960s and 1970s. He describes how captured orcas convinced scientists and trainers that they are intelligent beings, and the environmental challenges facing their declining population.

Nelson Museum names Jennifer Dunkerson executive director

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 18:53:44 GMT

Jennifer Dunkerson is the new boss at the Nelson Museum.

She was previously in management at the Revelstoke Railway Museum and Columbia Basin Trust and has been a planner with Heritage BC.

Winter issue of BC History devoted to workers and unions

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 18:25:33 GMT

The Winter 2023 edition of British Columbia History, which is on its way to subscribers now, is guest-edited by Ron Verzuh, and presents history from the workplace trenches. Verzuh also contributed "Challenging the Male Breadwinner Tradition: Making history in the workplace."

Among the other featured stories: "The Indigenous Miners of British Columbia's First Coal Fields," by John Lutz; "Eight Hours Underground," by Peter Smith; "Tunnelling for Workplace Justice: How foreign workers won their rights at SkyTrain's Canada Line," by Joe Barrett; "Darshan Singh Sangha: 'Forever Canadian' union organizer," by Donna Sacuta; "women on both sides of the Great Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike, 1912-14," by Aimee Greenaway; "Rebel Union Local 7292 in the Elk Valley," by Tom Langford," and "The CKLG Strike of 1975: A memorable moment in Canadian radio and labour history," by Leslie Kenny; "Thelma Emblem, Whistle Punk," by Aimee Greenaway; "Discovering Ginger Goodwin," by Wayne Norton; and "Singing and Solidarity," by Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat.

Plus we have regular columns from Aimee Greenaway, Mark Forsythe, and Terry Arnett. All packed into 52 pages!

To buy this issue or subscribe, click here.

Heritage Abbotsford Society earns Canada Trust award

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 04:30:04 GMT

Historic Turner House. Photo from Heritage Abbotsford Society website

The Heritage Abbotsford Society has received an award from the National Trust for its efforts to save and restore Turner House. Built circa 1875, the small board and batten cottage served as farmhouse and family home to Royal Engineer George Turner, who surveyed roads in the Fraser Valley. The house has been moved to Clayburn Village from its original site. Learn more in this Abbotsford News story.

Doukhobor apology postponed

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 03:41:38 GMT

Sons of Freedom children at New Denver in the 1950s. Royal BC Museum and Archives C-01739

An apology to B.C.'s Doukhobor community for the removal of children from their homes has been postponed by the provincial government. The apology was expected this week, but has been delayed until the new year. It's been 24 years since an ombudsperson's report recommended an apology and compensation for actions that were, "unjust and oppressive." Some members of the Doukhobor community are hurt and dismayed by the postponement. Read more in this Arrow Lakes News story.

East Kootenay author releases two history books at once

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 23:42:52 GMT

Keith Powell has simultaneously launched Abandoned Kootenays and Koocanusa Burning. The former is a photo collection while the latter is an historical novel.

South Slocan schoolhouse demo to start this month

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 23:40:00 GMT

A 93-year-old former elementary school in South Slocan will soon only be a memory.

Doukhobor Discovery Centre seeks 25% funding increase

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 23:37:36 GMT

The Doukhobor Discovery Centre says it needs more cash from the City of Castlegar to support its operations.

Trail ghost sign reappears

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 23:29:15 GMT

The removal of an awning from a building in downtown Trail revealed a hand-painted sign for a travel agency probably from the 1970s.

Donate today to the BCHF

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 04:13:30 GMT

As the holiday giving season approaches, please remember the BC Historical Federation (BCHF) in your charitable giving plans. We are 100% volunteer-run and every dollar you donate goes to one of our three main activities.

(1) The British Columbia History magazine is produced four times per year and

If you donate $50, that will buy one hour of copy-editing time. If you donate $500, you will help cover the design costs for one magazine issue.

(2) The BCHF awards program contributes to prizes for the best historical writing, storytelling, and preservation each year. We also award scholarships to emerging scholars studying history in BC’s post-secondary programs.

If you donate $100, you will help support and recognize individuals and groups working to preserve, research and share BC’s history with the public.

(3) The BCHF’s Centennial Legacy Fund supports community historians uncovering the diverse cultural, artistic, genealogical and geological history of BC. Last year, the Centennial Legacy Fund helped to support small, local projects on Pender Island, in Barriere, and near Grand Forks. Often, Centennial Legacy Fund grants are used as seed money for larger research grants and leverage support from bigger funding agencies.

Please consider giving what you can. We need your help to continue our work!

Please donate at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-british-columbia-historical-federation/

Chinese Canadian Museum offering guided tours

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:30:45 GMT

The Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver is now offering guided tours in English every Wednesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

"We are thrilled to receive such positive feedback on our guided tours and are excited to continue providing more tour experiences at the museum," the museum said.

Tours are complimentary with admission. Make sure you book your tour in advance on our website to secure your spot, as there is a 15-person limit. (Once it's sold out, the purchase option is hidden)

Joining a guided tour is the most comprehensive way to learn about the content of our exhibitions. It gives you a great overview to start before exploring the museum at your own pace afterwards.

A fantastic member of the museum assistant team leads all guided tours. Guides are all trained in museum interpretation and are incredibly insightful, passionate, and knowledgeable about our exhibitions.

我們有新的導覽日期了！從11月1日起的每週三和週四下午2:30，我們將新增英文的博物館導覽。大眾對導覽的一致好評是我們進步的推動力，希望能繼續為大家提供更好的導覽體驗！

為什麼參與華裔博物館的導覽？

憑門票就能免費參加！記得提前在我們的網站上預訂並保留名額，因為每團上限15人。 (公眾導覽一旦額滿，將不會在購票頁面顯示）。

參加導覽可以更全面了解我們展覽內容。您可以先參與導覽，結束後再按照自己的步伐探索博物館。

所有導覽均由我們專業的博物館助理帶領！他們接受過專業培訓，所以不單十分了解館內的展覽，亦對在帶領時充滿熱情。

Behind the scenes at the Museum of Surrey

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 20:30:00 GMT

Join Heritage Surrey on Saturday, Nov. 18 for a free private tour of Museum of Surrey and a rare tour of the Surrey Collections vault. The behind the scenes experiences will follow the 10:30 a.m. AGM for the Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society. Learn how you can support local heritage and get a glimpse at the work the society supports! RSVP by email to museum@surrey.ca.

Haq and History travelling exhibit coming to Golden

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 20:01:16 GMT

The Haq and History exhibit, which will be at the Golden Museum from Nov. 7 to Dec. 16, offers visitors the chance to reflect upon stories from and about South Asian Canadian immigrants, including details about work, home life and keeping cultural traditions alive in BC.

Through panel texts, visitors to Haq and History will learn about Punjabi immigrants working in sawmills in the 1920s; hear about travel from Punjab to Canada in the 1950s; learn some of the challenges of sourcing Indian food in Vancouver in the 1960s; and learn about memories of life in the now-abandoned town of Paldi in the 1940s.

Haq and History is the latest collaboration of the Royal BC Museum and the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley.

Golden's claim to fame is that it was home to the first Sikh temple in North America in the early 1900s.

Detail of a fire insurance map for the Columbia River Lumber Co. The Sikh temple was among the buildings in yellow near top right. (Library and Archives Canada)

VIDEO: Youth Hotels and Hostile Locals

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 19:45:10 GMT

University of Guelph historian Linda Mahood has studied hitchhiking as a social phenomenon from the 1920s through until the present day in her book Thumbing A Ride, and focuses this talk on Vancouver in 1970 when it was the destination of wandering youth, culminating in the Jericho Riot in October 1970, when police evicted young people from the Jericho Youth Hostel. Mahood's presentation to the Vancouver Historical Society can be viewed below.

Cranbrook hotel turns 100

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 19:02:20 GMT

Image MSC130-2116-01 courtesy of the British Columbia Postcards Collection, a digital initiative of Simon Fraser University Library

The Mount Baker Hotel in Cranbrook is celebrating its centennial. Starting in 2018 it was renovated in an Art Deco style.

Nelson heritage building gets a new life

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:43:07 GMT

The provincial government has sold the old land titles office in Nelson, built in 1900. The building, more recently used as the regional Emergency Management BC office, will be the new home of Summit Psychology.

$500,000 grant to Shawnigan Lake Museum

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 17:59:59 GMT

A major expansion project at Shawnigan Lake Museum has been boosted by a $500,000 grant from the province's Destination Development Fund. The BCHF member society has successfully sourced multiple donations since launching a campaign to triple the size of its 2,100 square foot facility. Plans include highlighting the life and work of artist E.J. Hughes, the Kinsol Trestle and sharing more stories from local history. The cost for the project is expected to be $2.1 million; shovels will go in the ground next summer. Read more in this Cowichan Valley Citizen story.

Call for submissions issued for Historical Writing Awards

Sat, 28 Oct 2023 17:15:13 GMT

Call for Submissions - 2023

The British Columbia Historical Federation invites submissions for the 41st Annual Historical Writing Awards for authors of British Columbia history.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this competition, books must be published in 2023.
Non-fiction books representing any aspect of B.C. history are eligible.
Reprints, translations or revisions of books are not eligible.
Books may be submitted by authors or publishers.

Judging Criteria

Judges are looking for quality presentations and fresh material. Submissions will be evaluated in the following areas:

Scholarship: quality of research and documentation, comprehensiveness, objectivity and accuracy
Presentation: organization, clarity, illustrations and graphics, index, table of contents
Accessibility: readability and audience appeal

Lieutenant Governor’s Medal and Other Prizes

The B.C. Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing will be awarded together with $2500 to the author whose publications makes the most significant contribution to the history of British Columbia.

The 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive $1500 and $500 respectively.
The Community History Award winner will receive $500.
Up to three Certificates of Honorable Mention may be awarded as recommended by the judges.

Publicity

The 2024 awards evening will be held in spring, 2024. Finalists will be publicized in the weeks prior to conference, and the winners, announced during the event, will be publicized immediately afterwards.
Submission Requirements: https://forms.office.com/r/dwYBdCBHb3

Submission Deadline: December 31, 2023

Mail three copies of your publication to PO Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 2R7

By submitting books for this competition, the authors agree that the British Columbia Historical Federation may use their name in press releases and in its publications. Books submitted to the judges are not returned to the publishers or authors.

SUMBIT NOW

Exhibit recognizes Abbotsford’s South Asian Canadian community

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:01:24 GMT

Des Pardes opens on Saturday, Oct. 14 in Abbotsford

Image: Sunder Singh Thandi (“Joe”), left, and Jassa Singh on the right standing in front of a flatdeck truck. Taken on Main Street, Vancouver, when Sunder purchased a new threshing machine, 1939. (Photo courtesy of The Reach Archives.)

The history, culture, and contemporary character of the South Asian Canadian community in Abbotsford is the subject of an ambitious exhibition organized by The Reach Gallery Museum. Des Pardes opens on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 12 to 3 p.m. with a family friendly event featuring hands on activities and entertainment.

The exhibition title is borrowed from the Hindi/Punjabi phrase which can translate to “home and abroad” or “Motherland/Other Land” which is commonly used to describe the South Asian Canadian experience, where families have deep ties in Canada and abroad. The project showcases the unique and major contributions of the ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse South Asian diaspora to the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Abbotsford and beyond.

Des Pardes is one of the most significant projects ever presented by The Reach and includes contributions from hundreds of participants and collaborators from the community. Many contributors are featured in interviews on flat screen displays, and several families loaned heirlooms and other artifacts that are on view. The large-scale, multi-sensory experience uses historical photographs, oral histories, contemporary interviews, historical objects, and newly commissioned works of art to illustrate six themes: Migration, Faith, Family, Business & Livelihoods, Oppression & Opposition, and Contemporary Culture.

At the heart of the project has been a major initiative to digitize and make accessible to the wider public a vast array of South Asian heritage resources, generously funded by a Digital Access to Heritage grant from Canadian Heritage, with support from the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre’s British Columbia History Digitization Program at the University of British Columbia, and the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley. The exhibition makes visible a vast array of personal histories, images, and documents that represent three years of community-based research and many more of collecting.

Baltej Singh Dhillon in 1991. Dhillon was instrumental in removing the ban on beards and turbans in the RCMP. (Photo courtesy of the Baltej Dhillon Archive)

Amongst the newly digitized materials is the Punjabi Patrika archive. This significant local newspaper is one of only two bilingual newspapers in Canada and offers a unique insight into the history of Abbotsford and the surrounding region. The Reach has digitized the entire hardcopy archive spanning from October 1996 to 2014, inclusive. Another interactive kiosk features the Baltej Dhillon Archive which documents the challenges Dhillon faced in his quest to secure the right to wear the dastār or Sikh turban with his RCMP uniform.

“This project is important to our community, and to the broader historical narrative of the region,” says Laura Schneider, executive director of The Reach. “The Reach has featured exhibitions about various aspects of South Asian-Canadian history in the past, but the scope of community involvement that was undertaken to develop this project better represents the diversity of experience that exists in our community and makes it truly special.”

Des Pardes will be on view through May 18, 2024. For the full schedule of public and educational programs that will accompany the exhibition, please visit www.thereach.ca. For exclusive behind-the-scenes content related to the project, follow @despardes.exhibition on Instagram and Tik Tok.

Image: Baltej Singh Dhillon in 1991. Dhillon was instrumental in removing the ban on beards and turbans in the RCMP. (Photo courtesy of the Baltej Dhillon Archive)

VIDEO: Exploring Mole Hill

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 20:56:51 GMT

Boasting 30 heritage-listed houses built 1888 to 1908, Mole Hill is the last surviving block of pre-World War I housing stock in Vancouver. The block exemplifies BC’s Victorian and Edwardian domestic architecture, providing a direct link to the earliest days of the city.

The City of Vancouver intended to demolish the block, but the efforts of the Mole Hill Living Heritage Society persuaded them to change their plans, promoting a community vision which preserved social history and heritage architecture, while providing affordable housing and green space.

In his presentation to the BCHF 2023 conference, Quentin Wright explores how Mole Hill was saved and restored, highlighting the success of the block as a community resource. Wright has worked in non-profit housing for 20 years, and has been executive director of Mole Hill Community Housing Society since 2014. He helped to found Mole Hill Neighbourhood Support Society in 2019.

Southern Mountain Caribou Recovery in the Central Kootenay

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 23:38:30 GMT

An excerpt from the Fall 2023 edition of British Columbia History.

Calf 6 and other cows and calves in the Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen, 2023. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society

By Skye Cunningham and Hugh Watt

The Central Selkirk herd of southern mountain woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is the last herd south of Highway 1, and it is the southernmost herd remaining in Canada. The herd has seen a decrease of 87 percent since the 1990s, from over 200 animals down to 28 animals remaining in 2021. Woodland caribou are a species at risk under federal legislation. Due to a complicated myriad of factors including predation, habitat changes and fragmentation, climate change, and backcountry recreation activities, caribou populations have struggled throughout BC and particularly in southern BC.

In 2009, a Government Action Regulation order created approximately 320,000 hectares of protected range for caribou, which was 95 percent of the core winter habitat of the Central Selkirk herd. Fast forward to 2019, when a series of well-attended public forums hosted a total of 300 community members to discuss local caribou recovery efforts that were not having the desired effect of stopping the decline of caribou.

To provide a local voice in recovery efforts, Arrow Lakes Caribou Society (ALCS) was formed in early 2019. ALCS is made up of interested individuals across a wide spectrum including backcountry recreation groups, the forestry and mining industry, the community forest, trails groups, and local government. ALCS is governed by a volunteer board of directors that includes foresters, biologists, and loggers, as well as a wildlife photographer and a local trapper, and it is advised by regional, provincial, and US biologists and veterinarians. From early on, ALCS has had a close relationship with the regional biologists who oversee the caribou herd on behalf of the government.

Volunteers helped to transport the caribou in a snowmobile skimmer from the helicopter landing zone to the maternity pen during capture in March 2022. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society.

ALCS’s mandate is to help facilitate recovery actions, particularly with the Central Selkirk caribou herd. To date, ALCS has created a communication platform between local and regional groups and governments. One such example was work done to build and strengthen relationships with local winter recreation groups to decrease disturbance to caribou in their natural habitat.

ALCS helped the process by working with the province of BC and local snowmobile groups to facilitate a stewardship management agreement covering the herd area. A spatial app developed by government geomatics specialists provides “moving closure” areas based on actual caribou locations at any given time. The tool is informed by GPS data from the collars of groups of caribou within the herd area. This spatial tool has been key in minimizing disturbance to the caribou herd.

After a long push to gain support for the concept, construction of the Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen was initiated in 2019. After studying the methods and results of similar projects north of Revelstoke (see Revelstoke Caribou Rearing in the Wild Society, cmu.abmi.ca/testing-recovery-options/revelstoke-caribou-rearing-in-the-wild/) and in the Moberly Lake area (see Klinse-Za Caribou Maternity Pen, hctf.ca/hands-on-conservation-at-the-klinse-za-caribou-maternity-pen/), the pen construction process began. The project was initially “boot-strapped” by local donations and labour until the BC government came on board with some timely employment funding in 2019–2020 and, subsequently, Caribou Recovery Program personnel and funds.

The maternity pen blind is a great viewing spot into the pen for shepherds and visitors. The storage container underneath holds feed and tools. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society.

The electric fence surrounds the outside of the maternity pen to manage predators. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society.

The caribou maternity pen is a large enclosure that keeps pregnant females and calves safe from predators during calving and up to six weeks after calving. After six weeks, the calves are more easily able to escape predators and grow to help support the caribou population. The maternity pen will help to alleviate environmental pressures on pregnant caribou and calves and to improve body condition and fecundity due to a good diet and fewer environmental stress compared to natural conditions.

The pen, a black geotextile fence that stands 4 metres tall and encloses 6.6 hectares of old growth and second growth forest, is situated on provincial crown land and on municipal land (Village of Nakusp) near the Nakusp Hot Springs. Fence posts are made of mostly living trees, which gives the pen structure a natural look. The supporting cables, guys, and hardware for the fence were pieced together based on knowledge from logging and powerline industries. There is a separate electric fence on the outside of the pen structure to keep predators like wolves, bears, cougars, and wolverines at bay.

A caribou shepherd headquarters (the “bou shack”), which houses an office and affords a great view into the feeding area of the pen, was constructed from local wood provided by the community forest and placed on top of a shipping container by a crane. Within the container are maintenance supplies and dry storage for feed. Wireless internet services were set up that offer a very good ability to work and communicate with the outside world. There are ten wireless trail cameras inside and outside the fence as well as tree stands and natural lookout points to help shepherds monitor the animals.

The group of 14 caribou in the Central Selkirk caribou maternity pen are comfortable with their shepherd while he fills their feeding trough, 2023. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society.

Fresh, clean water comes from a gravity water system built on a nearby stream. After the initial caribou capture, they are fed their normal diet of lichen and then transitioned to high-nutrition pellets. Twice daily, shepherds use feeding troughs to feed the caribou the high-nutrition diet. There is an additional feeding trough beside a set of scales, which captures periodic weights and allows weight gains to be tracked.

Caribou are very temperature dependent. Prior to the annual caribou capture, large snow piles are put in a gully and covered by cedar mulch to offer the caribou a cool refuge when the temperature rises. In addition, water-misting stations were installed, all designed to keep the temperature in the pen as cool as possible during the warming months after calving and before caribou release in July.

A large community-building task that involves many groups and individuals is lichen collection for use as feed during the pen operation. Elementary, high school, and college school groups, ski clubs, environmental stewardship societies, and individuals collected approximately 250 air-dried kilograms of Alectoria spp. and Bryoria spp. tree lichen that is needed to transition the caribou to pellet feed. Lichen is mostly water by weight, so it takes a very large effort to collect, dry, bag, and store.

The first year

The Central Selkirk maternity pen is located in the Kuskanax Creek drainage near the Nakusp Hot Springs, approximately ten kilometres northeast of the Village of Nakusp. The Nakusp Hot Springs pen site was identified by ALCS using a coarse set of criteria, local knowledge and advice from regional and provincial caribou experts. Pen construction was fully completed in the winter of 2022, just in time for the first caribou capture in March 2022, of eight caribou (seven adult females and one yearling female).

All seven cows were pregnant, and six calves were born between late May and early June 2022; one cow had a still-born calf. Cows and calves were fed, cared for, and monitored by caribou shepherds until the calves were six to eight weeks old. Six caribou calves were released into their natural habitat in late July—five survived the summer and next winter, one being lost to predation. This compares quite favourably to the typical scenario in the past years where zero to perhaps one calf would survive.

Cow and calf No. 1 stand together in the maternity pen feeding area, 2022. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society.

This year’s capture

In March 2023, 14 caribou were captured (10 adults and 4 calves from last year’s surviving calves), including the last remaining cow from the adjoining South Columbia herd near Revelstoke. The cow will be released from the pen with the Central Selkirk herd in July 2023, and should have a better chance of survival being with a herd rather than alone, as well as a much larger chance of future pregnancy. To learn more about the South Columbia herd, visit the Parks Canada website Caribou, Mount Revelstoke National Park: parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/revelstoke/nature/faune-flore-fauna-flora/caribou.

Our caribou team

Capturing caribou is a very time-sensitive and delicate job to reduce stress on the animals. Thirty-seven people helped to capture the caribou using helicopters and wildlife capture experts, and then the caribou were transported the final distance to the maternity pen with three snowmobiles pulling skimmers. Wildlife veterinarians, BC provincial biologists, local volunteers, wildlife capture experts, and ALCS members helped to make the operation run smoothly. Capture planning and operations is weather dependent with respect to visibility, snow conditions, and avalanche hazard.

Moving forward, the ALCS hopes to continue the Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen project to grow this southern mountain caribou population. A five-year trial period will determine if this recovery action is effectively contributing to the population. If successful, it is likely that the ALCS will continue recovery actions until the population reaches a sustainable number. A self-sustaining population is thought to be 150 to 200 animals.

The volunteers, contractors, wildlife capture experts, veterinarians and biologists gathered in March 2023 after capturing 14 caribou for the Central Selkirk caribou maternity pen. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society.

In conjunction with the maternity pen operations, the ALCS has been building partnerships with First Nations in BC and the United States. Some significant support from First Nations includes shepherding at the Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen with the Ɂaq’am community, blessing ceremonies with the Ktunaxa Nation, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, and the Shuswap Band, and building a relationship with the Colville Confederated Tribes (headquartered in Washington state) via their Sinixt (Lakes People) Nation members. A very early and consistent supporter of the project has been the Kalispel Tribe of Indians from Washington state. These partnerships have been integral to the success of the ALCS, and support has increased via funding streams, in-kind support, volunteerism, and public outreach.

Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) has played a key role in ALCS from the beginning by supplying management expertise and seed funding to get the society and maternity pen project off the ground. Part of NACFOR’s operating area was included in the Government Action Regulation order in 2009—approximately 10 percent of its total land base was given over for caribou habitat protection. The community forest mandate is to return economic, social, and environmental benefits from forest operations back to the local area.

Looking forward, the ALCS works to build relationships and to increase community involvement, education, and outreach by sharing caribou maternity penning operational information, photos, and updates on our social media and on the Arrow Lakes Caribou Society website: arrowlakescaribousociety.com. ALCS also regularly participates in public speaker series and presentations and has an annual open house.

The pen fence was constructed by many volunteers and ALCS contractors working in 2020/21. The fence stands 4 metres tall and encloses 6.6 ha of land. Photo: Arrow Lakes Caribou Society.

Based in Nakusp, Skye Cunningham is the communications specialist for the Arrow Lakes Caribou Society where she does the social media updating, website management, community events, and outreach for the society. Skye loves to help the ALCS gain audience and support, create educational resources, and see the cute baby caribou born in the Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen. Hugh Watt is a consulting forester and community forest and woodlot manager. Since 1991 he has lived in Nakusp where, with his wife Sandra, he has raised a family. Along with local and regional groups, he helped found the Arrow Lakes Caribou Society in 2019 to protect the future of the Central Selkirk Caribou herd.

Stories Left Untold: Syilx and Settler Women’s Writing

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:56:02 GMT

The writing and relations between Syilx women and settler women who lived in the Okanagan and Similkameen is the focus of this presentation called “Okanagan Women’s Voices: Syilx and Settler Writing and Relations, 1870s-1960s.”

A collaborative work, this anthology brings together memoirs, newspaper and other essays, poetry, fiction, letters, and storytelling of Syilx and settler women, much of it discovered in local archives and not previously published. It provides a gender-specific perspective on the contact history of this region. Janet discuss how this compilation speaks to the many changes in the way BC history has been studied in recent decades in its inclusion of diverse voices.

Janet MacArthur is one of three editors and contributors to Okanagan Women’s Voices. She has published on Renaissance poetry, women’s literature, autobiography, postcolonial literature, and trauma narratives. At present, she is working on a book about Princeton settler Susan Allison’s unpublished writing. She is an Associate Professor Emerita of English at UBC Okanagan.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 20:05:48 GMT

An excerpt from the Fall 2023 edition of British Columbia History.

Major J.S. Matthews. (City of Vancouver Archives, AM54-S4-: Port P567)

1. A Dream Marches On

Happy 90th anniversary to City of Vancouver Archives. Its collection captures the city’s story through 7.2 million photographs, 6,800 maps, 2,800 audio recordings, documents measured in kilometres and terabytes of digital material.

How did it begin? Major James Skitt Matthews, born in Newtown, Wales, and raised in New Zealand, was appointed the first city archivist in 1933 and brought along his vast personal collection. Matthews had landed in Vancouver as a 20-year-old, in 1898, where he worked for Imperial Oil and, later, operated a tugboat business. Twice wounded during the Great War, he achieved the rank of major, and never gave it up.

Matthews interviewed hundreds of people, including Squamish Chief August Jack Khatsahlano. Fiercely defensive about the collection, Matthews often sparred with mayors and bureaucrats—at one time he took his collection home during a dust-up with the library board. He refused to retire, remaining on the job until age 91. The current archives repository in Vanier Park is named in his honour. BC historian Jean Barman has written: “James Skitt Matthews is arguably the single most important individual in the history of Vancouver. While others generated events, he ensured that a record of their activities would survive.” [1] Visit the City of Vancouver Archives: searcharchives.vancouver.ca.

Community discussions begin on the creation of a South Asian Museum. (Courtesy of South Asian Studies Institute)

2. Seeds Planted

There has been movement on an NDP election promise made three years ago to build a South Asian Museum. Lana Popham, Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Sport, hosted a roundtable of community leaders and stakeholders to discuss creation of the first museum of its kind in Canada.

There were 100 South Asians living in British Columbia in 1901. By the 2021 census, that number had grown to 473,970. They faced systemic and overt racism, including restrictions on immigration and voting rights.

The South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley is part of the working group attempting to develop a collective vision for a museum and commented on the gathering: “The primary focus was for community leaders to share their thoughts on how the Ministry should engage with the community to help establish the next steps in realizing the exciting project of a South Asian Museum.”

Some delegates reject the South Asian label and are concerned it homogenizes distinct ethnic communities. The door is now open to further engagement.

Joanne Plourde welcomes visitors to the Francophone heritage picnic at Portage Park in Langley City. (Mark Forsythe)

3. James McMillan Expedition: 200th anniversary

Next year will mark 200 years since fur trader James McMillan paddled north from Fort Vancouver (at the mouth of the Columbia River) in search of a new location for a Hudson’s Bay Company fort. The Americans were expanding into Oregon and Washington territory, and the HBC could see the writing on the wall. After reaching Mud Bay, the party followed an Indigenous route along the Nicomekl River, portaged to the Salmon River (across what became Langley Prairie) and landed on the shores of the Fraser River. Fort Langley was built three years later, becoming the first permanent non-Indigenous settlement in coastal British Columbia.

The band of adventurers featured a mix of English, Canadiens, Indigenous guides, Métis and Kanaka peoples (Hawaiians). A Francophone heritage picnic has sprouted in recent years where the McMillan party began its portage from the Nicomekl, directly beside historic Michaud House (home to the first Francophone family in Langley). Joanne Plourde and her group, Voyageurs & Co., dress in period costume, belt out Voyageur songs and welcome storytellers from BC and Washington State. It’s a celebration of fur trade history and of new relationships formed with Indigenous peoples. Plans are in the works for further acknowledgement of the 1824 expedition, including by the Surrey Historical Society.

y̓ilmixʷm ki law na Chief Clarence Louie addresses a gathering beside the Okanagan River. He says his band is short some 4,000 acres of original reserve lands. (Courtesy of Aaron Hemens, IndigiNews)

4. Return of Sacred Salmon Site

Hundreds of people gathered beside the Okanagan River as drums and songs honoured the return of a sacred fishing site. The Osoyoos Indian Band says it was denied access when reserve lands were taken back by the provincial and federal governments. The 1913 McKenna-McBride Royal Commission opened the door to reduce the size of reserves. The syilx people had fished here for thousands of years and always regarded the loss of 71 acres as theft; a blockade was launched by syilx Okanagan Nation members back in 1974.

Recently a one-acre parcel came on the market and the Osoyoos Indian Band purchased it. y̓ilmixʷm ki law na Chief Clarence Louie told the gathering, “Land is always more important than money. Always has been and always will be. We don’t like the fact that we have to buy our own land back, but that’s just the way it is.”

Navvy Jack House sits on the West Vancouver waterfront. (Courtesy of West Vancouver Historical Society)

5. Navvy Jack House: Still standing

Scheduled to be demolished by the District of West Vancouver, Navvy Jack house has a second lease on life. A grassroots campaign (that included West Vancouver Historical Society) convinced the District to apply brakes to the plan. Built in about 1874 by a Welshman, John Thomas, the pioneer building is the oldest structure in West Vancouver, and was the location of its first post office. Thomas, a.k.a. Navvy Jack, was a true pioneer who hunted for Cariboo gold and who ran the first ferry service from Ambleside to Vancouver and also a successful gravel business. He married a granddaughter of “Old Chief” Kiapilano and is an ancestor to many Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam families.

Vacant since 2017, the house sits just above the tide line on Argyle Avenue. This spring, the district announced it had located a partner to restore the home and turn it into a café where settler and
Indigenous history can be shared and celebrated. The district will contribute $1 million and a $1.6-million fundraising campaign continues: information about the history of the house is at Save Navvy Jack House, savenavvyjackhouse.com. •

Endnote

1 Jean Barman, foreword to The Man Who Saved Vancouver: Major James Skitt Matthews, by Daphne Sleigh (Surrey, BC: Heritage House, 2008)

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Fall issue of BC History features land, water

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 21:59:24 GMT

The Fall 2023 issue of British Columbia History is guest-edited by Angie Bains, a researcher for the Union of BC Indian Chiefs among other roles. The theme is “This Land.”

Stories inside include:

Kânîsostîkwâw, by Karen Aird;
West Coast Trail: From graveyard to playground of the Pacific, by Keith Akenhead;
N’shaytkin: Those who came before me, by Chris Bose; Walking Forward with the Past: Wetland garden emerges on SKŦAK/Mayne Island, by Jennifer Iredale;
Southern Mountain Caribou Recovery in the Central Kootenay, by Skye Cunningham and Hugh Watt;
Missionary Letters from 1845–1847 Reveal New Historical Insights, by Jim Cooperman; and
Glenn Ryder: One of the world’s great naturalists, by Phil Henderson.

Plus we have contributions from regulars Mark Forsythe, Terry Arnett, and books editor Aimee Greenaway.

Subscribe or order individual issues with our online store.

VIDEO: A Scene from Princeton’s Mining History

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 20:54:31 GMT

In this presentation, Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat tell the story of a coal miners’ strike in Princeton during the Depression. The winter of 1932-33 saw the small town of Princeton divided. Princeton’s few thousand citizens saw much of the human drama of the Great Depression play out right in their own lives over the course of just a few months.

Bartlett and Ruebsaat are on the board of the Princeton and District Museum and Archives Society and have worked as teachers, authors, and professional signers. Together they have released seven CDs and two books focused on the Similkameen valley where they live.

VIDEO: A Scene from Princeton’s Mining History

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:09:51 GMT

In this presentation, Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat tell the story of a coal miners’ strike in Princeton during the Depression. The winter of 1932-33 saw the small town of Princeton divided.

Princeton’s few thousand citizens saw much of the human drama of the Great Depression play out right in their own lives over the course of just a few months.

VIDEO: Shawn Lamb’s certificate of recognition

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 20:53:34 GMT

Anna Irwin, recognition committee chair of the BC Historical Federation, speaks with Deane Harold, brother of the late Shawn Lamb. Shawn was recently recognized for preserving history and heritage though her work at the Nelson Museum and Archives. The award was delivered posthumously.

VIDEO: The Chinese Laundry

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 20:52:14 GMT

Since the first arrival of the Chinese in North America’s Gold Mountain, the institution of the Chinese laundry has been closely tied to the Chinese community. Not so long ago, the phrase “No Tickee, No Laundry” was a not an uncommon phrase used in daily conversation in BC towns and cities. Curiously, neither the Chinese community, museum community, nor academia has shone a light on this elephant in the room.

Elwin Xie’s presentation to the BCHF conference in Princeton last month draws on material within the public domain as well as from his personal fonds, resulting in a dynamic presentation shared from the inside out. A shadow puppet show, and a reading animate the presentation.

Elwin was raised in his family laundry’s business in Vancouver’s Chinatown and Hogan’s Alley during the 1960s. He is the author of Union Laundry—The Story of Harry and May Yuen published in British Columbia History magazine (Winter 2020). Elwin has worked as a museum interpreter at the Burnaby Village Museum since 2008, and he’s a council member with the British Columbia Historical Federation.

“Well-Made Baskets”: Nlaka’pamux basket makers and All Hallows School

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 23:43:36 GMT

This story, which appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of British Columbia History Magazine, was chosen as the recipient of the Anne and Phillip Yandle Best Article Award.

By Jennifer Iredale, [1] in honour and memory of the late Irene Bjerky [2]

From my mother I inherited a beautiful cedar root basket tray, and because I liked it so much my partner started giving me cedar root baskets for my birthdays. But it was when I was doing research in the museum in Yale that I became really interested in cedar root baskets made by Nlaka’pamux women in that region.

There I found a gift form listing artifacts related to All Hallows in the West School. My excitement was piqued by the list of baskets that named the makers. These objects, donated by Aida Freeman, came from the collection of her mother Kathleen Edith (Pearson) Southwell who had been a student at All Hallows in the West. Kathleen had collected the baskets from makers living in the southern interior of BC, near her home in North Bend. [3] This article looks at the history of basket making at All Hallows in the West and explores why it was included in the school’s curriculum.

Mrs. Rose Skuki and her Lytton basket shop, 1941. Photo: Kamloops Museum KMA 7643

All Hallows in the West was a mission school for Indigenous girls founded in Yale, in 1884 by three nuns who came from the Community of All Hallows, in Ditchingham, Norfolk, England. To fund the school for Indigenous girls, the nuns added a “Canadian school” for white girls (Kathleen Pearson was one of the students) and eventually received funding as a residential school from the Canadian government. [4] Until All Hallows school closed in 1920, the nuns taught a dual curriculum—as historian Jean Barman wrote, a “separate and unequal” curriculum—with the Indigenous girls trained for household and domestic service, and the white girls educated for “their anticipated roles as social leaders.” [5]

For a time, the school curriculum for the Indigenous students included cedar root basket making, [6] an art that the Sisters from England so admired that they they submitted “a collection of Indian baskets, the work of Spuzzum and Yale Indian women,” to the Agricultural and Horticultural Exhibition at Agassiz. The baskets won second prize. [7] The Sisters described the baskets as “water-tight, endurable, and ornamental,” and they published an article on the topic in the winter 1901 issue of their quarterly journal.

“All Hallows Mission,” they wrote, “has for many years interested itself in this particular branch of Industry, among the Indian women, and the Sisters have done a great deal to encourage it, not only by purchasing all the well made baskets brought to them for sale…but by suggesting new patterns, shapes and sizes.” [8]

All Hallows was designed along the same lines as the “mother” school in Norfolk, England, established to teach poor English girls skills such as needlework and housekeeping that would allow them to earn a living—and keep them from becoming prostitutes on the streets of London. [9] At All Hallows, the Sisters included basket making in the curriculum because they recognized this skill could provide a source of income for the basket-makers.

The article in the All Hallows in the West Journal noted that “small [baskets] for waste paper, flowers, letters, work etc., range in price from 25 cents to $2 or $3,” [approximately $6 to $75 in 2022] and that “large ones suitable for linen baskets, provisions, wood, etc. are sold for prices varying from $7.50 to $15” [approximately $190 to $380 in 2022]. [10] It then added, “A single large basket very often represents a whole winter’s steady work. When we realize this, the prices asked for them will not appear so very exorbitant.” [11]

Indigenous students in the West School. Photo: Community of All Hallows

Rose Charlie at All Hallows, circa 1886. Photo: Boehm Collection, Community of All Hallows

The article described how the roots were gathered—“dug up with difficulty out of the ground”—and then soaked before being “scraped and split” to make pliable for working. The coiling technique was described: “[E]ach ‘stitch’ so to speak, is laboriously made by drawing the fibre through a hole which has been pierced by a sharp pointed bone instrument, in the preceding row.” The white designs were worked in “a white reedy grass, which only grows near the mouth of the river, and is very costly for the Indians to obtain,” while red patterns were worked “with strips of the inner bark of the wild cherry.” Dark designs were made using naturally dyed wild cherry bark. [12]

Many of these tools and techniques are still in use by basket makers today. I became very curious about the makers of these fine baskets. Which of the All Hallows girls learned this complicated skill? Had any of the women named on the museum’s gift form attended the school? What was their story?

A chance encounter at the Yale First Nation Band office led me to a meeting with researcher and genealogist Irene Bjerky, a descendent of Clara Clare (Kesutetkwu) [13] who had been one of the students at All Hallows School. To get Irene’s attention when I met her one summer afternoon almost twenty years ago, I helped her can dozens of fresh-caught salmon. After the canning was done and the guts and fish scales cleaned up, Irene took me upstairs, where she spread out the longest, largest family tree I have ever seen. She showed me where the names listed on the Yale museum gift form fit in the genealogicaly. The family tree was a “map” of Nlaka’pamux families in the Canyon dating back to pre-contact days.

Irene knew a lot about basketry—her great-grandmother, Clara (Kesutetkwu) had passed down a beautiful collection to her granddaughter, Irene’s mother, Clare, and they both deeply treasured that collection. Irene published her research in First Nations Baskets at the Langley Museum. [14] She also wrote up biographies of three basket makers whose names were on the Yale museum gift form: Rose Charlie, [15] Emma Florence “Kolchasta,” [16] and Annie Campbell. [17] Only Rose Charlie attended All Hallows. Irene’s research identified other basket makers who were also students there.

Susan Paul “Kalalshe” and Chief Paul Xixneʡ of Spuzzum sent their daughters—Mali (Mali McInnes), [18] Annie (Marion Dodd), [19] Rosalie (Rosalie Gutterriez Paul Charlie), [20] Maria, and Sarah—to All Hallows School. The girls had learned basket making from their mother [21] and might also have studied basketry at the school. Their mother, Kalalshe, [22] provided extensive and detailed information on cedar root basketry to anthropologist James Teit who wrote of her: “Mrs. Paul…[is] particularly well informed about her craft and likewise a very excellent technician. Much of the information about the practices of the basket maker was obtained from her.” [23]

A fine basket in the All Hallows archives in England has designs very similar to those found on Susan Paul baskets now at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa. [24]

Top three: baskets created by Anastasia Chapman. Bottom three: baskets created by Annie Charlie. Images courtesy of the Royal BC Museum and Archives (top down: 12785, 13083, 13085; bottom down: 12788, 12789, 12791 A, B.)

