BCHF conference nears

We are three weeks from our annual conference! You can still sign up for this online event, June 2 to 5, which features Keith Thor Carlson (pictured) as our keynote speaker on “History as a Tool for Reconciliation,” plus nine other presentations and two virtual field trips. Students can attend the entire conference for free, but pre-registration is required.

BCHF AGM slated for June 4

The BCHF annual general meeting is Saturday, June 4 at 9 a.m. via teleconference. Secretaries of member societies should forward lists of voting delegates at least 10 days prior to the meeting. To register, email our secretary, or complete the registration online here  

BCHF participates in Great Canadian Giving Challenge

The CanadaHelps Great Canadian Giving Challenge is back! We are raising money for the BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund. By donating, you support community historians who are uncovering the diverse cultural, artistic, genealogical and geological history of BC.

BCHF silent auction now online

Once again the BCHF is holding a silent auction during our conference through the 32 auctions website. The auction items are the books submitted to the BCHF historical writing competition, and proceeds from the auction will go towards the BCHF’s Centennial Legacy Fund. Bidding begins June 2.

Bert ter Hart’s epic adventure

BCHF explorer-in-residence Bert ter Hart continues his amazing journey across Canada by foot and canoe and has now reached the Lake Louise area. You can watch an interview he did with Mark Forsythe before departing, read another interview Jane Watt did with him in the current issue of British Columbia History, or click the button below to follow his progress.

MEMBER NEWS

Vancouver Historical society presents Vancouver Vice

The Vancouver Historical Society has posted a presentation called Vancouver Vice, based on the book of the same name by Aaron Chapman. Aaron, who is a historian of Vancouver’s underbelly, describes the West End in the 1980s.

Have your say on the future of the BC Archives

The BC Archives is slated to move into a new collections and research building in 2024. What do you want to see in the new building? How can access be improved for people across the province? The Friends of the BC Archives wants to hear from you. Click the button below for a link to their survey.

Boswell Historical Society buying St. Anselm’s Church

An Anglican church on the East Shore of Kootenay Lake is expected to be acquired by the Boswell Historical Society and preserved for community use. The society has already been using St. Anselm’s (to be renamed The Heart) for several years for its functions.

HISTORICAL NOTES

Province invests $789-million in new Royal BC Museum

The Royal BC Museum will close in September, to be replaced by a new museum to be built on the same site that will open in 2030. According to the province, the new museum “will reflect the experiences and perspectives of all who contributed to B.C.’s history, providing a cultural legacy for generations to come.”

Vancouver heritage home tour offered online

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is holding a heritage house tour Tuesday, May 31 and Thursday June 2. They will offer two special online events highlighting six remarkable homes. Enjoy exclusive virtual tours inside heritage spaces from the 1910s to the 1980s and hear the engaging stories behind them.

BCGEU buys Nelson heritage building

The BC General Employees’ Union has purchased a heritage building in Nelson that has been vacant for 11 years. The building dates to 1920 and as formerly the city bus garage and a furniture store, but has been empty since a fire in a nearby apartment block.

Memoir recalls childhood in New Denver residential school

A woman who spent four and a half years as a child at the New Denver residential school for Sons of Freedom Doukhobor children has published a memoir. Elizabeth Hlookoff was taken from her family in Grand Forks by the BC government in 1954 at age seven because they were not sending her to school.

Hastings Mill book launched

This past Saturday, Hastings Mill: The Historic Times of a Vancouver Community by Lisa Anne Smith had its launch. If you missed it, you can watch the video by clicking the button below. The book tells the story of Vancouver's oldest building and the events that unfolded around it.

Vancouver, Victoria newspaper archives now online for free

A searchable database for The Vancouver Sun (1912-2010), Province (1894-2010) and Times Colonist (1884-2010) newspapers is now available online. A project of ProQuest, in collaboration of the BC Electronic Library Network, BC Libraries Cooperative and Focused Education Resources, it’s free to all BC residents.

Chinese Canadian Museum launches two exhibitions

The Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver has launched “Seeds to Success: Story of the H.Y. Louie Family,” which highlights the family history of Hok Yat Louie and “A Tale of Two Families: Generations of Intercultural Communities and Family Lessons,” which explains the Guichon and Louie-Seto families’ intercultural values and practices (and is also the subject of one of the BCHF conference presentations).

Documentary looks at historic Kootenay River bridges

In this documentary, Selkirk College student Grady Robertson uncovers the stories behind three important bridges that linked people, development and dreams in the West Kootenay: the first Taghum vehicle bridge, the Brilliant Suspension Bridge (built with Doukhobor labour), and the Nelson Bridge (also known as the Big Orange Bridge).

Burnaby Village Museum plans 50th anniversary celebration

The Burnaby Village Museum is marking its 50th birthday with a party on Victoria Day from 11 a.m .to 4:30 p.m. Click the button below for the full list of activities.

Historic Grand Forks theatre sold

The Gem Theatre in Grand Forks, which opened in 1913 and has been in business ever since, has been sold for the first time in 34 years. 

IN MEMORIAM

Harry Kruisselbrink 1941-2022

Harry Kruisselbrink was a dear friend to the Bulkley Valley Museum: an author, photographer, researcher, presenter, heritage advocate, past board member, and fact-checker-in-chief.

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.