Blog & News

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.