The school’s master basket maker and basketry teacher, called Katlea, [25] was described in a 1901 article in the All Hallows Journal as making half a dozen fine baskets each year, “beautifully made, firm, even and of silvery whiteness.” [26] The nuns were so impressed with Katlea’s baskets that when the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York stopped in Yale in 1901, they gave “an Indian basket made of cedar fibre,” to the visiting royalty. [27] Katlea, understandably, had high standards: She once complained to the nuns that her students were too impatient, to which a Sister replied,

“Some allowance must be made, dear Dame Keatlea [sic], for young, inexperienced hands whose finger tips, not yet hardened by the work, get sore and tired, and then fibres are not drawn firmly, and looseness and unevenness are the result.” [28]

In the Langley Centennial Museum is a basket attributed to either All Hallows student Rose Oppenheim (1879–1976) 29 or to her mother, Nukwa, an Nlaka’pamux woman. She was also known as Hannah. At the age of fourteen, she married immigrant Louis Oppenheim and moved from her traditional home in Spuzzum to the colonial town of Yale.

Three of Nukwa’s daughters, including Rose, attended All Hallows, but it’s not known if they studied basketry there or learned it from their mother. [30] We do know the basket at Langley is a very fine coiled cedar root “burden” basket with a bold design imbricated in black and red cherry bark, “well made slowly in the Spuzzum way.” [31] It would have been made for use rather than for tourists to buy. [32]

Clara Clare (known as Clara Dominic at the school) was known as Kesutetkwu in the Nɬeʔkepmxcín language of her people. She is remembered as a fine needleworker and basket maker. When she was eight, her Spuzzum family sent her to All Hallows. She remained there until she was 21, when she left to marry William Frank Clare. [33]

Annie Charlie and Anastasia Chapman in front of Hudson’s Bay Store in Yale, 1883. Photo: City of Vancouver Archives AM54-S4-OUT P836

Clara’s granddaughter, Clare Chrane recalled: “My grandmother was a basketmaker and I remember her sitting with a pail of water with cut roots and her deer bone awl making holes [in the coiled cedar root bundles], then pushing cut roots through the row above. I had many questions but did not ask who taught her. Just imagined it was her mom.” At least one of Clara’s baskets is still in the family. [34]

Rose Skuki was an All Hallows student who later became very well-known as a basket maker. She owned the Lytton Basket Shop. Born about 1878, Rose’s father was settler George Ward, and her mother, Mary of Nohomeen, was Nlaka’pamux. [35] Rose later recalled that, “The priest comes and picks the kids and send them to school. I was 10 when I went to All Hallows School. I liked it. They treat us all right. It’s good.”

Rose was a student in the early years at All Hallows, between about 1888 and 1891. She was sent home after being injured (we don’t know the exact injury she suffered). Rose recalled classmates Clara Clare and “Ruby from Spuzzum and Mali, too, and Annie and Zlita and Eta from Thompson [River] side.” [36]

Rose married Arthur Skuki, who was related to the Nlaka’pamux community in North Bend. In 1911 she and other basket makers travelled to Australia to teach and demonstrate coiled basketry. [37] Again, it is not known if she learned her basketry skills at school or at home, though given the short time she attended All Hallows, the latter seems most likely.

Yet another All Hallows student who became a fine basket maker was Annie Chapman, daughter of notable basket maker Anastasia Chapman. Annie’s granddaughter Marion Dixon told me that Annie was sent to All Hallows in 1902 from her home in Spuzzum and that she had a “wonderful time” in the four years she attended All Hallows. “[A]ll those people, all those girls, the Sisters were so good to us.” [38]

Though Annie may have studied basketry at the school, it is more likely that it was her mother, Anastasia, who taught her. Annie passed on traditional Nlaka’pamux skills, including coiled cedar root basket making to Marion.

“My grandmother had a place in her log house for making baskets. I was six years old when she started teaching me to make baskets.” Marion recalled her grandmother would begin coiling the roots to create the bottom of the basket, then hand her a deer bone awl and the “start” and “we would do it til I got it right.”

Marion said that Annie would uncoil bad work and have her granddaughter begin again if it wasn’t right. [39]

In 1909 the All Hallows Journal published an article called “Making Baskets,” written in the first person but
unattributed. It seems to have been written by one of the Indigenous students.

When we want to make a basket, we find a cedar tree, then we dig for the roots. We don’t dig the roots from the very bottom of the tree, because they are very tough, but we go quite far from the tree and then start to dig, and the roots will be nice and soft. Then we go down to the brook and put them in water, then we scrape the skin off, and split them in half. We make some wide pieces and some skinny ones. When we get the stuff to make the patterns on our baskets, we get it off the wild chokecherry [40] tree. We cut it around and around the branch, and we pull it off, and scrape it with a knife and then it is red and shiny, and if we want it black, we put them in tea leaves, or sometimes we get an old rusty tin and put it in and it gets black. Then we go into the field and get some dry grass, and they are green at the first, and you hang it up to get dry, and when it gets dry it gets white. Then we get a bone out of the deer’s leg, and we sharpen it with an axe for a while, then we take a sharp knife and sharpen it sharp at the end. [41]

Further references to basketry in the journal include a record in the accounts for 1905 for “Sale of Baskets: $10” [approximately $250 in 2022] and an expenditure of $37.20 for the “Basket Industry” [approximately $1,000 in 2022]. [42]

The same year, a student called Agnes won first prize for basket making and another, called “Canada” (a Theresa Canada was registered at the school) won second prize. In addition, there is mention of an “inspection by visitors of the children’s work in basketry.” [43] One of the Sisters wrote that, “Industries of various sorts, flourished gaily even during the severest weather, and though our first baskets were not so even as we hope our later ones may be…yet we hope to do good work some day.” [44]

The establishment of schools like Crofton House in Vancouver led to declining enrollment of settler’s daughters, and that part of All Hallows closed in 1915. The mission school closed in September 1917, and 33 pupils were sent to St. George’s Residential School in Lytton. In 1920, the Sisters returned to England. [45] The school, as well as the Aida Freeman collection of cedar root baskets, is commemorated through artifacts exhibited at the Yale Historic Site. [46]

The Sisters greatly admired Nlaka’pamux basketry and included basket making in the curriculum at All Hallows in the West. Nevertheless, many Indigenous students who later became proficient basket makers [47] learned their skills and designs from their mothers and families. It is chiefly because the coiled cedar root basket making tradition of the Nlaka’pamux people is so notable, even recognized by the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (2018), [48] that it is worth documenting the history of the tradition at All Hallows in the West. •

Jennifer Iredale is a passionate historian with a Mayne Island connection dating to 1958. A graduate of UBC (History) and Columbia University (Heritage Preservation) she was curator for BC’s Provincial Heritage Properties beginning her career at Barkerville Provincial and National Historic Site in the 1970s. She has previously published in the BC Historical News and BC Studies and is editor/author of Enduring Threads: Ecclesiastical Textiles of St. John the Divine Church, Yale, British Columbia (Fraser Heritage Society, 2004). She curated numerous websites on BC history (http://bcheritage.ca/). In 2015 she received a Distinguished Service Award from the BC Museums Association. Thanks and acknowledgement for the information in this article goes to Marie Elliott and her wonderful histories of Mayne Island and to Joanna Weeks, booking agent and self-proclaimed “Hall Hag” and past president of the Mayne Island Agricultural Society.

Endnotes

My deepest thanks to the good friends in the Fraser Canyon who so kindly shared their knowledge of cedar root basketry and Nlaka’pamux genealogy and culture: The late Irene Bjerky, Clare Chrane, Marion Dixon, Cathy Hope and her sister Chris Stephenson, Nita Bobb and Laurianne Rockel, the late Mandy E. Brown, the late Jackie Johnson, and to my friends and colleagues who shared information, conversations, and encouragement— Clare Chrane, John Haugen, Bonnie Campbell, Dr. Andrea Laforet, Dr. Jean Barman, and Dr. Wendy Wickwire. Particular thanks to John Haugen and Dr. Andrea Laforet for their comments and input on this manuscript. Also to Peggy Herring and Sue Safyan for excellent editing. Any errors or omissions are mine alone.
Irene Gail Bjerky, C’eyxkn, passed away at Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster, on December 6, 2021. Irene was of Nlaka’pamux heritage. Irene’s mother was Clare Chrane, daughter of May Algie, who was the daughter of All Hallows student Clara Clare. Clara Clare was the daughter of Amelia York, a notable basket maker. Although Irene earned her living as a boilermaker, active in Boilermakers Union local 359, it is her research and contributions to the preservation and revitalization of Nlaka’pamux basketry and BC history that are her legacy. A descendant of Nlaka’pamux Spuzzum basket makers and a genealogist for Yale and Spuzzum Indigenous families, Irene lived most of her life in and around Yale. She was the organizer, producer, and host extraordinaire of Fraser Canyon Roots, cedar root basketry workshops held in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2011. She is the author of the Langley Centennial Museum’s website on basketry and “Colourful Characters of Historic Yale (Community Stories)”; author of “Clara Clare: Keeper of the Fabric” in Enduring Threads: Ecclesiastical Textiles of St. John the Divine Church, Yale, BC, Canada, ed. Jennifer Iredale (Yale, BC: Fraser Heritage Society, 2004); co-author with Susan Smith-Josephy of Cataline: The Life of BC’s Legendary Packer (Halfmoon Bay, BC: Caitlin Press, 2020); and she features in a Films Media Group documentary The Legend of Cataline (2003). This article was originally conceived to be co-authored with Irene.
Irene Bjerky, “Kathleen Edith Pearson (1887–1975): Basket Collector,” First Nations Baskets at the Langley Centennial Museum, accessed March 20, 2020 (website since removed).
“While the white girls’ schooling would then be financed by pupil fees, that of their Indian counterparts would be supported both by ongoing donations from parishioners in British Columbia and England and by an annual operating subsidy from the federal department of Indian Affairs.” From Jean Barman, “Lost Opportunity: All Hallows School for Indian and White Girls 1884–1920,” BC Historical News 22, no. 2 (Spring 1989): 6–9. doi: 10.14288/1.0190600.
Jean Barman, “Separate and Unequal: Indian and White Girls at All Hallows School, 1884–1920,” in Indian Education in Canada, v. 1, ed. Jean Barman, Yvonne Hébert, and Don McCaskill (Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 1986), 110–127; Barman, “Lost Opportunity,” 7.
“All Hallows was not the only residential school to teach basketry although it may have been the first. In the 1930s Indian Affairs refused to give Raley a grant of $600 for teaching basketry at
Coqualeetza Institute, but at a conference at about the same time he said, ‘At Coqualeetza our drawings of Indian work and art, our basketry [and] weaving have made a start toward this recovery.’ The collection of the Roman Catholic Sisters of St. Ann, now at the RBCM, includes two baskets made in 1933 at St. Mary’s Indian School at Mission by Rose Irene Francis, then nine years old, and Tena August, who was twelve. In the late 1930s, Mandy Brown, born in 1924, taught a small class in basketry at St. George’s in Lytton, where she was also a student at the time.” Andrea Laforet, email message to author, January 16, 2022.
“Indian Baskets,” All Hallows in the West Journal (Christmas-Tide, 1901): 85–86.
“Indian Baskets.”
“Firstly homed at Shipmeadow penitentiary, near Beccles in 1854, and moving to the Ditchingham site in 1859; prostitutes and girls in need of care formed the early primary work of All Hallows Sisters.
Drawn out of the slums of Norwich and other parishes in Norfolk and Suffolk, generations of girls stayed in our House of Mercy for a period of rescue, training and rehabilitation. All the girls were trained in domestic chores, and the stronger more intelligent ones worked in the Laundry.” Sister Violet, “Our History: House of Mercy,” The Community of All Hallows, accessed December 15, 2021, https://www.all-hallows.org/copy-of-our-history.
“Our History.”
“Our History.”
“Our History.”
Irene Bjerky, “Clara Clare: Keeper of the Fabric,” 27–32.
Bjerky, “Introduction,” First Nations Baskets at the Langley Centennial Museum, accessed March 20, 2021 (website since removed).
Irene Bjerky, “Basket Maker Bios: Rosalia Gutterriez Paul Charlie,” First Nations Baskets at the Langley Centennial Museum, accessed March 20, 2021 (website since removed).
Bjerky, “Basket Maker Bios: Emma Florence ‘Kolchasta’,” First Nations Baskets at the Langley Centennial Museum, accessed March 20, 2021 (website since removed).
Bjerky, “Basket Maker Bios: Annie Campbell,” First Nations Baskets at the Langley Centennial Museum, accessed March 20, 2021 (website since removed).
Jennifer Iredale and Mali Quelqueltalko, “The Writings of a Nineteenth-Century Nlaka’pamux Woman,” BC Studies, no. 203 (Autumn 2019).
Andrea Laforet and Annie York, Spuzzum: Fraser Canyon Histories (1808-1939) (Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 1998), 168–69.
Bjerky, “Basket Maker Bios: Rosalia Gutterriez Paul Charlie.”
“Susan was a fine basket maker, and passed her expertise on to her daughters.” Irene Bjerky, “Susan Paul, 1847–1931, ‘Kalalshe’: First Peoples of Yale and Spuzzum: Colourful Characters in Historic Yale,”
Community Stories, Historic Yale Museum, accessed November 4, 2021, https://www.communitystories.ca/v1/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000517&sl=3978&pos=1.
James Teit wrote that, in her later years, Susan Paul was nearly blind and that she was also a strong church supporter. In Herman K. Haeberlin, James A. Teit, and Helen H. Roberts, under the direction
of Franz Boas, Coiled Basketry in British Columbia and Surrounding Region (Washington, DC: US Bureau of American Ethnology, 1928), 462; Laforet and York, Spuzzum, 194.
Susan Kalalshe is informant #25 in Haeberlin, Teit, Roberts, and Boas, Coiled Basketry, 447–48.
Cedar root coiled baskets made by Kalalshe Susan Paul are in the collections of the Yale Museum and the Canadian Museum of History, Ottawa. John Haugen of Lytton provided the information that the Susan Paul basket in the CMH collection is similar in design to the basket in the All Hallows collection in Norfolk, England.
Referred to as Catlea (Quathlye) in Laforet and York, Spuzzum, 99.
“Indian Baskets,” All Hallows in the West Journal (Christmas-Tide, 1901): 84
“A Royal Visit,” All Hallows in the West Journal (Christmas-Tide, 1901): 67.
“All Hallows Indian School,” All Hallows in the West Journal 9, no. 13 (Eastertide, 1909): 19.
Rose Oppenheim’s granddaughter, Bonnie Campbell, is researching Rose’s story and will be publishing it in the near future.
“We do know that Helen, Rose and Dora (Dorothea) were registered at there in 1891, and Rose was there for eight years, Dora for ten.” Irene Bjerky, “Basket Makers Bios: Rose Oppenheim,” First Nations Baskets at the Langley Centennial Museum, accessed March, 3, 2020 (website since removed).
Burden baskets were made to carry everything from berries to firewood. The wearer used a woven strap, called a tumpline, tied to each side of the basket and passed over the top of the head, to carry
the basket on their back.
Bjerky, “Basket Makers Bios: Rose Oppenheim.”
Bjerky, “Clara Clare,” 27–32.
Clare Chrane, email message to author, January 18, 2022.
John Haugen, email message to author,January 14, 2022.
Rose Skuki, interview, Item T0679:0001, in Imbert Orchard, Oral History Interviews, Field Sounds, and Music, Victoria: Royal British Columbia Museum Archives, 196.
“Rose told Harry & Audrey Hawthorn’s Japanese students that she travelled on the Zeelandia (sic) with other BC indigenous people where she says they were to pretend they could not speak English.
These interviews are located at UBC.” John Haugen, email message to author, January 14, 2022.
Marion Dixon, interview with author, September 3, 2018, Hope, BC.
Dixon, interview.
“It is not really wild choke cherry; some informants slip and say ‘choke’ cherry but it is a wild cherry.” John Haugen, email message to author, January 13, 2022.
“Making Baskets,” All Hallows in the West Journal 9, no. 13 (Eastertide, 1909): 25–26.
“Indian School Special Account,” All Hallows in the West Journal 1, no. 3 (Epiphany, 1905): 383.
“Prize List,” All Hallows in the West Journal (Christmas, 1909): 24–25.
“Indian Baskets,” 85–86.
“Fonds: All Hallows School (Yale, BC),” Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, BC, accessed January 6, 2022, https://www.memorybc.ca/all-hallows-school-yale-b-c-fonds; Lara Kozak, “The Rise and Fall of All Hallows School in Yale” (undergraduate paper, University of Victoria, 1996), https://yale.cariboogoldrush.com/tour/allh1.htm; Melanie Delva, “Indian Residential Schools,” Diocese of New Westminster, Anglican Church of Canada, accessed January 6, 2022, https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/diocesan-ministries/indigenous-justice/pages/indian-residential-schools-full-article; Sister Violet, “Our History.”
Baskets made by many of the women documented in this article are in the collections of several museums including the Museum of History (Ottawa), Royal BC Museum (Victoria), Museum of Anthropology (Vancouver), and the Langely Centennial Museum.
Other girls who attended All Hallows and were noted basket makers include: Matilda Bolan (nee Smith); Lavinia Brown (whose mother made baskets); Susannah Dunstan (née Mitchell); and the Walkem sisters, Dorothy Ursaki and Lillian Williams, whose mother made baskets and was a Teit informant. Further research could be done to determine if MaryAnn Graham (née James), Matilda Dunstan (née Peters), or Pauline Youla went to All Hallows, as their families produced a lot of baskets. More investigation is needed into the connection between All Hallows and basket maker Annie Jamieson, a contemporary of Rose Skuki and Annie Lee, who worked with Stanley Higgs to promote basketry with The Bay stores in Vancouver. John Haugen, email message to author, January 16, 2022.
Parks Canada, “Government of Canada recognizes Nlaka’pamux basket-making as an event of national historic significance,” News Release, September 4, 2018, https://www.canada.ca/en/parks-canada/news/2018/08/government-of-canada-recognizes-nlakapamux-basket-making-as-event-of-national-historic-significance.html.

BCHF Certificate of Appreciation presented to Maurice Guibord

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 20:23:38 GMT

Maurice Guibord

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce Vancouver’s Maurice Guibord is a recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation.

Certificates of Appreciation are awarded by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project or long service in the preservation of BC’s history.

Guibord is being recognized for his decade of service to the BCHF board, including as second and first vice-president and convener (and outstanding emcee) of the annual historical writing awards, a role he has held since 2014 but is now stepping down from.

The award was presented at the BCHF’s conference in Princeton on July 22.

“We are grateful for all the time and energy Maurice has given to the BCHF over the past 10 years,” president Rosa Flinton-Brown said. “We will miss his optimism, positivity and camaraderie at the board level. However, to our good fortune, Maurice has promised to stay in close contact with the BCHF and attend our future conferences.”

Outside the BCHF, Guibord is director of the Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique and has been recognized for his invaluable contribution to the research and dissemination of BC’s francophone history and heritage.

He was also a founding director of the Heritage Vancouver Society, has been active with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, and hosts historical walking tours of Lower Mainland neighbourhoods in both French and English.

The BCHF Princeton conference in photos

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 18:46:37 GMT

Whether you attended the BCHF conference last month or not, you can relive the event through our Flickr stream, below. Included are shots from our tours of Granite Creek and Coalmont, the grist mill and gardens at Keremeos, the Hedley museum, the wine and cheese at the Princeton Museum, the gala awards ceremony, presentations by our various speakers, and fun on the porch of conference organizers Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat.

Vancouver Island Local History Society honoured with BCHF Recognition Award

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 20:25:17 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that the Vancouver Island Local History Society is the recipient of a provincial Award of Recognition.

Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to member societies who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.

The Society received this Award of Recognition for preserving Victoria’s Point Ellice House and decolonizing narratives associated with the property, its inhabitants and the land.

The Vancouver Island Local History Society, a member of the BC Historical Federation, took over management of the Point Ellice House heritage site in 2019, just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic began, with a mission to develop and support heritage work that was inclusive, diverse, and representative of communities in the past and present. Their management of Point Ellice House ended in 2023.

As the group states, “We are incredibly proud of the work our staff and volunteers have done to rehabilitate and reinvigorate this special historic site.”

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala on July 22. You can view Dr. Kelly Black’s video acceptance speech below.

Archaeological champion Tom Bown receives BCHF Award of Merit

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 01:51:29 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Tom Bown of Victoria is a recipient of an Award of Merit.

Awards of Merit are awarded to individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the study or promotion of British Columbia History.

Tom is recognized for his longstanding contributions to research and public education within the historic archaeological field in British Columbia.

Tom has long been a champion of historic archaeology and continues this work as a research associate in the Archaeology Department of the Royal BC Museum and as a member of the Archaeology Society of BC. Tom is passionate about the stories that historic archaeological material conveys. Along with Chriss Addams, he published Glass and Pottery Containers of the Royal Navy and British Military: Historic and Archaeological Finds from the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries.

As Tom’s nominator remarked, Tom is “deeply generous with his accrued knowledge and is always willing to share with the public.” Tom has inspired countless people to look at Victoria’s archaeological material in a new way.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala on July 22. While Tom wasn’t able to attend in person, you can view his acceptance video below.

Lytton groups win BCHF Cultural Resource Accessibility Award

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 01:54:27 GMT

John Haugen (Lytton First Nation), Richard Forrest (Lytton Museum & Archives Commission), and Lorna Fandrich (Lytton Chinese History Museum). Photo: Mark Forsythe

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce the Lytton First Nation, Lytton Chinese History Museum and the Lytton Museum and Archives have jointly received the second annual Cultural Resource Accessibility Award. Each lost priceless collections following the devastating fire of 2021.

The Lytton First Nation is recognized for its dedication to rebuild, restore and re-establish artifact collections to maintain Nlaka’pamux cultural traditions and ensure knowledge transfer. The Lytton Chinese History Museum is recognized for its dedication to rebuild, restore and re-establish artifact collections telling the stories of the Lytton and the Interior’s Chinese community. The Lytton Museum and Archives is recognized for its dedication to rebuild, restore and re-establish artifact collections telling the community’s stories in Lytton.

The Cultural Resource Accessibility Award honours excellence in cultural resource management that connects British Columbians with their history and highlights steps being undertaken by communities to improve visibility and access to British Columbia’s cultural resources.

After the 2021 heat dome fire that consumed their village, these three organizations worked tirelessly to rebuild artifact collections — and their communities. Working with conservators, they have been able to
salvage select objects from their organizations. Richard Forrest of the Lytton Museum and Archives was able to save a shared server containing the digital archives of both the Lytton Museum and Archives and the Lytton Chinese History Museum. Artifacts and belongings lost during the fire will live on for researchers interested in Lytton’s rich history through this database and will help reduce the effects of the mass loss of critical cultural and historical materials in the region.

All three organizations are being offered new artifacts to replace those that were lost and are embarking down paths to keep connecting people with the community’s rich history. Each is doing remarkable work rebuilding important collections that speak to the rich history, people and events in one of the provinces oldest communities.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Princeton on July 22.

To view videos of each of the recipients, created by the BCHF in 2021, see: https://www.bchistory.ca/lytton-museums-plan-to-rebuild/

Nisga’a Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole Rematriation Team receives BCHF Award of Merit

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 01:55:43 GMT

Sim’oogit Ni’isjoohl (Chief Earl Stephens) and Noxs Ts’aawit (Dr. Amy Parent) stand with the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole in the National Museum of Scotland on Aug. 22, 2022. (Neil Hanna Photography)

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce that Sigidimnak Nox Ts’aawit Dr. Amy Parent and the Nisga’a Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole Rematriation team are recipients of an Award of Merit.

Awards of Merit are awarded to individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the study or promotion of British Columbia History.

Through their steadfast determination to request the rematriation of the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole to Nisga’a territory without conditions, the team are cutting the path and setting the bar for the return of stolen cultural belongings and ancestors in British Columbia. The pole, belonging to the House of Ni’isjoohl from the Ganda (frog clan) in the Nisga’a Nation, was stolen in 1929 by anthropologist Marius Barbeau and sold to the Royal Scottish Museum (today known as the National Museum of Scotland).

“In Nisga’a culture, we believe that this pole is alive with the spirits of our ancestor,” said Sim’oogit Ni’isjoohl, Chief Earl Stephens. “After nearly 100 years, we are finally able to bring our dear relative home to rest on Nisga’a lands. In means so much for us to have the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole returned to us, so that we can connect our family, nation and our future generations with our living history.”

Together, Sigidimnak Nox Ts’aawit Dr. Amy Parent, and the Nisga’a Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole Rematriation team, requested the pole’s return from the National Museum of Scotland on behalf of the Nisga’a Nation. Navigating differing cultural worldviews, the team successfully collaborated with the Museum to find compromises to longstanding museological protocols and challenged colonial practices which have been used to retain and withhold belongings and ancestors from their communities.

The return of the pole to the Nisga’a People corrects a historic wrong and establishes a frame of reference through which Indigenous communities across British Columbia can find hope: “The repatriation of the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole to our family and Nation brings important legislation, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to life in a powerful way”, Parent added. “We hope that our story inspires our Indigenous relatives around the world to know that the impossible is possible when challenging colonial structures for the repatriation of our stolen cultural treasures. Justice for our ancestors will prevail.”

The rematriation team consists of Sigidimnak Nox Ts’aawit (Dr. Amy Parent), Chief Ni’isjoohl (Chief Earl Stephens), Shawna Mackay from the House of Ni’isjooh, Hlgu Aama Gat (Donald Leeson, Chief Councillor, Laxgalt’sap Village Government), Apdii Laxha (Andrew Robinson, Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government Industry Relations Manager), Mmihlgum Maakskwhl Gakw (Pamela Brown) and Theresa Schober (Curator and Director of the Nisg̱a’a Museum).

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala on July 22.

Rebecca Campbell named W. Kaye Lamb scholarship winner

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 01:57:04 GMT

Rebecca Campbell

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022-23 W. Kaye Lamb Award for Best Student Works.

First prize in the third- and fourth-year category was awarded to Rebecca Campbell for her submission “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in old things”: Women’s ‘Amateur’ History-Making in British Columbia, 1950-1979. Rebecca graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George in April 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in History.

Born and raised in Prince George, Rebecca has focused on British Columbian history throughout her four years of study, including environmental history, energy history, and social history. Her specific interest in the work of amateur women historians in British Columbia stems from her experience working at northern BC memory institutions, the Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum, and the Northern BC Archives.

Rebecca plans to expand her research in this area through oral history and archival research while pursuing a Master’s Degree in History. Rebecca is currently working with the Huble Homestead / Giscome Portage Heritage Society at the Huble Homestead Historic Site.

For the 2022-23 year, a runner-up prize for the third- and fourth-year category was awarded to Carlanna Thompson. Carlanna graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Honours History from the University of the Fraser Valley. She plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in History with a focus on the history of Indigenous peoples in British Columbia. Her life-long love of the sport of lacrosse and her interest in settler-Indigenous relations provided the inspiration for her virtual exhibit project (Re)Indigenizing the Creator’s Game: Settler Colonialism and Lacrosse’s Journey from Eastern Lands to Stó꞉lō Hands.

The awards were presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala on July 22 in Princeton on the traditional and unceded territory of the Upper Similkameen people.

Carlanna Thompson

Jennifer Iredale wins Anne and Phillip Yandle Best Article Award

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 02:02:58 GMT

Jennifer Iredale with her certificate at the BC Historical Federation conference in Princeton.

A story exploring the history of basket making at All Hallows in the West school in Yale has won the BC Historical Federation’s Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award.

Well Made Baskets: Nlaka’pamux Basket Makers and All Hallows School, by Jennifer Iredale, appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of British Columbia History magazine. It was chosen by a panel of judges from among two dozen eligible articles published in the magazine last year.

One judge said the “research and storytelling skills are impressive” while another called it a “fascinating story that brings new history forward. Although nothing can justify residential schools, this is a story that portrays positive relationships — something that is needed today to foster reconciliation. Very well researched and features Indigenous voices.”

The award comes with $250 and a certificate, which were presented to Iredale during the federation’s annual conference in Princeton on Saturday.

“I was so surprised and thrilled to hear that my article was selected,” Iredale said.

“I am deeply honored. Much of the credit for this article goes to my friend and colleague, the late Irene Bjerky, whose research underpinned this article and whose friendship and generous sharing of genealogical and basketry information was – and is – an inspiration towards revitalization and preservation of Nlaka’pamux basketry knowledge and practice.

“Sharing the stories, history and practice of Nlaka’pamux cedar root basket making contributes to revitalizing and keeping this unique heritage alive. I am sure Irene would be as grateful as I am that this article, and through that the basketry tradition, has been recognized and honored with this award!”

Iredale, who makes her home in both Victoria and on Mayne Island, is a past curator for BC’s provincial heritage properties and began her career at Barkerville in the 1970s. She is also the editor/author of Enduring Threads: Ecclesiastical Textiles of St. John the Divine Church, Yale, British Columbia and has curated numerous websites on BC history. In 2015, she received a Distinguished Service Award from the BC Museums Association.

To continue Bjerky’s legacy, the Piyi?wi?x kt/Beeya.wEE.hh kt Language Foundation Society in Lytton, with private donations and a contribution from New Pathways to Gold, has established a cultural fund in her honour and memory to advance basket-making – TseeyA/Ćy̓éh.

An honorable mention was also given to Catherine Clement for her article, Discovering the Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, published in the Winter 2022 edition, which explained the genesis behind her project to collect Chinese immigration forms for an exhibition that opened July 1 at the new Chinese Canadian Museum of BC in Vancouver.

“The layer of personal experience enhances the significance of the paper trail and gives this subject a much more immediate and sharper focus,” one judge remarked.

Philip Yandle was the founder, editor, publisher, printer, binder, and distributor of the BC Historical News (now British Columbia History) from 1968 to 1977. His wife Anne Yandle was also very active in the BC Historical News for almost 40 years and served as the book reviews editor until her death in 2006. The following year, the BC Historical Federation renamed its Best Article Award Award in honour of the Yandles.

Jennifer Irwin (right) receives her award certificate from BCHF awards chair Anna Irwin.

Chinatown Storytelling Centre receives BCHF Storytelling Award

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 01:58:33 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce the Chinatown Storytelling Centre has received the second annual Storytelling Award for its use of new technologies and social media to highlight and share stories of Vancouver’s Chinatown and the Chinese Canadian community.

The Storytelling Award recognizes excellence in storytelling in non-traditional formats. The award is open to organizations, groups and individuals who engage the hearts and minds of visitors while exploring BC’s rich heritage. It seeks to reward those who dream big, push boundaries to innovate and take risks, regardless of organizational size or budget.

The Chinatown Storytelling Centre uses modern technologies and techniques to highlight and showcase previously silenced stories within Chinatown and the Chinese community both past and present. The Storytelling Centre contains artifacts, text panels, and audio-visual vignettes to articulate community and family narratives.

With the use of the internet and other emerging technologies, the Centre continues to evolve with a dizzying array of programming. Events, interviews, panel discussions, guest speakers, and stories are recorded for future generations. The nomination states: “stories previously buried in family heirlooms and photo albums are being brought to life with a new generation of storytellers and curators at the CSC. The organization’s mandate is not simply to shine a light on stories within the community but to help save the community social and cultural infrastructure support.”

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Princeton on July 22.

Shawn Lamb honoured with BCHF Certificate of Appreciation

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 01:59:45 GMT

Shawn Lamb in the archives named for her in 2006. (Nelson Museum and Archives)

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce Nelson’s Shawn Lamb (1938-2021) is a posthumous recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation.

Certificates of Appreciation are awarded by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project or long service in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.

Described as “totally unselfish, talented, generous and caring,” Lamb is honoured for a lifetime of service to the museum sector and for her dedicated work to establish the Nelson Museum Archives and Gallery, formerly Touchstones Nelson Museum. Lamb previously won Nelson’s Citizen of the Year in 1994 and received the Freedom of the City in 2009.

The first archivist and paid staff member of the Nelson Museum, Lamb worked with wholehearted spirit and was a prolific figure in Nelson. She worked tirelessly with the public, community groups and researchers to connect them to their family’s or Nelson’s past and was an active public historian, hosting Turning Back the Clock on Shaw TV (you can watch a clip from an episode below), publishing books and regularly contributing to local newspapers.

She maintained an active role in developing Nelson’s collection and exhibition program, culminating in the creation of the “A Visual Memoir: 25 Years at the Nelson Museum with Shawn Lamb” exhibition in 2009. The exhibit, which commemorated her quarter-century with the organization and coincided with her retirement, highlighted key stories and materials from her career.

Her legacy lives on today through the Shawn Lamb Archives at the Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery, which were dedicated to her in 2006 and through the countless number of individuals she worked with and mentored during her career. Lamb passed away in 2021 at age 83.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Princeton on July 22, where family members were on hand to receive it.

Shawn Lamb is seen on Ward Street in Nelson in 1947. (Nelson Museum and Archives)

A young Shawn Lamb. (Marjory Young album via Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn and Fran Lamb performing at Mount St. Francis extended care hospital on Sept. 9, 1977. (Courtesy Nelson Museum and Archives)

Working on restoring the 1922 Ladybird speedboat at the museum with Ken White, circa 1980s. (Courtesy Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb is seen far right along with Gerald Rotering, Jeremy Addington, David Lawson, and Corky Evans on May 2, 1994 during an exhibit on the closure of David Thompson University Centre. (Courtesy Nelson Museum and Archives)

Working on the Wingin’ It airplane exhibition at Nelson Museum in 1994. From left, Henry Stevenson, Bert Learmonth, Shawn Lamb and Judy Mulloy. (Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb and the propeller from the tug Hosmer outside the Nelson Museum, circa early 2000s. (Nelson Daily News via Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb and Dan Dalgaard, principal at Central Education Centre, gently pick through a 101-year-old time capsule in May 2009. (Chris Shepherd/The Express via Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb in May 2018 during her 80th birthday party at what was then Touchstones Nelson. (Nelson Museum and Archives)

Wilson Duff: Coming Back, A Life wins Lieutenant-Governor’s Award

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 02:04:18 GMT

Robin Fisher receives the Lieutenant Governor’s award for historical writing from former Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon (right) at the BCHF’s conference in Princeton on the traditional and unceded territory of the Upper Similkameen people. Chief Bonnie Jacobsen is at left.

The British Columbia Historical Federation has awarded the 2022 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing to Robin Fisher, author of Wilson Duff: Coming Back, A Life (Harbour Publishing). The 40th annual award was presented Saturday by the former Lieutenant Governor, Judith Guichon, at the BCHF’s conference in Princeton on the traditional and unceded territory of the Upper Similkameen people.

The book explores the life and legacy of the pioneering anthropologist and museologist, who was central to shaping a new understanding of First Nations’ cultures through his work at the Royal BC Museum and University of British Columbia. Wilson Duff’s personal story was also tragic; he suffered from depression and took his own life at age 51.

Historian and academic Robin Fisher (pictured), who lives in Nanaimo, was on hand to receive the award that includes a $2,500 prize, the largest for historical writing in BC, and a medal.

Second place, which comes with a $1,500 prize, went to Sean Carleton for Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia (UBC Press), an examination of how early state schooling in BC taught students the legitimacy of settler capitalism.

Third place, which comes with a $500 prize, went to David Rossiter and Patricia Burke Wood for Unstable Properties: Aboriginal Title and the Claim of British Columbia (UBC Press), a history of Crown attempts to solidify claims to Indigenous territory. Rossiter accepted in person.

The Community History Award, which comes with a $500 prize, went to John Adams for Chinese Victoria: A Long and Difficult Journey (Discover the Past), which explores the lives of the people who shaped Canada’s oldest Chinatown.

Honorable mentions were presented to Incredible Crossings: The History and Art of the Bridges, Tunnels and Inland Ferries That Connect British Columbia (Derek Hayes, Harbour Publishing); So You Girls Remember That: Memories of a Haida Elder (Gaadgas Nora Bellis with Jenny Nelson, Harbour Publishing), and A Social History of South Asians in British Columbia (Satwinder Kaur Bains and Balbir Gurm, South Asian Studies Institute).

The award recipients were chosen by a three-member panel of judges from among books published in 2022 and submitted for the competition.

The conference was the first in-person gathering of the BC Historical Federation since the pandemic began in 2019, and was hosted by the Princeton Museum & Archives. Presentations were wide-ranging: a Depression era coal miners’ strike told through story and song, the little known institution of the Chinese laundry; local settler and Indigenous history; a Trail newspaper; the exploits of Bill Miner in Princeton; how museums must adapt to changing technologies, and more.

All presentations will soon be available on the BCHF’s YouTube channel. The Federation was honoured to visit Princeton. It has been two years since an historic flood destroyed homes, roads, water and gas lines. One third of the community of 3,000 had to be evacuated. Mayor Spencer Coyne described how a 14-foot tidal wave washed through the town when dikes were breached. Recovery efforts continue, and Coyne is urging better emergency coordination between local, regional and provincial governments in the future. He added: “We are the face of climate change.”

The British Columbia Historical Federation encourages interest in the history of British Columbia through research, presentation, and support in its role as an umbrella organization for provincial historical societies. Established in 1922, the Federation currently provides a collective voice for over 100 member societies and 24,000 individuals in the provincial not-for-profit historical sector.

An Inferior Culture or an Inferior Exhibit Policy?

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:00:15 GMT

Ken George peers through the bighouse wall at Q’Puthet Unwinus S’ulsalewh/Elders singing welcome songs they heard as children, at the official opening of the Sway A’ Lana with Bear and Eagle carving by James Johnny Sr. (Snuneymuxw), July 30, 1985. At the ceremony Anderson Tommy, wearing vest, recalled being told by his elders, “You will hear our teachings and songs echo, long after we are gone.” Left to right: Ken George, Kay George (Q’Puthet Unwinus Cultural Co-Ordinator) with Sulsalewh/Elders Eva Thomas, Margaret James, Emily Manson, Anderson Tommy, Mamie Frenchy, Hazel Good. hay ’ul’ ’i’y mut st’ i lums/it was the most beautiful singing! (Composite image created by William A. White)

An excerpt from the Summer 2023 issue of British Columbia History.

By William A. White

In 1998, I wrote a very brief paper that compared and contrasted the very small display case accorded the Coast Salish People at the Royal British Columbia Museum and the display cases of its neighbours, identified as the Nuu-chah-nulth, Ts’msyen, and Haida Peoples. The Coast Salish case used to sit just to the right of the Mungo Martin longhouse [1] in the First Peoples Gallery, after eight or ten major display cases housing Kwakwaka’wakw and Haida materials. Immediately in front of the display case were a number of full-size totem poles and at least five or six display areas dedicated to northern cultures.

The Royal British Columbia Museum sits right in the middle of territories and principal villages of the Central Coast Salish consisting of the Island Hul’q’umi’num’, Northern Straits, Klallam, Nooksack, Upriver Halq’eméylem, Downriver Halq’eméylem, Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw. e territory and people of the Central Coast Salish and the Puget Sound Salish—in fact, those people who established villages and undertook a rich ceremonial life prior to and after the arrival of the Europeans on this very stretch of the coast—seemed non-existent. At least, that was the impression given upon viewing the content of the Salish case and comparing it to its immediate neighbours.

A closer examination of the writings of RBCM officials may reveal why this was the case. Peter Macnair, Alan Hoover, and Kevin Neary described Coast Salish art as conservative, “changing not at all from the point of European contact through to the 1890s when the last significant examples were probably produced.” [2]

It is unfortunate that RBCM offcials were not able to appreciate the significance of the fact that the art form had not changed and unfortunate that this significant cultural institution perpetuated this belief through the use of several ritual pieces. [3]

The anthropologist Wayne Suttles, on the other hand, summarized the social and cultural context of the Hul’q’umi’num’ Sxwayxwey by saying, “The artists who made and assembled these masks and costumes may have drawn from various sources and experimented over the generations to impress and mystify those people who came to the potlatch.” [4] He concluded that “they would be pleased to know that they are still impressing and mystifying.” [5]

In this display, the context, continuity, and antiquity of the art form was clearly lost to offcials from the Royal British Columbia Museum. The exhibit contained approximately sixteen pieces reflective of a very complex ritual and ceremonial world, [6] yet teachers conducting school tours, tourists, and perhaps our own young people would not have any idea of the connectedness of any of the sixteen pieces and would not learn about the complex world of the people who created them.

