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The British Columbia Historical Federation has provided a collective voice for its member societies since 1922.
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Announcing BCHF Awards Recipients! |
The BCHF honoured many individuals and organizations with awards at the conference in Williams Lake. Read all about the award winning individuals and projects in this month's issue! |
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Revelstoke Museum and Archives receives Storytelling Award
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The British Columbia Historical Federation has awarded the Revelstoke Museum and Archives with its Storytelling Award for their Brown Bag History bi-weekly lecture series. The Storytelling Award recognizes excellence in storytelling in non-print formats, including in-person presentation, audio, visual and digital mediums. A long-standing program which has been running since 2003, the Brown Bag History program covers a wide variety of subjects related to the history of Revelstoke and the surrounding the area. The program is praised for its depth of research and its focus on telling inclusive histories which highlight the diversity of the Revelstoke region. Hosted by curator Cathy English, with occasional guest speakers, Brown Bag History has spanned more than 400 talks to date. Since 2020, the talks have been added to the Revelstoke Museum and Archives’ YouTube Channel. The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday and comes with a $500 prize and a certificate. |
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Agassiz-Harrison Museum, Revelstoke Museum win Cultural Resource Accessibility Award
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The Agassiz-Harrison Museum and the Revelstoke Museum and Archives will share the BCHF Cultural Resource Accessibility Award. The Agassiz-Harrison Museum is being recognized for its recent digitization project, which has resulted in improved online access to the organization’s archival and newspaper holdings, including the Agassiz Record, Agassiz Observer and Agassiz Advance between 1923 and 1958. The project furthers the reach of researchers and students learning about the region’s past. The Revelstoke Museum and Archives is being acknowledged for its accessibility project. Led by Rachael Lewis, the project which developed a range of tools, including sensory kits and audio tours, for visitors with diverse abilities. The project helps Revelstoke’s history and collections become more accessible to all visitors. The Cultural Resource Accessibility Award honours excellence in cultural resource management which connects British Columbians with their history and highlights steps being undertaken by communities to improve visibility and access to British Columbia’s cultural resources. The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday. The organizations split the $500 award prize and received certificates. |
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Golden Museum honoured with BCHF Advocacy Award
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The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce that the Golden Museum and Archives has been awarded the BCHF Advocacy Award for the museum’s solar panel project.
The Advocacy Award recognizes initiatives and projects undertaken within the museum and heritage sector which aim to create positive change within the world.
The Golden Museum and Archives recently undertook building upgrades with the goal of bringing the organization’s power usage to net zero. The project, which will be accompanied by a display informing visitors both about the solar panel system and current energy production levels, is being recognized for its active, forward-thinking approach to climate change and demonstrates environmental sustainability within the heritage sector in British Columbia.
The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday and comes with $250 and a certificate.
Honourable mentions were awarded to Madison Bridal and Jazmin Hundal of the British Columbia Museum Association for their work developing the IBPOC Cultural Professionals Network. |
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Awards of Recognition
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Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history. This year's recipients were Cathy English (Revelstoke Museum & Archives), Deborah Chapman (R.J. Haney House), and Dr. Stephen Davies (Vancouver Island University). Learn more about each recipient by clicking on their name!
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Doukhobor jam factory story wins Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award
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A story examining the short life of a Boundary industry has won the BC Historical Federation’s Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award.
“The Doukhobor Jam Factory at Grand Forks,” by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff, appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of British Columbia History magazine. It was chosen by a panel of judges from among 20 eligible articles published in the magazine last year.
The story examined the events that led to the construction of the factory in 1935 and its demise after just 10 days of production. One judge called it “deeply researched” and said it is “more than the history of a jam factory. It answers questions about a major factor in the complex fiscal collapse of the Doukhobor colonies and the eventual sale of communal lands.” Another called it “a fascinating look at a lesser-known bit of history.”
“It was such a privilege to submit this article to BC History and to serve as guest editor of the issue in which it appeared,” Kalmakoff said.
