Blog & News

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.