A child, in particular, would not learn anything about the territory, ancestry, antiquity, or value of the people who produced the pieces displayed in this very small display case. e people, the land in which they operated, the environment available to them, and the various personalities are nowhere to be found within the display case.

Second-class status

The Coast Salish represent the largest cultural group in the province, the group whose homeland is now the most heavily populated. e Coast Salish are also the most conservative on the coast and have retained many of their traditional spiritual activities, unlike their immediate neighbours to the north and south. [9] In fairness, perhaps the stark display represented consistent requests from representatives of the Traditional Coast Salish community to refrain from displaying or discussing sacred objects. If this is the case, the museum curators took the request too far and, in fact, used little imagination with the materials collected and available for display.

I suspect, however, there was much more at work here than respecting the wishes of traditional community members. Immediately preceding the Salish exhibit were display cases for the Nuu-chah-nulth, Ts’msyen, and Haida Peoples. Viewed in the context of their immediate neighbours, the Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish displays were minimal, unimaginative, and stark.

The manner in which both the Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish objects were displayed served as yet one more vehicle that relegates First Nations people/culture/material world to a status less than others.

The major problem, of course, is when a young museum visitor views the simplistic display and contrasts it to other cases in the immediate vicinity. What impression is made when a young Indigenous student from the Coast Salish or Nuu-chah-nulth notes the cultural complexity clearly displayed of other coastal groups, such as the extensive Haida village, [10] or at the other end of the floor, the reproduced Mungo Martin house, or the cave of masks? What happens when a child from any of the fourteen First Nations [11] on Vancouver Island—from Snaw’naw’as in the north to any of the WSÁNEĆ—views the Haida Village, the Mungo Martin bighouse and looks for anything representative of their own people?

What impression does a First Nation student form about their place in the world and, more importantly, about their place in history? The answer is simple and destructive. The exhibit denigrates and assigns the people to a second-class status against Kwakwaka’wakw and Haida art from the Northwest Coast, which has been enshrined in academia as the nest art and the art that is truly representative of the coast even as the museum is surrounded by the ancestral owners who have inhabited this area from time immemorial. These ancestral owners consist of the Esquimalt, Malahat, Pauquachin, Songhees, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum, T’sou-ke, Sc’ianew (Beecher Bay), Stz’uminus, Quw’utsun, Snaw’naw’as, Snuneymuxw, and Penelakut.

Salish Bear Pole in Qualicum, circa 1960, by Hwunumetse’ Simon Charlie (1919–2005) from Cowichan First Nation. Hwunumetse’ Simon Charlie was an internationally renowned master carver, esteemed by Coast Salish artists for his significant role in the revitalization of Coast Salish art. (Photo: City of Vancouver Archives AM1052-: AM1052 P-1944)

In 1944, Alice Ravenhill complimented “the very high standard of perfection” used by Coast Salish artists who produced spindle whorls. She added, “the men did not possess the outstanding skill in the bold sculpturing of wood or in the fine carving of bone, ivory and horn so highly developed among the Haida and Ts’msyen.” [12] The historian Robin Fisher describes the same impression.

“Coast Salish art was quite different from that of the northern coast. In the eyes of many European beholders, it was also less impressive than Haida art.” [13] The manner in which the museum chose to introduce and to label its exhibits further reinforced this unfortunate classification and further inscribed this hierarchy of coastal art, accelerating the academically driven mythical image of “true” Northwest coast art. The label for Nuu-chah-nulth art suggests their “sculpture is easily distinguished” and contains a brief reference to the Tloquana (wolf ritual).

Meanwhile, the Ts’msyen exhibit drew attention to such phenomena as spirit names, frontlets, and further described their sculpture as the “most refined and sensitive of all Northwest coast carving.” In contrast to these two labels, the label introducing the Haida display case discusses their concave orbit, crest figures, and further suggests their at design materials reached an “intellectualized perfection.”

In light of the horrendous period of oppression by both church and state regarding traditional culture and traditional cultural practices—which in effect helped destroy social interactions and material representations of the sacred—the RBCM exhibit continues the process of reminding all British Columbians and especially Coast Salish people that their culture was simple and perhaps even non-existent. In fact, our culture is rich with oral history, vibrant, and on several fronts unchanged even with the arrival of the Europeans to the coast. The Coast Salish as a group, however, like their neighbours to the north and south, is under severe stress.

This work suggested a clear flaw in the way museum professionals receive training about the northwest coast. This is problematic for many reasons. The museum as arbiter of culture does not have a moral or social right to continue the oppression of any culture. The Royal British Columbia Provincial Museum sits in the heart of Coast Salish territory and clearly operates with little understanding of this fact.

The manner in which Coast Salish materials were displayed, and the simplistic language used to label the belongings, served to denigrate the cultural knowledge of the old people, particularly those with traditional training, and served to remind the very young there is little purpose to know anything about their own people, their own past, and—perhaps the most damaging of all—the value of their own old people.

Students may have left the exhibit area believing the Coast Salish did not inhabit the area immediately surrounding the capital city. This would be particularly damaging for young Coast Salish students who have to explain why so little is contained in the museum about their own people. Worse still, museum visitors would learn that the Coast Salish could not build structures or carve images as impressive as those of its immediate neighbours. Without a substantial shift from the academic fascination and categorization of their world and others, impressionable young artists may take on the ethnocentric viewpoint of the Euro-Canadian that leads one to worship the intellectual perfection of Haida forms over Coast Salish artforms.

Traditionally trained Elders continue to reinforce behaviours that provide a sense of belonging, a strong sense of family, a strong sense of responsibility to each other. The Royal British Columbia Museum is a world-class museum that has denigrated Coast Salish Culture and denied their right to announce the future. Significant changes have to be made in the manner the Coast Salish exhibits are planned and implemented, and changes have to be made now.

Endnotes

1. This location information is based on the position of cases in 1998. My overall observations have remained true over time even as the specific position of belongings and cases has been adjusted.

2. Peter L. Macnair, Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary. The Legacy: Continuing Traditions of Canadian Northwest Coast Indian Art. Victoria: British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1980: 39.

3. Wayne Suttles. “The Halkomelem Sxwayxwey” in American Indian Art (Winter 1980): 56 – 65.

4. Suttles, 64.

5. Suttles, 64.

6. Thee sixteen Coast Salish cultural belongings included highly significant belongings used in ritual cleansing, weaving instruments, baskets, and utilitarian items.

7. Pamela Amoss. Coast Salish Spirit Dancing: The Survival of an Ancestral Religion. Seattle: University of Washington Press,1978: 35

8. See “First Nations Traditional Values” Floy C. Pepper and William A. White, 1995. Prepared for “A First Nations Sensitivity Curriculum Review and Recommendations” by Philip Cook, Chair Cross Cultural Portfolio. School of Child and Youth Care, 1996.

9. Barbara S. Lane. “A Comparative and Analytic Study of Some Aspects of Northwest Coast Religion” Unpublished PhD Dissertation, University of Washington, 1953: 1, 6.

10. The Royal British Columbia Museum is surrounded by the ancestral owners who have inhabited this area from time immemorial. These Nations consist of the Esquimalt, Malahat, Pauquachin, Songhees, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum and T’sou-ke.

11. These Nations are the Esquimalt, Malahat, Pauquachin, Songhees, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum, T’sou-ke, Beecher Bay, Chemainus, Cowichan Tribes, Nanoose, Nanaimo and Penelakut.

12. Alice Ravenhill. A Corner Stone of Canadian Culture: An Outline of the Arts and Crafts of the Indian Tribes of British Columbia. Victoria: Occasional Papers of the British Columbia Provincial Museum. Number 5, 1944: 74.

13. Robin Fisher. “The Northwest from the Beginning of Trade with Europeans to the 1880s” in The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. Ed. Bruce G. Trigger and Wilcomb E. Washburn. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press, 1996: 121.

William A. White, B.A. (University of Victoria), is a Cultural Historian, traditionally trained Snuneymuxw Elder, and a cultural teacher. He recently weighed in at the public engagement session in Nanaimo for the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM), a process designed to gather input from across BC to plan the museum’s future. The representation of Coast Salish People in this provincial institution has been on his mind for many years—since the opening of the First Peoples galleries, on January 18, 1977. Since then, millions of people have visited this “world-class” facility, and hundreds of thousands of students have learned about Indigenous Peoples through its displays. White worries about the ongoing and legacy impacts of their teachings about Coast Salish People in terms of their relative worth as Indigenous People on the west coast, and he urges action as new RBCM experiences are created in the coming years.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 20:08:33 GMT

An excerpt from the summer edition of British Columbia History.

MSC130-06634-01 courtesy of the British Columbia Postcards Collection, a digital initiative of Simon Fraser University Library

1. Film Treasure

The steamship slices through the water on its approach to Fintry Estate on Okanagan Lake. Passengers are seen walking near the bow, and the camera soon cuts to a huge piston and flywheel that power a massive paddlewheel. Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp would be right at home in the gears, à la Modern Times. These images are among two minutes of rare 16-millimetre footage of the SS Sicamous during the winter of 1932.

Restored, scanned, and digitized by the Okanagan Archive Trust Society, the original film was donated by a man whose family collection included more than 300 films created by Louis and Rudolph Pop. The Vancouver brothers travelled the province as taxidermists and furriers, always with a camera in tow. They also created dioramas for the Royal BC Museum.

The CPR’s SS Sicamous delivered mail, passengers, and cargo on Okanagan Lake between 1914 and 1936. She now rests on the beach at a marine heritage park in Penticton. The interior has been beautifully restored by the SS Sicamous Marine Heritage Society, which also operates a museum. See the 1932 footage and read more here: https://tinyurl.com/y8nwcnht.

2. Next Great Save

Two BC historic sites are in the money following the National Trust for Canada’s Next Great Save competition. Duncan Train Station (1912), operated by the Cowichan Valley Museum, got the vote out to earn the first prize of $50,000. The money will be used to make the station more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 74 per cent. Plans include storm windows, extra insulation, a heat pump, repairs to siding, and a rebuilt chimney.

There was so much interest in the competition that second and third-prize dollars were later added. Hope Station House (1916), recently destined for demolition and now owned and operated by the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum, earned $5,000 for placing third. This will help kickstart restoration work. Some 8,000 Japanese Canadians disembarked at Hope Station on their way to Second World War internment camps—including 2,644 Japanese Canadians forced into the nearby Tashme internment camp. The second-place prize of $10,000 was awarded to a small Acadian museum, La Vieille Maison at Meteghan, Nova Scotia.

The totem pole carved by Louis Snow is revealed. Photo: Michael Wigle

3. Home Again

An act of healing, a totem pole has been returned to the Nuxalk community at Bella Coola by the Royal BC Museum and is now standing in the foyer of Acwsalcta School. The Nuxalk people say the totem/entrance post was taken without permission in 1913; the museum’s position is that it was purchased. Negotiations and a lawsuit resulted in the totem being lifted by crane through the roof of the Royal BC Museum, boxed up, and transported 1,000 kilometres by truck to Nuxalk territory.

A convoy of cars and pickups ushered the pole back home, to be greeted by 300 people in the school gymnasium and a repatriation ceremony. After a cloth was lifted from the totem, Nuxalk chiefs and then the entire community reached out to touch its surface. Hereditary Chief Yulm Snuxyaltwa, great- grandson of carver Louis Snow, says, “The totem tells us who we are and where we came from.” Next year it will be moved to a village site abandoned during the devastating 1862 smallpox epidemic. It will eventually crumble and return to the rainforest, part of its natural cycle.

Rendering of the Royal BC Museum Collections and Research Building. Image: Government of BC

4. Breaking Ground

The contract has been awarded for construction of the Royal BC Museum Collections and Research Building at Maple Bay, in Colwood. Work on the 15,200–square metre facility is expected to begin this summer, with an opening planned for 2026. The project cost is expected to reach $270 million, up substantially from a 2021 estimate of $170 million.

Last year the BC Historical Federation and Friends of the BC Archives collaborated to consult their members about the proposed facility and services it would provide. Numerous concerns and questions were documented and shared with the museum—transportation issues, improvements in access to digital records/images, and reduced licensing fees for BC Archives materials. Communication has subsequently opened up between BC Archives’ staff and the province’s historical community. BC Archives announced in April that licensing fees have been dropped; reduced processing fees remain.

Grace Dove stars in Bones of Crows. Photo: Farah Nosh, courtesy Ayasew Ooskana Productions

5. Through an Indigenous Lens

It has screened at Canada’s most prestigious film festivals, won audience awards, and travelled to Indigenous communities across BC and beyond. Bones of Crows, written and directed by Métis/Dene director and playwright Marie Clements, is a period drama starring Prince George–raised Grace Dove (Alaska Daily, The Revenant), who portrays Aline Spears, a Cree residential school survivor who becomes a code talker for the Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. (BC child actor Summer Testawich plays Aline as a youngster, and Carla Rae portrays an older Aline).

The multi-generational story was filmed in part at Kamloops Indian Residential School and traces a century of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse and starvation that was experienced by children torn away from families. It explores the triggers that still ripple through generations, but it is also a powerful story of Indigenous resilience.

As the film heads to theatrical release, Marie Clements says, “It’s been amazing to feel the audience reaction to Bones of Crows as almost having its own life force. As a filmmaker you hope that your story will have a life of its own once it is complete but with Bones of Crows I feel it has ignited a dialogue with audiences, and they are not only ready to receive it but need and want to engage in a way that is bigger than we could have imagined.” A five-part series will also air later this fall on CBC and APTN.

Olympic gold medal (left) and Percy Williams (right). Image: olympic.ca

6. Newly Minted

Two of Percy Williams’s gold medals that were stolen from the BC Sports Hall of Fame 43 years ago are back on display in the hall. In a rare move, the Canadian Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee worked together to recast the 1928 medals from their original moulds; Brian and Tracey Mead, who are members of his extended family, then donated them to the museum.

Williams was told by doctors when he was 15 to avoid sports because of acute rheumatic fever. Seven years later he stunned the sprinting world with two upset wins at the Amsterdam Olympics: the 100 and
200-metre races. It caught Games officials off guard—they rushed to find a Canadian flag for the award ceremony.

When Williams returned home to Vancouver, a school holiday had been declared, and there were 25,000 people on hand to greet him. The following year he set a world record of 10.3 seconds in the 100-metre race, and won gold at the 1930 British Empire Games.

“We are very happy to have played a small part in renewing Percy’s story,” said Tracey Mead. “He was a great Canadian athlete, and now his accomplishments will be back on display.” Williams took his own life at age 74 while suffering from depression and arthritis. He remains one of Canada’s greatest Olympic athletes.

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund recipients announced

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 02:05:20 GMT

We are grateful for the generous donations that make this award possible. Because it was the decision of the judges not to award the BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund in 2022, funds gathered last year were disbursed along with donations made to the fund this year.

We would like to introduce the winners of this year’s round of awards:

Barriere and District Heritage Society team, 2023. (Courtesy of the Barriere and District Heritage Society)

BARRIERE & DISTRICT HERITAGE SOCIETY, REMEMBERING THE 2003 MCLURE WILDFIRE ($1,500)

Twenty years after the 2003 McLure wildifre, the Barriere & District Heritage Society will be conducting interviews and gathering photos to create a small travelling exhibit illustrating the fire’s force, its destruction, and its legacies.

Upper Phoenix cemetery gates. (Courtesy of Boundary Historical Society)

BOUNDARY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, GROUND PENETRATING RADAR FOR UPPER PHOENIX CEMETERY ($4,000)

Phoenix Cemetery, near Greenwood, dates from the time the City of Phoenix was a major producer of copper, between the 1890s and 1920. The Boundary Historical Society took over the care of the Phoenix Cemetery in the 1990s. Although the records for the cemetery are lost, research has determined there are approximately 160 graves, most unmarked. This project will enable the society to determine next steps in the care of this place.

Victor Menzies diary detailing daily life, April 1923. (Courtesy of the Pender Island Historical Society)

PENDER ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, VICTOR MENZIES DIARIES: MAKING 50+ YEARS OF ISLAND HISTORY ACCESSIBLE ($5,000)

The Pender Islands Museum holds the Victor Menzies collection that spans over 90 years and includes 33 diaries and related records that detail island life and the interconnectedness of the island community. The digitization and transcription of this valuable and vulnerable resource will ensure its survival and accessibility.

New BCHF board elected

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 18:41:28 GMT

A new BCHF board was elected today by acclamation at the annual general meeting. The new directors are as follows:

Jon Bartlett, Princeton

Jon is a UBC History (honours) graduate, trained under Keith Ralston. In his time, he has been a legal executive, a teacher, an editor, a professional singer, and a historical researcher. Now retired, Jon is the Secretary of the Princeton & District Museum and Archives and the current chair of the BCHF Conference Committee. With his wife, Rika Ruebsaat, Jon has written a couple of books of local history: Dead Horse on the Tulameen and Soviet Princeton, and they have been guest editors of British Columbia History. Jon and Rika have made seven CDs of traditional Canadian song and are the founders and principal organizers of the Princeton Traditional Music Festival.

Teresa Carlson, Chilliwack

Teresa is a graduate of the Cultural Resource Management Program at the University of Victoria and has worked in the heritage sector for over twenty-five years in both BC and Saskatchewan. She has held a variety of positions in museums, and has also served on various boards, most recently as President of the Museums Association of Saskatchewan. Teresa moved home to BC with her husband, Keith, in 2019. She currently works as Curator at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she is collaborating with Stó:lō community members on several projects, including two websites. Teresa is looking forward to reconnecting with the people, history, and heritage of BC through the BCHF.

Chelsea Dunaway, Victoria

Since becoming Acting Associate Registrar of the Royal BC Museum in 2022 and the Acting Senior Registrar in 2023, Chelsea has worked to advance her passion for collections management and conservation. Chelsea completed her PSC in Collections Management from the University of Victoria. She completed her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Victoria with a Major in European History and a Minor in Medieval Studies. As acting secretary for the RBCM Collections Committee she is familiar with Board and executive deliverables. She is passionate about representing and advancing the heritage sector in BC and looks forward to connecting and learning together with the vast network of individuals and organizations associated with the BCHF.

Monica Miller, Maple Ridge

Monica Miller (she/her) is a communications and publishing professional with a Master of Publishing from SFU. She has worked in various roles as a writer, editor, digital marketer, project manager, and designer, and is currently the Marketing and Publicity Coordinator for Heritage House. Monica is also passionate about local history, community building, literary diversity, arts for social change, creative space making, and book arts. Born and raised in Vancouver, she now lives in Maple Ridge, the traditional territory of the Katzie First Nation and Kwantlen First Nation.

Also returning are president Rosa Flinton-Brown (Langley), vice-president Anna Irwin (Victoria), honorary president K. Jane Watt (Fort Langley), past president Shannon Bettles (Williams Lake), treasurer Barbara Kearney-Copan (Burnaby), secretary Kira Westby (Smithers), director Mark Forsythe (Fort Langley), director Aman Johal (Surrey), director Greg Nesteroff (Trail), director Emma Quan (Burnaby), director Ron Verzuh (Victoria), and director Elwin Xie (Vancouver).

A big thanks to outgoing directors Kennedy Neumann (Terrace), Janet Ou (Vancouver), and especially Maurice Guibord (Vancouver), who is stepping down after 12 years on the board. Maurice was also the longtime convenor of the BCHF Historical Writing Awards.

Climate Change & Indigenous Cultural Heritage

Tue, 30 May 2023 00:03:44 GMT

An excerpt from the Spring 2023 issue of British Columbia History.

Councillor George Chaffee of kʷʷikʷəƛ ̓əʷəƛ ̓əm First Nation points out the site of the kʷʷikʷəƛ ̓əʷəƛ ̓əm Historical Cemetery to Heritage Planner Lucas Roque of FPCC. (Courtesy First Nations Peoples’ Cultural Council)

Karen Aird, in conversation with K. Jane Watt

Karen Aird is Manager of Culture and Heritage at First Peoples’ Cultural Council, and we are delighted that she was able to spend time with us to talk about how climate change is impacting, or will impact, Indigenous cultural heritage in BC. The council is a First Nations-governed Crown corporation with a mandate to support the revitalization of First Nations languages, arts, cultures, and heritage in British Columbia. The organization provides funding, resources, and skills development, monitors the status of First Nations languages, develops policy recommendations for First Nations leadership and government, and collaborates with organizations on numerous special projects that raise the profile of arts, languages, cultures, and heritage in BC, Canada, and internationally.

“Indigenous cultural heritage is holistic, meaning it includes physical, emotional, mental, kinship, and spiritual components. It includes both tangible (physical) objects and places, as well as intangible aspects. Each of these concepts is inextricably linked, holding intrinsic value to the well-being of Indigenous people and affecting all generations. All are the belongings of Indigenous Peoples.”

— From the introduction to the FPCC’s Indigenous Heritage Stewardship Toolkit, July 2022. Find it at https://fpcc.ca/resource/heritage-toolkit-introduction.

Jane: Indigenous Cultural Heritage is a fabric of knowledge and identity deeply connected to lands and waters. As this context of place is disturbed under climate change, so too are all these connections. The challenges are immense, both short term and long term. Karen, what is your top priority in terms of action to address what is already being experienced as well as what is expected in the future?
Karen: The top priority is addressing the lack of direct provincial or heritage funding and support for Indigenous people who are dealing with devastating impacts to their cultural heritage places. Funding has been announced by the provincial government—as you’re aware—of almost half a billion dollars to support climate change mitigation. But none of that is to deal with immediate impacts to an Indigenous site or a place, and Indigenous Peoples have nowhere to go to access such funding.

The First Peoples Cultural Council has stepped in. We’ve completed seven pilot projects looking at the impacts on cultural heritage from climate change, and we’ve had one scenario where we had to quickly find funds to support a community whose petrogylphs were being destroyed by flooding due to climate change. Climate change is going to be part of our future, and we have to have the resources and the ability to respond quickly to emergency situations. To me, the number one priority is supporting communities to deal with emergency situations, and then it’s developing long-term, sustainable support and funding for adapting and managing climate change within communities.

Beyond the emergency situation is the other priority of documenting the knowledge of the places and Knowledge Keepers and caretakers that are going to be lost. We need to support Indigenous Peoples as they gather this information, because these landscapes, places, and people are associated with both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

As we know, Indigenous landscapes are being deeply impacted by climate change, and an integral part of landscape is the memory of that landscape. When a landscape is lost or altered, so does the memory associated with it.

Places are changing. They’re changing because of climate change, because of urbanization, and all sorts of development. So those memories are going to change, and if we don’t capture them now, there will be a major loss. These oral histories, knowledge—all of that is part of Indigenous identity and culture—when you remove it, you’re removing a piece of the Indigenous culture and identity from that society.

This work of meeting the challenges of climate change has to be Indigenous-led, and it has to be rooted in health and wellness and connection to land. How you nourish the land is how you nourish the people. Indigenous stewardship, and supporting Indigenous stewardship, is central to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The national, non-profit Indigenous Heritage Circle has been a leader in outlining and explaining this work, and the Indigenous Leadership Initiative is working hard to support community stewardship, especially through its national Guardians program.

The FPCC funded seven climate change pilot projects, and they are all outstanding. They are about understanding climate change differently—understanding how climate change informed the cultural practice

of Elders and ancestors as well as looking at the present and future effects of climate change in different places. These communities had very short time frames to do their work—just four months—and they were working through Covid-19 and had to pivot because of weather and access and infrastructure. I am really proud of their work.

The recommendations that came out of those seven pilot projects, which really need to be our focus now, are understanding, documenting, and protecting Indigenous places and knowledge that are being impacted by climate change.

In November of 2022, we were able to begin some of that work through funding under our Indigenous Stewardship Program and Indigenous Heritage Infrastructure Program. BC First Nation communities can apply for HSP funds for projects specific to understanding and mitigating climate change. HIP funding supports First Nations communities in their work to safeguard and celebrate their heritage. Projects receive funding for two years to conserve structures, cultural and heritage sites, landscapes, and buildings. The project proposals reveal the ways that heritage and culture are intertwined in every part of Indigenous life and speak to the significance of how these spaces are used and shared. This fiscal year, we are excited to share that we are funding 16 HSP and 16 HIP projects across BC.

A snapshot of current FPCC Heritage Infrastructure Projects related to climate change

kʷʷikʷəƛ ̓əʷəƛ ̓əm First Nation George Chaffee, Councillor of kʷʷikʷəƛ ̓əʷəƛ ̓əm First Nation:

The kkʷʷikikʷəƛ ̓əʷəƛ ̓əmm Historical Cemetery Revitalization Project is about healing and putting those who are buried there properly to rest. It is very disrespectful that so many of the gravesites and markers have been lost due to repeated and consistent flooding in the area for decades. The funding provided by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and First Nation Land Management Resources Centre is crucial in our long-term work to create a safer, sacred historical cemetery that allows us to protect, honour, and show respect to those who are buried there. I am very proud to be leading this project and to be giving a voice to our Elders and Ancestors so that their lives are remembered not only for today, but for generations to come.

Boyd Peters, Xwilexmet Director, Sts’ailes First Nation:

We are both relieved and excited to build a heritage facility at our ancestral settlement of Poxwia on the Harrison River. The structure will protect the incredible archaeological history in this place and enable us to continue learning more about it. The space will also allow us to share this history and knowledge with others, creating greater understanding and appreciation for our heritage.

Indigenous Heritage Circle

The IHC is an Indigenous-designed and Indigenous-led organization founded in 2016. We are dedicated to the advancement of cultural heritage priorities that are of importance to Métis, Inuit, and First Nations Peoples in Canada. Working with partners from across the country, we have developed the following definition of Indigenous heritage:

Indigenous Heritage is complex and dynamic. Indigenous Heritage encompasses ideas, experiences, belongings, artistic expressions, practices, knowledge, and places that are valued because they are culturally meaningful and connected to shared memory. Indigenous Heritage cannot be separated from either Indigenous identity or Indigenous life. It can be inherited from ancestors or created by people today as a legacy for future generations.

Its vision statement: “Healthy and vibrant Indigenous communities in which Indigenous Peoples are supported and recognized in their role as the caretakers of Indigenous heritage in all forms.”

This information is from https://indigenousheritage.ca/.

Finalists for Lieutenant Governor’s Awards announced

Wed, 03 May 2023 02:09:19 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation is honoured to announce the finalists for the 2022 Lieutenant Governor’s Historical Writing Awards. They appear below in alphabetical order by author. The specific awards will be announced during the awards gala at the BCHF conference taking place this year in Princeton on July 22.

John Adams – Chinese Victoria: A Long and Difficult Journey (self-published)

Sean Carleton – Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism and the Rise of State Schooling in BC (UBC Press)

Robin Fisher – Wilson Duff: Coming back, a life (Harbour Publishing)

Derek Hayes – Incredible Crossings: The History and Art of the Bridges, Tunnels and Inland Ferries that Connect BC (Harbour Publishing)

Satwinder Kaur Bains and Balbir Gurm, eds, – A Social History of South Asians in BC (South Asian Studies Institute, University of the Fraser Valley)

Gaadgas Nora Bellis & Jenny Nelson – So You Girls Remember That: Memories of a Haida Elder (Harbour Publishing)

David Rossiter & Patricia Burke Wood – Unstable Properties: Aboriginal Title and the Claim of BC, (UBC Press)

We recognize and thank the authors and publishers who submitted the 27 candidate publications for this year’s awards for adding to the compendium of historical writing in British Columbia.

Hälle and Linda Flygare honoured with BCHF Award of Recognition

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 20:21:22 GMT

Hälle and Linda Flygare in Banff National Park.

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Hälle and Linda Flygare of Canmore are recipients of a BC provincial Award of Recognition.

Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.

The Flygares received this Award of Recognition for preserving, documenting and marking the Alexander Mackenzie (Nuxalk-Dakelh Grease) Trail.

Hälle was the original instigator for the preservation of the 350-km long trail from Bella Coola to Quesnel. Between 1975 and 1986, Flygare retraced and photographed the 347 km stretch from the Fraser River to the Friendly Village by the Bella Coola River, while working for Parks Canada, BC Parks and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Flygare has walked the entire 347 km six times with his wife Linda and others, gathering information and photographs about this ancient trail which he compiled into six self-published books in 2021 and 2022.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala on July 22 in Princeton.

Hälle Flygare tells us he is still active in pursuit and protection of the trail:
“The most interesting was my last year rediscovery of the 25-km trail Mackenzie used coming down from the Rainbows guided by Ulkatcho or Nuxalk people. The key was Mackenzie’s ‘Huge Rock’ located by Leslie Kopas in 1985 but missed in 1926 by the famous land surveyor Frank Swannell by not reading Mackenzie’s journals correctly about the ‘Huge Rock.’ This section of the thousand years old grease trail was last used in 1862 with the outbreak of smallpox epidemic but kept open by grizzly and black bears. Dr. Harvey Thommasen from Hagensborg followed last year my mapped route on the Google Earth maps and found Mackenzie’s last trek coming down from the Rainbows and this year located rest of the trail up to Mackenzie’s ‘Huge Rock.’ This is one of the biggest trail finds in BC but no acknowledgement has been made from BC Parks and Trails about my trail discovery.”

Flygare says he would also like to have a 30-km connector trail from Blackwater Road to the Fraser River protected. He flagged it out in 1975. While Mackenzie did not use the trail, he mentioned it in his journals, naming it the “Great Road” and the Blackwater River “West-Road River.” The Caledonia Ramblers have relocated the trail and cleared it, but it has no formal protections. “This connector trail should be included with the Heritage Trail, and we would have a complete 347-km hiking trail from the Fraser to Bella Coola Rivers,” Flygare says. “I suggest this area should be protected as a West Road Canyon Provincial Park, as it has a very beautiful deep canyon.”

Hälle and Linda Flygare in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, hiking the Mackenzie Trail.

VIDEO: The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 20:50:45 GMT

It has been one hundred years since Canada introduced the Chinese Exclusion Act. The legislation locked the doors on immigration, based solely on country of origin. It was a dark chapter that isolated men from their wives and children who were living in China.

The Paper Trail to the Chinese Exclusion Act is a compelling and deeply personal exhibition at the new Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Curated by Catherine Clement, it took four years to gather identity cards and family stories from across the country. The BC Historical Federation’s Mark Forsythe joined Catherine to learn more about the genesis of the project and what it reveals about our shared history. Produced by our video wizard Elwin Xie.

The BCHF view on the closure of Point Ellice House

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 18:37:05 GMT

Image: Point Ellice House seen in a painting by Edward Goodall. (Image msc130-12698_01 courtesy of the British Columbia Postcards Collection, a digital initiative of Simon Fraser University Library)

The Directors of the BC Historical Federation are sad to hear that Point Ellice House in Victoria is closing. Our hearts go out to the staff and volunteers of the Vancouver Island Local History Society, a member of the BCHF. We know they have worked hard through difficult times to find new ways to share stories that challenge and inspire us.

Our members are wearing down. Museums, archives, and cultural institutions across British Columbia continue to be affected by financial and capacity shortfalls stemming from the pandemic and chronic underfunding in the sector. In addition, high costs are stretching budgets precariously thin for many of our member organizations.

We urge governments at all levels – local, provincial, and federal – to support organizations operating cultural and historical institutions to provide sustainable funding for all aspects of operations, from staff wages, to repair and maintenance costs, to supplies for school programming.

The BCHF will continue its advocacy to support the work of our members. Generous support of the dedicated people who continue to collaborate, research, and share the stories of this place is essential to the well-being of communities.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 21:11:33 GMT

An excerpt from the Spring 2023 issue of British Columbia History magazine.

The Hope station in its original location in the 1970s. (Courtesy of Tashme Museum)

1. Saved at the Bell

Just over two years ago, the 1916 Hope Canadian National Railway Station was destined for the wrecker’s ball, until an army of citizens launched a grassroots campaign that resulted in a rescue plan. A stop work order was issued, a Statement of Significance created, and ultimately, the station house was saved.

Japanese Canadians carrying their belongings are loaded into the back of trucks at Hope station house in 1942. (Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre NNMCC, L2021-2-1-002)

The Tashme Historical Society stepped up and negotiated with the District of Hope for almost a year, and now the society is the proud owner of this historic train station. The society operates the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum, southeast of Hope.

In 1942 more than 2,600 Japanese Canadians were interned at Tashme. Men, women, and children forcibly removed from the west coast were loaded into the back of trucks at Hope Station House for the two-hour journey to a rudimentary camp where there was no running water or electricity.

Museum manager Ryan Ellan draws a strong link between the station house and the story of Japanese internment. He told the Hope Standard: “There were nearly 9,000 Japanese-Canadians that got off trains at the Hope Station House…to be transferred to the other internment camps throughout BC. Or off the train, at Hope Station House, to the waiting trucks to make the 14-mile trek to Tashme.”

The Hope Station House will be relocated to 919 Water Avenue to become the town’s visitor information centre and community museum.

Image: Merchant Yip Sang and family members in front of the Wing Sang Company building, 51 East Pender Street. (City of Vancouver Archives AM1108-S4-: CVA 689-52)

2. New Museum inside Chinatown’s Oldest Building

The Chinese Canadian Museum is preparing to open this summer in the Wing Sang Building, in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Built by Yip Sang in 1889, the brick structure tripled in size as his import/export business grew. Yip Sang was the Chinese agent for the CPR who brought in 6,000–7,000 workers. To most people he was the unofficial mayor of Chinatown.

The building was more recently owned by real estate marketer Bob Rennie. A $27.5 million grant from the provincial government and a $7.8 million donation from Rennie allowed the Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC to acquire the restored building. One hundred years after the Chinese Exclusion Act—which halted almost all migration from China—the new museum will honour Chinese Canadian history. Grace Wong, chair of the society, told CBC, “We want to reflect the stories of not only Vancouver but all of BC, and ultimately across the country.”

Image: Keyohwhudachun headdress (Mayoo Kehoh Society and Royal Ontario Museum)

3. Ancestral Headdress Returns Home

A headdress belonging to a Susk’uz family has been repatriated from the Royal Ontario Museum. Made from female human hair, baleen, and seashells, the headdress is physical evidence of governance over territory by the Maiyoo Keyoh, a family grouping on the north shore of Beaver Lake near Fort St James. Following a repatriation ceremony, the headdress is now the focal point of a new exhibit at The Exploration Place, in Prince George.

Keyohwudachun (chief) Petra A’Huille, great-great-granddaughter of George A’Huille, who once wore the headdress, described seeing it for the first time: “I never thought that I would see something like that in my life. Just to touch it … my great-great-grandmothers’ hair—it’s still there after maybe 200 years.”

Murray Sinclair, chair of the Indian and Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission, spoke via a virtual link. “That’s the beginning of reconciliation—stop hiding us from ourselves, hiding away our sense of identity.” He congratulated the Royal Ontario Museum, the BC Museums Association, and The Exploration Place for helping ensure the headdress was returned 140 years after it was taken. His message for the Maiyoo Kehoh: “This will allow you to talk to your young people about a very important part of their connection with the history of your nation.”

More about the exhibit here: https://tinyurl.com/mr3feazw.

Ferry wharf, crowds and automobiles at North Vancouver captured in 1914. (NVMA 2976)

4. You Are Here @ The Shipyards

North Vancouver’s Shipyards District has been transformed over the last dozen years. Wallace Shipyards once employed thousands of people, and the Lower Lonsdale area was a major transportation hub for trains, ferries, and other ships. Over time, the industrial area fell into decline, and the City of North Vancouver spearheaded revitalization plans.

New development includes galleries, restaurants, housing, and open public space; its industrial heritage is preserved through historic docks, buildings, and giant cranes. The Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA) opened in the area (Esplanade West) in 2021 and has launched a new exhibit space with You Are Here @ The Shipyards.

Acting MONOVA director Laurel Lawry says they wanted to introduce themselves to the neighbourhood. “Since time immemorial, this place has served as a gathering place for Indigenous peoples, for those arriving in North Vancouver, and to the commercial and industrial drivers—we see the new, vibrant Shipyards District as a culmination of those experiences and transformations.” Artifacts, oral history, and multimedia displays will share the Shipyards story until the end of 2023. Watch a BC Historical Federation interview about MONOVA here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfz7vck.

Rendering of Salishan Place by the River. (Courtesy Township of Langley)

5. salishan Place by the River

Boxes filled with cherished artifacts have arrived and exhibit development is underway. The new salishan Place cultural centre at Fort Langley is a project of the Township of Langley and the Kwantlen, Katzie, Matsqui, and Semiahmoo First Nations. The three-storey facility incorporates natural materials like Douglas fir and western red cedar and replaces the Langley Centennial Museum built in 1958. salishan Place also marks a new approach to how museums tellstories, and whose stories are shared.

The Coast Salish cedar basket motif on the building’s exterior offers a clue: a weaving together of strands of history from the area’s multiple cultural perspectives. The drum is a prominent design feature, connecting people from around the world. The Township of Langley’s director of Arts, Culture and Community Initiatives, Peter Tulumello, calls it “an all-inclusive, single museum.” Interpretive themes that emerged from community consultations include welcoming, inclusivity, collaboration, reflection, and advancing truth and reconciliation. A soft opening of salishan Place by the River is planned for the end of the summer.

Image: Editor Barbara Price with newly published Mack Laing book. (Submitted photo)

6. 80-Year-Old Memoir Published

Ontario-born artist, photographer, writer, veteran, and noted naturalist Hamilton Mack Laing arrived in the Comox Valley in 1922. It was love at first sight. Laing bought five acres on the shoreline for $750, built a kit home, and cleared land to create Baybrook Nut Farm. Following his wife, Ethel’s, death, he built another home nearby called Shakesides.

Between 1922 and 1944 he wrote a manuscript about their lives and experiences in the Comox Valley, but it was never published. Baybrook: Life’s Best Adventure has now been printed 80 years later by the Comox Archives and Museum Society. Editor Barbara Price says, “It is a great privilege to bring this book to life 80 years after it was written. Mack Laing, an early Canadian naturalist, so wanted this manuscript published. It is a story of love and simplicity and living off the land. His message is as fresh today as when he wrote it.”

Laing died in 1982 at the age of 99; Mack Laing Nature Park remains as part of his legacy.

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Front Words with Mark Forsythe

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 21:15:12 GMT

An excerpt from the Winter 2022-23 edition of British Columbia History.

Bob Hanna (right) with stone sculptor David Weir at unveiling of the Robert Hill Hanna VC statue. Photo: Adam Beck

1. BC War Hero Honoured in Northern Ireland

The son of a Canadian war hero has unveiled a stone statue of his father in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland. Robert Hill Hanna immigrated to BC from County Down in 1905, and at age 27 enlisted with the 29th Battalion in Vancouver. His November 1914 attestation papers describe him as a “lumberman” with fair hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 7-1/2 inches (171 cm) tall. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his efforts at the 1917 Battle of Hill 70 in northern France. With all of his company officers either killed or wounded, Hanna led a party against a fortified machine gun nest under heavy fire. His citation reads, “[H]e rushed through the wire and personally bayoneted three of the enemy and brained the fourth, capturing the position and silencing the machine gun.”

The people of Kilkeel never forgot their native son. A fundraising campaign by the Schomberg Society financed a life-sized statue that now stands in a public square near the heart of this fishing port. His son, Bob Hanna, journeyed with his family to Kilkeel from BC and told the BBC, “It’s unbelievable that an event of 105 years ago is suddenly in the forefront. This is happening to me now.”

