I spent a couple of hours this afternoon perusing the displays of the Museum at Campbell River.
Two exhibits made the $6 admission fee worthwhile.
The first is one about the local First Nations culture, including a spectacular show featuring a storyteller and carved masks. No photographs were allowed in this exhibit, so it’s really hard to convey just how great it was. It was a feast for the eyes to view all those colourful carvings and the mask show was a breathtaking journey to a world below the ocean. This appears to be a permanent exhibit, thankfully!
The second exhibit I liked was one of the three videos viewable on demand in a theatre at the end of the tour. The video in question is a documentary about the Ripple Rock explosion, which I’ve previously discussed in my post about Seymour Narrows. The video was comprised of footage of the day, that is from the 1950’s, which added an additional level of interest. I was amazed by the engineering feat that was the destruction of these underwater peaks. Tunnels were dug under the channel and up into the mountains and then charges were laid. Three times as many explosives as would have been needed in an open air project of this size was needed to displace not only the rock but also the water.
In between the First Nations gallery and the Ripple Rock video were galleries about pioneer life in the Campbell River area, a popular hotel, and the local salmon fishing industry. There is a final, temporary, gallery about climate change that I do not feel was sufficiently tied in to the history of Campbell River. A panel showing how climate change has possibly affected the fishing industry would have sufficed.
While I found the exhibits to be over all very well done and informative, I had come expecting to learn more about Campbell River’s general history and left feeling that I’d only been giving small snippets of it. So, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with my visit but do not feel that this is the museum’s fault; I should have checked my expectations at the door and enjoyed what was offered.
Be sure to walk the grounds before or after your visit; there is a wonderful native plant garden to explore!
a striking building
Boat outside the museum that was owned by a Japanese fisherman. The boat was stolen from him by the Canadian government during WWII. Our treatment of the Japanese during this war is one of the most shameful moments of our history.
torii seen from the museum
Lord Vancouver, after whom a city and a whole island would be named
Another shameful incident in Canadian history is that of the residential schools for Native children
I was amused that the museum dressed up the pioneer cabin for the holidays
reminds me of my student days, only substitute a radiator for the stove
check out the info on the plaque; this tree was more than a thousand years old when it was chopped down!
logging truck
water pump outside the pioneer cabin
façade representing the third Willows hotel, a popular spot for vacationers to Campbell River at the start of the 19th century
my impression upon entering this exhibit was awe; I really felt like I was in a Victorian hotel!
Being a huge fan of my bank (CIBC), I always note historical instances of it. CIBC came to Campbell RIver to handle payroll.
I liked this exhibit tucked away under the stairs
Those are big fish! (from days before we worried about fish stocks)
I was also impressed by this floating fishing cottage. I really felt like I was on a dock by the ocean.
type of salmon canned by year (see next picture)
this is what I apparently look like when driving a huge vehicle
that was my reason for studying history in university
more about the Japanese fishing boat
the grounds are lovely and feature a native plant garden
