Blog & News

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.

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.

Read more at mynelsonnow.com.

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.

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. 

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. 

Keith Powell has simultaneously launched Abandoned Kootenays and Koocanusa Burning. The former is a photo collection while the latter is an historical novel.

Read more at myeastkootenaynow.com.

A 93-year-old former elementary school in South Slocan will soon only be a memory.

Read more at mykootenaynow.com.

The Doukhobor Discovery Centre says it needs more cash from the City of Castlegar to support its operations.

Read more at mykootenaynow.com.

The removal of an awning from a building in downtown Trail revealed a hand-painted sign for a travel agency probably from the 1970s.

Read more at mykootenaynow.com.

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/