2. Google Earth Meets Local History

Google Earth and local archival images make for an engrossing virtual tour of heritage buildings and places in Smithers. Developed by the Bulkley Valley Museum, the tour highlights the traditional territory—the yin tah—of the Wit’suwit’en people. The online viewer selects a building or site from the menu; Google Earth then swiftly zooms to that location, displaying a current image beside archival photos. Relevant information is included for historical context. Find the tour here: https://bvmuseum.org/virtual-exhibits. Research conducted for the virtual tour and downtown history walks are also the basis for a heritage registry project currently underway.

Part of the Bulkley Valley Museum’s Google Earth archival tour. Photo: Bulkley Valley Museum

3. Long Road to Cariboo

Bravo to Richard Wright and Amy Newman, makers of Long Road to Cariboo, which won the Silver Award at the Independent Shorts Awards in Los Angeles and has now been accepted at three other film festivals. Storytelling and song recreate the back-breaking journey into the Cariboo during the gold rush, with special attention to its multicultural participants.

Title image from Long Road to Cariboo. Photo: Winters Quarters Productions

Richard Wright says, “The gold rush story is often told as European (i.e., white) miners coming to a bucolic landscape where ‘one could leave their gold sitting on the boardwalk.’ It was not this lofty image. It was miners from around the world, in particular Europeans, Chinese, South Americans, Mexicans, and, of course, First Nations. We wanted to tell and show the wide range of people who were here through their music.”

Imagine a 600-kilometre journey by foot from Fort Yale to the Cariboo gold fields across a vast and formidable landscape. Eventually the Cariboo Wagon Road provided wheeled passage to those who could afford it. The film traces that trek from the Fraser Canyon’s boiling rapids to the awe-inspiring Chasm wilderness near Clinton and beyond to the gold diggings. Long Road to Cariboo packs a lot of history into 22 minutes and can be seen at https://vimeo.com/726878846 and at “Richard T. Wright Photography–Winter Quarters Productions” on Facebook. Funding was provided by the New Pathways to Gold Society and BC Multiculturalism Branch; most scenes were filmed on the traditional lands of the Secwépemc (Shuswap) people.

Photo: Courtesy the Village of Daajing Giids

4. Rebirth of Ancestral Name: The Village of Queen Charlotte has been officially renamed Daajing Giids

Signs reading “Village of Queen Charlotte” are now fading into history after local council voted unanimously to revert to the ancient Haida name, Daajing Giids, pronounced DAW-jean GEEDS. Village council responded to a request from the Haida Hereditary Chiefs Council and then canvassed its citizens. Mayor Kris Olsen told CBC, “We have embraced our responsibility and come through on the right side of this historic moment.”

Queen Charlotte Islands, Sound, and Village were named after one of Captain George Dixon’s ships when the Royal Navy officer and fur trader visited the area in 1787. (Charlotte was the wife of King George III.) The Islands were renamed Haida Gwaii in 2009 as part of a reconciliation agreement between the province and the Haida Nation. Initiatives to change colonial era names are underway in multiple BC communities.

Crew preparing exterior for painting at the Old Hastings Mill Store Museum. Photo: Mark Forsythe

5. Old Hastings Mill Store Museum Gets TLC

Vancouver’s oldest building is showing its age. Built in 1868, the Old Hastings Mill Store was vital to workers at the adjacent Hastings sawmill for groceries, hardware, mail, and social contact. Originally located at the foot of Dunlevy Avenue at Vancouver Harbour, its entrance faced the water. A $200,000 restoration project includes repairs to the fir siding, window frames and chimney, topped off with a fresh coat of paint in its original white with rusty red accents. Rhino Design, a Vancouver renovation and restoration company, spent about four months working on the building, now located in Hastings Mill Park on Alma Street. The Old Hastings Mill Store Museum is operated by the last surviving chapter of the Native Daughters of BC, which saved the building from demolition in 1930. Donations are eagerly accepted via https://hastingsmillmuseum.ca. Net proceeds from the book Hastings Mill: The Historic Times of a Vancouver Community by Lisa Anne Smith are also being directed toward the project.

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

A Dizzying Array of Paper

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 01:10:28 GMT

C.I.28 1929 (original C.I. issued 1918) Ng You Kong

An excerpt from the Winter 2022 edition of British Columbia History magazine

By Catherine Clement and June Chow

The 1885 Chinese Immigration Act introduced the first Chinese head tax; with it, an elaborate new system of documentation and surveillance was born.

Over the next six decades, a dizzying array of Chinese Immigration (or C.I.) records was created by the government to thwart Chinese in Canada at every turn. Each type of record was assigned a number; those that were designed as identification certificates were colour coded for easy reference. Altogether, some 60 different types of C.I. records were created and in use between 1885 and 1953.

Some C.I.s were innocent enough—simply forms that needed to be completed. For example, the C.I.9 permitted Chinese living in Canada to temporarily leave the country, allowing Chinese men to travel home to China to see their wives and have children.

Conversely, the C.I.18 and C.I.18a was a two-part questionnaire designed to authenticate the relationship between a father already living in Canada and the child he wished to sponsor, ostensibly for an education. School-aged children sponsored by their fathers would be the last allowable category under which Chinese could enter the country prior to the passing of the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. As such, many boys entering Canada did so as “paper sons.” The C.I.18 and C.I.18a questionnaire was designed to catch those engaging in such fraudulent relationships; it often felt like an interrogation to those answering the questions.

Posed separately to father and child, the questions reveal heartbreak, reflecting the long years of family separation, and they foreshadow often strained father-son relationships between strangers being reunited:

“Where does your father live at present?”
“Vancouver, BC.”
“What business is your father engaged in?”
“Laundryman.”
“How long has he been in Canada?”
“I don’t know.”
“When did you last see your father?”
“Three or four years ago.”
“How often has he been back to China since first
coming to Canada?”
“Once only, I know. Three or four years ago.” [1]

The most common and coveted of the C.I. records were the certificates issued to a migrant once they were approved for entry to Canada. The C.I.5 and the C.I.30 were the two main entry certificates. A C.I.5, which by 1912 was a green certificate that included a photo, was issued to labourers and others required to pay the head tax. The brown-coloured C.I.30 was issued to those belonging to a class exempt from its payment, mainly merchants, diplomats, teachers, or clergy, and their family members. The bluish-green C.I.28 certificate and the orange C.I.36 certificate were both replacement certificates. And the C.I.45 was created exclusively to implement the registration requirement of the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.

Regardless of when or where a C.I. was issued, only one original was produced. As valuable as gold, C.I. certificates had real monetary value, given the associated head tax. They could be used as collateral for loans or bought and sold so that another person could come to Gold Mountain. The papers had to be safeguarded. Chinese had to show their papers on demand; many carried their C.I. certificate with them at all times, especially transient labourers. Over the years, some certificates became worn, dog-eared, ripped, and taped back together—a testament to the hard lives of their owners.

These fragile pieces of paper also served as a constant reminder of the unwanted and second-class status of the Chinese in Canada. Not surprisingly, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1947 and Chinese residents were finally allowed to become Canadian citizens, one of the first casualties was the C.I. certificate. Tens of thousands of these documents were destroyed—torn up, burned, or thrown in the garbage—as part of an effort to expunge the memories and humiliation associated with these papers.

Some 600 surviving C.I. certificates and records contributed by families across Canada for the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act will form the largest and most comprehensive collection of such documents available for research, study and public history. The collection will be available at UBC Library, Rare Books and Special Collections, starting July 1, 2023.

Excerpted from C.I.18a of thirteen-year-old Quon Moon Man, Port of Vancouver, BC, May 30, 1923, regarding his father, Quon Loy

June Chow is completing her Master of Archival Studies at the School of Information at the University of British Columbia. Her practice is dedicated to advancing archival preservation, access, and equity issues across Chinese Canadian communities. She is the archivist for “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act,” https://1923-chinese-exclusion.ca/.

Catherine Clement is a community historian, curator, and author based in Vancouver. Her work has focussed on the lesser-known, personal stories of Chinese Canadian history. She is curating a national exhibition called “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act” which will open July 1, 2023, in Vancouver. Learn more at 1923-chinese-exclusion.ca.

C.I.5 August 1923 Quon Song Now (also known as Charlie Quan)

C.I.5 July 1918 Yong Jack Sang

Lee Yick Hong

C.I.30 1914 Mrs. Sam Shee

C.I.36 October 1914 (original C.I.5 issued in 1910) Wong Gut

C.I.45 May 1924 WONG Young Ming (aka James Ming Wong)

N.F.63 June 1947 Jin Hong

New BCHF video: The Story of Vancouver’s Oldest Building

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 20:33:01 GMT

Filmed at Old Hastings Mill Store Museum in Vancouver, author Lisa Anne Smith in conversation with BCHF’s Mark Forsythe, about all things related to Vancouver’s oldest surviving building.

Smith discusses her new book, Hastings Mill: The Historic Times of a Vancouver Community, delving deep into colourful stories of the mill, its eclectic cast of characters, and how an unlikely group of women, the Native Daughters of British Columbia, saved an iconic remnant of Vancouver heritage from demolition. Follow the link HERE.

60 Second Decades

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 20:46:27 GMT

During our 2022 conference, each session began with a minute-long video consisting of historic moments and pictures from the BCHF’s first century. We’re now posting the videos on Facebook. You can also watch them below.

Accessing Residential School Records

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 20:45:22 GMT

Content warning: This video relates to Indian Residential Schools. A reminder that the Indian Residential School Survivors Society has a 24 hour Crisis Line available: 1-866-925-4419.

A research team from Williams Lake First Nation spoke to the recent BCHF conference about how accessing residential school records helps to shape to shape commemorations of school sites and the surrounding communities. The panelists are Genevieve Weber (Royal BC Museum), Charlene Belleau (Williams Lake First Nation), and Whitney Spearing (Williams Lake First Nation)

The Second World War in BC History and Public Memory

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 20:44:13 GMT

Scott Sheffield’s investigations of the academic literature on the Second World War in BC revealed a surprising dearth of literature explicitly exploring the impact of that global conflict on the communities and residents of this province.

Through some concerted searching he was able to glean a number of references and sometimes thoughtful and concerted coverage of the war years across a diverse range of hundreds of works on BC’s history. On the whole though, the story was fragmentary, disconnected, and relatively meagre.

Only a few stories have been incorporated into the broader narrative of BC’s history: the internment, dispossession and expatriation of the Japanese-Canadian population; the economic and industrial boom; women’s enhanced contributions as a result; and the growth in the strength and legitimacy of organized labour.

Beyond these usual touch stones, relatively little evidence that the war occurred in this province has managed to penetrate the scholarly history, public memory or identity of British Columbians. Yet, as he explains in a recent presentation to the BCHF annual conference, the evidence and historical writing that does exist suggests that the Second World War was fundamentally important to the development of modern British Columbia.

R. Scott Sheffield is an associate professor of history at the University of the Fraser Valley who spent the bulk of his career researching Indigenous military service and he is the author of The Red Man’s on the Warpath: The Image of the ‘Indian’ and the Second World War (UBC Press, 2004), and (with Noah Riseman) Indigenous Peoples and the Second World War: The Politics, Experiences and Legacies of War in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (Cambridge U Press, 2019), as well as numerous articles and book chapters.  His current research explores British Columbia’s home front during the Second World War, especially the role of community in shaping British Columbians’ experience of total war. 

BC History: Objects, Collections and Change

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 20:43:22 GMT

Objects have a life within a museum’s collection. That life may be short or long. New objects enter collections and others leave collections as part of the professional process of curatorial stewardship. Today as a society we are re-evaluating our many histories. In this recent talk to the BCHF annual conference, Dr. Lorne Hammond presents examples of how that process works with a museum collection and in exhibits, and show how an object’s meaning can completely change over the centuries, as our interpretations of BC history evolve.

Hammond is a curator in the history department at the Royal British Columbia Museum and Archives.

History as a Tool for Reconciliation

Sun, 26 Jun 2022 20:41:55 GMT

Today Indigenous people are struggling to negotiate treaties with the BC and Canadian governments and in other ways to re-assume meaningful say over their ancestral lands and resources. Likewise, they are seeking to re-establish forms of self-governance that will be recognized and respected within Canada’s federal constitutional traditions.

Indigenous people and non-Indigenous Canadians alike are rightly asking why this process is proving so difficult, and likewise why respectful reconciliatory relations were not established much earlier? The answer to these and related questions require careful historical analysis.

In this recent presentation to the BCHF annual conference Keith Thor Carlson brings ethnohistorical methods and techniques to provide an assessment of settler colonial processes in Canada’s Pacific province. He concludes by outlining the pre-conditions, as he sees them, for building reconciliation between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous Canadian society today.

Thor Carlson is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous and Community-engaged History at the University of the Fraser Valley. He is also the director of the university’s Peace and Reconciliation Centre.

Victoria in 1922: A Re-creation

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 20:41:00 GMT

Victoria became John Adams’ adopted city in 1960. As a new kid who was interested in history, he tried to make up for lost time by exploring far and wide and by talking to neighbours and the parents of his friends. His studies and work eventually took him in numerous other directions but when he returned to Victoria in 1979 to work at the Royal BC Museum, he quickly picked up where he had left off and has never stopped searching for hidden corners and arcane information about BC’s capital city.

What was happening in Victoria 100 years ago when the BC Historical Federation’s predecessor held its inaugural meeting here? John has chosen several disparate themes and have woven them together as a series of vignettes in the locations where they took place. This video was presented at the recent BCHF conference.

John Adams is the owner of Discover the Past, a history company in Victoria. He is a researcher, author, speaker and tour leader. He is a former president of the Victoria Historical Society and the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria. His latest book Chinese Victoria will be released around the time of the conference.

A Photo Taken, A Memory Preserved: The Material Act of Remembering

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 20:39:31 GMT

Nowhere is remembrance more evident than in Victorian funerary rituals, where a range of memento mori and markers of death served to maintain the deceased in the minds of the living. As an educator, Nicole Kilburn has found that tangible learning experiences serve a similar purpose in memory-making.

This presentation to the recent BCHF conference explores the intersection of teaching historical content in tangible, material ways to heighten the act of remembrance and presents a recent example of a partnership with the Royal BC Museum. It also highlights how remembering the past, particularly in the context of death, is a powerful tool when contemplating the same concepts in the present.

Kilburn teaches anthropology at Camosun College in Victoria, British Columbia. She has a background in archaeology, but teaches a wide range of courses, increasingly with a focus on applied learning for student success. Her most recent new course, the Anthropology of Death, considers many topics, including memory making and the creation of ancestors across time and space. She has enjoyed learning from, and partnering with the RBCM to create memorable learning opportunities for students while sharing these important concepts with the public.

A Tale of Two Families: BC’s Intercultural Family Teachings

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 20:37:58 GMT

Due to historical exclusion and colonial record-keeping practices, not many non-Indigenous families from minority groups can trace their family histories back to the gold rush period that began in 1858 in the land we know as British Columbia today.

Two families, one French Canadian and the other Chinese Canadian, however, continue to prosper with rare well-recorded generational continuities from the gold rush era to the present day. The Guichon and the Louie-Seto families have persisted through historic periods of great adversity, including the Great Depression and the Chinese exclusion era, and have built lasting legacies in BC In juxtaposition, their experiences reveal patterns that informed their resilience. Specifically, the families through generations have emphasized education, intercultural community building, and family values of kindness, resonating with our needs during the unsettling time of global pandemic crisis.

This recent presentation to the BCHF conference takes a closer look at the family lessons from these two BC families that sustained them through challenges in BC history. Their demonstrated strength is at the core of shared values for BC’s intercultural community lives.

Dr. Tzu-I Chung is a cultural and social historian, specializing in the study of transnational migration within the context of historical, cultural and economic interactions between North America and Asia-Pacific. As a curator of history at the Royal BC Museum and Archives, she has developed, facilitated, and led cross-sectoral community heritage and legacy projects. Her research has informed numerous exhibitions, curriculum development, and public and academic publications on the topics of anti-racism, cross-cultural community histories, and critical heritage studies. She is currently a member of the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board, and a peer reviewer for academic journals and a juror for public history prizes and grants.

Access to Memory: Reflections on Government Support for Public History

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 20:37:04 GMT

As the director of a non-profit museum, president of the Friends of the BC Archives, and an adjunct professor of BC history, Kelly Black has gained a unique perspective on the highs and lows of practicing public history in British Columbia. In his presentation to the recent BCHF conference, Dr. Black highlights some of his adventures in public history work over the last few years and describe the impact that waning government support is having on access, labour, and understanding about the past.

Black is the executive director at Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens in Victoria. Kelly has more than a decade of experience in heritage, museums, and non-profit management and he received his PhD in Canadian Studies from Carleton University in 2018. Kelly is also an adjunct professor in the Department of History at Vancouver Island University and current president of the Friends of the BC Archives. He lives with his wife and son in the Cowichan Valley.

A New Perspective on the Uprooting and Dispossession of Japanese Canadians

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 20:35:47 GMT

The mistreatment of Japanese Canadians during the 1940s has traditionally been understood in terms of a temporary, wartime internment. Drawing upon the conclusions of a major, national research project, UVIC Professor Jordan Stanger-Ross and Michael Abe argue in this presentation to the recent BCHF conference that the traditional perspective fails to capture the injustice done.

Instead, we should see this history as involving the deliberate and permanent destruction of home and community over the course of a decade. His talk will try to change how you think about the origins, unfolding, and legacies of Canada’s internment era, replacing a story of regrettable political action at a time of war with a history of deliberate harm and widespread accountability.

Stanger-Ross is a professor and the University of Victoria Provost’s Engaged Scholar, 2020-25. He is the director of Landscapes of Injustice, a seven-year multi-sector and community-engaged project to research and tell the history of the forced sale of Japanese-Canadian-owned property during the 1940s.

Michael Abe is a third generation (sansei) Japanese Canadian (Nikkei) and past president of the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society. He was the project manager on Landscapes of Injustice.

Time Travels: Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:34:50 GMT

Collections manager Lisa Uyeda holds a lunchbox that belonged to Donald Masayuki who used it while attending school in Revelstoke where his family was reunited. He later became a dentist in Coquitlam. Photo: Mark Forsythe

By Mark Forsythe

Lisa Uyeda has the archivist’s touch. The Collections Manager at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre is wearing white gloves as she gently places a drawing of a POW camp on a table. The scene includes a barracks, a guard holding a rifle, and a Japanese Canadian prisoner with a large circle on his back.

Drawn and coloured onto a piece of birch bark 80 years ago, it’s now showing its age. The bark has ruptured into two pieces, and scotch tape covers small cracks. Why birch bark? “It was very difficult to have access to paper. It wasn’t until much later in the war that the YMCA started donating paper, pencils and musical instruments,” says Uyeda. The artist is unknown, but the search continues.

The POW camp is thought to be at Angler, located on the northern shore of Lake Superior. It’s also where Uyeda’s great-grandfather, Kamezo Okashimo, was incarcerated in 1942. While Kamezo was behind barbed wire, his wife, Hisayo, and children were interned at the Lemon Creek camp in BC’s Slocan Valley, living in a small, rudimentary shack. They had been rounded up from their Powell Street neighbourhood along with 21,000 other Japanese Canadians living on the coast, then stripped of their rights, goods, and property.

Instructions for pow camp on the left, and names of prisoners at Angler, Ont. including Lisa Uyeda’s great-grandfather, Kamezo Okashimo. Photo: Mark Forsythe

The triptych of camp images drawn on birch bark is thought to have been created at Angler POW camp in Ontario. Nikkei Museum still hopes to learn who drew these compelling images. Photo: Mark Forsythe

Uyeda says this about life in the camp: “Even though they made a lot of friends, they really felt the oppression that they were living under, and the loss. And we kind of still feel that, generations later.” Kamezo Okashimo would not reunite with Hisayo and their children until late The family never returned to BC.

Uyeda is fourth-generation Japanese Canadian and seventh-generation English/Irish; it wasn’t until her late teens and early 20s that she heard stories about the internment of her father’s family. Determined to uncover more about this part of her heritage, she pursued archival studies, completed a UBC master’s degree, and for seven years has worked at the Nikkei National Museum, the largest repository of Japanese Canadian archival materials in Canada.

“Being able to work here and use my archival degree for the benefit of Japanese Canadian history has been rewarding beyond words. I found my grandmother’s school photo in Lemon Creek. I had never seen her at that age before, let alone in an internment camp. Finding my great-grandfather’s name on the POW list—I had no idea. It was life changing.”

Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. The facility is elegant and welcoming, with an emphasis on wood, light, curves, and open space. It is a busy cultural hub, with dozens of community program offerings, exhibit space, a language school, and a summer Nikkei Garden Farmers’ Market.

The breadth of archival holdings is impressive: 43,000 photos and negatives (remarkable, since Japanese Canadians were not allowed to own cameras during the Second World War), films (including Tomojiro Inouye’s home movies that chronicle life before, during and after the Second World War), a reference library, documents, correspondence, and newspaper clippings. (Most material is available digitally online at https://centre.nikkeiplace.org.)

Uyeda reaches for a critical part of the collection—a large fishing boat ledger kept by Kishizo Kimura. He was one of four people on the Japanese Fishing Boat Disposal Committee which illegally sold more than 1,000 Japanese Canadian fishing vessels confiscated by the Canadian Navy.

“We have the original ledger that documents every single boat that was sold and whether or not it was a forced sale, or whether Kimura was able to help proceed with the sale and get consent from the owner,” says Uyeda.

Example from the fishing boat ledger of a forced sale. Valued at $400, it was sold to BC Packers for just $150. Photo: Mark Forsythe

His son offered up a great story: “If his parents were going out for dinner or a friend’s house, and if the kids were going to be home alone with the records, he would actually take them and leave them in trust with his neighbour because Kishizo Kimura knew how important they were.” Today they are invaluable. “Thousands and thousands of people were affected by the forced sale of these vessels. Being able to preserve these records and have them available for family history research or Canadian history research, it’s just a remarkable thing.”

We sometimes forget that Japanese Canadians from BC served Canada with honour during the First World War, and then were later forced into internment camps during the Second World War. By 1945 the British were putting pressure on Canada to enlist able-bodied Japanese Canadians.

Thomas Kunito Shoyama of Kamloops, editor of The New Canadian newspaper, served with the Canadian Army’s S-20 Intelligence Corps. He later distinguished himself as a champion of human rights, helped usher in Medicare in Saskatchewan, served on the Economic Council of Canada, was a federal deputy minister, and eventually helped raise funds to build the Nikkei National Museum. He died in Victoria in 2006. This “enemy alien” would most certainly be proud of what the Nikkei National Museum has achieved: sharing this compelling and essential collection with all Canadians.

Writing Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Protest Letters of the 1940s

Though our journey is a unique one, you might recognize its echoes in today’s headlines. It resonates with continuing stories of dislocation, migration, and struggles to build from fragments an idea of home…Follow the stories of the Japanese Canadian community from Japanese emigration to building communities in Canada, forcible removal from their homes to internment sites, and the legacy of standing up for justice that continues to this day. Japanese Canadians’ letters of protest speak powerfully from the archives about the meaning of citizenship, justice, and equal rights.” — Writing Wrongs website 

Writing Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Protest Letters of the 1940s (https://writingwrongs-parolesperdues.ca) is a Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre online exhibit. It was inspired by a file of approximately 300 letters of protest stored at Library and Archives Canada. These letters were written to the Canadian government by dispossessed citizens of Japanese heritage.

Director and curator Sherri Kajiwara notes that she and her team “worked directly with descendants of the letter writers for much of the video content on the site (at https://bit.ly/3hV33Ia). Researching, contacting, and building relationships with them was an important step in our responsibility to our community and for authenticity of narration.”

While the site is narrative for most of the chapters, the final section, which includes the original letters of protest, is accessible to all viewers as primary source material.

This online project was developed with the support of the Digital Museums Canada investment program. Digital Museums Canada is managed by the Canadian Museum of History, with the financial support of the Government of Canada. Creative visual content and videography was developed by Tabata Productions. NGX Interactive was essential in developing the digital exhibit and provided web hosting support.

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

The Steveston Tennis Club poses with agricultural tools circa 1922. Photo: Nikkei National Museum, Nishihata Family collection, 2010.80.2.10

BC History in Fragments: What Lies Beneath Our Feet

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 20:34:14 GMT

Even the smallest historic object, lost or actively discarded, decades or even centuries ago, has a story to tell. In this presentation to the recent BC Historical Federation conference, Tom Bown gives a brief introduction to the types of historic artifacts that find their way to the historic archaeology collection of the Royal BC Museum. When the written word does not exist, what role do these objects have in telling the history of marginalized populations in BC?

Also, this talk considers some of the challenges of historic archaeology collections, as well as considering how this resource is currently being managed in British Columbia.

Bown is a volunteer research associate in archaeology at the Royal British Columbia Museum. After finishing a BSc at the University of Victoria, he worked several years for the RBCM archaeology section prior to a career with Natural Resources Canada.

He has been involved with numerous archaeological projects over the past 40 years with a specialty of identifying historic archaeological artifacts. Bown is a past president of the Archaeological Society of BC, a member of the Society for Historic Archaeology and an on-call staff member of Millennia Research Ltd.

Certificate of Merit: Bill Wilson

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 02:11:11 GMT

Bill Wilson of Nanaimo was the recipient of a BCHF Certificate of Merit at the federation’s annual gala on June 5.

Wilson is the author of numerous works about soda manufacturers and brewers of British Columbia, including the recent Soda Kings of BC & the Yukon volumes. Actively sharing and inspiring others to take up interest in unknown and unearthed bottles, Bill has carried out “tireless continued research that takes numerous small facts from many sources to weave into coherent stories of early British Columbians.”

His work, the product of almost four decades of diligent digging, has been instrumental in helping heritage-minded citizens and researchers understand their collections.

Certificate of Merit: Kevin Eastwood and Siren Screen Productions

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 02:12:14 GMT

Kevin Eastwood and Siren Screen Productions are the recipients of a BCHF Award of Recognition for British Columbia: An Untold History. The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 4.

This four-part historical documentary highlights the people, forces and events that shaped British Columbia. The series, which focuses upon under-told and untold histories of marginalized British Columbians, weaves together Indigenous, Asian, Black, and European truths to highlight the past.

The series consulted Elders, authors, histories, families and descendants of historical figures to create a pluralistic and wholistic understanding of topics such as labour and persistence, migration and resilience, nature and coexistence and change and resistance.

Award of Recognition: Marlin (Marl) Brown

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 02:13:26 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation announces that Marlin (Marl) Brown of Fort Nelson is a recipient of an Award of Recognition. The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 4.

History and Marl Brown went hand in hand. The founder of the Fort Nelson Historical Society in 1977, Marl was a pillar as the first and only curator of the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum until his passing in 2021.

“Marlin [was] the first one at the museum in the morning and the last one to leave at night. The museum, and everything in it is his passion: his life’s work. […] Because of him, the museum will be enjoyed by future generations for many years to come.”

You can watch a short video about him below created by Destination British Columbia.

Explaining Settlers to Ourselves wins Anne and Phillip Yandle Best Article Award

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 02:14:35 GMT

A story about efforts to rethink a Victoria heritage site’s story has won the Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award from the BC Historical Federation.

Explaning Settlers to Ourselves: Rethinking interpretive narratives at heritage sites by Kelly Black was published in the Spring 2021 edition of British Columbia History magazine.

Image; Kelly Black

Black is the executive director of Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens in Victoria and an adjunct professor in the department of history at Vancouver Island University.

His article looks at how previous interpretation of the historic site failed to mention owner Peter O’Reilly’s 18 years as Indian Reserve commissioner and focused instead on the romantic aspects of Victorian-era life. In recent years, the non-profit society that cares for Point Ellis House has reassessed and reimagined the site.

Thirty-five articles published in British Columbia History in 2021 were eligible for the prize, which includes $250 and a certificate. A panel of judges chose the winning article.

One judge called the story “a very readable, well-written, well-argued, eye-opening investigation into how historical sites in BC (and other regions) have omitted open narratives about colonization, and how one site is working to change that.

“It advances big-picture knowledge of BC history by encouraging all of us to think critically about how history is presented to us (or not presented to us), both as historical consumers and historical stewards.”

“I am grateful to the BCHF and adjudication committee for this recognition,” Black says. “It’s more important than ever to revisit our historical narratives in BC and it was a pleasure to write about this for BC History magazine, a leading source for engagement with the past.”

The award was announced Saturday at the BCHF’s annual conference, co-hosted by the Victoria Historical Society and held virtually. Black was also a speaker at the conference.

An honorable mention was also presented to Robert Ratcliffe Taylor for his article, Emily Carr, Cartoonist, which appeared in the winter 2021 issue and looked a little-known aspect of the artist’s work and reproduced a number of her editorial cartoons that appeared in a Victoria journal in 1905.

Philip Yandle was the editor, publisher, and distributor of the former BC Historical News from 1968 to 1977 and his wife Anne was also very active in the magazine and was the longtime book review editor.

Lydia Kinasewich named W. Kaye Lamb scholarship recipient

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 02:16:13 GMT

This year’s recipient of the W. Kaye Lamb $1,000 scholarship from the BCHF is Lydia Kinasewich of UNBC (pictured) for her paper called “From Health Resort to Pleasure Resort: Re-Constructing Harrison Hot Springs as a Tourist Destination, 1920-30.” This was in the third and fourth year category.

Kinasewich says she wanted to examine how health beliefs shaped tourism, “and the attempts to create a pleasure resort at Harrison Hot Spring provided an excellent opportunity to consider how health and tourism converged in early 20th century British Columbia.”

Kinasweich is working on an honors history thesis under the supervision of Dr. Ben Bradley on how food production and distribution was regulated in early-20th century BC, specifically looking at federal and provincial legislation of the province’s dairy industry.

The scholarship announcement was made at the BCHF conference gala on June 4. The W. Kaye Lamb scholarships are presented for student works relating to the history of British Columbia. The work can be on any topic related to the history of BC and must be created by a student for a course taken at a university or college.

The judges decided not to award a prize this year in the first and second year category.

Laila Axén wins Cultural Resource Accessibility Award

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 02:17:26 GMT

Laila Axén is the inaugural winner of the BCHF Cultural Resource Accessibility Award, presented at the federation’s annual gala on June 4. This award honours excellence in cultural resource management work which aims to help connect British Columbians with their history and comes with a $500 prize.

Axén founded the Swedish Heritage in British Columbia Museum and Archives with “nothing but two empty hands” in 2017. Noticing a lack of archival and museological organizations dedicated specifically to Swedish heritage, she took it upon herself to prevent photographs, objects and cultural materials from being tossed into the landfill.

She started from scratch, recruiting volunteers and board members while locating space for the new organization while purchasing digital cataloguing software, scanners and more to make the holdings publicly available. Today, Axén, now in her 80s, is returning to school to learn about archival practices to ensure ongoing preservation and improved access to British Columbia’s Swedish-related materials into the future.

The BCHF also presented two honourable mentions in this category.

As more and more initiatives were taken online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vancouver Island Local History Society who operate Point Ellice House Museum, did not shy away from the opportunity to try something new to keep their visitors connected with cultural resources. The society undertook many new projects, including a series of YouTube videos and the transcription of documents related to the O’Reilly family to allow for improved legibility and remote access.

Partnering with graduate students from the Public History program at the University of Victoria, museum staff undertook the digitization and online exhibition of Point Ellice’s calling card collection, providing new resources and biographies for researchers to delve into the social life of the O’Reilly family. The society provided the acceptance video below.

The British Columbia Regional Digitized History project of the University of BC Okanagan and many partner organizations supports digital public access to unique and under-utilized holdings found in collections throughout British Columbian communities.

Originally started five years ago as the Digitized Okanagan History, the project helps “tackle the challenges of digitization on a regional basis across many different repositories” and includes over 43,000 photographs, 22,000 newspaper issues and hundreds of oral histories. Today, 44 partnering organizations across the Okanagan and Kootenay-Columbia areas have joined with plans to expand into the Thompson Nicola region.

BCHF presents Advocacy Award to Naxaxalhts’i and Dr. Keith Thor Carlson

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 02:18:43 GMT

The BCHF has presented its inaugural Advocacy Award to Dr. Albert “Sonny” McHalsie (Naxaxalhts’i) and Dr. Keith Thor Carlson, who are synonymous with Truth and Reconciliation in the Fraser Valley.

The announcement was made at the federation’s annual gala on June 4.

Authors of multiple publications over 30 years, Sonny and Keith work in tandem with Stó:lō communities, Elders and Knowledge Keepers to uncover and share the past about the Peoples and lands of S’óhl Téméxw. Their many publications and teaching resources are valued by scholars, teachers and the public and their work has resulted in the strengthening of resettler/Indigenous relations regionally.

The BCHF also presented an honorable mention in this category to Tara-Lynn Kozma-Perrin (pictured), a fierce advocate for fulfillment of the recommendations of the TRC and UNDRIP through her continuous work to bring educational opportunities and opportunities for inclusion and connectedness into the City of Abbotsford.

Along with her mother Tery Kozma, Tara-Lynn co-founded the annual Aboriginal Arts and Culture Day, an event which brings Abbotsfordians together to celebrate First Nations, Metis and Inuit culture. A cross-cultural learning and engagement event, the event allows visitors to learn about the past of our Indigenous Peoples, the present and how we can work towards the future together.

Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre wins BCHF Storytelling Award

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 02:19:57 GMT

The BC Historical Federation recognized the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre in Burnaby with its first annual Storytelling Award at the federation’s annual gala on June 5.

The award is for the online exhibit Writing Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Protest Letters of the 1940s, which brings together and interprets a significant collection of Japanese Canadian letters written in protest of the dispossession and dispersal of the Japanese Canadian community from the West Coast during the Second World War.

Interspersed with videos and other digital media, the exhibition takes a unique perspective by presenting descendants of original protest letter writers reading letters written by their ancestors, many of whom were unaware of the existence of the letters. The exhibition contains a searchable database of primary source documents in addition to containing diverse voices to share personal perspectives throughout the four-part narrative.

The BCHF also presented an honorable mention in this category.

The Maple Ridge Family History Group of the Maple Ridge Historical Society has worked ceaselessly over the past two years to prepare its new online and travelling community history, On the River: The
Fishing Industry in Maple Ridge.

Produced entirely by volunteer senior researchers who mentored new researchers throughout the development of the project, the history merges teamwork and community spirit with a love of genealogical records, census data, and more, to weave together the evolution of the fishing sector in Maple Ridge between the 1890s and the 1920s.

“Family history is essential storytelling, and the Maple Ridge Family History Group exemplifies the blending of local and family history practice,” the nominator wrote.

Possessing Meares Island wins Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 02:22:23 GMT

A book that links early maritime history, Indigenous land rights, and modern environmental advocacy in the Clayoquot Sound region has won the 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing, as presented by the British Columbia Historical Federation at its annual conference on Saturday. The award comes with a cash prize of $2,500.

Possessing Meares Island: A Historian’s Journey into the Past of Clayoquot Sound is by Barry Gough and published by Harbour Publishing. Centred on Meares Island, near Tofino on Vancouver Island’s west coast, Possessing Meares Island connects 18th century Indigenous-colonial trade relations to more recent historical upheavals and bridges the cap between centuries to describe how the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council drew on a complicated history of ownership to invoke their legal claim to the land and defend it from clear cutting.

Gough is a past president of the BC Historical Federation and won the same award in 1984 for Gunboat Frontier: British Maritime Authority and Northwest Coast Indians, 1846-1890. He becomes the second person, with Richard Sommerset Mackie, to win the award twice.

Second prize, worth $1,500, went to Joseph William McKay: A Metis Business Leader in Colonial British Columbia, by Greg Fraser (Heritage House). The book looks at the accomplishments and contradictions of the man best known as Nanaimo’s founder and one of the most successful Metis men to rise through the ranks of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the late 19th century.

Third prize, worth $500, went to A Journey Back to Nature: A History of Strathcona Provincial Park by Catherine Marie Gilbert (Heritage House). This book looks at the century-long effort to define, access, preserve, develop, and exploit the uniquely beautiful area of rugged wilderness now known as Strathcona Provincial Park on Central Vancouver Island.

The Community History Book Award, worth $500, went to Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin by Marion McKinnon Crook (Heritage House). In this memoir, the author recounts arriving in Williams Lake in 1963 at age 22 to work as a public health nurse, relying on her academic knowledge, common sense, and government-issued Chevy to provide health care to rural communities of the region.

Honorable mentions were presented to Craigdarroch Castle in 21 Treasures, by Moira Dann (TouchWood Editions); Becoming Vancouver: A History, by Daniel Francis (Harbour Publishing); and Pinkerton’s and the Hunt for Simon Gunanoot, by Geoff Mynett (Caitlin Press).

The award recipients were chosen by a three-member panel of judges from 24 books published in 2021 and submitted for the competition.

In Conversation with Barry Gough: Possessing Meares Island

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 20:49:34 GMT

British Columbia History magazine’s Aimee Greenaway interviewed Dr. Barry Gough, award-winning author of Possessing Meares Island: A Historian’s Journey Through the Past of Clayoquot Sound in June 2022. The recording is available on BCHF’s YouTube Channel.

How did the book come to be and who are some of the significant people in Clayoquot Sound’s history? Possessing Meares Island was the winner of the 2022 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing. The book was published by Harbour Publishing and can be purchased from the publisher, or where books are sold.

Time Travels: Okanagan Historical Society

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 01:39:30 GMT

By Mark Forsythe

Seeing the tree beneath Its baptism of snow, the twigs
Seem dark, and the bark feels
Cold to your hands, but inside she
Pulses with the urgency of green.

From the 36th Annual Report of the Okanagan Historical Society (1972) written by Donna Lezard of SnPink’tn (Penticton Indian Band) which represents one of the seven communities of the Okanagan Nation

A legacy of storytelling. This year marks the centennial of the British Columbia Historical Federation and we’re excited to salute the work of member organizations like the Okanagan Historical Society (OHS). The OHS has generated thousands of stories about the region’s people, events, and landscapes in 85 Annual Reports—each a book unto itself.

This remarkable tradition began with the Society’s formation in 1925. In the following year, president Leonard Norris noted, “A start at least has been made at the work of drawing aside the veil which hangs over the past history of our valley.”

The Report encompasses three watersheds: Okanagan, Shuswap, and Similkameen. Branches are
rooted in Salmon Arm, Armstrong-Enderby, Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton, Oliver-Osoyoos, and Similkameen, with each contributing to the Annual Report. In the early years, road travel in the region was an ordeal, so the publication connected and communicated with members across this vast area. As the province began to open up for travel, the OHS was also keen to share its story with the rest of BC.

Jessie Ann Gamble of Armstrong is a past president of the Society. She says the first priority continues to be publishing Okanagan history. “Our readers like to support the recording of local history and feel the written word has a longer shelf life than Facebook.”

Historian and former O’Keefe Ranch curator Ken Mather is the current editor. “My mission is to assemble the entire gamut of articles, from family histories to scholarly studies. I’ve also tried to include natural history articles; after all, the society started out as the Okanagan Historical and Natural History Society. I am committed to including cultural diversity, from Indigenous People to newcomers.”

Ken is in distinguished company. In 1935 Margaret Ormsby was one year away from her PhD in history when she became editor of the Sixth Annual Report, the first of nine that she guided. Ormsby later authored the definitive British Columbia: A History, was president of the British Columbia Historical Federation for a dozen years, and broke new ground for women at McMaster University and the University of British Columbia. BC’s most famous professional historian felt most at home back in the Okanagan; in retirement, she returned to the family house beside Kalamalka Lake to write more local history.