“In writing it, my hope was to reorient the historical narrative about Doukhobors, in a small but meaningful way, from being a ‘problematic’ people, unable to escape the debate associated with their suitability as Canadians, to being ‘province-builders’ who made a significant collective contribution to the growth and development of British Columbia.”
Kalmakoff is a Regina lawyer, researcher, and writer. He is the creator of the Doukhbor Heritage website at doukhobor.org and a leading authority on Doukhobor heritage in Canada. He is a past recipient of a BCHF Centennial Legacy Grant to support his research into land titles and Doukhobor-owned property.
The award was announced during the BCHF’s awards gala in Williams Lake and comes with $250 and a certificate. Honorable mentions were also presented to Catherine Clement for “A Match Not Made in Heaven,” and Wayne Norton for “A Question of Perspective: James Harold Trigg’s First World War Internment Photographs.”
Philip Yandle was the founder, editor, publisher, printer, binder, and distributor of the BC Historical News (now BC History) from 1968 to 1977. His wife Anne Yandle was also very active in BC Historical News for almost 40 years and served as its book reviews editor. In 2007, the BCHF renamed its Best Article Award Award in honor of the Yandles.
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Phyllis Webstad shares story at historical conference in Williams Lake
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Just over six years since she began speaking her truth full-time, Phyllis Webstad shared her story during her keynote speech for the 2025 BC Historical Federation Conference in Williams Lake.
“Life can be understood backward but must be lived forward,” said Webstad as she spoke about coming to peace with the past.
Webstad presented to about 35 people in the afternoon of the conference’s first full day of events. She shared stories from her childhood and talked about living off the land with her granny before attending residential school. |
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In Memoriam: Cheryl Entwistle
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It is with sadness that we share the passing of Cheryl Entwistle on January 27th, 2025. Cheryl was a good friend to many within the BC History of Nursing community. Her enthusiasm for participation, wearing costumes and setting up displays at nursing events was already appreciated. Cheryl was a true, thoughtful, kind friend and advocate for Nursing.
Cheryl entered Regina General Hospital School of Nursing and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1965. Following graduation, she accepted a staff position at Riverview General Hospital in Calgary. Cheryl moved to Vancouver in 1978 to take up a faculty position at the University of British Columbia. During her UBC years she was a Lecturer, Clinical Instructor and Director of the Learning Resource Centre. Cheryl completed her Masters Degree in Education in 1984. Following graduate studies she was rehired to UBC faculty, serving in various management positions. In the final years of her distinguished teaching career, she was appointed Director of the Post RN Program. She retired in 2009.
Cheryl’s professional involvement included executive positions with the British Columbia History of Nursing Society (BCHNS) and with the Canadian Association for University Schools of Nursing (CAUSN). She made valuable contributions to these organizations and planning of national conferences. Cheryl was largely responsible for the presentation of the opera Florence Nightingale, The Lady with the Lamp in 2006 and coordinated the joint presentation between BCHNS and The Canadian Association for the History of Nursing to an international gathering of nurses from around the world. Cheryl was also involved and contributed to the National Organization of Nurse Educators, the Distance Education Organization, and the Nursing Laboratory Educators. Many nursing colleagues and students have benefited from Cheryl’s deep commitment to professional nursing.
The BCHF extends its heartfelt condolences to Cheryl's friends, family, and the many people who mourn her passing. |
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belairdirect Scholarship
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This year, Belair Insurance Company Inc. (“belairdirect”) is pleased to offer 50 scholarships worth $1000. To apply, the student must be:
- a resident of a province or territory of Canada
- completing high school in 2025;
- have a minimum cumulative average of 75% over the last three terms of available marks
- be enrolled in an undergraduate program on a full-time basis for the 2025-2026 academic year at a recognized publicly funded Canadian post-secondary institution or CEGEP (if living in the province of Quebec).
Applications are due by July 15th, 2025. For more information, and how to apply, please download this PDF. |
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"Umami: Savouring Artistic Nikkei Identity" Exhibit Opening
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Art by Reiko Pleau for "Umami"
From Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre:
"In our 25th anniversary year at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC), we celebrate artists of Japanese ancestry with the Umami: Savouring Artistic Nikkei Identity exhibition from February through September in the Karasawa Gallery.
