Blog & News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Click this link to see a gallery of photos from our Chilliwack conference, including our keynote address, bus tour, and gala awards dinner!

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 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.

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. 

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.