The Reports have been consistently eclectic over the decades. The Second Report (1927) featured an account of the first marriage at Okanagan Mission, the “Rise and Fall of Rock Creek,” and “Indian Picture Writing.” Leap ahead to the 67th Report (2003) to read about mysterious “airship” sightings reported in 1896, a student essay on mixed marriages, and a lament for rodeo legend Kenny McLean who died sitting on his horse. The page count on this issue clocks in at 244.

Wendy Wickwire, professor emerita in the Department of History at University of Victoria, scoured the Annual Reports for information about Similkameen elder and storyteller Harry Robinson. She eventually published three award-winning volumes of his oral stories. “I consider those Annual Reports to be among BC’s richest archival treasures. There is nothing I have enjoyed more over the years than leafing through the reports, year by year, because each time I’ve done this I’ve found golden nuggets. They offer such rich first-hand accounts of life in the Okanagan in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.”

Jessie Ann Gamble is proud of their publishing record and scope. “We have always tried to include marginalized groups of any kind, but in recent years the editors have worked hard to include Indigenous stories and writers.”

Editor Ken Mather says this collaboration has a long history. “Most of the early ranchers in the Okanagan/Similkameen married Indigenous wives and, through the 1870s, mixed families were the norm. When the OHS was formed, offspring of these families were involved in the organization and contributed Indigenous content.”

In addition to producing the Annual Report, the OHS branches are fully engaged with other projects:
overseeing the Pandosy Mission lease (Kelowna’s first European settlement); the annual student essay contest; supporting historic trails; a presence in the abandoned gold-rush town of Fairview; and working with the UBC Okanagan campus on digitizing the Annual Reports. The Okanagan is fortunate to have these collaborative and enduring storytellers.

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation Members.

Explore this surprising array of Okanagan stories, written by the people who live there at this link: www.okanaganhistoricalsociety.org. Digital copies of back issues are available through UBCO’s British Columbia Regional Digitized History: https://tinyurl.com/yckteuvv

Being an activist historian

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 20:58:00 GMT

Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra at the opening of We Are Hockey, an exhibit at the Sikh Heritage Museum National Historic Site, Gur Sikh Temple, 2019. Photo: South Asian Studies Institute Collection

An excerpt from the Spring 2022 issue of British Columbia History.

By Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra

Iam a 37-year-old PhD candidate in the department of history at UBC, and a sessional faculty member in the department of history at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), which means I’m in a contract-based, impermanent, and precarious teaching position. I am co-chair of the Race and Antiracism Network at UFV and coordinator of the South Asian Studies Institute at UFV.

I am also mother to a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old. I share these identities with you because they shape the kind of person, historian, and educator I am. I call myself an activist historian because I am shaping the future for my sons so they don’t have to experience the same hurdles I have been through and continue to see around me, including not seeing themselves reflected in the study of history. I refuse to let my boys be educated in a world where they don’t see themselves in the content of history.

I am honoured to be writing this piece for BC History magazine as the BC Historical Federation celebrates its centenary. BC History doesn’t work through performative gestures but through meaningful engagement with BC’s varied histories in all their complexities, diversities, equities, and creativities. In this important year for the publication, they are actively engaging with the theme of activism and the changing face of the discipline of history.

I therefore begin by acknowledging that I am writing from the unceded, ancestral, and ongoing territories of the Sto:lo peoples, the people of the river. Lately we have seen that settler-colonial infrastructures—that is, the farms—are struggling to revert to their original form—a lake—through the sheer force of Mother Earth.

I speak, of course, about the flooding of the Sumas area in the Fraser Valley, where I have lived for more than 30 years. I see this event as a reminder that we need to listen to Indigenous methodologies and practices as well as to calls to action from land defenders in this climate emergency.

I am here to share my journey over the past few years and provide you with some insight and motivation to become an activist historian yourself. I want to tell you about the challenges those
of us who identify as racialized historians face and to recentre activism as a worthwhile practice. I’ve seen the word “activism” used to mean something to be feared or co-opted by privileged white people.

When I use the word “white,” as a woman of colour, I mean it as a purposeful reminder that we need to break down systems of white supremacy within the discipline of history. I am aware that simply by virtue of who I am, my use of the word “white” is hyper-politicized.

But this isn’t meant to make you feel guilt or shame; it’s a call to action for you to be a part of the dismantling of white supremacy. Your response to the word can tell you how ready you may be to heed the call. My use of the word “white” is informed by the understanding that Black and Indigenous scholars and activists have been fighting systems of colonial white supremacy for centuries.

The racist foundations of history

To understand what it means to be an activist historian is to first question the very foundations of the discipline. The project of colonialism around the world—including in Canada, in BC—was justified through what is called “scientific racism.” The term has been defined as “a history of pseudoscientific methods ‘proving’ white biological superiority and flawed social studies used to show ‘inherent’ racial characteristics [that] still influence society today.” [1]

Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra was a co-author of Challenging Racist “British Columbia” — 150 Years and Counting

The discipline of history, in other words, is not innocent in terms of how it chooses to cite certain scholars but completely relegate others to the margins. The discipline is implicated in the drawing of the “color line,” as pointed out by the brilliant Black thinker W.E.B. Du Bois. [2]

The term “was originally used as a reference to the racial segregation that existed in the United States after the abolition of slavery. An article by Frederick Douglass that was titled “The Color Line” was published in the North American Review in 1881. The phrase gained fame after Du Bois’s repeated use of it in his 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk.

Becoming an activist historian

To be an activist historian is, in part, to teach the histories of enslaved and colonized people as central to the discipline. I have come to understand this is why, during one of my PhD committee meetings, I reflected on scholars such as Aime Cesaire (and many others) and wondered, “Why do they speak to me in ways that I have not been spoken to throughout my previous historical training?” The response from one of my committee members was, “Sharn, it’s because they don’t speak in the language
of the colonizer.”

To be an activist historian is to understand the systems that Black, Indigenous, and racialized scholars are trying to alter and to resist the discipline that puts Hegel on a pedestal. To teach against the grain of colonialism, empire, and violence is an act of resistance.

When I began my PhD in the Department of History at UBC in 2014, I was the first Sikh woman to pursue a PhD in that department. Today, as I reach the end of my studies, I reflect on how my entire outlook has transformed. I came out of my first year traumatized because I felt like I did not belong in that department.

But over the years, after reading racialized historians and theories based on critical race theory, I began to understand why I resisted so much that first year. To holistically teach the racist foundations of the history is to (hopefully) prevent other students from experiencing the trauma I faced. Having activist historians lead the way will create and move the discipline forward.

Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra presenting an exhibition for the South Asian Studies Institute. Photo: South Asian Studies Institute Collection

Activism in the margins

Activism is on a spectrum that includes street protests as well as pushing back against racist faculty, racist policies, and the coded daily language of racism. It includes writing, teaching, and choosing to centre racialized histories, historians, and scholars. Activism includes moving aside to cede space to racialized colleagues and coworkers rather than constantly co-opting the space to centre your own white power.

To become an activist in history means to study the history of those who are not included within the system and the institution. It means seeing what is taking place around you and attaching those threads of history to your class lectures and how you teach the students. All of this is possible. I do it. And I love it.

To be an activist historian also means to find a place within the margins. The concept of the margins as a powerful space for acts of resistance was coined by the brilliant scholar bell hooks (she spelled her name in lowercase letters), and I wish to end this article by quoting from her, as she passed away in December 2021 but continues to inspire so many of us. She wrote the following:

I am located in the margin. I make a definite distinction between that marginality which is imposed by oppressive structures and that marginality one chooses as site of resistance—as location of radical openness and possibility. This site of resistance is continually formed in that segregated culture of opposition that is our critical response to domination.

We come to this space through suffering and pain, through struggle. We know struggle to be that which is difficult, challenging, hard and we know struggle to be that which pleasures, delights, and fulfills desire. We are transformed, individually, collectively, as we make radical creative space which affirms and sustains our subjectivity, which gives us a new location from which to articulate our sense of the world. [9]

Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at UBC, a sessional instructor in history at the University of the Fraser Valley, a co-curator at the Sikh Heritage Museum, National Historic Site, Gur Sikh Temple, and the coordinator of the South Asian Studies Institute at UFV. She is also mother to two sons.

Endnotes

1. “Scientific Racism,” Confronting Anti-Black Racism, Harvard Library, https://library.harvard.edu/confronting-anti-black-racism/scientific-racism
2. W.E.B Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk Essays and Sketches (Chicago, Ill: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1903).
3. bell hooks, “Choosing the margin as a space of radical openness,” Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media 36 (1989), 23.

There’s More to Read

If you wish to read more writing by activist historians, here is a list of authors and titles to explore:

Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Silencing the Past, Power and Production of History (Boston: Beacon Press, 2015)
Aime Cesaire, Discourse on Colonialism (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2000)
CLR James, The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution (New York: Random House, 1963)
Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999)
Nell Irvine Painter, The History of White People (New York: W.W. Norton, 2010)
Trinh T. Minh-Ha, Women, Native, Other (Indiana University Press: 1989)
W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (London: Penguin Classics, 1996)
Franz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (New York : Grove Press, 1963)
bell hooks, “Marginality as a Site of Resistance,” Yearning: Race, Gender and Cultural Politics (Boston, MA: South End Press, 1990)
Sara Ahmad, The Cultural Politics of Emotion (London: Routledge, 2004)
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Decolonizing the Mind (London: James Currey Ltd, 1986)

Remembering the 2003 BCHF conference

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 19:32:59 GMT

Tom Lymbery, a former BCHF council member from Gray Creek on Kootenay Lake, reminisces on the 2003 BC Historical Federation conference in Prince George. This story originally appeared in the East Shore Mainstreet.

In 2003 Terry Turner and Susan Hulland’s East Shore history, Impressions of the Past, placed second for the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing in the BC Historical Federation competition. I went with them to the BCHF conference in Prince George where the award would be presented.

We were accommodated at the student residences at the new University of Northern BC. It was some distance from the city, so we were fortunate to be driving to be able to access other events and meals. We met a woman from Nanaimo, the site of the next year’s conference, and took her to breakfast at Tim Hortons – which was a first for Susan.

Terry and Susan’s award was presented by BC Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnolo, to which they gave a very good response at the impressive banquet.

As the conference always runs for three days, we settled in on the first day. The next day we were taken by chartered Greyhound bus to see the historic St. Pius X Catholic Church in the Lheidli T’enneh community of Shelley, northeast of Prince George. The church was built in 1913, likely by the Oblates, a missionary order originally from France.

Image: “St. Nicholas” is one of several exquisite stained glass windows from the historic St. Pius Catholic Church on the Shelley reserve of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation northeast of Prince George. (Photo: Kent Sedgwick, Northern BC Archives, UNBC Accn. 2012.13)

A First Nations man met us there and explained the problems they were having to maintain the church and protect it from vandals. The church was built with beautiful stained glass windows from the French region of Alsace Lorraine. A few years after our visit the windows were removed to Exploration Place in Prince George for safekeeping until the church could be restored.

The afternoon Greyhound trip went up the north side of the Fraser River where many sawmills once operated but were now closed and consolidated in Prince George. Our young charter driver had ingeniously put “New York City” on the bus destination sign, and stopped at a restaurant named Paradise. Terry took a photo of the amusing scene. This community might soon be gone – we saw sawmill buildings in the background, but they were no longer in use.

We drove further on, intending to cross the last remaining combination rail-and-highway bridge in BC to take us to Penny, another sawmill place now barely hanging on. But as there was a work crew on the bridge, our driver turned the bus around on the highway (quite a feat) and returned us to Prince George.

On the next day, Sunday, we had an option of driving to Fort St James, and this we were eager to do. One of the advantages of BCHF conferences is the opportunity to visit places you might never get to otherwise. We were taken by a different company’s charter bus, and stopped for a break at Vanderhoof, which claims the distinction of being the geographical centre of BC.

Fort St. James National Historic Site on the shore of Stuart Lake is the earliest HBC trading post this far west. It was built back in 1806 by Simon Fraser of the North West Company to trade with the local Carrier (Lheidli T’enneh) First Nation. For much of the post’s 150 year lifespan it was the Hudson’s Bay Company’s headquarters for what is now mainland BC.

The fort was opened especially for our group, and served us the traditional beans and bannock fare for lunch. The great-granddaughter of Chief HBC Factor Sir James Douglas spoke to our group, and explained how she traced her Black ancestry back to Sir James Douglas’ mother who was Creole, and her Metis ancestry to his wife Amelia.

As Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, Sir James enabled hundreds of Black Americans to settle in the colony, and publicly denounced the practice of slavery. He signed treaties and established reserves for some of the First Nations on Vancouver Island, but his successors such as Joseph Trutch didn’t carry through on these.

After visiting another church with stained glass windows from France, I suggested to our bus driver that some of us would like to see the Russ Baker Memorial at Fort St. James, named for Frank Russell Baker, one of the first bush pilots in the region. After World War II, Baker’s small local airline helped to give Pacific Western Airlines its start. Other fabled bush pilots included Sheldon Luck, who Millie and Geoff Noden in Riondel rated as their favourite pilot. (Geoff, a long time Cominco employee, had been flown in to many isolated mines.)

I had inadvertently mentioned to our driver that our Greyhound driver had turned his bus around on the highway. So he drove us toward where he thought the memorial was, but not being as skilled a driver, he somehow got the coach stuck on some rocks when he attempted to turn the bus around. However he managed to get the bus free and returned us safely to Prince George.

Driving home we took Highway 16 through McBride, past the spectacular Mount Robson, then down the Icefields Parkway to end a super trip.

Image: A chartered Greyhound bus with “New York City” on its destination sign arrives at the Paradise restaurant, next to a sawmill that was soon to close, northeast of Prince George in 2003. (Photo courtesy Terry Turner)

Time Travels: Life after fire in Lytton

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 21:01:59 GMT

Devastation at the core of Lytton. Photo: Mark Forsythe

By Mark Forsythe

“NO STOPPING NEXT 3 kms.” I pay heed to a stark yellow sign on the road that bisects the remains of Lytton, catching glimpses of blackened foundations, burned-out vehicles, and solitary chimneys as I drive slowly past a lightly screened fence. Rain has tamped down the acrid smell of ash and chemicals. It comes eight weeks too late. The town has no hospital. No homes or businesses. No life.

A fire driven by intense winds and a record-breaking heat wave roared through Lytton on June 30, 2021, as citizens scrambled for their lives. In just 20 minutes the historic village was gone, and two people were killed.

No stopping is permitted on the road bisecting what was once downtown Lytton. Photo: Mark Forsythe

BCHM: What’s going through your mind just over two months after the fire?

Lorna: I’m glad I left the museum early that day because I was working in the basement, and I don’t think I would have known until the building was on fire. That actually happened next door…They were in the house and didn’t know it was occurring until their wall was on fire. That’s how fierce and fast it was. If it had been in the night, I think we would have lost a lot of people. [Her two sons lost their homes, and her daughter’s business burned to the ground.]

Mostly it makes me sad … particularly where people gave me things like their mother’s Chinese skirt. I’m planning to rebuild, getting support, and have put out a call for artifacts. I’m most frustrated with how slowly things go after a fire; I’m still waiting to see if anything is salvageable. It won’t be the same, but I’m hoping to create a museum that’s as valuable. Having the database allows me to still have a research centre.

Richard: One hundred and fifty years of history was lost. If the fossils are gone, it’s 125 million years of history. It’s very disappointing that things are taking so long, and people want to help now. We hope that they’ll want to help six months or a year from now when we can actually get stuff done. The village insurance will cover rebuilding the building, but if we can find things, we do have the database. Everything will have to be restored to some extent, and that’s an expensive and long process on its own. We’re kind of looking towards that as where we really need help. [Richard worked at the destroyed St. Bartholomew hospital and alerted staff to the fire. There were also museum artifacts on display there.]

John: June 30 changed everything that we knew from the day before. I was acting Chief that day and asked Roger James to send out a robotext to evacuate, and he was able to get that message out to our members. That system was put in place just prior to COVID, so we’re glad we had that. I did get to go to my home and was able to retrieve just two baskets [not his own] and my passport. That was it. The fire had started to come into my kitchen. Our family collection was huge because my mother had baskets from our own family, from her sisters and sisters-in-law. There’s a really strong tradition and connection to basketry and the artwork that goes into them, a labour of love.

John Haugen (Lytton First Nation), Richard Forrest (Lytton Museum & Archives Commission), and Lorna Fandrich (Lytton Chinese History Museum) gather at the Kumsheen Rafting Resort. They all plan to rebuild. Photo: Mark Forsythe

BCHM: Why is it important to rebuild?

John: We need to know why we’re here. We need to know who the people are, what they’ve done. If you don’t preserve, then the town just disappears off the face of the earth. If we don’t, then all we’ll have is a brand-new town.

Lorna: I’m still passionate about getting out the story about the Chinese in Lytton. I don’t want to be one of the businesses that scrams! For me, that took some thought. When I built the first building, I was 64; by the time I get [the next] one built, I’ll be 71. I think we’ll take a chance and see where it evolves.

John: The Indigenous story has been here for over 10,000 years—it’s been said that Lytton is one of the longest continuously inhabited places in North America. When early people came here, they said the Nlaka’pamux people were like ants on an anthill. We are so connected to this land we would feel displaced if we went anywhere else. I really know we’ll come back strong in our Nation here.

BCHM: What will it take to rebuild?

Lorna: There was a Chinese railway camp here at Kumsheen, and after some of the cabins burned down, the guys were raking up all the nails and found some small pieces of pottery. Now those six little pieces mean a lot to me. Some things will reappear that way. The Chinese Canadian Historical Society has done a fundraiser to be shared equally between myself and the Lytton First Nation. Clinton Museum did a fundraiser for my museum and the village museum. Blake MacKenzie from the Gold Trails & Ghost Towns [Facebook] group did a fundraiser for both of us. Chinatown Storytelling Centre are hoping to raise $10,000 for the building.

John: We have to start by trying to get a digital record of the baskets because nothing at the Lytton Band survived. Nothing. A teacher who worked here in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and now lives in Calgary reached out to me two days after the fire; she has baskets and wants to drop them off. We don’t have many buildings left. What we do have we want to use to help young people stay connected to what was important to our past and what we bring forward into the future.

Richard: Once the building is there, the real aim is to make sure we can do more modern displays and digitize a lot of things. There are some metal objects probably worth saving. We’ll try to save everything we can and make a judgement later and start to rebuild a collection from that. We’re going to rebuild, no doubt about that.

Following the interview, Lorna Fandrich added: “The BC Heritage Emergency Response Network and Team Rubicon spent two days salvaging artifacts from the museum. I now have 200 pieces in varying degrees of quality packed up in my garage. Many of the intact pieces have melted glass from the display shelves attached to them, unavoidable but disappointing.”

Rebuilding Collections

Image: These fragments were discovered after the fires at the Kumsheen Rafting Resort site, once the location of a Chinese railway camp. Lorna Fandrich is rebuilding the collection for the Lytton Chinese History Museum, and her brother-in-law is assisting by gathering artifacts. If you have Chinese artifacts to share, please them send to: Fred Fandrich, 63420 Yale Road, Hope, BC V0X 1L2. Richard Forrest is also collecting journals, photographs, and other items for the Lytton Museum & Archives. Contact rforrest@botaniecreek.com. John Haugen is seeking Nlaka’pamux baskets for the Lytton First Nation and to rebuild his personal collection. Contact cc.jhaugen@lfn.band

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

A virtual tour of the Vancouver Chinatown Storytelling Centre

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 21:27:33 GMT

What was life like for the early Chinese immigrants who came to British Columbia? What has that journey been like over the last 160 years?

The new Chinatown Storytelling Centre in Vancouver provides a fascinating glimpse during the gold rush years, railway building and hardships experienced during the Head Tax and Exclusion Act eras. It’s a story of resilience, a long struggle for rights and ultimately, success.

Carol Lee is a third generation Chinese Canadian and chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation which created the Storytelling Centre that she hopes will help build awareness and help revitalize.

She gave a tour to the BCHF’s Mark Forsythe. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/elhuRL79rcI

Rassling in the Royal City: Professional wrestling at the Queen’s Park Arenex

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 01:41:40 GMT

Gerald Thomson collection

By Gerald Thomson

In late May 2019, the mayor of New Westminster, Jonathan Coté, donned wrestling tights and got “ready to rumble” as “Johnny X.” The event capped off “rumble month” and was meant to revive interest in professional wrestling in the Royal City where it had once been popular. [1]

The Queen’s Park Arenex was a vital part of the local live wrestling scene, which included the Garden Auditorium and later the Agrodome at the Pacific National Exhibition, the Coquitlam Sports Centre, as well as the Chilliwack Agricultural Hall. Saturday afternoon All Star Wrestling hosted by Ron Morrier of Burnaby’s CHAN television began broadcasting in 1962. [2]

Friday Night Wrestling

The Queen’s Park Arenex was opened in 1938 as a hard-surface sports facility because the Queen’s Park Arena, built in 1930 after the exhibition fire of 1929, had a winter-ice surface installed for public skating and hockey games. When the ice surface was removed in spring, the Arena was used by lacrosse teams such as the Adanacs and Salmonbellies. [3]

Designed like the Arena in an Art Deco style, the Arenex looked like it would last forever—but it collapsed under the weight of heavy snow in 2016. [4] How professional wrestling came to the Arenex is a complex story Documenting professional wrestling at the Arenex involved laboriously combing through the sports pages of the Columbian newspapers on microfilm in the New Westminster Public Library.

A 1914 photograph of the New Westminster YMCA wrestling team wearing singlets contained three sons
from the Thomas John Trapp family (Donovan Joseph Trapp, Gregory Leonard Trapp, and Stanley Valentine Trapp). Columbia Street’s T.J. Trapp hardware store was a prominent local business; all three sons became pilots and would die in the First World War. [5]

High school wrestling was also well represented in New Westminster in the inter-war period, particularly at Trapp Technical High School. [6] Bill Matthew staged wrestling matches in the 1930s at New Westminster’s Royal Canadian Legion Hall using wrestlers from Portland, Oregon’s Hamlin-Thye circuit, such as New Zealander Tom Alley who “attracted considerable attention from the fans.” [7]

The Arenex was initially used from 1938 to the mid-1940s to stage boxing matches. [8] Through careful detective work, I determined the first Arenex wrestling matches took place in November 1944 between Billy Khonke and Cliff Parker, later a local wrestling promoter for Big Time Wrestling. The event began with a curtain raiser bout between Frankie Rea and Art Rea followed by Rocky Rae versus Roy Atlee. Jack Whelan organized the event for the social committee of the International Woodworkers of America, New Westminster local. The large crowd was disappointed when Parker won the decision after “Khonke’s trick knee” gave out. [9]

After this, Arenex wrestling ended and fans were enticed to Vancouver matches with novelties like a fight between a bear and a human wrestler. [10] In April 1950 professional wrestling returned to New Westminster, but not to the Arenex, when Army and Navy Veterans presented “two featured bouts” with Jack Sherry versus Andre Adoree and Gorgeous George Pavich versus Johnny Maars at the YMCA. It would “be in the nature of a test” to see if the event attracted “any kind of crowd.”

Apparently successful, the YMCA had a second match on May 6 with Jack Sherry versus Andree Adoree and Gorgeous George versus Marion Hathaway along with “lady” wrestlers Beverley Blaine and Dakota Lily. About “500 blood-thirsty spectators screamed and yelled themselves hoarse” at the event, but Gorgeous George’s match turned into a hair-pulling event as he had “more hair than he [had] holds.” [11]

On Friday, December 15, 1950, wrestling officially moved back to the Arenex (incorrectly identified in the paper as the Queen’s Park Arena). [12] Local promoter Jack McLean said it would be the “best show yet” with “Prospector” Pete Peterson, a blond, bearded Swede, versus Tony Verdi, “the notorious marauder.” The opener featured Doran O’Hara versus Jack Pappenheim and Clair Robinson versus The Great Yamato.

Special buses would take fans from the Interurban tram depot on Columbia Street to the Arenex. The press called it a “sport for the hardy,” and when villain Tony Verdi defeated Cliff Parker he brought “the entire house down on him after displaying his strong arm methods of rassling.” One gentleman in the audience stripped to the waist and rushed up to the ring; the press called it a “free-swinging donnybrook.” Robinson won handily over Yamato, and O’Hara was awarded a decision over Pappenhiem due to his “dirty work,” while the “Prospector” never appeared. [13] New Westminster seemed to be enamoured with Friday night wrestling at the Arenex.

Gerald Thomson collection

In December 1951 wrestling went back to the YMCA under ex-wrestler, now promoter Cliff “Painless” Parker. Parker balked at the $60 fee [equivalent to more than $600 today] for the use of the YMCA facilities: “I am not complaining,” said the grunt-and-groan promoter, “but it’s out of the question for me to have to pay that much.” Parker wanted to start a wrestling circuit as he had “enough talent here” and could “bring in American wrestlers to help.” In 1952 “all-in wrestling” came back to New Westminster, and Parker lined up “gents with fancy monikers” like “The Masked Marvel,” “Ivan the Terrible,” “The Angel,” and “The Crusher” for four shows at the YMCA. Parker expected to move all the wrestling matches “to the more convenient Arenex” in the near future. [14]

A cartoon appeared in the sports section of the Columbian showing Frank Stojack, one of the “name fighters” coming to wrestle. Stojak was lauded for his sturdy legs, Junior Pacific Coast Heavyweight title, inter-collegiate heavyweight championship, college football experience, and the fact he “ruled the ring with his rugged tactics.” [15]

Wrestling returned to the Arenex in February 1952 with an epic battle between “The Masked Marvel” versus Jack “Bull” O’Reilly of Australia with a special opening event of Frank Stojak versus Gene Blakely. Ringside seat tickets cost $1.50; reserved seats $1; rush seats 75 cents; and children’s tickets cost 50 cents, so it was definitely an affordable Friday night out [today, those tickets would cost approximately $5 to $15. The Masked Marvel “earned the hatred of both the crowd and opponent” but won; The Great Yamato was “hissed” during his 30-minute “scrape” with Bud Rattal. During the Stojak/Blakely match, fans tried to storm the ring and coffee cups were hurled. Parker was happy with the 700 fans that turned out. [16]

The next match was to be on February 29 with Herb Parks versus Eric Pederson (main event) and George Hessell versus Luigi Macera (special event). Fans were warned: “To avoid the rush get your tickets early.” [17] An advertisement in the Columbian on March 3, 1952 read “Wrestling Every Friday Arenex: Tickets on sale at Swanson’s Sport Shop: Phone 19.” The announcement on March 11 for the main event between Australia’s Jack O’Reilly and Gene Blakely of Texas was followed by a picture of O’Reilly calling him the “bull-necked Australian grappler.” [18]

Despite wrestling’s success, its popularity faded in the mid-1950s. The Arenex was even considered for conversion into an indoor curling rink, as many people now watched wrestling at home on their new televisions. [19]

A Family Event

A total of 331 wrestling shows would take place at the Arenex from November 3, 1960, to December 4, 1970. [20] In the fall of 1961, wrestling returned to the Arenex under promoter Rod Fenton in partnership with Cliff Parker. The local press reported “response to the grunt and groaners has been good so far with near capacity” crowds. New bleachers were installed in the Arenex, indicating that the “rasslers are here to stay for a while.” Tickets were sold at Gregory Price Men’s Wear on Columbia Street for $1.50 general, $2 reserved, and 75 cents for children under 12 years [about $7 to $18 today].

A nine-man “every man for himself” match was to be held in November 1961 with champion Mr. Kleen (bald, dressed in white with one large gold earring) challenging Tiny Mills, Jackie Nichols, Bob “The Viking” Morse, Karol Kalmikoff, Danne McDonald, John Forte, “Cowboy” Jim Wright, and Rosco “Sputnik” Monroe. Mr. Kleen was impressive: his neck and arms were 23 inches [58 cm] and his chest was 56 inches [142 cm]. Female wrestlers were the openers, with Barefoot Beauty (Judy Grable) versus Battling Brunette (Margie Ramsey). A record crowd of 1,000 attended the Arenex on December 22, 1961. [21]

The next main event was to be a six-man battle royale with a $700 prize along with Judy “The Tangler” Grable returning to take on Fran Gravette. Rob Fenton said “last night’s six man tag team went over as such a success that he will possibly run the same encounter next week.” The dreaded Stomach Claw maneuver of Killer Kowalski failed to defeat Roy McClarty, and “Mr. Kleen applied the detergent to Hurricane Smith.” [22]

Mr. Kleen fought Gene Kiniski with “1,500 fans shouting their approval,” and Kiniski lost the match after he “mistook the referee for his opponent.” A “Texas Death Match” and the return of “Girls, Girls, Girls” (female wrestlers) created more hype; tickets were now sold at Fred Asher’s clothing store on Columbia Street. Kiniski was paired with Hard Boiled Haggerty (Dan Stansauk) in the Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship, a match they won “two falls to one” over English champions Oliver Winrush and Sir Alan Garfield. The audience liked to see the “villains” (Gene Kiniski, Hard Boiled Haggerty, and Vince Montana) lose to good “brothers” Roy and Don McClarty and Whipper Billy Watson. New wrestlers such as Hercules Cortez, “a large gentleman,” (300 lb. [136 kg]) were given “a warm hand from ring side aficionados,” while villain Kiniski “tip toed around the ring to clobber” his distracted competitor. A fan leapt up to grab Kiniski’s leg, which he deflected like an “exacting choreographer.” [23]

The arrival of younger wrestlers like Mr. X, Sandor Kovacs, Dandy Dan Miller, Mike Valenti (Mikel Scicluna from Malta), and 601 lb. [273 kg] “Haystack” Calhoun (the Arkansas farm boy) kept audiences interested. When Japanese wrestler Kinji Shibuya (who was born in Utah) employed “nasty tricks,” one fan in the sell-out crowd of 1,200 “clubbed Shibuya with a folding chair” while others “tried to get at Kinji,” who fled to his dressing room. [24]

Female “midget” (considered today as a pejorative term for someone with short stature) wrestlers drew a “capacity crowd of 1,100 spectators” who turned out to see Dolly Darcel (“the world’s smallest athlete”) battle Darling Dagmar (“the blonde bombshell”). [25]

Midget tag-team wrestling continued at the Arenex with Pee Wee Lopez and Chico Santana (43 inches, 96 lb. [108 cm, 44 kg]) battling Marcel Frenchy Semard (the “French Canadian squirt”) and Tiny Bell (“midget fireball”). Big men were still popular; Haystack Calhoun and Dandy Dan Miller “squash[ed] bad boys” Gene Kiniski and Mike Valenti. The Great Mephisto and his hypnotic powers took on Gene Kiniski “before a good crowd at Queen’s Park Arenex.” [26]

Kinji Shibuya roughs up Dandy Dan Miller, January 19, 1963. Gerald Thomson collection

During a ten-man endurance test, “tough Joe Brunetti outlasted the gang” to win $1,000. “Close to 600 fans” saw Whipper Billy Watson defeat Kinji Shibuya while Big Tex Mckenzie, an ex-rodeo performer who stood six feet nine inches [206 cm], “put his brand on desperado” Ripper Leone. In late 1963 the wrestler Don Leo Jonathan, the 300 lb [136 kg] “Mormon Giant” battled Waldo Von Erich, the 260 lb [118 kg] “villainous Prussian.” [27]

Female wrestlers still “attracted a full wrestling house” when Princess Little Cloud (an “Apache Maiden”) and Judy Grable took on Dorothy Dot Carter and Bette Boucher (the “Fiery French Ma’mselle”). A battle to the finish or “Texas Death Match” was won by Don Leo Johnathan who “pleased 700 wrestling fans at the Arenex.” The Kangaroos (Al Costello and Roy Heffernan, both Australians) fought a rough match with Roy McClarty and Edward “Bearcat” Wright, one of the first Black American wrestlers. The Kangaroos flung their boomerangs, wore bush hats, and sang “Waltzing Matilda.” [28]

The Friday night Arenex wrestling matches were seen as safe, colourful family entertainment. A “Lumberjack Match” was staged between “Klondike Bill” (actually William Soloweyko from Calgary) and Don Leo Jonathan. The match developed into a “free for all” when all the wrestlers took sides in the battle; referee Sandor Kovacs “was dumbfounded” but “the fans loved it.” Reality did occasionally intrude as in November 1965 when a Cold War-themed match between Soldat Gorky (“the Russian Wolfman,” who was actually Manitoba-born Walter Allen) challenged Art Nelson (an “American Bruiser” from Georgia); the match ended in a stalemate. [29]

“Torrid Action” ended in a draw when competitors Don LeoJonathan and Big Bill Dromo “wrestled out the one hour limit before 600 enthusiastic fans.” A real fight between Dutch Savage and Paul Jones impressed fans as the “crowd saw Savage use Jones’s head for a skateboard.” Fighting brothers John and Chris Tolos from Hamilton, drew large crowds battling colourful competitors such as George “Cry Baby” Cannon.

In October 1966, Black Canadian wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Bowles in Amherst, Nova Scotia) squared off against Latino wrestler Jose Quintero or “The Cuban” (he was actually born in Texas). Also on the bill was “Abdullah the Butcher” another Black Canadian wrestler, born Lawrence Shreve in Windsor, Ontario. To this point, most wrestlers at the Arenex were white, except for Japanese and Mexican competitors.

Wayde Bowles took his ring name from boxing greats Rocky Marciano and Jack Johnson. As “Rocky Johnson,” he became part of The Soul Patrol with partner Tony Atlas in the World Wrestling Federation; they won the 1983 World Tag Team Championship. Rocky Johnson trained his son Dwayne “The Rock,” who wrestled from 1996 to 2019 while also pursuing a successful acting career. [30] Rocky Johnson became a regular at the Arenex in the mid-1960s. In one match, he was eliminated early by Abdullah the Butcher in an eleven-man battle to the finish.

In March 1968 the first South-Asian-Canadian wrestler, “Tiger” Jeet Singh, made an appearance at the Arenex. Born Jagjeet Singh Hans in Punjab, he came to Canada in the early 1960s and trained as a wrestler in Toronto. Appearing in October 1968 at the Arenex was Arman Hussain, a Sudanese Muslim wrestler (actually from Texas or Alabama) who dressed as an Arab sheik, performed a “camel walk,” and claimed to have an Oxford education.

High drama was the norm when Johnny Kostas tried to drop-kick Gene Kiniski but ended up flat on his back, and John Tolos, the “Golden Greek,” continued to give Bobby Shane the “what for” even after being stopped by the referee. Younger wrestlers such as Dean Higuchi, Bulldog Brown, Steve Bolus, Jerry London, Crusher Moose Morowski, and Haru Sasaki impressed the crowds of fans that crammed the Arenex every Friday night. [31]

The Final Days

January 1970 began with a six-man tag-team elimination match. By April, Arenex wrestling matches were being reported in the Columbian sports pages, but advertisements simultaneously appeared for Monday wrestling at Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). Ticket prices were higher in Vancouver, and there were no seat prices for children, suggesting that these were adult-only events.32 Matches at the Arenex began to decline in number—from 41 events in 1966 and 1967 to 34 in 1968, with only 21 held in 1970. Yet the 1970 matches were memorable; Bulldog Brown had an “annoying habit of leaping out of the ring every time he got into trouble,” which delighted the audience but caused the referee to disqualify him. [33]

On September 25, the most successful wrestling match ever held at the Arenex took place when the World’s Biggest Tangle occurred between 600 lb [272 kg] “Man-Mountain” Mike and Don Leo Jonathan. The Columbian photograph of the Man-Mountain face-down on the mat read: “If you weighed 600 pounds you’d want a rest too. Man-Mountain Mike was the defeated villain in a four-man main event Friday at Queen’s Park Arenex with one of his opponents, Yokouchi, looking on. Mike teamed with Don Jonathan who is only 300 pounds before a packed house.” [34]

In the same month, a Double Main Event featured Jonathan versus Quinn, Kiniski versus Fuji, Torres versus Yokouchi, and Marino versus Cody. The last wrestling events held at the Arenex were two tag-team matches; the first between Quinn and Brown versus Little Bear and McTavish and the second between Yokouchi and Fuji versus Cody and Froelich on December 4, 1970. Larger Monday night matches in the PNE’s Agrodome (which had up to 5,000 seats) and the Garden Auditorium (up to 2,600 seats) made more economic sense. [35]

Wrestling did briefly reappear in New Westminster in the early 1990s at the Eagles Hall on Columbia Street, the former Columbian Theatre, through Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW), headquartered in Surrey. The ECCW wrestlers had much in common with their colourful Arenex predecessors with names like Cheechuk, Wrathchild, and Killswitch. However, it was not family entertainment but rather an “adult-oriented hardcore” production with “violence, blood, superb athleticism, rampant homophobia, racial slurs, and lots of laughs.” [36]

New Westminster’s Queen’s Park Arenex had served from the 1940s until 1970 as a local venue for spectators seeking the thrills of spectacular wrestling in what French semiotician Roland Barthes called “grandiloquence” in “second-rate halls.” [37] The New Westminster Arenex served as such a hall; those legendary matches are now just memories.

Dr. Gerald Thomson is a retired special education teacher/summer sessional lecturer who grew up in New Westminster and still lives there. He previously published articles on the history of New Westminster’s May Day and Hilda Glynn-Ward (BC History) as well as Columbian College and the Provincial Child Guidance Clinic (Historical Studies in Education). He recently published an article in Studies in Travel Writing Vol. 24, No. 1 (February 2020). All of his New Westminster topics are about past things that are no more such as Columbian College, the now-cancelled May Day Festival, and, with this article, professional wrestling in the now gone Queen’s Park Arenex.

Endnotes

1. “New West ready to rumble,” New Westminster Record, April 4, 2019, 1, 11; Jennifer Saltman, “A mayor ready to rumble,” The Province, December 30, 2019, 13.

2. “NWA All-Star Wrestling,” Wikipedia.org.

3. Parks & Recreation History of Park Sites and Facilities: “Queens Park,” www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/Queens_Park_History.pdf.

4. Scott Brown, “New Westminster community centre’s roof collapses under weight of snow,” The Vancouver Sun, December 21, 2016, 9.

5. “New Westminster Y.M.C.A. wrestling class 1914-15,” New Westminster City Archives (NWCA), item: IHP0397, record ID: 17622; Alan Livingstone MacLeod, “Brothers Trapp,” www.flickr.com/photos/bigadore/34791377786. Thomas John Trapp II, born in 1913, was the lone surviving son.

6. “Trapp Technical High School wrestling team 1924,” New Westminster Public Library Heritage Collection (NWPLHC), item: 3350, record ID: 99256.

7. “Wrestlers to show at YMCA,” Columbian, April 14, 1950, 9; Tom Alley was New Zealand Heavy Weight Champion in 1929 after which he became a wrestler. Alley’s photograph (1930) is in the National Library of New Zealand (Ref: 1/1-033123-F); Robert Murillo, ProWrestling: The Fabulous, The Famous, The Feared and The Forgotten: Tom Alley (Turnover Scissors Press, 2015).

8. “10 fast bouts arranged by Royal City fighters for Elks fund at Arenex Wednesday,” Columbian, December 17, 1940, 8; “Ron Whalley wins verdict in main bout,” Columbian, October 25, 1941, 7.

9. “Wrestling – Arenex – Queen’s Park,” Columbian, November 22, 1944, 2; “Fights Tonight: Billy Khonke,” Columbian, November 29, 1944, 7; “Parker given nod over Bill Khonke,” November 30, 1944, 7.

10. “Big Time Wrestling,” Columbian, January 11, 1949, 2; “Wrestling bear decisions champ,” Columbian, October 6, 1949, 8.

Gerald Thomson collection

11. “Wrestlers to show at YMCA,” Columbian, April 14, 1950, 9; “Wrestling Saturday, May 6th, 8 p.m. At the YMCA Royal Ave. at Sixth St.,” Columbian, May 1, 1950, 9; Rollie Rose, “Grapplers revel in hair-pulling event,” Columbian, May 8, 1950, 9.

