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Our Heritage Cookbook, "A Taste of Elegance" is here at last! This was a special 50th Anniversary Project of Revelstoke Museum & Archives Association, and features over 500 recipes from past and present residents of Revelstoke. The cookbook also includes several heritage photographs and historic facts about Revelstoke. It will make a wonderful present! Copies are available at the Museum for $19.95. We have a limited number, so purchase yours soon! Call the Museum at 250-837-3067 to reserve your copy.
To celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we also embarked upon an endowment fund project. Our goal is to raise $10,000 before the end of December of this year. If we reach our goal, we will be eligible for matching funding through the Vancouver Foundation. If you wish to make a donation, please contact us, or simply send it to: Revelstoke Museum & Archives, P.O. Box 1908, Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S0.
We now have the opening date set for our Exhibit "Little But Not Forgotten - Revelstoke and the Boer War." It will open at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 11th. Everyone is welcome to attend this event. Jen Busch, curator for the exhibit, will present a short slide show on the amazing information she found on this topic.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
"Canada's Little War" - Our latest project!
So, all my little heritage explorers have headed back to school for the fall. This marks the end of our summer children’s program and the beginning of a new project for me!
In the spring, the museum was given a complete Boer War uniform that belonged to a young man who enlisted here in Revelstoke. Most would be surprised to learn that nearly fifty men enlisted for the Boer War in Revelstoke between 1900 and 1902. These men served in five separate units – the Canadian Mounted Rifles (2nd, 5th and 6th Regiments), Lord Strathcona’s Horse and the South African Constabulary. Two of these men never returned to Canada – they were killed in action.
Often called “Canada’s Little War,” the Boer War, although much smaller when compared to later wars, was the first time Canadians were sent overseas to represent the young nation of Canada. Many of these men went on to serve in the First World War as well.
The particular uniform that we’ve so generously been given belonged to Walter James Dunne of the South African Constabulary. Walter was a still just a boy, a mere seventeen, when he enlisted here on February 27, 1901. He served overseas for just under two years, during which time he was taken prisoner-of-war, stripped naked and left to find his way across the South African veldt.
Walter went on to become the first settler at Blind Bay where he successfully raised a family on his homestead. He served in the Vosges Mountains in France during World War One (in the Canadian Forestry Corps) and he joined the Pacific Coast Militia during World War Two. Walter died peacefully at in 1964. His daughter, Mrs. Phyllis Parkes still spends her summers on the original family property on the lake at Blind Bay. There, on Dunne Road, the cabins that Walter built in the 1920’s still stand, almost as a testament to the life of their creator.
The Boer War exhibit is set to open at the end of September. It will highlight the efforts and the sacrifices of the young men from this area who served in this “little” war. As the Dunne family lived in Revelstoke for numerous years, this exhibit will also provide some insight into their time here.
Stay tuned for the official opening date!
Thanks,
Jen Busch
-Research assistant
In the spring, the museum was given a complete Boer War uniform that belonged to a young man who enlisted here in Revelstoke. Most would be surprised to learn that nearly fifty men enlisted for the Boer War in Revelstoke between 1900 and 1902. These men served in five separate units – the Canadian Mounted Rifles (2nd, 5th and 6th Regiments), Lord Strathcona’s Horse and the South African Constabulary. Two of these men never returned to Canada – they were killed in action.
Often called “Canada’s Little War,” the Boer War, although much smaller when compared to later wars, was the first time Canadians were sent overseas to represent the young nation of Canada. Many of these men went on to serve in the First World War as well.
The particular uniform that we’ve so generously been given belonged to Walter James Dunne of the South African Constabulary. Walter was a still just a boy, a mere seventeen, when he enlisted here on February 27, 1901. He served overseas for just under two years, during which time he was taken prisoner-of-war, stripped naked and left to find his way across the South African veldt.
Walter went on to become the first settler at Blind Bay where he successfully raised a family on his homestead. He served in the Vosges Mountains in France during World War One (in the Canadian Forestry Corps) and he joined the Pacific Coast Militia during World War Two. Walter died peacefully at in 1964. His daughter, Mrs. Phyllis Parkes still spends her summers on the original family property on the lake at Blind Bay. There, on Dunne Road, the cabins that Walter built in the 1920’s still stand, almost as a testament to the life of their creator.
The Boer War exhibit is set to open at the end of September. It will highlight the efforts and the sacrifices of the young men from this area who served in this “little” war. As the Dunne family lived in Revelstoke for numerous years, this exhibit will also provide some insight into their time here.
