Blog & News

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!

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/ 

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 - 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.