12. Advertisement: “Tonight 8:30 p.m. Wrestling! In the Queens Park Arena with six men in the ring at once,” Columbian, December 8, 1950, 11.

13. “Bearded Swede to top Friday’s grapple card” and “Wrestling: Friday December 15 at 8:30 p.m. Queens Park Arenex,” Columbian, December 15, 1950, 11; “Verdi plays dirty to chagrin of Parker,” Columbian, December 16, 1950, 7.

14. “No pro wrestling for Royal City unless $60 nightly fee reduced,” Columbian, December 8, 1951, 13; “Royal City wrestling, Pro Boxing cards soon,” Columbian, January 11, 1952, 13.

15. Cartoon: “Frank Stojak: Tacoma’s crowd pleasing wrestler,” Columbian, February 20, 1952, 13.

16. “Wrestling Friday, February 22 – 8:30 p.m. ARENEX,” Columbian, February 21, 1950, 14; “The Masked Marvel takes Aussie,” Columbian, February 23, 1950, 12.

17. “Wrestling Friday, February 29 – 8:30 p.m. ARENEX,” Columbian, February 25, 1952, 12.

18. “Wrestling Queen’s Park ARENEX Every Friday 8:30 p.m.,” Columbian, March 11, 1952, 7; “Bull-necked Jack O’Reilly,” Columbian, March 13, 1952, 17; “Arenex wrestling card tonight,” March 14, 1952, 12; “Wrestling, Queens Park ARENEX, Every Friday 8:30 p.m.,” Columbian, March 17, 1952, 12.

19. “Ten bouts at Arenex tonight,” Columbian, November 28, 1952, 16; “Roe and Jorgenson battle to draw in Arenex,” Columbian, November 14, 1953, 13; “Television boots wrestling,” Columbian, February 28, 1953, 8; “City Curling Club to get underway: Arenex to be altered,” Columbian, March 20, 1953, 12.

20. “Wrestling returns to NW in big way,” Columbian, November 21, 1961, 17; New Westminster Arenex wrestling database at www.wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=shows&sort=ort&land=5&stadt=2795&region=127& arena=21065&showart=&ansicht=0&seite=3

21. “Nine man over the top rope battle royal,” Columbian, November 19, 1961, 9; “Girls, Girls, Girls,” Columbian, December 22, 1961, 9; Glyn Lewis, “A warning: Watch those flying mares,” Columbian, December 23, 1961, 11; “Wrestling returns to NW in big way,” Columbian, November 21, 1961,

22. “Girls return here Friday,” Columbian, January 3, 1962, 10; “Tag match ends in disqualification,” Columbian January 20, 1962, 10; “Dreaded claw-hold expert here–Killer Kowalski,” Columbian, February 23, 1962, 9; “McClarty wins over killer,” Columbian, February 24, 1962, 9.

23. “Mr. Kleen takes event from Kiniski,” Columbian, March 10, 1962, 10; “Texas Death Match: Battle to Finish,” Columbian, March 30, 1962, 9; “Girls, Girls, Girls: Princess Tona Tomah, Chippewa Princess vs. Kathy Starn, Battling Brunette,” Columbian, May 11, 1962, 9; “Unpopular champions keep title,” Columbian, June 16, 1962, 12; “Bad guys lose out in six-man tag match,” Columbian, July 14, 1962, 10; “For those who cheered it was all even in feature,” Columbian, September 22, 1962, 9; “Kiniski stops Cortez in wrestling feature,” Columbian, December 15, 1962, 9.

24. “Miller, Kovacs keep coast championship,” Columbian, January 12, 1963, 9; “Kinji gets clubbed: Occupational hazards,” Columbian, January 19, 1963, 10.

25. “Girl Midgets, Girl Midgets,” Columbian, November 23, 1962, 9; “Roy, Cortez win feature,” Columbian, November 24, 1962, 10.

26. “Hay Stack, Dan mat winners,” Columbian, January 26, 1963, 9; “Midgets – Tag Team – Midgets,” Columbian, May 3, 1963, 9; “Semard, Bell team wins,” Columbian, May 4, 1963, 9.

27. “Brunetti wins Battle Royal,” Columbian, June 1, 1963, 10; “Whipper whips Shibuya,” Columbian, October 19, 1963, 10;

28. “Whipper whips Gene Kiniski,” Columbian, December 21, 1963, 9; “Little Cloud team wins,” Columbian, January 18, 1964, 9; “Johnathan wins mat feature,” Columbian, May 2, 1964, 9; “By public demand return battle,” Columbian, June 26, 1969, 9.

29. “Lumberjack Match,” Columbian, March 19, 1965, 9; “Bad guy loses as rasslin script runs true to form,” Columbian, March 20, 1965, 9; “Clash of the bad men,” Columbian, November 5, 1965, 11; “Wolfman battles to draw,” Columbian, November 6, 1965, 11.

30. “Torrid Action,” Columbian, January 14, 1966, 9; “Rassle match ends in draw,” Columbian, January 15, 1966, 9; “Only Ref was saviour: Dutch squashes Jonsey,” Columbian, August 29, 1966, 9; “Tolos boys in tag win,” Columbian, January 28, 1967, 10; “10-Man Top Rope Battle Royal,” Columbian, October 6, 1967, 17; “9 Grapplers,” Columbian, October 7, 1967, 26; “Four Man Tag-Team,” Columbian, October 27, 1967, 9; Dawn Calleja, “‘I broke down a lot of barriers’: Late wrestler Rocky Johnson, father of The Rock, reflects on his career,” The Globe and Mail, January 16, 2020; “Jose Quintero,” Wikipedia.org; “Abdullah the Butcher,” Wikipedia.org; “Dwayne Johnson,” Wikipedia.org.

31. “Assassins keep Canadian title,” Columbian, December 30, 1967, 10; “Battle royal to Assassins,” Columbian, December 2, 1967, 11; “Good guys win bout,” Columbian, March 16, 1968, 11; Antoine Tedesco, “Unleashing a Tiger: Documenting the struggles and sacrifices of a wrestling icon,” SceneandHeard.ca, Vol. 7, Issue 3, May 5, 2009; “Stack, Paddy take feature,” Columbian, May 18, 1968, 9; “4 Man Tag Team,” Columbian, October 4, 1968, 9; Greg Oliver, “The Mystery of Arman Hussain,” www.slamwrestling.net/index.php/2008/01/10/the-mystery-of-arman-hussain/; “Tolos stars again,” Columbian, December 14, 1968, 9; “Dutchman is Savage,” Columbian, January 25, 1969, 10; “On the local scene: Ex-champ makes right moves,” Columbian, March 15, 1969, 12; “9 Man over the top rope battle royal,” Columbian, November 7, 1969, 9.

32. “Wrestling New West Arenex – 6 Man Tag Team Elimination,” Columbian, January 16, 1970, 9; “Bulldog, Crusher take their lumps,” Columbian, April 4, 1970, 23; “Wrestling Exhibition Agrodome – By Public Demand,” Columbian, April 4, 1970, 23.

33. Arenex Wrestling Data Base match totals for 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970; “Ref, Bolus too much for Brown” and “Wrestling Exhibition Gardens,” Columbian, May 2, 1970, 25.

34. “Man Mountain Mike falls hard,” Columbian, September 26, 1970, 15.

35. “Wrestling New West Arenex – Fri., Dec. 4, 8:00 p.m. – Two Tag-Team Matches,” Columbian, December 3, 1970, 11; “Mat Show goes on,” Exhibition Gardens, Columbian, January 12, 1971, 13; “Kiniski out finks Funk,” Agrodome, Columbian, January 19, 1971, 11; “Bad guys lose match,” Exhibition Gardens, Columbian, December 22, 1971, 13; “Defeats Don Leo: Kiniski is champion,” Exhibition Gardens, Columbian, December 29, 1970, 11.

36. Stephen Osborne and Brian Howell, One Ring Circus: Extreme Wrestling in the Minor Leagues, (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2002), 6–7, 14–15, 26, 34–35, 94–95.

37. Roland Barthes, “The World of Wrestling,” Mythologies (New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux Press [1952], 1991), 13–23.

Interview: Lost Kootenays, Part 1

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 18:48:50 GMT

BCHF vice-president Mark Forsythe interviews BCHF director Greg Nesteroff, co-author with Eric Brighton of the new book Lost Kootenays: A History In Pictures. In the first of two installments, they look at some of the photos featuring the West Kootenay. You can find part 2 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlyQd3yHCM4

Time Travels: The Exploration Place Museum & Science Centre

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:48:08 GMT

The Strand Theatre on Third Avenue as it appeared in 1965. It had disappeared by 1974. Exploration Place P993.11.1.6044.1

By Mark Forsythe

Loki the Magpie is a tad lonely. He’s accustomed to swapping tales with visitors to the animal biome at the Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre in Prince George, but when the facility was forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic, things suddenly got a lot quieter.

Loki thrives on interaction with people and is known to quote back phrases or summon his own, like, “Hey you, come here!” The bird enjoys being at the centre of attention, and like everyone else at Exploration Place, is keen to greet more humans.

During the pandemic closure, Exploration Place was able to undertake major reconstruction of gallery spaces and curate new exhibits. Staff have also collaborated with the Maiyoo Keyoh Society to help repatriate a headdress that belonged to a hereditary chief of the Susk’uz Whut’en, George A’Huille.

They partneredwith the Lheidli T’enneh to establish a new free-standing childcare centre in Lheidli T’enneh Park, home to Exploration Place. The Lheidli T’enneh occupied a village here for some 9,000 years, until they were expelled by settlers. (Lheidli T’enneh means “the people who live where the two rivers flow together.”)

The owners of the Prince George Real Estate Company standing in front of their building, 1910s. Exploration Place P988.15.55

Exploration Place curator Alyssa Leier says the new childcare centre will “focus on Indigenous ways of knowing and will be unlike anything in Prince George.” It will bring 75 new spaces to the city; programming will emphasize language, culture, and Elder involvement.

This evolving relationship dovetails with a commitment to collaborate more directly with First Peoples and Knowledge Keepers with a hope to build trust and understanding. The repatriated headdress is a good illustration.

Jim Munroe, president of the Maiyoo Keyoh Society, stumbled across an online description of the headdress in the permanent collection of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) while researching a land title case. Jim realized it connected directly to his wife’s family. Petra Munroe is Hereditary Chief of the Maiyoo Keyoh and the headdress (made from her ancestors’ hair) was worn by her great-great-grandfather some 140 years ago.

A missionary, Father Adrian-Gabriel Morice, gave it to the Museum of Archaeology in 1893 and it has been at ROM since 1912. The family approached Exploration Place for assistance, applied for a provincial Repatriation Grant through the BC Museums Association, and travelled to Toronto to view the head-dress on display beside one worn by Chief Sitting Bull. Now it’s coming home.

Left: Sketch by Father Adrian-Gabriel Morice OMI, circa 1885. Courtesy of Maiyoo Keyoh Society. Right: The George A’Huille headdress is made of dentalia (flute shaped seashells) strung on the hair of revered female ancestors. This headdress is a physical connection to ancestral direct link to the responsibility and governance of Maiyoo Keyoh, 170,000 hectares of land about 100 km northwest of Prince George. Coutesy of Maiyoo Keyoh Society/Royal Ontario Musuem ROM 2016-15387-3

Chief Petra Munroe told CBC Radio: “The headdress is so important to tell the story of where we came from.” Since Exploration Place is a Class A facility and a designated repository it can safely hold the headdress on the family’s behalf or until they are able to create an appropriate space for it. “It’s up to the family,” says curator Alyssa Leier. Plans are in the works for a ceremonial welcome this fall when it goes on display. “[We want] to show other nations that this is possible. If we could do it, they could do it,” says Chief Munroe.

In 2017, the Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre and the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation received a Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming for a new permanent gallery, Hodul’eh-a: A Place of Learning. It features a pit house entryway, a new cottonwood dugout canoe (the first built in more than 100 years), photos, artifacts, and a central hearth. The gallery space has become very popular and is used for school and community programs.

CEO Tracy Calogheros and curator Alyssa Leier commented in BC Studies: “The award celebrates a new gallery in the Exploration Place but it also recognizes a shift in the way a regional museum thinks and in how it works with and represents the First Nation in whose territory it is located.”

This marked an important change in how stories are told at Exploration Place. “The exhibitions did not represent Lheidli T’enneh culture or portray that nation’s resiliency and determined efforts to keep its culture alive in the face of colonial oppression and loss of lands and resources. The museum was missing valuable insight and a large piece of our region’s history.”

What’s curator Alyssa Leier looking forward to in a post-COVID-19 world? “Our reopening! The new childcare centre will make positive change for the community, and repatriations are really important as we try to decolonize these spaces.”

Loki the Magpie will have much to talk about.

The Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre is owned and operated by the Fraser-Fort George Museum Society. Visit www.theexplorationplace.com

Find out more about the headdress and its repatriation on this BCMA podcast: https://museum.bc.ca/brain/repatriation-discussion-with-maiyoo-keyoh-society/

To learn more about the Maiyoo Keyoh Society and to support their work, visit https://maiyookeyoh.com/

Listen to Chief Petra Munroe’s CBC Daybreak interview with Carolina de Ryk starting at 53:00: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-109/clip/15845074

Prince George, 1915. Exploration Place A988.30.14

Life Embodied at Ay Lelum: The Good House of Design

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:50:46 GMT

Sandra Moorhouse-Good (mother), Aunalee Boyd-Good, Tseskinakhen William Good (father), and Sophia Seward-Good, 2019. Photo: Sean Fenzl

By Aimee Greenaway with Aunalee Boyd-Good, Sophia Seward-Good, and Thea Harris

Vancouver Fashion Week was the catalyst for two fashion designers to create contemporary Coast Salish music with their family.

Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good are the sisters behind Ay Lelum, The Good House of Design, a second-generation Coast Salish design house. When they needed original music for their Vancouver Fashion Week showcase in 2018, they collaborated with their family of artists for ideas. “We didn’t know where to start,” says Aunalee Boyd-Good. “The challenge for recording music is—where do you begin?”1

Their father, Tseskinakhen William Good—hereditary chief, master carver, and knowledge keeper from the Snuneymuxw First Nation—has his own traditional songs. But it was their brother, artist W. Joel Good, who suggested they contact Juno-award winning and multi-platinum producer Rob the Viking in Nanaimo for beats.2

The collaborative process between Ay Lelum and their producer is reciprocal and based on respect for working with important cultural information. “We can’t just cut a Hul’q’umi’num word off, because you are changing its meaning,” says Sophia Seward-Good. “In our language, you have to make sure you are pronouncing your word correctly, otherwise you change the whole thing.”3

Tseskinum William Good wearing his running clothes, circa 1900. Photo: Good family

Ay Lelum’s songs include non-conventional instruments including spinning wool, strumming taut wool, carving chips, and sharpening knives, and incorporate sounds such as bird calls, and babies talking. “So much in day-to-day artistic practices and life are rhythmic,” says Aunalee. “It’s like life embodied in the music.”4

Their father’s singing and drumming is featured in the songs “Story of the Grizzly Bear” and “Modern Prayer.” Their music, like all their art, is guided by their father’s teachings.

All generations of their family collaborate on Ay Lelum’s music, including Aunalee and Sophia’s niece, Thea Harris. “I am a passionate weaver, and I had such a strong feeling that I needed to be part of the process with the ‘Spindle Whorl’ song,” says Thea. “Being part of their creative process, I feel less like a maker and more like a witness. The music exists in another place, and we are chosen to be vessels of this knowledge and art.”5

The multi-generational approach to the family’s artistic work is intrinsic. “Based on Coast Salish teachings, my grandparents set the table that whoever wants to be a part of a creative process can come,” Thea reflects. “And my aunts make space for that, too, through their generosity of being open to the process, people, and everything that comes forward.”6

Every song is developed differently. “It is an intuitive process,” says Aunalee. “You are tapping into something ancient and traditional.” Her sister, Sophia, describes the process: “Normally, our plan is whatever artwork we’re using or story we’re telling, I go and learn our Hul’q’umi’num language around that framework. Then we go in and we allow the rhythmic words to guide our beat.”7

From their instruments to the artistic process, Ay Lelum is decolonizing their music. “We had a song and a dance for everything,” says Sophia. “We don’t hear those songs. Those songs were taken. Aunie and I have the chance to make songs for everything—our fashion, our history, our language revitalization. You don’t have to go to a museum to hear our music: you can get it off Apple iTunes.”8

Thea believes that Ay Lelum brings forward music and language in a way that offers hope for younger generations. “There’s a feeling in communities of lost music, language, protocols, and ceremonies, which is frustrating and can slow down momentum,” she explains. “I feel so strongly that it doesn’t take a special combination; we can all access ancient knowledge if we are generous with ourselves and are willing and open to access that knowledge.”9

Ay Lelum’s music has aired on CBC Music’s Reclaimed with host Jarrett Martineau. Their recent release, Run, was based on the story of their great-grandfather Tseskinakhen William Good (1878–1966), a world-class runner at the turn of the 20th century. In an interview in the 1990s, Elder Hazel Good described how her father won the 440-yard [402-meter] race at the World’s Fair in San Francisco in the 1890s, which gave him the designation of the fastest man in the world. But Good never received his medal—he was disqualified for being Indigenous.10

From 1908–1950, William Good, son of Snuneymuxw Chief Louis Good, served as a police officer and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation medal (1953) for his outstanding police service.11 “He was a non-drinker all his life and did his best to keep alcohol and bootleggers off the Reserve,” according to grandson Tseskinakhen William Good. “He was the first police officer in Snuneymuxw and upheld the law.”12

Ay Lelum’s music evokes powerful emotions. “If you get emotional hearing our language and songs, that is your spirit longing to connect with our ancestors,” says Sophia. “I think our music definitely evokes emotion and connection that feels lost.” As artists and modern storytellers who use their moment on the runway to honour the past and look towards the future, Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward Good weave sound and fabric into an invitation to connect with Coast Salish culture.13

Find Ay Lelum’s wearable art garments here: https://www.aylelum.com. Find their singles and EPs on Apple Music or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Endnotes

1. Interview with Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good by John Harris, 2020. Thank you to John Harris for generously sharing the recording of his interview with his aunts about Ay Lelum’s music.
2. Aunalee Boyd-Good, “Creating a Coast Salish Symphony with Rob the Viking,” Salish Sea Sentinel, October 2019, https://salishseasentinel.ca/2019/10/creating-a-coast-salish-symphony-with-rob-the-viking/
3. Interview with Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good by John Harris, 2020.
4. Interview with Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good by John Harris, 2020.
5. Interview with Thea Harris by Aimee Greenaway, June 18, 2021.
6. Interview with Thea Harris by Aimee Greenaway, June 18, 2021.
7. Interview with Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good by John Harris, 2020.
8. Interview with Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good by John Harris, 2020.
9. Interview with Thea Harris by Aimee Greenaway, June 18, 2021.
10. Michael Munro, “Medal Withheld Because of Native Ancestry,” Nanaimo News Bulletin, October 19, 1995.
11. “William Good of Indian Reserve Awarded Medal,” Nanaimo Free Press, April 3, 1954.
12. Wall text, Tseskinakhen William Good (1878–1966), Nanaimo Museum, June 21, 2021.
13. Interview with Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good by John Harris, 2020.

Thea Harris and Sophia Seward-Good pulling wool taut for Aunalee Boyd-Good to play. Photo: Raymond Knight

A virtual tour of the Surrey City Cemetery, part 2

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 01:02:30 GMT

Surrey Centre Cemetery sits on the top of the hill above Mud Bay, overlooking farm land and the surrounding area as it has done for the last 135 years. As the local communities have grown and prospered, we can find jewels of local history in the stories of our pioneer families in their final resting place.

Through granite, marble and even wood-carved stones that dot the historic grounds, we find those that forged a new home and built a community. The cemetery holds the stories of veterans of all conflicts, including the Boer and the US Civil War as well as the family of an emancipated US slave who came to call Cloverdale home. Other features of the cemetery include a butterfly garden and a tree descended from the fields of Vimy Ridge.

This is part two. Sue presented part one at the BC Historical Federation conference 2021.

The Francophones of Surrey: A presentation by Maurice Guibord

Sat, 03 Jul 2021 14:45:48 GMT

Maurice Guibord, director of the Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, will engage you with his presentation which incorporates his research on the Francophone heritage of Surrey. The presentation was delivered at the 2021 BC Historical Federation conference.

A virtual tour of the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 14:43:56 GMT

Ride the rails… virtually! The Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society introduces you to their rolling stock, station and volunteers through two video productions presented at this year’s BCHF conference. Your hosts John Sprung, Michael Gibbs and Stephen Plant take you through a question and answer period and introduce the videos.

Video content is produced and copyrighted by the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, located in Cloverdale. Visit their website: https://fvhrs.org/ and their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLpkQn01Ltvkjs6Sm2fi9KQ

Traditional boat building: A presentation by Patrick Calihou

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 01:02:57 GMT

Métis Artist Pat Calihou introduces you to his heritage by way of a 40 foot traditional bateau he built in 2019-20 at Fort Langley National Historic Site. Pat’s great-great grandfather Michel Calihou was a river boat pilot for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Edmonton in the early 1800s and also built the large, heavy vessels, called York boats, that carried furs and goods between trading posts and forts.

Pat shares his struggles and triumphs of building a full size bateau, in the winter, using hand-forged nails and hand-bent planks. The presentation was delivered as part of the BC Historical Federation’s 2021 virtual conference.

Adventures in Digital History: A presentation by Dr. Kyle Jackson and students

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 01:01:32 GMT

How can historians use new digital tools to enliven and deepen our study of the past? In this presentation, Dr. Kyle Jackson introduces the field of digital history on a global scale, as well as several local experiments underway at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the City of Surrey Archives.

Students Emily Deasy, Lucas Akai and David Piraquive share their experiences as authors of a smartphone app tour comparing the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 pandemics in the Lower Mainland.

This presentation was originally delivered at the 2021 BCHF annual conference.

Forgotten Stories, Silenced Voices: A presentation by Renée Sarojini Saklikar

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:59:57 GMT

As a poet and a writer she’s explored history (Children of Air India, un/authorized exhibit and interjections); science and poetry (Listening to the Bees); and forthcoming this spring, Book One of her epic fantasy in verse, Bramah and the Beggar Boy, that deals with history, science, bees, among other subjects.

Renée Sarojini Saklikar, who was Surrey’s Poet Laureate 2015-18, spoke to her work in these areas during the recent BCHF conference. You can watch her presentation below.

We Have Our Man: A presentation by Baltej Singh Dhillon

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 00:58:14 GMT

One of the most moving presentations of the recent BCHF conference was by Baltej Singh Dhillon, the first member of the RCMP to wear a turban. Dhillon went on to spend nearly 30 years with the police force. You can watch his presentation below, which is subtitled “A Journey Through Adversity Charged With Responsibility and the Discovery of Self-Resliency.”

“Underneath a Hood or Covered in Soot”: An interview with Olivia Daniel

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 02:23:45 GMT

Olivia Daniel, a University of the Fraser Valley student, is the recipient of a BC Historical Federation scholarship for her essay “Underneath a Hood or Covered in Soot: The Ku Klux Klan and Ritualized Racism in Abbotsford, B.C. During the Early 20th Century.” Her essay was written for History 490 instructed by Dr. Ian Rocksborough-Smith, University of the Fraser Valley. Below, Dr. Rocksborough-Smith interviews Olivia about her essay.

The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow: A presentation by Catherine Clement

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:40:22 GMT

Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow, written by Catherine Clement and published by the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia is the recipient of the 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing, as presented by the British Columbia Historical Federation.

Yucho Chow was Vancouver’s first Chinese commercial photographer and its most prolific. His lens captured thousands of faces of all skin colours, religious beliefs and backgrounds and chronicled a tumultuous time in Vancouver’s and Canada’s early history.

Catherine presented at the 2021 BCHF conference gala awards evening (virtually) on June 5. You can see her presentation below.

The Peace Arch at 100: A presentation by Barb Hynek

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:38:52 GMT

This virtual field trip of Surrey’s Peace Arch will take you on a tour through history to look at the origins and construction of this impressive monument and surrounding parks and gardens. As the Peace Arch celebrates its 100th anniversary this program will also highlight many of the events and celebrations that have happened here.

The presentation was delivered by Barbara Hynek during the 2021 BCHF annual conference co-hosted by the Surrey Historical Society.

A virtual tour of the Surrey City Cemetery: A presentation by Sue Bryant

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:37:04 GMT

Through granite, marble and even wood-carved stones that dot the historic grounds, we find those who forged a new home and built a community. The cemetery holds the stories of veterans of all conflicts, including the Boer and the US Civil War as well as the family of an emancipated US slave who came to call Cloverdale home. Other features of the cemetery include a butterfly garden and a tree descended from the fields of Vimy Ridge.

Sue Bryant took us on a tour as part of the 2021 BC Historical Federation conference. You can watch the video below.

BCHF bids adieu to two directors

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:29:23 GMT

Two outgoing BCHF directors received Awards of Appreciation during Saturday’s gala for their service to the organization.

Michael Gibbs, a past president of the Surrey Historical Society, was instrumental in the planning of this year’s conference and ensuring Surrey was its host city.

He wrote: “First of all, a heart felt thank you for this recognition of my contribution to the BCHF these past three years. An even greater vote of thanks, however, must go to all of you for your sharing of ideas, talents and commitment to British Columbia’s history. You have inspired me to appreciate that heritage and the real need to recognize its diversity and make it accessible to all, especially those who have felt their stories have yet to be told. While I am still trying to learn to use the ever-changing social media tools, you have been more than patient and have kept me engaged by sharing the benefits they offer.

“Another legacy of being on the BCHF Board has been the chance to see the province in several BCHF Conference locations. The historical and environmental heritage of Nakusp and Sandon; the tours of Cumberland, Courtenay and Comox; and seeing Chilliwack up close (instead of from the freeway at 110 km/h), have encouraged me to travel more in our province.  My BC history library has grown considerably, with a number of those books written by BCHF board members.  I know it will grow even more as I enter bids at this year’s book auction.

“Thank you all once again, and I look forward to seeing you in person at future BCHF events.”

Calvin Thalheimer, Olivia Daniel win 2020 BCHF scholarships

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:28:13 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Calvin Thalheimer and Olivia Daniel are the recipients of the 2020 W. Kaye Lamb Awards for the best student works for students at university or college in British Columbia.

Junior Division Recipient — Calvin Thalheimer

Calvin Thalheimer, an Okanagan College student, is the recipient of a $750 scholarship in the junior division for his essay “A Glowing Advertisement: How the Important Events in Vancouver’s History Launched the City as a Global Icon.” His essay was written for History 216 instructed by Dr. Howard Hisdal.

Calvin’s interest in history was piqued by a world history course he took with Dr. Hisdal. Since then, his interest in history as a field of study has only grown and Calvin plans to complete his degree with a minor in history. His interest in the stories of Expo 86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics stems from family experiences and connections with both events. Calvin’s father, Jarrod, was a torchbearer in 2010 as the torch passed through Oliver. Calvin looks forward to continuing his exploration of our past, particularly the history of British Columbia.

Senior Division Recipient — Olivia Daniel

Olivia Daniel, a University of the Fraser Valley student, is the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship in the senior division for her essay “Underneath a Hood or Covered in Soot: The Ku Klux Klan and Ritualized Racism in Abbotsford, B.C. During the Early 20th Century.” Her essay was written for History 490 instructed by Dr. Ian Rocksborough-Smith.

Olivia Daniel is a fourth-year history and anthropology student at the University of the Fraser Valley. Olivia’s beliefs of social justice inspire her to research histories of hate in her neighbourhood. She is passionate about discovering local hidden histories to create a better community. Olivia has been a Research Assistant for several faculty members of both the history and anthropology departments.

Additionally, she is passionate about working with Indigenous communities. For the past two years, she has been a tutor at UFV’s Indigenous Student Centre. Currently, Olivia is a student ambassador for UFV’s Peace and Reconciliation Centre Collaboratorium, she is working alongside the Kwantlen First Nation to develop a digital archive. Once Olivia graduates, she would like to achieve her Masters in History.

The W. Kaye Lamb Award is presented to outstanding post-secondary student essays relating to the history of British Columbia. The award has been presented since 1988, initially known as the BCHF Scholarship. It was renamed the W. Kaye Lamb Award in 2001. In 2004, the BCHF introduced two award categories: one for students in their first or second year of study, the other for students in their third or fourth year of study.

The BCHF annual conference schedule for June 2021, including the awards gala, was presented online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The W. Kaye Lamb scholarships prizes, as well as the Federation’s other writing and recognition awards, were announced during the awards gala on June 5.

Three projects to benefit from BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:26:44 GMT

Three projects will receive funding from the British Columbia Historical Federation’s Centennial Legacy Fund this year. These grants support innovative work, new work, collections or resources in imminent danger, institutions that might otherwise not find funding; that the grants represent the geographical breadth of the province; that project funding could be partial.

The awards, as selected by the BCHF council, were announced Saturday at the BCHF’s awards gala.

Catherine Clement, Chinese Canadian Military Museum and Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act Project ($4,000)

2023 will mark 100 years since the passing of the 1923 Chinese Immigration Act (also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act). This piece of immigration law launched the darkest and most despairing period in Chinese Canadian history. The physical evidence of this story is contained in aging C.I. certificates (identity documents such as head tax certificates). The majority of these documents have been lost or thrown out. Very few are in public archives and any surviving certificates are buried in family collections. The grant will help find and scan these aging C.I. certificates and support a broad, province-wide engagement and community collection exercise in 2021 and 2022. The certificates will form the most comprehensive archive of its kind in Canada.

Stewart Historical Society/Stewart Museum, Ward’s Pass Cemetery Project ($2,200)

This project will commemorate the loss of two cemeteries in Stewart and remember the 231 people interred there. Some of their names are long forgotten. The first cemetery washed away by the Bear River in 1923 while the second cemetery at Barney’s Gulch was buried by a landslide in 1961. In-depth research using old cemetery records, newspapers, historical manuscripts, and genealogy records will be used to confirm the identities of the dead. Memory boards will be designed, printed, framed and placed on permanent display at Ward’s Pass Cemetery.

Doukhobors began settling at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers in 1908. This postcard shows their jam factory and orchards at Brilliant, ca. 1920s.

Jonathan Kalmakoff and team, CCUB Lands Project ($2,200)

The CCUB Lands Project is a multi-jurisdictional, multi-stage, multi-year research project to identify and delineate lands formerly owned by the Doukhobor communal organization, the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood, Ltd. (CCUB) in BC between 1908 and 1938, including particulars relating to their purchase, land settlement and usage, and its eventual sale. At present, this topic is known only in very general terms by relatively few. This project will be a tremendous contribution to historical studies, enabling: (1) the identification, and subsequent preservation and marking of historical sites associated with the CCUB; (2) facilitate ongoing research in Doukhobor history in British Columbia; and (3) assist in the publishing of historical sketches, studies and documents.

Chinatown Through a Wide Lens wins Lieutenant Governor’s Medal

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:25:35 GMT

A remarkable book about an early Vancouver photographer whose work was almost forgotten was named the winner Saturday of the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing, as presented by the British Columbia Historical Federation. The award comes with a cash prize of $2,500.

Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow is by Catherine Clement and published by the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia. Yucho Chow was Vancouver’s first Chinese commercial photographer and its most prolific. His lens captured thousands of faces of all skin colours, religious beliefs and backgrounds and chronicled a tumultuous time in Vancouver’s and Canada’s early history.

This coffee table book displays 344 pages of long-hidden, community photographs taken by Yucho Chow Studio. The private images showcase the different, marginalized communities that Yucho Chow chronicled in his lifetime, as well as the remarkable stories that accompany these photographs.

This book was also the people’s choice winner, as selected by the audience in real time during the awards gala.

Second prize, worth $1,500, went to Step into Wilderness (Harbour Publishing), by Deborah Griffiths, with Christine Dickinson; Judy Hagen and Catherine Siba. This book features never-before-seen photos from the Courtenay and District Museum collection, showcasing the growing community’s varied interactions with the wilderness they inhabit, from early hiking and skiing expeditions to encounters with wildlife, afternoon tea in the wilderness, beach races and early outdoor activity clubs.

The collection also explores the ways in which inhabitants have altered the landscape, including K’omoks Bay fish traps and stump blasting to clear fields. These unique and arresting photos are complemented by equally engaging accounts of individuals surviving and thriving in the midst of natural beauty and great devastation, including survivors of the great fire of 1922 and pioneer skiers on Forbidden Plateau during the Great Depression.

Third prize, worth $500 went to Lara Campbell for A Great Revolutionary Wave: Women and the Vote in British Columbia (UBC Press). This book rethinks the complex legacy of suffrage by considering both the successes and limitations of women’s historical fight for political equality. That historical legacy remains relevant today as Canadians continue to grapple with the meaning of justice, inclusion, and equality.

This book is for readers interested in women’s history, British Columbia history, or the history of women’s fight for political equality, including secondary school and university students. It will also find an audience among those concerned with gender equality and social justice.

Honorable mentions went to Pioneer Churches of British Columbia and the Salish Sea, by Liz Bryan (Heritage House); British Columbia in Flames: Stories from a Blazing Summer, by Claudia Cornwall (Harbour Publishing), and Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, by Nina Shoroplova (Heritage House).

The Community History Book Award, worth $500, went to Peter Smith for Silver Rush: British Columbia’s Silvery Slocan 1891 – 1900 (self-published). In the 1890s, mining camps like Sandon, Three Forks, Whitewater and their neighbours; New Denver, Silverton, Slocan City, Kaslo and Nakusp, thrived. Once the most productive mining region in British Columbia, prospectors and miners came from Idaho, Montana and other mining centres to reap the silver harvest. Capitalists flooded in from Spokane, Seattle, Vancouver, and investment centres across North America and the world. Plummeting silver prices, labour troubles and the Klondike gold rush eventually put an end to the silver rush but the legacy of that rush endures to this day.

The award recipients were chosen by a three-member panel of judges from nominees published in 2020.

Award of Merit: Paul Koroscil

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:38:58 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) announces that Paul Koroscil of Naramata is a recipient of an Award of Merit. The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

Paul is recognized for his outstanding contributions to the study and promotion of British Columbian history. A dedicated writer, Paul has authored three books, including The British Garden of Eden: Settlement History of the Okanagan Valley and published more than 27 articles over the course of his career.

His efforts to spur historical interest go beyond the page. An instructor and assistant professor within the Department of Geography at Simon Fraser University, Paul’s passion and enthusiasm for historical geography has been passed on and he “instilled his love of British Columbia geography and history in many of his students.”

In his acceptance speech, Paul wrote: “I feel honored and humbled in receiving the Award if Merit .

“I would like to thank Kathy Drew and board of directors, Friends of Fintry Provincial Park for nominating me. I would also like to thank the Department of Geography, SFU for accommodating a historical geographer and supporting me in researching my BC topics. Special thanks to Len Evenden, who has always showed an interest in my research. Since most of my research was completed prior to the IT revolution and digitization, I was fortunate to have the encouragement of my wife also my field assistant and critic who I owe a great deal of thanks.”

Inspiration Award: Jennifer Nell Barr

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:38:10 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Jennifer Nell Barr of Victoria is a recipient of an Inspiration award for her continued work researching and writing the “This Old House” series.

The award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations who have provided hope and optimism to the sector in British Columbia during the ongoing pandemic.

A member of Victoria Heritage Foundation, Jennifer has devoted endless hours to the publication series for more than 20 years. Coordinating the work of volunteer writers, editors, researchers and more, Jennifer has continued to pursue the next volume during the COVID-19 pandemic, persisting with historic zeal and joy.

In the words of her nominator, Jennifer “is happy to share her enthusiasm in what she finds along the way […] Some of the stories are hilarious, others very sad, but the social histories she brings to light about the occupants and the houses listed really help make past generations live again.”

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

nspiration Award: Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:37:03 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia is a recipient of an Inspiration award for the organization’s work to create face masks in partnership with Modernize Tailors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations who have provided hope and optimism to the sector in British Columbia during the ongoing pandemic.

Early in the pandemic, members of the society did not hesitate to rally to support the local community. Working with local Chinatown business Modernize Tailors, the Society innovatively helped fill a need during the PPE shortage, selling hand-made cloth face masks.

Continuing to champion the community throughout the initiative, a portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of the masks were donated to two of their community partners: the Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Lytton First Nations.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

Award of Recognition: Christine Meutzner

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:36:15 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) announces that Christine Meutzner of Nanaimo is a recipient of an Award of Recognition. The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

The longstanding archivist and manager of the Nanaimo Community Archives, Christine has been advocating for Nanaimo heritage and history for almost 25 years. Christine’s career has been marked by professionalism and exceptional community service, allowing countless researchers and community members to gain increased perspective and appreciation for Nanaimo’s historic roots.

A promoter of heritage and history, Christine has played an active role in the broader Nanaimo heritage scene, serving on the civic heritage advisory committee and a director of the Nanaimo Historical Society.

Award of Recognition: T.W. Paterson

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:35:10 GMT

T.W. Paterson photographs the wreckage of a plane on Mount Benson.

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) announces that T.W. Paterson of Cowichan Valley is a recipient of an Award of Recognition. The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

T.W.’s efforts in promoting an understanding of history are exemplified through his publications. Tireless in his pursuit of the past, T.W. has authored more than 30 books and countless articles on the history of British Columbia since his teenage years. His longstanding column, Cowichan Chronicles, ran in the Cowichan Valley Citizen for 23 years, serving as a notable avenue for the public to learn about the colourful and multifaceted history of the province.

His nominator for the award comments: “Truth is, T.W. is exactly where he belongs, fulfilling an important role by explaining why history is so important and showing us how fascinating it also can be.”

Inspiration Award: Tami Quiring

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:34:31 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Tami Quiring of Alder Grove Heritage Society is a recipient of an Inspiration award for her efforts successfully hosting the Society’s Community Heritage Day during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations who have provided hope and optimism to the sector in British Columbia during the ongoing pandemic.

Designing an in-person event to be in keeping with COVID protocols, the Alder Grove Heritage Society, under Tami’s leadership, hosted a ‘heritage walk-thru’ event in September 2020. The event featured displays mounted on a socially-distanced one way course set up within Royal Canadian Legion Branch #265 Aldergrove.

Safely mobilizing volunteers and members of the Heritage Society, the Community Heritage Day promoted safe in-person engagement and an increased sense of community during the pandemic while allowing visitors to learn about the history of Aldergrove.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

Inspiration Award: Aman Johal

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:33:26 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Aman Johal of Surrey is a recipient of an Inspiration award for his work spurring camaraderie and shared collective learning for staff at Fort Langley National Historic Site.

The award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations who have provided hope and optimism to the sector in British Columbia during the ongoing pandemic.

A long-time site interpretation supervisor at Fort Langley, Aman developed and ran regular history and trivia quizzes virtually for colleagues as staff adapted to working from home during the early stages of the pandemic. Under his leadership, the quizzes sparked lively discussion, laughter and debate amongst participants, promoting a sense of togetherness and connection during a time of social disruption.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

Inspiration Award: Gabriel Newman

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:32:21 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Gabriel Newman of Vernon is a recipient of an Inspiration award for his work creatively capturing the reality faced by heritage organizations through the Loneliest Interpreter series at O’Keefe Ranch.

The award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations who have provided hope and optimism to the sector in British Columbia during the ongoing pandemic.

Without visitors or school programs taking place at the O’Keefe Ranch during the COVID-19 pandemic, interpreter Gabriel Newman launched the “Loneliest Interpreter” video series. The series focused on a variety of historical topics, such as crafting butter, which would be undertaken at O’Keefe Ranch and the realities of working at a heritage site during a pandemic.

