Save the date for the BCHF conference in Princeton

We are excited to announce the annual BCHF conference will be held in Princeton this summer from July 20-23. The conference marks a return to the first time the BCHF will hold an in-person event since 2019. More information will be released in the next few months. Anyone interested in presenting is invited to contact the organizers by the end of the month.

Deadline looms for BCHF award nominations

Do you know someone who has made a difference for your historical society or heritage association? Would you like to recognize great historical work, partnerships, or projects in your region? Consider making a nomination to one of the BCHF Awards. But do it now, for the deadline is March 1.

MEMBER NEWS

Trail Historical Society producing bridge models

As part of efforts to look at reopening the old bridge in Trail to pedestrian traffic, the local historical society is now selling replica models of the historic span. The steel bridge across the Columbia River opened in 1912 for vehicle traffic, but has been closed since 2010.

HISTORICAL NOTES

Duncan train station leads in Next Great Save competition

With a week left in voting, the Duncan train station is the frontrunner in the Next Great Save contest with over 50,000 votes. Three other BC heritage sites are also in the running for $50,000.

Royal BC Museum community engagement now underway

The Royal BC Museum and Archives has launched its community engagement program as they move towards greater inclusion, diversity, and representation. An in-person session will be held tonight in Nanaimo. Others sessions will follow.

New book looks at early Chinese Canadians in Kootenays

Lily Chow’s latest book, Hard is the Journey: Stories of Chinese Settlement in BC’s Kootenay, looks at five Kootenay towns that once had sizable Chinese Canadian communities: Nelson, Rossland, Cranbrook, Revelstoke, and the ghost town of Fisherville (near Fort Steele).

Raised in Chinatown sells out

Come learn more about the Raised in Chinatown exhibit at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre in Vancouver. On Feb. 26, a companion event will feature the memories of three people who grew up in the neighbourhood: Donna Chan, Peter Joe, and the BCHF’s own Elwin Xie! The event is sold out, but a video will be posted online later.

Book looks at Nanaimo’s soda history

Dalys Barney of the Nanaimo Historical Society has self-published a booklet, Message on a Bottle: Nanaimo’s Soda History. The booklet will likely appeal to bottle collectors and to those interested in Vancouver Island history.

The remarkable rescue of Vancouver’s oldest building

Lisa Anne Smith recently spoke to the Vancouver Historical Society about the historic Old Hastings Mill Store Museum, Vancouver’s oldest surviving building (c. 1868). You can view her presentation below.

BC Maritime Museum on the move

The Bateman Gallery in Victoria plans to trade places with the Maritime Museum of BC. Pending approval from the City of Victoria and provincial government, the Bateman Gallery will move into the Maritime Museum’s current location at 744 Douglas St.

Author Anne Wyness on Vancouver’s James Inglis Reid Ltd.

The story of James Inglis Reid Ltd. – which operated from 1908 to 1986 – is about community, family, perseverance, and evolution. Granddaughter Anne Wyness is author of The Larder of the Wise and appears in conversation in a video from the Museum of Vancouver.

A history of Haney

Hear first-hand about the history of Haney (now the downtown core of Maple Ridge) from the 98-year-old grandson of its founder.

The Last Word on Amelia Douglas

CTV’s Mike McCardell has The Last Word on the Indigenous woman who was the wife of B.C.’s first governor, and how she changed history.

ADVERTISING

The BCHF offers a number of advertising opportunities in our e-newsletter, which is distributed to our entire membership monthly. Advertisements are jpeg images sized to 600 px wide for electronic distribution. To submit an ad, contact Greg Nesteroff: greg@bchistory.ca

Members enjoy discounted advertising rates. Choose 12 months for the best deal:

1-3 months = $100 each ($100-$300 annually)
4 months = $90 each ($360 annually)
6 months = $80 each ($480 annually)
8 months = $70 each ($560 annually)
12 months = $50 each ($600 annually)

Rates for non-members are as follows:

1-3 months = $150 each ($150-$450 annually)
4 months = $140 each ($560 annually)
6 months = $130 each ($780 annually)
8 months = $120 each ($960 annually)
12 months = $100 each ($1,200 annually)

British Columbia Historical Federation

Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 247 • info@bchistory.ca

The BCHF Secretariat is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish speaking Peoples. The BCHF is on Facebook. Join the conversation.