Just as “Umami” represents the rich and complex layers of flavour in cuisine, this exhibition delves into the depth and richness of nikkei artistic identity. Featuring a diverse range of artists, from emerging to established, including Japanese Canadian Legacies Art fund awardees. From traditional to contemporary art practice, the Umami exhibition shares the rich essence of our Japanese Canadian creative community.
Anchoring the full run of the exhibition is an interactive heritage inspired contemporary multi-media installation by Annie Sumi and Brian Kobayakawa called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is best known as a traditional Japanese technique of mending ceramics with gold. Annie and Brian’s Kintsugi conceptually mends broken and shattered experiences of what it means to be Canadian of Japanese ancestry through original music and spoken word activated by the visitor manually manipulating a Singer sewing machine that survived the era of Japanese Canadian internment and dispossession.
In Part 2, we introduce Molly JF Caldwell, the estate of Yoshiko Hirano, Marlene Howell, Vivien Nishi, and Reiko Pleau. All of the artists investigate Japanese Canadian experience in their own style and media. Caldwell reimagines vintage textiles. Hirano, a long-term resident of Nikkei Home honed her skill in sumi-e. Howell paints for the love of her heritage and sometimes dark history. Nishi honours her father’s internment era experience with manga-like illustrations, and Pleau mines the complex history and connection to her maternal ancestors." |
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Museum of Vancouver Re-Opening Feature Galleries
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Half of the Museum of Vancouver’s galleries have been closed since September 2024 as HVAC upgrades were implemented in the 1960s-era building. But on June 20, 2025, three new exhibitions will open: - The Work of Repair: Redress & Repatriation at the Museum of Vancouver
- Deep-Seated Histories: Chairs from the Collection
- Future Makers: Chairs by New Designers
Whether you’re a regular, a first-time visitor, or someone who hasn’t been to the Museum of Vancouver in years, there is something fresh and engaging for everyone this spring,” says newly appointed CEO Ryan Hunt. “From exploring the history of Vancouver through chairs, to reflecting on how the Museum is working to redress harms, to giving a platform for future makers to share their innovative work, you will find something to inspire you at MOV.” |
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Call for Applications 2025 Terry Reksten Memorial Fund
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It's that time of year again, applications are now open for the Terry Reksten Memorial Fund (TRMF)!
The Friends of the BC Archives (FBCA) administers the Terry Reksten Memorial Fund, which honours the popular BC historian who passed away in 2001. The Terry Reksten Memorial Fund offers two (2) grants of $2000 each to community archives, historical associations, or museums. The grants are intended to assist in acquiring, preserving, indexing, and/or disseminating archival material relating to BC and its regions.
For application information or to learn more about Terry Reksten and her legacy, visit the FBCA website by clicking the button below.
Applications to the TRMF will be accepted until June 17, 2025. |
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On June 24, 2025 to celebrate the launch of community historian, curator, and author Catherine Clement’s new book, "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act".
Building on the stories in the award-winning exhibition of the same name and exploring the lives of dozens more who lived through the Exclusion Act, this book presents an unflinching look at a monumental and shameful chapter in Canada’s origin story.
"The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act" is now available for pre-order through the Chinese Canadian Museum's website for in-person pick-up on or after the book’s release on June 24. Pre-order now to reserve your copy in time for this launch event and get it specially signed by author Catherine Clement.
Shipping options are available through external retailers. |
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Cataline - King of the Packers by Dr. Lorne Hammond
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Dr. Lorne Hammond, retired curator at the Royal British Columbia Museum, takes us on a journey through the Cariboo, following the legends of the packer, “Cataline.” Cataline (Jean Caux) was one of the most famous packers who ran trains of horses or mules in British Columbia. Pack trains delivered materials required to live and work, and were vital to the building of railways, roads, and telegraph lines. Hammond explains how the pack trains followed trails created by Indigenous peoples and later by fur trading companies, to reach settlements in rugged terrains including Barkerville. Presented at the BCHF Conference in Williams Lake, May 2025. |
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Beneath Dark Waters - The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck
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Author Eve Lazarus describes the shocking tragedy of the Empress of Ireland, which sank near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in 1914 with the loss of more than thousand lives, and her connections to the story, including her deep-dive research into the victims and survivors from all across Canada.