Gabriel’s videos were perfectly timed – raw, authentic and funny, the videos helped spur laughter, joy and a sense of community as people tried to make sense of the new reality spurred by COVID-19. You can watch one of them below.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

Inspiration Award: Al Donnelly

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:31:32 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Al Donnelly is a recipient of an Inspiration award for his work documenting the Boundary region and maintaining the Boundary Historical Society’s cabin at Jewel Lake near Greenwood.

The award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations who have provided hope and optimism to the sector in British Columbia during the ongoing pandemic.

An active member of the Boundary Historical Society, Al has undertaken deep research pertaining to the history of the Grand Forks and Greenwood areas. During the pandemic, Al worked ceaselessly to locate, collate, research and write stories about the Boundary region. The work has culminated into the production of the Boundary Historical Society’s 18th historical report publication.

In addition to carrying out tireless research, Al is a stalwart steward of the Society’s 1899 cabin located at Jewel Lake. Tackling duties pertaining to security, cleanliness and ground maintenance, Al’s work help ensure that the public will be able to enjoy the cabin for years to come.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

Natalia Deros wins BCHF Best News and Media Award

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:30:32 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that Natalia Deros of Heritage Abbotsford Society is the recipient of the Best News and Media Award for the society’s recent Stories to Spaces: Local Community Places social media campaign.

The award offers a certificate and cash prize of $250 for published news and media resources generated by BCHF members and can include newsletters, social media campaigns, podcasts and more.

Fusing built heritage with storytelling, digital heritage imaging, archival research and interviews, Natalia’s work brings Abbotsfordians together and draws upon the knowledge of the community to bring about dialogue on racism, inclusivity and heritage practices.

The Stories to Spaces: Local Community Places campaign helps bridge the generational gap between younger and older audiences, promoting knowledge exchange and inspiration. Currently, the campaign features posts about the Punjabi Patrika, Lekw’óqwem (Mill Lake), the Fraser Valley Regional Library system, Gifford and more.

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala online on June 5.

Time Travels: Nanaimo Museum

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 21:25:29 GMT

Snunéymuxw Reserve in downtown Nanaimo, circa 1900. Photo: Nanaimo Museum A1-80

By Mark Forsythe

And they’re off! When the ferry docks at Departure Bay, so begins a frantic race for the Island Highway, and Nanaimo is quickly in the rear-view mirror. This summer, why not visit the city’s historic downtown to see what you’ve been missing?

Also known as the “Hub City” (the downtown streets are laid out like the spokes on a wheel), Nanaimo is very walkable and easy to explore. Hoof it along the Harbourfront Walkway, then drop into the Art Gallery or Vancouver Island Military Museum. Both are just around the corner from the landmark Hudson’s Bay Company Bastion that’s been standing guard above the harbour since 1853.

The downtown is loaded with quaint shops, restaurants, and pubs — one of them inside a restored E&N Railway station. There are other impressive heritage structures, including the Nanaimo Courthouse that was designed by Francis Rattenbury. Built from granite and sandstone, it speaks to the prosperity of Nanaimo’s coal, lumber, and fishing industries, and the unbridled optimism of the era when it was constructed, in 1895.

For a strong sense of place and history, the Nanaimo Museum is an essential stop. Exhibits are numerous and varied: a coal mine, settler-era classroom, Snunéymuxw cultural artifacts, and a Hall of Fame dedicated to the city’s persistent love affair with sports, from soccer to track and field and hockey.

Manager Sophia Maher says she’s proud that the museum is part of a vibrant downtown. In addition to adapting to the pandemic, staff have been focused on renewing gallery spaces and expanding an exhibit about Nanaimo’s earliest inhabitants, the Snunéymuxw (“Nanaimo” is derived from their name.) At a city reconciliation event, Sophia asked Elder William White to visit the Museum and help deepen their presence.

Downtown Nanaimo, 1890s. Photo: Nanaimo Museum A1-32

“We tell lots of European stories, but we want to know what’s missing from the Snunéymuxw point of view. We’re missing thousands of years’ worth of history.” William, with a degree in history and anthropology, accepted the invitation: “I fell in love with their model of the longhouse, people making blankets, the spindle whorls, the welcome figure, and the regalia case.” He’s also keen to help animate the exhibit. “What can we add to make it more exciting for the museum-goer? We could possibly hear people speaking, drumming, or singing Welcome Songs.”

He also sees a need for more stories about the impact of colonialism on his people, through the eyes of the Snunéymuxw themselves. “How do we work the Indian Residential School experience into this? The discovery of coal?” William adds that when the Hudson’s Bay Company first showed interest in mining coal, the Company didn’t reveal that they would sell it. “Our people traded; that was our currency.”

The museum plans to move a rejuvenated Snunéymuxw exhibit to the front of the gallery space. Curator Aimee Greenaway says this will give it the weight it deserves, and will “reposition these stories.” Aimee sees this as part of a larger, necessary shift. “Our internal wiring is to tailor to interests and research, but there are also overlooked histories, from Metis to Jewish and Black histories.”

Chinatown, circa 1958. Photo: Nanaimo Museum R5-13

During the pandemic, the museum is discovering new ways to share stories, whether through online programming, one-on-one visits developed through an innovative “Bubble Buddies” project, or self-guided tours. Challenging and exciting times are ahead for the seven full-time and five part-time staff members. Nanaimo is a key intersection for travellers going to or from Vancouver Island; the Museum itself could become an important crossroad to reconciliation and understanding.

For William White, collaboration with the museum will “give people voices who have not been heard before. This development is the first time in history that the songs, values, and images will be brought forward for a new time and place.” He remembers listening to recordings of the late Anderson Tommy, who grew up at what is now Departure Bay. “His old people taught him a Welcome Song, and he remembered his old people telling him — he almost cried — you will hear this song echo long after we are gone.”

Nanaimo Museum: https://nanaimomuseum.ca. Located at the corner of Commercial and Museum Way.

Q’Puthet Unwinus, Snuneymuxw cultural research project, 1970s. Left to right: Elder Hazel Good; Q’Puthet Unwinus project coordinator Kay George; Anderson Tommy; and Roy Aleck. Photo: Courtesy of William White

Haiku in Tashme: The legacy of Sukeo “Sam” Sameshima

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 00:15:04 GMT

A street view of Tashme in 1942. Tashme was the largest Japanese internment camp in British Columbia with over 2,600 people incarcerated there at its peak. Nikkei National Museum, 1994.69.4.27

The following story is the winner of the 2020 Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award. It appeared in the Spring 2020 edition of British Columbia History magazine.

By Jacqueline Pearce and Jean-Pierre Antonio

Michiko Kihira is the chief translator. Jean-Pierre Antonio is an assistant translator. Jacqueline Pearce of Burnaby is a grant recipient of the 2019 BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund in the amount of $4,300 for her Japanese-Canadian internment camp haiku translation project. The goal of this project is to translate at least 300 of over 600 haiku poems contained in two unpublished documents written in Tashme internment camp as well as to translate a small selection of haiku from other camps. There are few published records of haiku written in internment camps, and the project aims to compile the scattered information and examples into a single collection, so that this very unique part of Canadian literature and history can gain wider recognition.

It took almost three hours to drive to Sunshine Valley from Fort Langley. It is about 22 kilometres past Hope on the Crowsnest Highway. Our destination was the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum, a relatively new institution dedicated to the memory of life in the Tashme internment camp. Tashme was the largest internment camp in British Columbia for Japanese Canadians. The camp, built on the site of what was previously a working farm, was in operation between October 1942 and August 1946. At its peak, over 2,600 people were incarcerated there.

A large percentage of the Nikkei adults and children had previously lived in Vancouver and smaller communities along the coast, and they were accustomed to urban living and modern amenities such as indoor plumbing, heating, cars, and stores. In Tashme, the majority lived in 347 uninsulated tar paper shacks. Each shack was occupied by a family of at least five people. Smaller families either shared a shack or were housed in an “apartment” building. Barracks housed young, single women and a large barn housed single men. In addition, there was separate housing for the non-Japanese supervisors from the BC Security Commission and for the RCMP officers and teachers, many of the latter sent by churches. No prison walls were needed to keep people inside the camp, since the isolated location, rugged landscape, and the hostile social climate of the province were considered enough of a deterrent to thoughts of escape.

Over the years since the camp closed, few people passing by on the adjacent highway were aware of the site’s internment history. Today however, there is a newly erected Provincial historical marker on Alpine Boulevard, just off the highway, which provides basic information about Tashme and the people who were confined there. Visitors who pull off the highway and step inside the Tashme museum at 14781 Alpine Boulevard will find an opportunity to look through a window into the past and gain a deeper understanding of the harsh realities of the internees’ lives.

On the day we visited, brilliant sunshine was reflecting off a metre of newly-fallen snow, and the entire valley looked deceptively like an idyllic winter postcard. However, after a couple of hours touring the museum and the grounds and listening to the curator, Ryan Ellan, we were left with no illusions about this picturesque place. The museum provides plenty of detailed information about the site’s internment camp years through archival photos, maps, personal artifacts, and the interior of a painstakingly recreated shack that accurately shows visitors what the cramped kitchen and tiny bedrooms were like.

Kitchen utensils and personal items look as if they have been set aside for a moment and will be picked up again when the family returns. Through these tangible details, visitors can begin to understand the dramatically reduced circumstances that the internees endured. At the time of our visit, the cold of winter penetrating the thin walls helped evoke another layer of the internees’ experience.

In addition to the museum, visitors can also see the outside of a cabin used for Tashme primary school classes, a long, barracks-style building used to house unmarried women, the remains of two silos and the massive barn that was used to house single men. All of these buildings are original and in need of restoration after so many years of neglect. Even so, the barn, despite its current condition, is awe-inspiring. The massive ceiling struts, visible from the second-floor loft space, suggest the interior of a cathedral. The comparison, however, relates only to the sense of open space. Standing there for a brief 15 minutes, the icy chill penetrated our layers of winter clothing. There is no insulation in the building, and during the years the internees slept there, sleeping cubicles were separated only by thin curtains.

The Stop of Interest Sign erected in 2017 on Alpine Boulevard, just off the highway. Jacqueline Pearce

At one end of the barn there was a wood burning stove for cooking, but it could not possibly have provided enough heat to warm up the vast space. We had to wonder: What did the internees think about their day-to-day life in Tashme? How did they feel about the deprivations, or about having previous routines and relationships suddenly taken away? How did they manage the hardships?

There is not a great deal of first-hand information available today to let us know the internal thoughts and feelings of those who lived in the camp. Many of the adult internees have passed on, and those who were children in the camps are now entering their 80s and 90s, and the decades have taken away many of the sharper details of their memories. Perhaps, however, some of the emotional insights can be found in the rediscovered haiku poetry of Tashme.

Few examples of personal writing remain from the internment camps. Most were lost, destroyed or discarded over time. This makes the collection of materials recently donated by the Sameshima family to the archives of Nikkei Place, the National Japanese-Canadian Museum and Cultural Centre in Burnaby, particularly unique and significant. In the collection there are two remarkable volumes called Yamabiko (Mountain Echo) and Reiko (Spiritual Light).

They contain over 600 haiku composed by members of the Tashme Haiku Club during the years of internment. Their existence today is due to the care of one of the club members, Sukeo “Sam” Sameshima. He kept the two mimeographed volumes safe for over 70 years as he moved from home to home after internment, before finally settling in Coaldale, Alberta. It says a great deal about his love of haiku and his determination to not let the life he led in Tashme be forgotten.

Who was Sam Sameshima?

Sukeo “Sam” Sameshima, was born November 23, 1915, in New Westminster. He was the second of six children born to Saichi and Kumi Sameshima. According to the Sameshima family, Saichi most likely came to Canada in 1907, and Kumi arrived in 1913. Saichi repaired shoes and established a business in New Westminster, then later in Nanaimo.

By 1920, with four children, the family returned to Japan for the children’s schooling. In 1931, at age sixteen, Sukeo returned to BC. He apprenticed in New Westminster as a shoe repairman, then returned to Japan again briefly. When he came back to BC, he settled in Port Alberni to open his own shoe repair shop. In a 2002 interview published in Frogpond, the journal of the Haiku Society of America, Sukeo states that it was in Port Alberni that he was introduced to writing haiku. He joined a local haiku club called Kamome (Seagull) in 1940.

After Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941, and BC’s 100-mile exclusion zone was created in 1942, Sukeo was sent to Hastings Park in Vancouver to await his internment destination. From there he was sent to Tashme, where he set up another shoe repair shop and also helped to establish Tashibi, the Tashme Haiku Club. It was towards the end of internment that the two haiku volumes, Reiko and Yamabiko, were compiled. In Tashme, Sukeo married Kazue “Kay” Shimozawa, who gave birth to their first child during their incarceration in the camp.

When the Pacific War of the Second World War ended, the internees were released from Tashme, but were not allowed to return to the coast. Sukeo and his young family moved to a Canadian Air Force base in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He had a temporary job there, helping other Nikkei as they traveled across Canada to new homes outside of BC. In 1948, he moved his family to Alberta to be closer to his wife’s relatives, and he opened a shoe repair shop in Coaldale, Alberta in 1949. He worked there until his retirement in 1992. Apart from a ten-year period after the war, Sukeo continued writing haiku until his death on October 5, 2017, a month short of his 102nd birthday.

As well as the publication of ten of Sukeo’s haiku in Frogpond, seven of his translated haiku were published in Paper Doors: An Anthology of Japanese-Canadian Poetry in 1981, and two translated poems appeared in Haïku: Anthologie Canadienne/Canadian Anthology in 1985. His haiku were also included in Japanese-language publications. Thanks to his love of haiku, the two Tashme collections he helped create and safeguard, Reiko and Yamabiko, still exist today.

The publication Yamabiko consists of haiku from numerous authors. Its cover features a handdrawn illustration of the mountains surrounding Tashme and incorporates details of the camp, 1946. Nikkei National Museum, 2017.18.2.2.1

Haiku is a short form of poetry that has been popular in Japan for several hundred years. In fact, the word haiku is both singular and plural. It was brought to Canada by Japanese immigrants in the early 20th century. Traditionally, haiku tends to use natural imagery to express ideas and emotions associated with a particular moment of experience.

Many of the haiku in Reiko and Yamabiko draw from the natural setting of the camp, including the gentle agricultural valley and the rugged mountains surrounding it. The internees also used imagery from their own lives, recording both their industrious and their leisure activities. The portrait of life in Tashme that emerges is complex. Their work conveys the beauty of the environment they lived in, but the natural imagery they incorporated also speaks clearly of pain, worry, and loneliness.

For example, the following haiku from Reiko was written by one of the second-generation1 poets, who went by the pen name Kiyoshi. No pronoun is given in the first section, but one might assume the poet is talking about himself, walking alone and perhaps feeling the weight of being cut off from his previous activities and friends, yet, at the same time, beauty is found in the autumn leaves that form a path underfoot.

一人行けば　足音淋し　落葉道　　　　　きよし/Kiyoshi

walking alone/a solitary person walks/goes

footsteps sound lonely

fallen leaves path

walking by myself

the lonely sound of footsteps

on a path of fallen leaves

The following eight haiku, also written by second-generation poets, convey a keen sensory awareness of the environment and reflect some of the day to day activities of camp life (the poet’s pen name is given on the right).

ほやほやと　霞につつまれ　冬の川　　　　　雪男/Yukio

rising/lifting

mist covered

winter river

cover of mist

rising off

the winter river

カチカチと　ハンマーの音　冬の朝　　　美津子/Mitsuko
crack-crack
hammer’s sound
winter morning
crack crack
the sound of a hammer
winter morning

寝ね足らぬ　目にストーブを　抱きけり　　　　綾子/Ayako
lack of sleep/sleepy
eyes to/on stove
huddle round
feeling sleepy
our eyes on the stove
as we huddle around it

晝の鐘　いてつく路を　かける児等　正茶/Shocha or Seicha
noon bell
frozen road
running children/child
noon bell
children running
on the frozen road

降りしきる　雪の奥から　犬吠えり　　　　　　きよゑ/Kiyoé
falling heavily
far off snow
dog barking
heavy snowfall
in the distance
a dog barking

クリスマス　カード手に手に　子等の笑み　　かよ子/Kayoko
Christmas card/cards
holding in his/her hand
children’s smiles
Christmas cards
in every hand
children’s smiles

年惜む　失業の身　家にあり　　　　　　　　　肇/Hajime
lament/regret the year’s end
still unemployed
sitting at home
regretting the year’s end
I sit at home
still unemployed

床の母　かかへて見せる　雪の街　　正茶/Socha or Seicha
Mother in bed
help sit up/hold up in arms
can see snowy town
bed-ridden mother
I hold her up
to see the snowy town

Sameshima’s own haiku show a great sensitivity to the beauty and power of the natural environment surrounding the internment camp, which seems to both reflect and inform his inner state of being. In the following example from Yamabiko, he notices the simple beauty of the pattern of frost that has formed on a discarded bicycle. The haiku describes a direct moment of observation, but at the same time, the image of a bicycle, thoughtlessly dropped and left behind, might also be read as a reflection of Sameshima’s feelings as a Canadian internee, tossed aside and forgotten by his country. Since we cannot confirm with Sameshima himself, we cannot know for sure if this metaphorical meaning was intended.

霜の花　自転車無惨に　放られあり
frost flower
bicycle thoughtlessly
thrown away / left behind
frost flowers
a forgotten bicycle
left behind

In the following haiku (also from Yamabiko), we get a picture of Sameshima walking through the forest, surrounded by trees, their tops rising into the blue sky. His eyes, too, are drawn upward, and there is a sense of his spirit lifted as well.

早春の　梢々が　青空へ
early spring
treetops treetops
to the blue sky
early spring
so many treetops
rising to the blue sky

The following are further examples of Sameshima’s haiku from Yamabiko, with the kanji and direct translation provided. For brevity, we haven’t provided the polished English haiku, but have instead left the interpretation up to the reader.

耕馬帰る　夕日抱きし　並木道
plough horse returns
setting sun embraced
tree-lined road

夏の朝　口笛の子に　出会ひけり
summer morning
whistling children
meet / met

理髪師の　日向に佇てり　長閑なる
barber in the sunlight
standing
tranquil / peaceful is

腕時計　はづし涼しき　夕風に
wristwatch
take off
cool evening wind

秋の燈に　眼鏡のケース　そと置かる
autumn lamp-light
glasses case
gently put down

冬の灯に　帽子二三が　かかりあり
winter lamplight
hats two or three
are hung

The following haiku of Sameshima’s are from Reiko:

春天へ　警報黒く　吊られたる
spring sky in
warning/alarm bell black
is hung

春水の　溢るるバケツ　持上ぐる
spring water
overflowing bucket
lift/lift up

馬ぴんと　耳を立てたり　雪解の陽
horse straight up
ears stand
snow-melting sunshine

　猫の髭　衣裁つ鋏　置かれけり
cat’s love
fabric/garment scissors
put down

つばめ大きく　舞ひ朝の　ビル高き
swallow big looping
in the morning
building high/tall

路地出でて　チューリップの陽の　ありにけり
lane/alley exit
tulip/s in the sunshine
there is/are

朝空へ　鯉幟なる　風がある
morning sky to
carp banner full
wind blows/enough wind2

荷車の　子等積んで駈く　秋の晴
hand cart/wagon
full of children/loaded with pulled
autumn clear day

雪の朝　牧師の瞳に　触れ合ひぬ
snowy morning
priest’s eyes (glance)
(my eyes) meet/met

凍つる夜の　夜光時計を　見さだめぬ
freezing night
dimly lit clock
checking the time

冬の灯の　棚の古本　見つめゐる
winter lamp light
old books on shelf
gazing at

小さき家　雪の朝日の　煙上ぐる
small house/houses
sunrise in snow
smoke rises

バンの雪　栗毛の馬が　踏み出づる
snow on the carriage/van
chestnut (coloured) horse
steps out into the snow

ひしひしと　路地を通りぬ　星冴ゆる
shuffling through the alley
stars shine bright
look up

“Tashibi” cartouche cropped from the cover of Yamabiko. Nikkei National Museum, 2017.18.2.2.1

In his book, Within the Barbed Wire Fence, renowned Nikkei poet Takeo Ujo Nakano talks about his experience interned in Camp Angler in Ontario. This camp was designed to house German prisoners of war captured in Europe, but was pressed into use as a camp for Japanese-Canadians deemed a danger to the state. Nakao noted that “Because of the tedium of camp life, [the haiku club] quickly attracted members.”3

Haiku clubs (as well as other clubs and activities organized in the camps) broke the monotony of camp life. In his online article on the recently created Tashme Historical Project website, independent scholar Eiji Okawa suggests that for the haiku club members, writing haiku was more than a hobby, or leisure activity to fill the days’ empty hours. He says, “It gave them the avenue to express their emotions and visualize their heart and soul during the dreadful internment years.”4

He goes on to say that writing haiku, “facilitated cultural adaptation to the environment of Tashme.”5 Reading even a sample of the Tashme haiku, we can find support for his points. For example, after the tragic drowning of a child in one of the two rivers flowing past the camp, writing haiku may have offered a cathartic experience for a poet known by the pen-name, Koson (Lonely Village). The first haiku below refers to the tower at the edge of camp, which held an emergency bell, or siren. There is the sense of both the sound and the people’s panic rising.

非常警報　人沸きたたせ　夏天へ
emergency bell
people upset/panic/disturbed
to the summer sky
people panicking
the emergency bell rises
to the summer sky

いたいけな　死肢硬直　青草冷ゆる
sweet/adorable
corpse grown stiff
green grass becomes cold
a sweet child
limbs stiffening
the green grass chills

夏天へ　命奪へる　水音鋭き
to the summer sky
life robbed/stolens
harp sound of water
a life is taken
into the summer sky
the sharp sound of water

In these three haiku, the expression is restrained. The situation and the poet’s emotions are not explicitly stated. Yet, there is an implied sense of sudden deep and painful emotion, which the poet is perhaps coming to terms with through the act of writing.

Within the simple imagery of haiku, the poets were able to give voice to deep emotions they might not otherwise have been able to share. The haiku club used language to quietly reclaim a small, but significant, agency in their lives, presumably unobserved by camp authorities. As with other circumstances of internment, the name of the camp, Tashme, was imposed on the Nikkei. The name was created by the BC Security Commission as a kind of anagram, combining the first two letters of the names of three commissioners — Austin T. Taylor (TA), a prominent Vancouver businessman, John Shirras (SH) of the BC Provincial Police and Frederick John Mead (ME) of the RCMP.

The members of the haiku club, however, reinvented the name Tashme, using Japanese characters. They chose three kanji that can be read with almost the same sounds as the three parts of the name, “ta-shi-mi.” Ta means “many/plenty.” Shi means “strong resolution/will.” Mi means “beauty.” They could have chosen other kanji characters that can be read with the same sounds, but in selecting these particular kanji, the haiku club imbued the name, Tashme, with new meaning. For them, the camp name no longer referred to three BC Security commissioners; instead, it expressed the haiku club’s goal of creating plenty of beauty through their own resolution and will.

Translating Haiku

While haiku are very short and simple, they can be difficult to translate. The Japanese is often intentionally ambiguous, with no pronouns included and no clear indication of whether a subject or object is singular or plural. Each haiku can be interpreted in several different ways. In addition, a single kanji (Japanese character) may have more than one meaning, and some kanji used in the 1940s and earlier are no longer in use today. Sometimes, metaphors and references have been lost to time, or do not translate well. In other cases, the original poem’s rhythm and sound-play can be difficult to convey in English. Keeping these considerations in mind, we have created a rough direct English translation of each Tashme haiku, followed by a more polished English haiku version (for the sake of brevity, we have not included all of the polished versions here).

With the English haiku, we have attempted to keep as close to the Japanese as possible, providing an interpretation that we feel makes sense given what we know about the context in which the poems were written. While the Japanese poems tend to be written in a pattern of 5-7-5 on, or sound units, we have not attempted to translate these into 5-7-5 English syllables. To do so would impose too many extra words on the poems. We have tried to retain the brevity, focused imagery and mood of the original poems.

This re-imagined Tashme can be seen very clearly on the covers of the haiku collections, Yamabiko and Reiko, in the lower left-hand corner in a gourd-shaped cartouche. Its creation was a subtle act of autonomy, an indication that through writing, the Nikkei internees would at least see this new environment in the way that they chose to see it — a way that allowed them to maintain a burning ember of their cultural and human identity. This ember is also kept alive through their haiku. These two collections, Yamabiko and Reiko, are invaluable documents that record the internal lives and the extraordinary endurance of the internees.

The authors would like to thank archivist Linda Kawamoto Reid and collections manager Lisa Kiyomi Uyeda at Nikkei Place for their help and patience during our visits to the Nikkei National Museum archives, Ryan Ellan, curator/owner of the Tashme Museum, for his guided tour of the museum and site, and Rachel Enomoto, haiku poet and translator, for her review of selected translations. We are also grateful to Sam (Sukeo) and Kay (Kazue) Sameshima for their donation of documents and photographs to the Nikkei archives and for the interview we conducted with Sam via correspondence and the help of his wife Kay, shortly before his death.

Sources

Yamabiko, Tashme Haiku Club, 1945, Kazue and Sukeo Sameshima fonds 2017.18.2.2.1, Nikkei National Museum Archives, Burnaby
Reiko, Tashme Haiku Club, 1946, Kazue and Sukeo Sameshima fonds 2017.18.2.2.2, Nikkei National Museum Archives, Burnaby
“Notes from the Prairie: an interview with and haiku by Sukeo Sameshima” by Bruce Ross in Frogpond: The Journal of the Haiku Society of America 25:2, 2002, pp. 53–56
Paper Doors: Anthology of Japanese-Canadian Poetry, Gerry Osamu Shikatani and David Aylward, eds., Coach House Press, Toronto, 1981
Haïku: Anthologie Canadienne / Canadian Anthology edited by Dorothy Howard and André Duhaime, Editions Asticou, Hull, Quebec, 1985

Endnotes

1. Second generation (Nisei) refers to Japanese-Canadians born in Canada to parents who immigrated to Canada from Japan. The generation born in Japan is the first generation (Issei).
2. A carp banner is a koi fish-shaped cloth or paper banner (or wind sock) that is hung to celebrate Boys’ Day (now called Children’s Day) in May.
3. Ujō Nakano and Leatrice M. Willson Chan, Within the Barbed Wire Fence: a Japanese Man’s Account of his Internment in Canada (Toronto: James Lorimer & Company, 2012), 70.
4. Eiji Okawa, “Tashme Poetry Club,” Tashme 1942–1946 Historical Project, http://tashme.ca, assessed April 10, 2019. Quoted with permission.
5. Eiji Okawa, “Tashme Poetry Club”.

Jacqueline Pearce is an award-winning haiku poet and children’s book author based in Burnaby. Jacquie has degrees in English Literature and Environmental Studies and an interest in local history. Her first novel for children focused on the friendship between two girls of Sikh and Japanese heritage in the Vancouver Island community of Paldi during the Second World War.

Born in Jamaica, Jean-Pierre Antonio came to BC as a child. He grew up in Duncan and graduated from Cowichan Senior High School. He graduated from UBC with a BFA before taking an MFA at York and a BEd at the University of Toronto. He is currently teaching English at Suzuka University in Japan.

SS Master: The first 100 years

Mon, 17 May 2021 21:28:14 GMT

January 2021 docking of SS Master at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.
Photo courtesy of Seaspan Shipyards

From the Summer issue of British Columbia History

By Robert G. Allan

There are few vessels in BC waters a century or more old. A few vintage yachts remain, but seldom do workboats achieve that distinction. A notable exception is SS Master, approaching her centennial in 2022 and, according to our research, the sole surviving wooden-hulled, steam-powered tug afloat in the world.

Master was built by noted shipwright Arthur Moscrop on the shores of False Creek in Vancouver. She worked for various companies connected to the local construction industry, most notably Evans, Coleman & Evans, forerunner of Ocean Cement Ltd. Her duties consisted mostly of towing logs and barges laden with sand, gravel, limestone, and coal along the coast.

Supplanted in 1959 by steel, diesel-powered tugs, Master was left to deteriorate. However, in 1962 the local branch of the World Ship Society saw the promise in this fine little ship and restored her to a semblance of her past glory. That work has subsequently been taken over by the SS Master Society, a small group of volunteers who for nearly 60 years have shown her off up and down the coast, educating residents and visitors alike about the important role of tugboats in the development of the BC economy.

In 2018 the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized “Tugboats of Canada’s West Coast” as “an Event of National Historic Significance” with the unveiling of a plaque at Granville Island, and specifically acknowledging SS Master. She also received the Beaver Medal for maritime excellence from the Maritime Museum of BC.

But age is relentless, and old wooden tugs need care beyond the skillset of even the most dedicated volunteers. The SS Master Society is therefore raising awareness and money to see this iconic steam tug preserved for decades to come. The SS Master Centenary Project aims to raise $3.5 million for a significant restoration effort. The scope of work covers extensive hull, deck, and bulwark repairs, steam machinery overhaul, and general upkeep.

This maritime world treasure deserves the utmost care and attention of all British Columbians.

To learn more, or to make a donation, visit https://www.ssmaster.org/

SS Master. January 2021. Safety approved January 19, 2021

Time Travels: Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin & BC Cowboy Hall of Fame

Tue, 11 May 2021 21:30:05 GMT

By Mark Forsythe

“Smith was a very ordinary sort of man. He was in his late thirties at this time, smoked rollings, used the standard Association saddle and from the top of his head to his heels was one straight line, which some people say is a sign of stubbornness and others attribute to Irish ancestry.” — Breaking Smith’s Quarter Horse by Paul St. Pierre (Ryerson Press, 1966)

Fictional cowboy Smith ambled out of Paul St. Pierre’s imagination at Big Creek in the Chilcotin where he spent years mining stories and characters for CBC Television’s Cariboo Country (1959–1967). The show launched the acting career of 60-year-old Chief Dan George in his role as Ol’ Antoine, and spawned novels, including the classic Breaking Smith’s Quarter Horse.

St. Pierre’s wry storytelling and realistic portrayal of ranch life, cowboys, and Indigenous people earned high praise and a special honour — the Joe Marten Award for Preservation of Cowboy Heritage from the BC Cowboy Heritage Society. In later years, he lived in Fort Langley, but his heart remained in the Chilcotin until his death in 2014 at age 90. His headstone reads: “This wasn’t my idea.”

For a sense of real cowboy culture, visit the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin in Williams Lake, home to the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame, administered by the BC Cowboy Heritage Society. Saddles, spurs, and cowboy memorabilia are displayed along with stories about the people behind them. The Hall of Fame highlights more than 140 pioneering cowboys, cowgirls, and ranchers; early inductees include bare-back champion Leonard Palmantier, a 1920s Williams Lake Stampede star who could ride a bucking horse backwards.

There’s singer and champion yodeller Shirley Field who hosted the Cowboys Sweetheart Show, performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and toured with Marty Robbins. Louie Bates was a Best All-Around Cowboy at the Williams Lake Stampede and a Second World War veteran who was born on the nearby Sugar Cane Reserve, one of many Indigenous cowboys.

Recent inductees include the Bayliff Family for their enduring dedication to ranching that spans four generations, and Allison Everett, a Williams Lake teacher-librarian who competes in rodeos, raises and trains horses, and teaches rodeo skills. (All profiles are on the BC Cowboy Society’s website.)

Cowboy and ranching culture reaches back to the gold-rush era when newspaperman D.W. Higgins observed that miners “expected to scoop up the gold by the handful and live at ease evermore.” They also needed to eat.

Mark McMillan, president of the BC Cowboy Heritage Society, thinks the cattle ranching industry is central to the story of modern British Columbia. “Cowboys and cattle drives followed the miners to supply them with beef, and many started their own ranches along the way,” he explains. “When the gold ran out, the miners left…the cowboys and ranchers stayed, and many are still in their original family location to this day.”

The agreement to showcase the Cowboy Hall of Fame at the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin was made between McMillan and Diana French, an author, former museum board member, and its past president. The deal was sealed with a handshake. Says Mark, “The Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin is a natural home … It’s in the heart of cowboy country and a huge ranching community.”

In 2017 the museum pulled up stakes from its downtown Williams Lake location and moved to the Tourism Discovery Centre, a striking log and timber structure beside the main highway. (Constructed by local log home builders, its centre post beam is 52 feet (15.8 metres) long, cut from a 745-year-old-tree in Bella Coola.)

The museum reflects the history of the vast Cariboo Chilcotin region, from ranching to railways, forestry, and medicine. There are programs for youth, interactive educational kits for the classroom, and plans for virtual tours.

“We also offer a few photo collections on our website, as well as our new Cariboo Strong: Resiliency in the Face of the 2017 Wildfires exhibit online,” adds Davana Mahon. With a staff of three, the museum relies on an active volunteer base and is eager to expand membership and think of new ways to engage the public.

Last spring it hosted a saddle-cleaning workbee with expert saddle-maker Mark Denny (also a recipient of the Joe Marten Award for Preservation of Cowboy Heritage). This helped restore the museum’s saddle collection and gave horse lovers a unique hands-on experience. Just like a good pair of jeans, it was a perfect fit.

The Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin is located at B-1660 Broadway Ave South, Williams Lake. The BC Cowboy Hall of Fame Categories include Working Cowboy, Competitive, Pioneer, Horseman, Artistic, Family, Century Ranch, and Builder of Western Culture. Nominations continue until November 1. More information is available at bcchs.com, or contact the museum at mccmarketing@telus.net or 250-392-7404.

Explaining settlers to ourselves

Tue, 04 May 2021 21:32:09 GMT

These watercolour sketch maps show some of the Indian Reserves Peter O’Reilly’s work touched. Source: Indian Reserve Commission. Federal Collection; Minutes of Decision. Correspondence and Sketches, Volume 9. Digitized by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs Research Department and Resource Centre

By Kelly Black

Since the 1960s, Point Ellice House in Victoria has engaged visitors with stories of tea, croquet, romance, and high society. [1] If you have ever visited this provincial heritage site, you probably came for afternoon tea, a fixture of the visitor experience for more than 30 years. Of course, there’s much more to the site than tea on the lawn, as the Vancouver Island Local History Society is demonstrating since we took over management of the site in 2019. We are working to understand Point Ellice House as a “historical hub,” a site connected to its neighbourhood, the wider city of Victoria, and to British Columbia’s and Canada’s legacies of colonization.

As the executive director of Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens, I like to point out to visitors an interpretive plaque at the site. It’s one of those provincial Stop of Interest signs from 1969 — you’ve likely seen them at highway rest stops throughout BC. The sign reads:

Point Ellice House

This historic residence, built in 1861, was the home of the Honourable Peter O’Reilly. As Gold Commissioner, County Court Judge, and member of the first Legislative Council of British Columbia, he was prominent during the formative years of our province. This graceful house was the O’Reilly home for more than a century, and remains an example of mid-Victorian charm.

I bring visitors to this sign because it’s significant — not for what it tells us about Peter O’Reilly or his home but for what it leaves out. Every job O’Reilly ever had with the colonial and provincial governments is listed on the plaque — except for his 18 years as Indian Reserve Commissioner. From 1880 to 1898, O’Reilly acted on behalf of the Federal and Provincial governments to set out, eliminate, reduce, or, in some cases, expand Indian Reserves across the province. Of the more than 600 reserves in BC, O’Reilly had a role in nearly all of them. [2]

The omission of O’Reilly’s time as Indian Reserve Commissioner at a provincial heritage site and on a Stop of Interest sign was not simply an oversight or mistake; it was by design. Interpretive and programming documents from the last few decades regularly omitted O’Reilly’s influence on the colonial geography of the province. Instead, past managers and curators focused on the domestic space, on privileging romantic narratives of Victorian-era courtship, afternoon tea, and roses. The idea that colonization was inevitable, is complete, and is disconnected from the everyday life of settlers remains a pervasive and troubling narrative in BC and Canada. [3]

Historian and geographer Kenneth Brealey argues that O’Reilly’s time as Indian Reserve Commissioner is “the framework upon which our own contemporary provincial geography remains suspended.” [4] In other words, the continued existence of Indian Reserves — on a map or in daily life — reveals that colonization is not simply a past event; it’s ongoing. [5]

Interpreting and narrating the past is a primary objective of public history. As archaeologist and anthropologist Joanne Hammond reminds us, “public histories that paint Canada’s story as inevitable, necessary, and beneficent are dangerous because they work — and not just in the past.” [6] Narratives that obfuscate or omit the work of colonization remain prominent because they have been built up over time and reinforced, and the Stop of Interest signs are one example of this. [7] (See Hammond, “Decolonizing BC’s Roadside History,” British Columbia History 53.4, Winter 2020.)

There can be no reconciliation without truth, something that white settler heritage sites such as Point Ellice House must work to address. Borrowing a term from academics Alissa Macoun and Elizabeth Strakosch, I think about making the past and present of colonization visible as “explaining settlers to ourselves.” [8]

When we started at Point Ellice House, our non-profit society began a reassessment and overhaul of the dated interpretation and training documents. We also continue to reimagine site programming; we’ve dropped 30 years of declining afternoon tea service in favour of storytelling and exhibits. Central to these changes is interpreting the house and its families within the context of the British Empire and settler colonialism. A new interpretive panel in O’Reilly’s study reads:

The Geography of Settler Colonialism

Peter O’Reilly was BC’s Indian Reserve Commissioner, responsible for assigning reserve lands without treaty. He travelled the province from 1880 to 1898, returning to this room to make decisions that would have devastating impacts on First Nations peoples. Many First Nations reported that he set out reserves hastily and without due consultation. In several cases, he assigned reserves while leaders were absent. O’Reilly had been instructed to consider any First Nations land that was not occupied by houses or cultivation as “waste.” The view that Indigenous people were not making “proper” use of the land was prominent in Canada; today, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls on us to reject such concepts, which were used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples.

The updated visitor experience at Point Ellice House makes connections between the everyday life of a privileged Victoria family and the everyday work of empire and colonization. At the direction of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, O’Reilly’s brother in-law Joseph Trutch, and others, Peter O’Reilly shaped the geographic violence of colonization in British Columbia. Everyday artifacts on display inside the house speak to these connections — a desk, an ink well, tea cups, riding boots, etc. The O’Reillys went about their lives gardening, painting, cooking, and entertaining as a colonial project unfolded around them and because of them. This remains true for most non-Indigenous people in British Columbia today.

Understanding Point Ellice House or other heritage sites in this way does not prohibit interpretation of personal and familial narratives of love, loss, and life experience, but it does reshape them. Peter O’Reilly’s work as Indian Reserve Commissioner was all but expunged from the visitor experience for 50 years; it may take us that much time to untangle and repair the generational influence of these obfuscations and omissions. [9]

Explaining settlers to ourselves is a call to action — for those involved with public histories — to make visible the disruptive processes of colonization that seek to replace Indigenous peoples with a settler society. At Point Ellice House, our response to this call begins with the understanding that the site is more than a family home; it’s an axis that connects tea parties to dispossession and roses with reserves.

Endnotes

1. “Stepping back into history.” The Daily Colonist, December 17, 1967.
2. Kenneth G. Brealey, “Travels from Point Ellice: Peter O’Reilly and the Indian Reserve System in British Columbia,” BC Studies, Autumn/Winter, No. 115/6, 1997/1998, pp. 181-236.
3. Liam Britten, “Homework assignment to list ‘positive’ stories about residential schools under investigation,” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/residential-school-homework-assignment-1.5816491
4. Brealey, p. 235
5. Patrick Wolfe, “Settler colonialism and the elimination of the Native.” Journal of Genocide Research, 8(4), 2006, pp. 387-409. doi: 10.1080/14623520601056240
6. Joanne Hammond, “Decolonizing BC’s Roadside History,” https://culturallymodified.org/decolonizing-bcs-roadside-history/
7. Emma Battell Lowman and Adam J. Barker, Settler: Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada. Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing, 2015.
8. Alissa Macoun and Elizabeth Strakosch. “The ethical demands of settler colonial theory,” Settler Colonial Studies, 3: 3-04 (2013), pp. 426-443, doi: 10.1080/2201473X.2013.810695
9. Erin Thompson, “Why Just ‘Adding Context’ to Controversial Monuments May Not Change Minds,” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-just-adding-context-controversial-monument-may-not-change-minds-180976583

Kelly Black, PhD, is a researcher, writer, historian, and collector of books. He is executive director of Point Ellice Museum & Gardens/Vancouver Island Local History Society and adjunct professor in the Department of History at Vancouver Island University. He is a settler currently residing within the territory of the Malahat Nation and Cowichan Tribes.