Stay tuned for the official opening date!
Thanks,
Jen Busch
-Research assistant
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
River of Light
Next Monday evening, September 8, the Museum will be hosting a talk entitled "River of Light: The Canadian Columbia before the Treaty" by William D. Layman
William Layman’s work for the past twenty-five years has focused on helping people remember the magnificence of the Columbia River prior to the enormous changes brought about by hydro-development. His award winning exhibit and book River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia show a river bounding toward the sea with a character that places it as being one of the world’s great waterways.
In this presentation, Mr. Layman looks to the more recent past of the river’s ever flowing story. While touching upon earlier eras of the river’s history, greater attention will be paid to the Columbia as a partially developed river just prior to the signing and ratification of the Columbia River Treaty. Mr. Layman highlights this era by showing a recently discovered set of color slides taken in 1961 and 1962 that were photographed by Wenatchee fire chief T.A. Weaver whose aerial survey documented most all of the river. Over one hundred of these views show the Canadian Columbia as it was prior to Hugh Keenleyside, Revelstoke and Mica dams.
Mr. Layman has been working over the summer to rephotograph many of Weaver’s aerial views and to compare maps showing the old river channels with more recent maps that show the river’s present day boundaries. By placing current views alongside the old, it becomes possible to immediately see the dramatic impact of the great changes along the river, particularly in the places behind Revelstoke and Mica dams.
Mr. Layman holds a strong interest not only in the history of the river, but also in the current place the Columbia has in people’s lives and hearts. In his previous presentations up and down the Columbia, Layman has found that people along each section of river have special moments and places along the Columbia that carry very specific and important meanings to themselves, their friends and families. He reflects, “In speaking with people who traveled the old Big Bend Highway or who visited old Kinbasket Lake, I have been amazed at how people remember their trips so vividly. In another two generations, those who hold living memory of the river before the dams will have passed on.”
Time will be given to inviting members of the audience to share personal stories, memories and experiences of the river. Mr. Layman’s hope is that by gathering and listening to these stories, they will become folded into the greater narrative that documents changes along the river brought about by the river’s hydro developments as well as the Columbia River Treaty.
The talk will take place at Revelstoke Museum & Archives, 315 First Street West on Monday, September 8th at 7:30 pm. For more information, call the museum at 250-837-3067.
William Layman’s work for the past twenty-five years has focused on helping people remember the magnificence of the Columbia River prior to the enormous changes brought about by hydro-development. His award winning exhibit and book River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia show a river bounding toward the sea with a character that places it as being one of the world’s great waterways.
In this presentation, Mr. Layman looks to the more recent past of the river’s ever flowing story. While touching upon earlier eras of the river’s history, greater attention will be paid to the Columbia as a partially developed river just prior to the signing and ratification of the Columbia River Treaty. Mr. Layman highlights this era by showing a recently discovered set of color slides taken in 1961 and 1962 that were photographed by Wenatchee fire chief T.A. Weaver whose aerial survey documented most all of the river. Over one hundred of these views show the Canadian Columbia as it was prior to Hugh Keenleyside, Revelstoke and Mica dams.
Mr. Layman has been working over the summer to rephotograph many of Weaver’s aerial views and to compare maps showing the old river channels with more recent maps that show the river’s present day boundaries. By placing current views alongside the old, it becomes possible to immediately see the dramatic impact of the great changes along the river, particularly in the places behind Revelstoke and Mica dams.
Mr. Layman holds a strong interest not only in the history of the river, but also in the current place the Columbia has in people’s lives and hearts. In his previous presentations up and down the Columbia, Layman has found that people along each section of river have special moments and places along the Columbia that carry very specific and important meanings to themselves, their friends and families. He reflects, “In speaking with people who traveled the old Big Bend Highway or who visited old Kinbasket Lake, I have been amazed at how people remember their trips so vividly. In another two generations, those who hold living memory of the river before the dams will have passed on.”
Time will be given to inviting members of the audience to share personal stories, memories and experiences of the river. Mr. Layman’s hope is that by gathering and listening to these stories, they will become folded into the greater narrative that documents changes along the river brought about by the river’s hydro developments as well as the Columbia River Treaty.
The talk will take place at Revelstoke Museum & Archives, 315 First Street West on Monday, September 8th at 7:30 pm. For more information, call the museum at 250-837-3067.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Chinese Legacies
Today was an exciting day at Revelstoke Museum and Archives as we had the official opening of our new exhibit: "Chinese Legacies - Revelstoke's Chinese Community." We were very pleased to have the Chinese Consul General present from Vancouver, as well as about 40 members of the Kwong family. The exhibit features several artifacts from the Kwong family, and they came from all over B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to be present for the exhibit opening. The exhibit, as well as a parallel exhibit at the Revelstoke Railway Museum, on the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, will be in place for 2 years.