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Always on Call - Adventures in Nursing, Ranching and Rural Living with Marion McKinnon Crook
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Marion McKinnon Crook received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Seattle University (although a Canadian from the Fraser Valley) and worked as a public health nurse in the Cariboo until 1986 and in the Fraser Valley until 1989. Those were the days of treacherous roads, severe and dangerous weather and wide-spread populations. Her original nursing district encompassed 3,600 square miles. During her nursing career in the Cariboo, she wrote and published with trade publishers: ten novels for young adult and middle grade readers. She also researched, wrote and published non-fiction around teen problems such as suicide, eating disorders and adoption.
Her memoirs Always on Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching and Rural living and Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin have proven to be popular reads. She is presently working on a biography, Bloomsbury to Barkerville: The Life of Miss Florence Wilson.
Marion presented at the British Columbia Historical Federation's annual conference in Williams Lake, May 3, 2025. |
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The Francophone Ranchers of the BC Interior Plateau, 1860s to 1870s with Maurice Guibord
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Maurice Guibord from the Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique makes a presentation at the annual conference of the British Columbia Historical Federation, May 2, 2025.
In 2019, the SHFCB received a grant from Digital Museums Canada to launch onsite research in the Cariboo and the Okanagan on the history of Francophones who launched ranches in those regions in the 1860s-70s, to hold oral history interviews with the descendants of these families, and to create from the results a bilingual digital exhibition available on the website of DMC, in both official languages.
The eight families that became the focus of the project are, in alphabetical order: Boucherie, Guichon, Isnardy, Lequime, Minnaberriet, Patenaude, Pigeon, and Versepuech. They were not the only Francophones to have established ranches in the B.C. interior, but they stood out in the research, both in their historical presence during those decades but also in the contributions of their descendants in a wide array of fields.
The history of these ranches, it must be stressed, is a history of colonization, of the establishment of businesses and industries, then of villages and towns, on lands appropriated from First Nations. Still, you will see how the Indigenous members of these families found their respective places, then as well as more recently, during their historical journeys. It is indeed from these families that we have been directed to disseminate the facts unearthed during this project.
The presentation includes new and sometimes staggering facts that came to light during the project, where members of mixed ancestry triumphed over a succession of difficult paths. |
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Watercooler Wednesday
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When: June 4th, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Where: Virtual/Online Cost: Free The British Columbia Museum Association is bringing back Watercooler Wednesday! Connect with Museum, Gallery and Heritage professionals from across British Columbia. Gather around the digital watercooler to catch up, chat, ask questions and seek advice. |
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IBPOC Tea & Talks
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When: June 6th, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Where: Surrey Nature Centre, Surrey
Cost: Free
This session will be a little different from our usual Tea and Talks, as it's a hybrid Tea and Talk and Network Social! The idea is to get to know each other while connecting with the land. We'll start with our usual Tea and Talk format (inside with drinks and snacks), and then move outside into the park for a guided forest bathing experience.
These sessions are always free. Register online by clicking the button below.
*A gentle reminder that these sessions are for folks who identify as Indigenous, Black, or a Person of Colour. Thank you for respecting this affinity space.* |
When: June 27th, 12:00 pm Where: Virtual/Online Cost: Free Brew yourself a cup of tea and sit down with Jazmin and Madison to chat, seek advice, and get to know other cultural professionals of colour. June's Tea & Talk will welcome guest speaker Grace Sneddon-Wong! These sessions are always free, and don’t require registration. *A gentle reminder that these sessions are for folks who identify as Indigenous, Black, or a Person of Colour. Thank you for respecting this affinity space.* |
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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 Laura Van Zant: laura@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)
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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. This newsletter is drafted and sent from the traditional unceded territory of the Sinixt First Nation. The BCHF is on Facebook. Join the conversation.  |
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