Below: watch Kelly Black’s presentation, The Rooms Where it Happened: Practicing Public History at Victoria’s House Museum.

Finalists announced for Lieutenant Governor’s Historical Writing Competition

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 02:40:02 GMT

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce this year’s finalists for the annual Lieutenant Governor’s Historical Writing Competition. The 2021 book awards gala will take place online on June 5 at 7 p.m. The award celebrates books that make significant contributions to the historical literature of British Columbia. Congratulations to all the finalists whose works keep British Columbia’s rich history vibrant and relevant.

Finalists

Pioneer Churches of British Columbia and the Salish Sea: An Explorer’s Guide

Author: Liz Bryan

Publisher: Heritage House Publishing

For many European settlers who arrived on Vancouver Island in the late 19th century, building a church was as important as establishing a homestead or erecting a school. The church was the heart of the community. Today, although demographics have shifted and church attendance has waned, many of those early structures are still standing.

Pioneer Churches of Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea features more than 40 surviving churches whose construction dates back to the 1800s. It explores the architecture; the local history of the area; and the stories of the builders, worshippers, clergy members, those who are buried in the adjoining graveyards. Divided into geographical sections — Victoria, Esquimalt and the Saanich Peninsula, the Cowichan Valley, Salt Spring Island, Central Vancouver Island, and the North Island — this book is a beautifully photographed, easy-to-follow guide for anyone interested in exploring these architectural treasures and learning more about the history surrounding them.

Liz Bryan is a journalist, author, photographer, and co-founder of Western Living magazine. Bryan has written several books, including River of Dreams: A Journey through Milk River Country, Stone by Stone: Exploring Ancient Sites on the Canadian Plains, and Country Roads of Western BC: From the Fraser Valley to the Islands.

A Great Revolutionary Wave: Women and the Vote in British Columbia

Author: Lara Campbell

Publisher: UBC Press

A Great Revolutionary Wave rethinks the complex legacy of suffrage by considering both the successes and limitations of women’s historical fight for political equality. That historical legacy remains relevant today as Canadians continue to grapple with the meaning of justice, inclusion, and equality.

Lara Campbell is a professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at Simon Fraser University. Her publications include Respectable Citizens: Gender, Family, and Unemployment in Ontario’s Great Depression, which received honourable mentions from the Canadian Historical Association and the Canadian Women’s Studies Association. She is a co-author, with Willeen Keough, of Gender History: Canadian Perspectives, the only textbook in the field of Canadian gender history.

Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow

Author: Catherine Clement

Publisher: Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia

Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow, is the story of one remarkable, early photographer whose work was almost forgotten. Yucho Chow was Vancouver’s first Chinese commercial photographer and its most prolific. His lens captured thousands of faces of all skin colours, religious beliefs and backgrounds and chronicled a tumultuous time in Vancouver’s and Canada’s early history. This limited-edition, coffee table book displays 344-pages of long-hidden, community photographs taken by Yucho Chow Studio. The private images showcase the different, marginalized communities that Yucho Chow chronicled in his lifetime, as well as the remarkable stories that accompany these photographs. In English and Chinese.

Catherine Clement is a community curator and designer based in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Her work focuses on uncovering and sharing the lesser-known stories of the community.

British Columbia in Flames: Stories from a Blazing Summer

Author: Claudia Cornwall

Publisher: Harbour Publishing

Like many British Columbians in 2017, Claudia Cornwall found herself glued to the news about the disastrous wildfires across the province. Her worry was personal: her cabin at Sheridan Lake had been in the family for sixty years and was now in danger of destruction. Presented in British Columbia in Flames are stories that illustrate the importance of community. During the 2017 wildfires, people looked after strangers who had no place to go. They shared information. They helped each other rescue and shelter animals. They kept stores open day and night to supply gas, food and comfort to evacuees. This memoir, at once journalistic and deeply personal, highlights the strength with which BC communities can and will come together to face a terrifying force of nature.

Claudia Cornwall is most recently the author of Battling Melanoma and Catching Cancer (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016 and 2013). Her book At the World’s Edge: Curt Lang’s Vancouver, 1937–1998 (Mother Tongue, 2011) was shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Award, and Letter from Vienna: A Daughter Uncovers Her Family’s Jewish Past (Douglas & McIntyre, 1995) was awarded the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize. Cornwall has taught creative writing at Simon Fraser University for many years. She lives in North Vancouver.

Step into Wilderness: A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley

Authors: Deborah Griffiths, with Christine Dickinson; Judy Hagen & Catherine Siba

Publisher: Harbour Publishing

Step into Wilderness features never-before-seen photos from the Courtenay and District Museum collection, showcasing the growing community’s varied interactions with the wilderness they inhabit, from early hiking and skiing expeditions to encounters with wildlife, afternoon tea in the wilderness, beach races and early outdoor activity clubs. The collection also explores the ways in which inhabitants have altered the landscape, including K’omoks Bay fish traps and stump blasting to clear fields. These unique and arresting photos are complemented by equally engaging accounts of individuals surviving and thriving in the midst of natural beauty and great devastation, including survivors of the great fire of 1922 and pioneer skiers on Forbidden Plateau during the Great Depression.

Christine Dickinson is an educator with a passion for regional history. She co-authored Atlin: The Story of British Columbia’s Last Gold Rush (Atlin Historical Society, 1995), which received the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award.

Deborah Griffiths is the executive director of the Courtenay and District Museum and has been involved in curatorship in the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island for over 40 years. She has an MA from Royal Roads University.

Judy Hagen has been writing her popular “Hunt for History” column for Comox Valley newspapers since 1992. She received an award from the Canadian Museums Association for her book Comox Valley Memories, published by the Courtenay and District Museum in 1993.

Catherine Siba is the curator of social history at the Courtenay and District Museum. She has led a number of historic digitization projects and has been involved with museum curatorship and research for many years.

Ernst Vegt, photo editor for Step into Wilderness, has spent 50 years in the graphic arts field specializing in colour reproduction and has taught colour reproduction at VCC, BCIT and Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.

Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering in Vancouver’s Stanley Park

Author: Nina Shoroplova

Publisher: Heritage House Publishing

An engaging, informative, and visually stunning tour of the numerous native, introduced, and ornamental tree species found in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, combining a wealth of botanical knowledge with a fascinating social history of the city’s most celebrated landmark.

Unlike many urban parks, which are entirely cultivated, the area now called Stanley Park was an ancient forest before Canada’s third-largest city grew around it. Tracing the park’s Indigenous roots through its colonial history to its present incarnation as the jewel of Vancouver, visited by eight million locals and tourists annually, Legacy of Trees is a beautiful tribute to the trees that shape Stanley Park’s evolving narrative.

Nina Shoroplova is a historian, researcher, photographer, and author. Born and raised in Wales, she immigrated to Canada in 1969 and settled for a time at the Douglas Lake Ranch, the subject of her first book, Cattle Ranch: The Story of the Douglas Lake Cattle Company. An avid walker, amateur botanist, and tree enthusiast, she lives three blocks away from Vancouver’s world-famous Stanley Park.

Silver Rush: British Columbia’s Silvery Slocan 1891-1900

Author: Peter Smith

Publisher: Self-published

Silver Rush tells the story of British Columbia’s “Silvery Slocan.” In the 1890s, mining camps like Sandon, Three Forks, Whitewater and their neighbours; New Denver, Silverton, Slocan City, Kaslo and Nakusp, thrived. Once the most productive mining region in British Columbia, prospectors and miners came from Idaho, Montana and other mining centres to reap the silver harvest. Capitalists flooded in from Spokane, Seattle, Vancouver, and investment centres across North America and the world. Plummeting silver prices, labour troubles and the Klondike gold rush eventually put an end to the silver rush but the legacy of that rush endures to this day.

Peter Smith was born and raised in Victoria and the Saanich peninsula on Vancouver Island. In the mid-1970s he moved to the Slocan, had breakfast at New Denver’s Newmarket Hotel, and was captivated by the region’s history. Part owner of a mining claim south of Silverton, he eventually moved back to Victoria. He retired as director of the province’s Information Access and Records Service Delivery Division in 2011. He lives in Ladysmith.

The BC Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing will be awarded together with $2,500 to the author whose book makes the most significant contribution to the historical literature of British Columbia. The second place winner will receive $1,500 and third place, $500. One book will also be awarded the Community History Award, worth $500. Certificates of Honourable Mention may be awarded to other books as recommended by the judges. New this year will be a people’s choice winner selected by the audience in real time during the awards gala.

Putting the pub in public history

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 22:35:14 GMT

Mike, a black and white English sheepdog-terrier cross, was trained to serve bottle beer to customers in the Bowser Hotel, 1937–1941. Mike even collected the money and came back with the change. Photo: Vancouver City Archives, 586-348

By Glen A. Mofford

I love a good story. I suppose my appreciation began in childhood when I eagerly looked forward to the nightly bedtime story. I did well at social studies and it only got better in high school when I got an A in History 12.

I graduated with a BA in history from Simon Fraser University in 1986, then was accepted into an entry-level job in the BC Government. My partner and I moved back to Victoria in July 1986.

It was in the Ingraham Pub near closing time, while a very drunk fellow was slurring his story about an Island hotel from his past, and I was trying to decipher just what he was saying, that it happened. I had an epiphany—why don’t I take the two things I love most, history and beer, and combine them into a study of the historic saloons, bars, and hotels of Victoria? So that’s what I did.

Working for the government paid the bills and gave me a little left over to enjoy the occasional Friday night in the pubs. It was in the Ingraham Pub where I heard stories from those around our table, usually retired men, of the places they used to drink in and the humorous or tragic events that took place in those pubs. I began showing up at the pub after work on Fridays more often and with a small notepad so I could write down the stories. I started to learn about the history of hotels and bars long gone from the very people who had frequented them. I wanted to know more and began to ask questions, purposely leading conversations back to events that happened in these old bars.

Using not only my bar notes but the resources in the Victoria and BC archives, I researched the history of local saloons, bars, and hotels. I found notes from those who had gone before me, leaving lists of hotels compiled from old phone books. That was the beginning of the research for what would be my first book, Aqua Vitae: A History of the Saloons and Hotel Bars of Victoria, 1851–1917. I sent my first book proposal to Taryn Boyd at TouchWood Editions in 2015 with no expectations. After six months, I contacted them and shortly afterwards received a call from Taryn.

The Riverside Hotel in Courtenay, ca. 1908. Author’s collection

They liked my proposal, felt it could sell, and picked it up. I shall forever be grateful to Taryn and TouchWood for taking a chance on an unknown writer, yet I felt that the topic was strong, and sales proved us right. Two years later, my second nonfiction history book was released by TouchWood, Along the E&N: A Journey Back to the Historic Hotels of Vancouver Island. The book did very well, spending 22 weeks on the BC Bestseller List. I realized that people loved stories as much as I did, especially when they were about familiar places like local hotels.

The Covid-19 pandemic put a temporary halt to my live presentations. Following a short adjustment period, I focused on writing a new book while utilizing social media to promote my past books and my current project. I rejoined Facebook with a clear vision to talk about historic hotels. One group lead to three; the most successful, named Historic Hotels & Pubs of British Columbia, now has more than 9,000 members and is still growing.

The Facebook format, while it limits the amount of text I can use on a given story, has proven to be an excellent means to share and exchange information, photographs, and related ephemera, and to comment on the history of British Columbia’s hotels and drinking establishments. I thought I’d teach others on the subject, but the experience has enriched my knowledge too. It has proven to be an excellent two-way street, where the history of both bygone and existing hotels in BC is examined. My favourite posts are those in which people open up about their families who either worked in or owned one of the historic hotels under discussion.

Along the E&N: A Journey Back to the Historic Hotels of Vancouver Island cover, designed by Colin Parks.

This online community has far surpassed my expectations and makes me want to work harder (believe me, it’s a labour of love), uncovering more true stories and discovering old hotels hidden in the mists of time. It has not only enabled me to discover historic hotels I hadn’t known about, but it’s allowed me to find new ways of exploring and sharing hotel history. One example is viewing historic hotels through art — paintings, drawings, sketches — and therefore through the eyes of the artists.

I’ve learned so much since that day all those years ago in the Ingy pub when I decided to seriously research and write about BC hotel and pub history that my only regret is that I didn’t come up with the idea when I was much younger. But there is no time like the present.

Glen A. Mofford, author of Aqua Vitae and Along the E&N, is a historian and writer with a passion for sharing the social history of British Columbia. He graduated from Simon Fraser University, and has been writing about BC’s historic hotels for 20 years.

Facebook History Groups:

■ Pacific Northwest History (pre-colonial, pre-1850s) (1,200)
■ Maillardvilleites (1,200)
■ Chilliwack History Perspectives (4,000)
■ BC Ghost Towns & Forgotten Places (8,700)
■ People of Nelson, BC (8,700)
■ Boundary Heritage (3,300)
■ Cariboo Historical and Legends (8,300)
■ History of Hope and the Fraser Canyon (2,200)
■ British Columbia Nautical History (6,300)
■ British Columbia’s Abandoned History (14,300)
■ Our Chilliwack Heritage (1,100)
■ Historic Hotels and Pubs of BC (9,000)
■ North Shore Picture and Memory Group (2,600)
■ Kamloops History (12,100)
■ Lost Kootenays (45,000)

The BC Historical Federation has a Facebook group with 1,300 followers.

Stories of Objects: The Kinsol trestle celebrates 100 years

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 20:29:18 GMT

Kinsol Trestle with logging train, date unknown. Ralph Morris fonds CVMA 2006.8.2.2

By Kathryn Gagnon, Curator/Manager, Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives

Completed in 1920, the Kinsol Trestle is the largest wooden railway bridge in the Commonwealth, offering a spectacular crossing of the Koksilah River. The trestle is notable for both its size and its unusual seven-degree curve.

Also known as the Koksilah River Bridge, the trestle reminds us of the once powerful forest industry and the ambition and ingenuity required to overcome substantial geographical challenges in the construction of railways.

The last train crossed the Kinsol Trestle in 1979, and by 2006 the deteriorating bridge was threatened with demolition. The regional government planned to replace it with a simpler, lower-cost structure in order to complete the Cowichan Valley section of the Trans Canada Trail.

After initiating an independent analysis of the trestle, Gordon Macdonald of Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing presented an alternative to demolition, demonstrating why and how the structure should be saved. Strong public support for the project fuelled the decision to rehabilitate the historical trestle.

At a sunrise ceremony at the newly restored Kinsol Trestle on July 28, 2011, CN Rail’s senior engineer Ralph Morris, was remembered for his expertise and 30 years of engineering records that contributed to the preservation of the Kinsol Trestle, his favourite of the more than 4,000 wooden trestle bridges in the Western and Mountain Division for which he was responsible. In 2020, the Kinsol Trestle is celebrated as part of Canada’s built heritage.

The Virtual Museum of Canada exhibit Abandoned, Then Embraced: The Kinsol Trestle was created by the Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives and the Shawnigan Lake Museum in 2011.

Ralph Morris at the Kinsol Trestle, 2006. CVMA

Time Travels heads to the Bulkley Valley Museum via Collections Online

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 20:33:55 GMT

By Mark Forsythe

Photographs have a wonderful power to uncover long-buried memories. While scanning the Bulkley Valley Museum’s Collections Online portal I stumbled across a photo of the Smithers CNR train station that triggered an instant flashback.

The Smithers CNR Station beneath Hudson Bay Mountain. This is where the author first stepped off the train in 1974 — on a warm spring day.  (Bulkley Valley Museum P1038)

It’s where I stepped off the train in 1974 for my first broadcasting job as; a frizzy-haired 19-year old from Ontario with one blue trunk and a guitar. I’d watched the Canadian landscape unfold from my seat thanks to a ticket purchased by my grandparents. Although my time in Smithers was brief — just six months — the town and surrounding valley have never left me. Indeed, the Bulkley Valley Museum’s digital collection allows me to return and learn more about this fascinating region near the geographic heart of our province.

BVM curator Kira Westby reports that visits to Collections Online have consistently grown since its launch three years ago. Another uptick came with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s all about facilitating community access. Having the site has been phenomenal for remote researchers, or for folks who are looking to learn more about the collection.”

Some 8,000 archival and catalogue records are banked online, thanks to financial assistance from the Library & Archives Canada Documentary Heritage Communities Program and the Wetzin’k’wa Community Forest Corporation. AndorNot Consulting helped develop the site.

Hudson Bay Mountain reflected in Lake Kathlyn. Postcard circa 1930s.  (Bulkley Valley Museum P4309)

Kira says the portal has produced other benefits. “It provides a great way for us to show donors that the items that they gave to us are available to the public. Especially for photographs or artifacts, the donors enjoy knowing that the items they gave are accessible, that people can view them, even if they aren’t immediately integrated into a traditional exhibit.”

Bulkley Valley Museum, with its full- time staff of two, continues to upload new maps, plans, and documents. A PDF reader with the ability to search is a welcome addition: “That’s been a huge bonus for research, even sometimes revealing things to staff. For example, if we search the website for a specific name, and find out that they’re mentioned in a yearbook or newspaper we’ve uploaded, that’s new information we may not have known previously.”

Searching through Collections Online let me revisit places I experienced 45 years ago, such as Glacier Gulch Trail with its jaw-dropping views of the Twin Falls pouring off Hudson Bay Mountain. It was my first hike as a newcomer.

A little further west at Widzin Kwah (formerly Moricetown), I had watched a young man gaff salmon; a thin rope tied around his waist was the only thing keeping him from being swallowed by the roaring Widzin Kwah Canyon. Little did I know that the Wetʼsuwetʼen people had fished in this exact spot for millennia. (Today, the Widzin Kwah Canyon House Museum conveys the story for visitors.)

The Bulkley River is squeezed into a narrow canyon at Moricetown (Widzin Kwah) where Witsuwit’en have fished salmon for thousands of years. (Bulkley Valley Museum P1032) Written on the back of photo taken at Hagwilget:  “First bridge over Hagvilget canion Bulkley River; built by the indians, using telegraph wire from the Trans Sibirian Telegraph Line.”  Also known as the Collins-Overland Telegraph, the line was abandoned before  completion in 1867 when the transatlantic cable  successfully  linked North America with Europe. Part of the telegraph trail was later used for the Yukon Telegraph, an All-Canadian route built during the Klondike gold rush. (Bulkley Valley Museum P5241)

Settler culture moved into the valley with construction of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1913. Smithers, a divisional point, was named after its chairman, Sir Alfred Waldron Smithers, a British financier and politician said to fish with an assistant at his side who baited his hook. The first GTR passenger train rolled through in March 1914, however, the railway went broke following the Great War, and was later absorbed by the Canadian National Railway. Much of the Smithers story is found in Lynn Sherville’s popular 1981 book, Smithers: From Swamp to Village, written to celebrate its 60th anniversary. It is now out of print, but available through Collections Online.

Wetʼsuwetʼen people helped build the railway and clear the townsite. As Tyler McCreary notes in his BCHF Lieutenant Governor Medal-winning book, Shared Histories: Witsuwit’en–Settler Relations in Smithers, British Columbia, 1913–1973, “Wetsuwit’en [sic] have rarely been noted as town founders and often treated as interlopers.” The book reveals much about this often painful history, and the museum’s archives were critical to the story.

Ned Charleson (second from right) ran packs trains into remote areas, including cabins strung along the Yukon Telegraph line. Charleson was killed during the Great War. The man on the far right is Charlie Sterritt, grandfather of Indigenous leader Neil Sterritt (1941-2020) whose book  Mapping My Way Home: A Gitxsan History  won the Roderick-Haig Brown Award and a BCHF book prize in 2017. This photo appears in the book.  (Bulkley Valley Museum P7087)

Kira Westby says the museum gets about 90 requests a year for research assistance, but the connection to this project was deeper than most: “Our archivist was processing a ten-year backlog of material that had never been catalogued, and was actively identifying new photos or document collections that were of interest to the project as it was developing. We were nominated for a BC Museums Association Award of Merit for Excellence in Community Engagement for our contributions.”

There’s more to come, including a permanent exhibit and a growing relationship with the Wetʼsuwetʼen. “It is very important to us to reflect the diversity of our region, and we continue to build our relationship with the Wetʼsuwetʼen community, from acknowledging the territory at our events, to having Wetʼsuwetʼen representation on our board of directors.”

Bulkley Valley Museum’s Collections Online presents the online explorer with many intriguing detours a.k.a. rabbit holes): There’s architect Francis Rattenbury’s land speculation in the Bulkley Valley, telegraph trails slashed through the bush to the Yukon, Cataline’s famous mule trains — even the invention of the egg carton by local newspaperman Joseph Coyle.

Joseph Coyle was a  Bulkley Valley newspaperman who saw the need to prevent eggs from breaking during transport from a local ranch to the hotel, so he invented the egg carton. Photo: Coyle at the Los Angeles egg carton factory in 1924. (Bulkley Valley Museum P1539)

The current pandemic may restrict our travels to B.C.’s communities and museums, but the impressive evolution of digital resources like Collections Online gets us all a lot closer. Happy trails!

Reproduction copies of images from the Bulkley Valley Museum’s collection are available for personal or publication use. Find Collections Online at https://bvmuseum.org

Ichiro Shiino’s photographic legacy

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 20:44:14 GMT

Crowd waving to Japanese Canadians interned during the Second World War departing on Greyhound bus, New Denver, mid-1940s. Arrow Lakes Historical Society 2012.003.289

The Arrow Lakes owe a debt of gratitude to the photographic foresight of a former Paldi mill hand. Ichiro Shiino left a legacy in film, chronicling the industrial and social life of Nakusp and its environs over several decades. Born in Cumberland in 1915, Shiino (nicknamed Ichi or Ichon) worked in his youth for Mayo Brothers Timber Co. at Paldi, where he and friend Masanobu Kawahira began documenting everyday life with their cameras.

In 1942, at age 27, he was interned along with thousands of other Japanese Canadians at Lemon Creek in the Slocan Valley. Internees were forbidden from possessing cameras, but Shiino managed to take photos anyway. He also used his artistic abilities to render realistic charcoal portraits of film stars. He began working for the Big Bend Lumber Co. at Nakusp in 1943, first as a faller, then in its sawmill. After Celgar purchased and shut the mill down, he became a tugboat operator for the company and excelled in that position for nearly 20 years, until his retirement in 1980. In 2014, a rebuilt Celgar tugboat was dubbed the MV Ichiro Shiino.

All the while he was seldom without his Rolleiflex camera that produced 2.5-inch (6.35-cm) square negatives, developed in his own darkroom. Although it was strictly a hobby for him, Shiino took thousands of photos and became Nakusp’s pre-eminent photographer. He was frequently asked to take pictures at graduations, weddings, and other community celebrations. Shiino also embraced video. His Super 16mm footage shows July 1 parades, tugboat operations, and the life of the Big Bend sawmill, among other.

Ed Desrochers of Nakusp at bat, New Denver-Nakusp baseball game, rec grounds, Nakusp Recreation Park, 1951. Arrow Lakes Historical Society 2012.003.64

Crowd gathered around scene of automobile accident, New Denver area, circa 1940s. Arrow Lakes Historical Society 2012.003.323

In 1954, Shiino was on hand to chronicle the final sailing of the venerable CPR sternwheeler SS Minto in photographs and 16mm colour film. Many of his most valuable images were taken prior to the completion of the Hugh Keenleyside Dam in 1968, which flooded the Arrow Lakes valley, forcing the relocation of entire communities.

Shiino died in 1999, but his images live on. The Arrow Lakes Historical Society has made 1,349 of them available on its website while 20 of his silent colour films from the 1950s and ’60s can be viewed at UBC Okanagan’s Kootenay Columbia Digitized History site.

Crowd gathered on Canadian Pacific Railway wharf at Upper Arrow Lake, Nakusp to bid farewell to SS Minto on its final run, April 24, 1954. Arrow Lakes Historical Society 2012.003.415

Celgar tug crew member John Swanson feeds bear cub on shore near Vipond Creek, Upper Arrow Lake, circa late 1950s–early 1960s. Tug Vanstone in background. Arrow Lakes Historical Society 2012.003.761

To mark what would have been Shiino’s 100th birthday in 2015, the Arrow Lakes Historical Society’s Kyle Kusch produced a 60-minute slideshow entitled Ichi100, which is available on DVD.

“Ichiro’s work touched generations of Nakusp residents,” Kusch says. “It’s still common to walk into someone’s house and, if they’re of a certain age, find a photo taken by him framed on the wall or mantle. Not only do people here still remember his work, they above all remember his kindness and humility.”

Last year, 13 of Shiino’s charcoal portraits were donated to the Nakusp Museum, which prompted an exhibit combining his drawings and photos entitled The Art and Life of Ichiro Shiino.

“We knew that having these portraits in our collection is an honour,” says curator Melissa Koftinoff. “We wanted to showcase Ichi as an artist while acknowledging the painful backstory of the Japanese internment in the Slocan Valley.”

Koftinoff says those who knew Shiino emphasize his generosity and how they valued his friendship. “Part of Ichiro’s legacy is the preservation of memory through art and part is the positive impact he had on people in this community.”

Greg Nesteroff is a director with the Arrow Lakes Historical Society and BC Historical Federation

Teenage boys playing marbles on steps of Masonic Building, Nakusp, late 1940s or early 1950s. L-R: George Bedard, Fred Desrochers, Ed Desrochers, Doug Hakeman. Arrow Lakes Historical Society 2012.003.1322

Children posing inside Nakusp Public Library, then located in Parish Hall (Small Hall), Nakusp, February 1952. L-R: Carol Gregory, Hiro Yanagisawa, Lynn Smith, Stephen Baird, Donna McIntosh, Brian Hoshizaki. Arrow Lakes Historical Society 2012.003.317

Time Travels: Langley Heritage Society

Sun, 13 Sep 2020 19:47:02 GMT

Mark Forsythe travels through BC, and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members.

Langley Heritage Society president Fred Pepin. Photo: Mark Forsythe

Time itself seems to have ground to a halt. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people and organizations to take stock, and imagine a path forward. Over the last two years, Time Travels has highlighted the exceptional work of British Columbia Historical Federation members in the Slocan, Similkameen, Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Island. The column hopes to profile members in other regions of BC, but for now, I remain closer to home in Fort Langley.

Kwantlen, Katzie, Matsqui, and Semiahmoo peoples have lived here for thousands of years. The Hudson’s Bay Company planted palisades for a fur trading post in 1827, and the Fort Langley area became the first pocket of Colonial settlement in the Lower Mainland. After the Fraser River gold rush ignited in 1858, the Colony of British Columbia was proclaimed here as thousands of American miners jumped in the chase.

Nearby Derby was Governor James Douglas’s choice for the first Mainland capital, until Colonel Richard Moody and the Royal Engineers opted for higher ground across the river at New Westminster. If you paddle on the nearby Bedford Channel you can almost hear these voices echoing off the water.

When my retirement from CBC Radio approached a few years ago, Langley Heritage Society president Fred Pepin invited me to join its board. It has an impressive record. Over the last 40 years, dozens of houses, barns, and churches have been spared the wrecker’s ball because of the society’s efforts.

Many buildings had been vandalized or faced demolition, and today they remain standing and highly useful. Successful conservation grew from a spirit of collaboration with municipal governments, businesses, parks authorities, educational institutions and dedicated volunteers.

Today, the the society maintains and manages nine buildings, each home to a caretaker tenant. (One outbuilding has been turned into a cat sanctuary.) The Society has crafted a remarkable legacy, one nail at a time, and it is the vision of those first volunteers that must be recognized.

Trunk belonging to the first British war bride to arrive in Langley following the Second World War, Lois Bowling, on display at the CN Station. Mark Forsythe photo

The first project (with a local arts council) was restoration of Michaud House, home to the first Francophone family to settle on Langley Prairie. Others followed, including the Lamb/Stirling House and Harrower House at Murrayville in the mid-1990s.

Fred Pepin remembers the ripple effect it had in the neighbourhood, ”you could see the difference down the street, people started cleaning up their houses. In six months the street looked totally different…the impact was enormous.”

At nearby Milner, Judy Lamb-Richardson’s great-grandparents operated the Dixon dairy farm during the First World War era. Nine years ago the house and barn were restored in partnership with the Township of Langley, prompting this message from Judy: “I don’t know if whomever was involved had ever thought during the restoration process how much that act would mean to the generations coming after to have the opportunity to touch the hands of their ancestors. There are no words to tell you how much I appreciate this.”

Fred Pepin led that restoration. The original stained-glass windows and various fixtures had been stolen from the house, and the barn was one windstorm away from collapsing. The two-year restoration earned an Award of Honour from Heritage BC.

Volunteerism is in Fred’s DNA. He has spearheaded restoration work in historic Milner, Murrayville, Langley Prairie, Sperling, Willoughby, Aldergrove, and Fort Langley for decades. Named a Freeman of the Municipality by the Township of Langley, he also received an Award of Merit from the BCHF. Now in his 80s, Fred still crawls beneath buildings to patch leaking pipes and volunteers with the BC Farm Museum and sits on Township’s Heritage Advisory Committee. He’s called “Mr. Heritage” for good reason.

The society’s most-visited building is a gem — the 1915 Fort Langley CN Station restored by volunteers beginning in 1983. Built by Canadian Northern Railway, it is one of the last Class 3 stations standing; it is owned by the Township of Langley and operated by the Langley Heritage Society. For decades, Bays Blackhall was its biggest promoter and protector. She was also a feisty advocate for local heritage and landscape conservation, and the Society initiated a high-school scholarship in her honour following her death in 2017.

The CN Station sits in the heart of the village and has become one of Fort Langley’s most frequented sites. It includes a 1920s wooden caboose (with a marvelous model railway) and a 1940s passenger car. Last summer a short dramatic production called Wheels of Time was launched in collaboration with the Creative Compass Society, a non-profit that mentors young people in the arts. It tells more of the CN Station story, and life in Fort Langley.

At the time of writing, the CN Station remains closed, but exciting work continues behind the scenes and out front in the historic gardens. Our station manager Helen Williams and her army of volunteers can hardly wait to show you.

Heritage gardens at Fort Langley CN Station. Photo: Mark Forsythe

An evening stroll on the platform at the Fort Langley CN Station. Photo: Mark Forsythe

Cast from the Wheels of Time production performed on the platform at the CN Station. Photo: Mark Forsythe

For information and videos highlighting restored buildings visit: langleyheritage.ca. The CN Station is located at the corner of Mavis and Glover in Fort Langley.

Interview with Michael Layland

Fri, 01 May 2020 20:31:15 GMT

BC Historical Federation Vice-President Mark Forsythe caught up with the 2019 Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing prize winning author Michael Layland to discuss his book “In Nature’s Realm: Early Naturalists Explore Vancouver Island” (Touchwood Editions, 2019).

A celebration of the richly diverse flora and fauna of Vancouver Island as explored through the records of explorers, settlers, and visitors, and with due respect to the wealth of Indigenous traditional knowledge of the island’s ecosystems. In Nature’s Realm gathers initial reports, recorded histories, and personal accounts left by Vancouver Island’s early naturalists who studied the region’s flora and fauna.

Tashme today

Sat, 28 Mar 2020 19:51:35 GMT

The Spring 2020 issue of British Columbia History features a story on haiku poetry written in the Tashme Japanese-Canadian interment camp. Here is an image courtesy of Jacquie Pearce.

For more information about Tashme, see the Tashme Historical Project website at http://tashme.ca/ and the Tashme Project play at https://thetashmeproject.com. The play has references to the playwright’s grandfather, who wrote haiku in Tashme and wrote haiku.

Site of internment housing

It happened one Christmas in Sweetwater

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 20:56:34 GMT

The following story by Dayle Sheridan takes place at Sweetwater school in 1949, during her second teaching assignment, and was included in her Christmas letter this year. Our thanks to Dawn Klassen for sharing it with us.

Dayle Sheridan during her teaching days.

The place was Sweetwater School. It was 17 miles north of Dawson Creek on the Alaska Highway and three miles due east toward the old highway abandoned during World War II because the U.S. needed access to the USSR through the nearest outpost state, Alaska.

Sweetwater School served the settlers of the pre-war days, but was still needed for the tag-end families of those pioneers.

It was an old log building when I arrived, but still good for a few more years.

It was a one-room school and the teacher was expected to teach all grades from I to VIII if that were necessary, though it wasn’t always necessary. I think there were only Grades IV to VIII that year, with about 11 pupils attending.

When I arrived, there was nowhere for the teacher to stay, so a teacherage had to be brought in. That took a week, so I had to stay with the neighbouring teacher about four miles away.

My teacherage could not have been more than 12 x 12 feet at the most — if that. It was built of wood, but with no insulation, regardless of the very sub-zero temperatures for most of the winter.

A cord of wood was hauled into the school yard and piled against a wall of the teacherage. There was no source of water there, indeed, the water definitely would have been sweet had you found any!

For the school, blocks of ice had to be cut from the Peace River and stored in the ice-house which was filled with sawdust to stop it from melting. Still, by the beginning of school in September, almost all the ice had vanished, and somehow, we slumped along until about mid-October when the snow began to fly again. After that, until spring our water-supply was no problem.

I don’t recall where the paper to start the fire came from. But, the fire was definitely made. I would hop out of bed in the freezing temperature, quickly stuff the paper in the stove, pile the prepared kindling on top of it with a couple of sticks of wood, fly back to bed, get under the covers, and stay there until the one room warmed up.

I don’t recall what breakfast was like. I’m sure I would have had no milk for porridge, certainly no eggs, and I can’t imagine the luxury of coffee.

The closest neighbours around were an old bachelor and his housekeeper, about a half-mile down the road. (I don’t think I ever went there). The rest were a mile out or more in a great circle around me.

The Coopers were three miles to the north, the Wallaces four miles to the northwest, the Myhres lived to the east four miles, the Parodoskis three miles to the southeast and the Belzuiks four miles to the west, beyond the Alaska Highway.

Regardless of the temperatures, the pupils showed up. David and Vern Belzuik would arrive at 8 each morning, in spite of temperatures down in the -30s or -40s, though when the temperature got down to -40′, the pupils were not legally required to come to school.

When the temperatures were low, the scarves around the mouths of the children were covered with hoar frost, their lashes, and any bits of hair showing, were thickly frosted as well.

Sweetwater School was my most difficult assignment, but always my most memorable one. I was surrounded by great wheat fields, both productive and fallow — and little else except miles of isolation and long, straight roads which led out to the store or highway or up through miles of wilderness.

I often think, now of those places of isolation and wonder if I could endure them again. Yet I and a lot of other young teachers didn’t seem to even worry about these details that would probably not happen these days.

Such were these pioneer teachers. Many of them, of course, were brought up in similar conditions, and so had learned to cope with the hardships they encountered.

Fall came and went. I survived on juice for my water.

Finally the snows came, and life settled down to some resemblance of normality.

Christmas was approaching and there was the usual school concert to prepare for. That happened toward the end of November and occupied hours of time, rehearsing and practicing. Concerts are exhaustive work, especially on top of regular school work. I was very much looking forward to getting home for Christmas.

Not long before I was planning to leave for the holidays, I received a letter from Mom saying that Dad was sick. He had been plagued with asthma for years, so this was not a surprise. It was also the time before Medicare, so I wrote home and said that I would send my travel money home and then Dad could go to the hospital.

All the holiday plans were scrapped, and I prepared to spend Christmas alone in the teacherage. I was disappointed, of course, but I adjusted and simply focused on the upcoming concert.

Just before school closing for the holidays, a letter came form home saying they would rather have me than my money. But it seemed too late to change my plans again, so I simply put Christmas out of my mind.

The concert happened on the night before the holidays. It was about 2½ hours long. We had all given it our all, and I felt good as I heard the sounds of the horse’s harnesses fade into the semi-darkness of the northern lights.

Then came the following morning. I rose, as usual, lit the wood fire, hopped back to my bed until the room warmed up enough to get up, get my breakfast and prepare for the day.

The inside of the teacherage looked like a casket. There was the thick, smooth frost on the inside of the windows and doors. Silence was everywhere, of course, inside and outside. I made sure I had plenty of kindling and wood indoors. Then I settled in front of my open oven, I sat on a chair, put my feet in the open oven and began to read a book. I think I was doing fine up to that point.

When it snows in the northern wilderness, the silence can be overwhelming. Everything is soft and very quiet. As one writer once described it, “The silence is so overpowering, you want to go outside and yell at it, just to make a noise!” and that is just how it was.

As I sat reading, I was suddenly aware that my whole body was going stiff. I couldn’t move my arms or my legs. The only thing that was moving was my mind, and it was telling me in words I could not agree with. “You better get out of here now or you may never get out!” It was a command and I knew it was true. The casket had already been prepared and it was obvious I would be next!

I tried to get up, but it was difficult. Neither arms nor legs would move of their own accord. I literally had to peel them and move them as best I could.

I managed to get off the chair and get to the dresser where my clothes were stored. I did the necessary packing and was soon ready to leave. I had no idea what was going to happen once I got outside the door. All I knew was that get outside the door I must. What happened after that I knew not. By this time it was early afternoon.

I had just closed the door behind me and was preparing to make my way through the unploughed snow to the road, when who should come along but Larry, the younger son of the woman who lived in the midst of the woods with the woodcutter.

Larry was going out to the store on the Alaska Highway where I needed to go to get the bus to Fort St. John, about 40 miles away, where I could take a plane to Edmonton, then home! What an absolute god-send! It would have taken me hours to walk through the snow to the highway. That would have been late. Traffic on that old highway was scarce. There may have been no one else travelling that road that day!

How would I have gone to Fort St. John? It was the North. Dark happened early, and along with it, the cold. The gods must have been on hand that day. By sheer luck I was able to get the afternoon bus to Fort St. John. I was sure it was already Christmas Eve, so I would have had to get a hotel that night and fly out on Christmas morning.

I can no longer remember the details of that date, but I got to Edmonton (or was it Calgary?), and from there I took the train to Notch Hill, our railway town, where Dad met me and took me home.

I missed Christmas Day, of course, but at least I escaped freezing to death in my spacious casket. Had I not, I don’t know when I would have been found. Certainly not until school opened in the New Year. Almost no one would have passed by the school and if they had, would they have stopped in — especially if there was no smoke coming form the stove-pipe? Since I was not sure I would be escaping for Christmas, it is not likely anyone else would either.

My plight was probably not too different from many of the northern wilderness teachers. Stories of young school teachers in those very isolated rural communities were common and yet I am not aware of the people there showing too much concern. Maybe the incidents of such cases were more common than I realized.

A lot of new teachers to the North never came back to their own homes. They stayed and married the young farm boys. It was an easy thing to do. The shortage of both males and females was always a chronic problem, so if you didn’t want to become a young pioneer’s wife (or even an old one!) it was hazardous to go North!

And so, such is a slice of what could happen in earlier days.

This sort of thing comes with the building of a new nation and these stories are very easy to get lost — because who is there to keep the pot boiling with Canada’s early tales?

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﻿﻿The Legend of Larry Kwong and His Legions

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2 Man Behind the Name

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The Legend of Larry Kwong and His Legions