Railway Days - Revelstoke's Community Festival is on all week, and the museum is featuring several other events, including a Downtown Walking Tour, a Cemetery Tour, a slide show of local photographs, a Heritage Explorer Children's event, ending with an evening of Beer and Wings on Friday. For information on any of these events, send us an email at revelstokemuseum@telus.net
Railway Days - Revelstoke's Community Festival is on all week, and the museum is featuring several other events, including a Downtown Walking Tour, a Cemetery Tour, a slide show of local photographs, a Heritage Explorer Children's event, ending with an evening of Beer and Wings on Friday. For information on any of these events, send us an email at revelstokemuseum@telus.net
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Big Bend Gold Rush
My last Brown Bag Picnic talk was on the Big Bend Gold Rush. This gold rush, in 1865 and 1866, was less significant than the Cariboo and Yukon gold rushes, but it is estimated that there was more than 3,000,000 dollars worth of gold taken out of the area in that short period of time. The rush was centered on the tributaries of the Columbia River north of Revelstoke, notably Carnes Creek, Downie Creek, French Creek and the Goldstream River. Towns sprang up in the area, especially at the point where French Creek flowed into Goldstream. B.C. Surveyor and explorer Walter Moberly laid out a townsite at French Creek, and at one time there were up to 5,000 people living there. The town boasted hotels, general stores, barber shops, saloons (complete with dance hall girls) and everything else you'd expect in a wild west town. There was even a grand piano in one of the hotels, and a large pool table that eventually wound up in one of the early Revelstoke hotels.
The Big Bend was difficult to reach, but the two most travelled routes were over a rough trail from Seymour Arm on Shuswap Lake, and up the Columbia from the United States. Captain Leonard White began running the steamship SS 49 in April of 1866, bringing boatloads of people into the goldfields. Anyone travelling north on the SS 49 had to be able to pay full fare and have a year's worth of supplies, but the Captain would happily take any man out of the goldfields free of charge. Revelstoke Museum and Archives holds a unique artifact related to the SS 49. A tree blaze was found on the west bank of the Columbia just north of Revelstoke in the 1960s. It reads: "SS 49 delayed in consequence of high water, July 4, '66." The '66', of course, is 1866.
The Big Bend Gold Rush ended as quickly as it began, and by 1870, there were only a few hundred men left in the region. Call or visit Revelstoke Museum & Archives for more information on the rush.
Our next Brown Bag Picnic, on July 30 at noon, will be led by museum employee Jen Busch, and will focus on her current research on Revelstoke's involvement in the Boer War. We will soon be opening an exhibit on the Boer War, focused around the recent donation of the Boer War uniform of Walter Dunne, who enlisted in Revelstoke in 1901.
The Big Bend was difficult to reach, but the two most travelled routes were over a rough trail from Seymour Arm on Shuswap Lake, and up the Columbia from the United States. Captain Leonard White began running the steamship SS 49 in April of 1866, bringing boatloads of people into the goldfields. Anyone travelling north on the SS 49 had to be able to pay full fare and have a year's worth of supplies, but the Captain would happily take any man out of the goldfields free of charge. Revelstoke Museum and Archives holds a unique artifact related to the SS 49. A tree blaze was found on the west bank of the Columbia just north of Revelstoke in the 1960s. It reads: "SS 49 delayed in consequence of high water, July 4, '66." The '66', of course, is 1866.
The Big Bend Gold Rush ended as quickly as it began, and by 1870, there were only a few hundred men left in the region. Call or visit Revelstoke Museum & Archives for more information on the rush.
Our next Brown Bag Picnic, on July 30 at noon, will be led by museum employee Jen Busch, and will focus on her current research on Revelstoke's involvement in the Boer War. We will soon be opening an exhibit on the Boer War, focused around the recent donation of the Boer War uniform of Walter Dunne, who enlisted in Revelstoke in 1901.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Brown Bag Picnic
The ever-popular "Brown Bag History" series at Revelstoke Museum & Archives will continue this summer as "Brown Bag Picnic." We will hold it in the Heritage Garden, weather permitting, beginning this Wednesday, July 2 at 12:15. The first topic will be "Downtown Revelstoke." I'll explain why the downtown is where it is now, instead of in the original location on Front Street, on the riverbank. The explanation includes a lawsuit between original townsite developer A.S. Farwell and the Canadian Pacific Railway. I'll also talk about some of the early businesses in the downtown, and the corduroy road on Mackenzie Avenue. And let's not forget the smelter at the end of Campbell Avenue, and the approximately 10 city blocks that eroded into the river.
Revelstoke's downtown has a very large concentration of late 1890s and early 1900s building, and I'll talk about the history of some of these buildings. Did you know that the Roxy theatre building was built in 1905 as Lawrence Hardware? The original facade was High Victorian style, and it was converted to an Art Deco style in 1938 when it opened as the Avolie Theatre. Did you know that the first Catholic church was built in 1893 at the corner of First and Mackenzie, where the Royal Bank is now? Legend has it that if you lifted a floorboard of the church you could see running water beneath.
Revelstoke's downtown has a very large concentration of late 1890s and early 1900s building, and I'll talk about the history of some of these buildings. Did you know that the Roxy theatre building was built in 1905 as Lawrence Hardware? The original facade was High Victorian style, and it was converted to an Art Deco style in 1938 when it opened as the Avolie Theatre. Did you know that the first Catholic church was built in 1893 at the corner of First and Mackenzie, where the Royal Bank is now? Legend has it that if you lifted a floorboard of the church you could see running water beneath.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Latest Museum News
I apologize for not posting for awhile. We've been very busy with events and programs. Last Saturday, we had the Grand Opening of our New Gift Shop. If you haven't seen it, you'd be surprised at the variety of items for sale here. I (Cathy English, Curator) was in Victoria for a meeting to plan for the Free Spirit Conservation Tour to be held here October 22 to 24 this fall. The Royal BC Museum and BC Hydro Power Smart are presenting a traveling version of the Free Spirit BC exhibit currently on at the Royal BC Museum. The exhibit will showcase BC's rich history of the past 150 years and more, and show us how to preserve the province for the next 150 years and more through careful use of our resources. Watch for more details as we get closer to the event.
I also led a Cemetery Walk this week. The next two are scheduled for July 10 and August 19 at 7 pm. There are many interesting people buried in the local cemetery, including Douglas Hector, son of Sir James Hector, who discovered the Kicking Horse Pass (James Hector is the one who got Kicked by the Horse!) There are victims of two unsolved murders in the cemetery - Jennie Kiobara, a prostitute who was murdered in 1905, and Frank Julian, who was supposedly murdered by the mafia in 1910.
This week, Service BC was celebrating the 150th anniversary of Government Agents in BC. My Brown Bag History talk on Wednesday focused on Government Agents from Revelstoke, then on Thursday, I led tours of the historic Revelstoke Court House.
I will be continuing Brown Bag History this summer as Brown Bag Picnic, and we will hold it outside in the Heritage Garden whenever weather allows. The sessions will be held on July 2, July 16, July 30, August 13, and August 27. I will repeat some of my previous talks, as voted on by the regular Brown Bag participants. The topics will include: World War I Internment Camp, Big Bend Gold Rush, Downtown Revelstoke, and Mount Begbie. Those sessions all got 4 or more votes. The fifth session will be one of the following topics: Disasters on the Columbia, Farming, or Unsolved Mysteries. Which one would you choose?
I also led a Cemetery Walk this week. The next two are scheduled for July 10 and August 19 at 7 pm. There are many interesting people buried in the local cemetery, including Douglas Hector, son of Sir James Hector, who discovered the Kicking Horse Pass (James Hector is the one who got Kicked by the Horse!) There are victims of two unsolved murders in the cemetery - Jennie Kiobara, a prostitute who was murdered in 1905, and Frank Julian, who was supposedly murdered by the mafia in 1910.
This week, Service BC was celebrating the 150th anniversary of Government Agents in BC. My Brown Bag History talk on Wednesday focused on Government Agents from Revelstoke, then on Thursday, I led tours of the historic Revelstoke Court House.
I will be continuing Brown Bag History this summer as Brown Bag Picnic, and we will hold it outside in the Heritage Garden whenever weather allows. The sessions will be held on July 2, July 16, July 30, August 13, and August 27. I will repeat some of my previous talks, as voted on by the regular Brown Bag participants. The topics will include: World War I Internment Camp, Big Bend Gold Rush, Downtown Revelstoke, and Mount Begbie. Those sessions all got 4 or more votes. The fifth session will be one of the following topics: Disasters on the Columbia, Farming, or Unsolved Mysteries. Which one would you choose?
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