Canadian Dog Breeds

By Lillian + Clara

Students like Lillian and Clara who have participated in Heritage Fair are encouraged to share blog posts with us to be posted here.

Make sure to also keep your eye out for the accompanying YouTube video coming soon to the BC Heritage Fairs channel!

Can you name six dog breeds that are native to Canada? Four of them might come easily: the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, the Newfoundland, the Canadian Eskimo Dog (or Qimmit), and the Labrador Retriever. However, you might have never heard about the last two: the Tahltan Bear Dog and the Salish Wool Dog. Both are extinct Indigenous dog breeds that currently receive very little recognition.

We became interested in extinct dog breeds while flipping through a vintage book we found at a garage sale. This book, published in 1974, is called “Guide to the Dogs of the World (fig. 1).” When we came across the Tahltan Bear Dog (fig. 2), we realized that it had become extinct. Further research led us to discover the Salish Wool Dog. We decided to create a stop-motion animation comparing the two dogs and their significance. Over 1400 photographs were taken during the making of the video.

Figure 1. Browne, A. Gondrexon-Ives. Guide to the Dogs of the World, 1974.

Figure 2. Broecke, K.Vandan. “Tahltan Bear Dog.” Guide to the Dogs of the World, 1974, p.173.

Tahltan Bear Dog

Background

The first European documentation of a Tahltan Bear Dog was made by explorer Samuel Black in 1824. As the name suggests, these dogs were owned by the Tahltan people who inhabited northern British Columbia (fig. 3) (Amarascu, 2021). The Tahltan are primarily hunting and trapping people, killing both small game like rabbits, beavers, and squirrels, and large game like mountain goats, bears, caribou, and moose (Kennedy, 2007).

Figure 3. “Map of Tahltan Territory.” Tahltan Band Council, 2017.

The Tahltan Bear Dog had several unique physical characteristics. They were a small breed, weighing 4.5 to 8.0 kg. They were classified as Spitz dogs, which means that they were fox-like in appearance. Some traits of Spitz dogs include pointed noses and prick ears. Tahltan Bear Dogs were typically black and white in colour with a mid-length dense coat that was longer around the ruff and tail. Their most distinct feature was a ¾ tail that resembled a shaving brush (fig. 4).

Figure 4. Lynch, Ian. “The Tahltan Bear Dog.”

In addition to being intelligent and affectionate, the Tahltan Bear Dog was celebrated for possessing endurance, stamina, and agility. A characteristic of Spitz breeds is a tough and wild nature. Despite their tiny size, these dogs were fierce and tenacious hunters. They were protective but gentle to their families (Amarascu, 2021).

Purpose

Tahltan Bear Dogs had an important purpose. They excelled in hunting large game, especially bears. Tahltan hunters would carry a sack on their backs containing two or three Bear Dogs. Upon encountering a bear, the feisty dogs would be released. Working as a pack, they would harass and distract the bear until the hunters could move in for the kill. Because they usually hunted in winter and early spring, the dogs could easily run on top of the snow while the heavier bear sank and struggled. Tahltan Bear Dogs occasionally hunted other game as well, including moose, rabbit, lynx, and ptarmigan (Lynch, 2020; Amarascu, 2021).

Significance

Tahltan Bear Dogs were extremely significant to their people. Ethnographer James Teit states that they were “as indispensable to the Tahltan as snowshoes” (fig. 5). Tahltan elder John Carlick provides a meaningful summary: “If you had a Bear Dog, you could find game. If you didn’t have a Bear Dog, you starved.” Unlike other hunting dogs, the Tahltan people revered their Bear Dogs, making shelters for them and even permitting them into their lodgings. The courage of these little dogs is widely celebrated in Tahltan mythology. Local tales tell of their role in hunting and their close relationship with the Tahltan people (Amarascu, 2021).

Figure 5. Teit, James and Canadian Museum of History. “Mary Jackson and Charley Quash, of the Tahltan Nation, with a Tahltan Bear Dog in Telegraph Creek, British Columbia,” 1915.

Extinction

Despite efforts to protect the breed, the Tahltan Bear Dog became extinct. Several factors contributed to their extinction. The first was the introduction of rifles to the Tahltan people when the Europeans arrived. As guns were much more efficient than hunting with dogs, Bear Dogs were no longer needed. Another factor contributing to their extinction was diseases. In the 1940s, an outbreak of canine distemper killed several of the dogs. In 1942, an epidemic of the measles and influenza killed many of the Tahltan elders who owned the Bear Dogs. Following this episode, many dogs who were running loose were shot. The final factor that led to their extinction was the introduction of other European dog breeds, who bred with the Tahltan Bear Dogs and tainted their bloodline. By the 1960s, only a small population of Bear Dogs remained. The last one died in 1979. In 1988, Canada Post commemorated the loss of the Tahltan Bear Dog with a stamp (fig. 6), (Lynch, 2020; Amarascu, 2021).

Figure 6. Canada Post. “Tahltan Bear Dog Stamp,” 1988.

Salish Wool Dog

Background

The first document that mentions Salish Wool Dogs was written by Captain George Vancouver in 1792 (fig. 7). As their name suggests, they belonged to the Coast Salish people. The Salish lived along the southern coast of British Columbia, parts of Vancouver Island, and parts of Puget Sound. (Shrumm, 2019). The Salish are widely known and celebrated for their art, including carvings in bone, stone, or horn, as well as their elaborate cedar and yarn weavings (Kennedy and Bouchard, 2006).

Figure 7. BC Archives and Records Service. “George Vancouver.”

The Salish Wool Dog was a small and usually white breed. Like the Tahltan Bear Dog, they were classified as Spitz dogs, and had fox-like features. They had drop, rose, or prick ears, as well as a thick, wool-like coat and a bushy tail (fig. 8). According to Spanish Naval Officers exploring the Puget Sound area, they did not bark like other dog breeds but simply had a “miserable” howl (Shrumm, 2019).

Figure 8. Chilliwack Museum and Archives Booen Fonds Private Collection, “Two Coast Salish Women with a Wool Dog.”

Salish Wool Dogs had gentle dispositions, similar to those of modern lap dogs (fig.8). From the limited records of their personalities, it can be gathered that they were playful, peaceful, and extremely loyal to their owners. This temperament made them ideal companions (fig. 9) (Lazenby, 2023).

Figure 9. Kane, Paul, and Royal Ontario Museum. “Studies of Salish Wool Dogs and Interior Furnishing,” May 1847.

Purpose

Salish Wool Dogs played an important role in their communities. As their name suggests, they were raised for their wool-like hair. Hand-woven blankets often contained Wool Dog hair with a mixture of goat hair and plant fibers (fig. 9).

Figure 9. Sp!Aq!Elthinoth. “Chief’s Blanket.” UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC.

A complex process was used to turn Salish Wool Dog hair into blankets. When the dogs’ coats were long enough, Salish women would wash it with white clay to cleanse dirt. Then, using sharp rocks or knives made of mussel shells, the Wool dogs’ hair was cut very close to their skin. It was stored with dried clay to extract oil and kill insects. The dog hair was sometimes dyed red, pale yellow, black, or blue using natural dyes like alder bark and huckleberries. The yarn was woven into elaborate textiles by Salish women (fig. 10) (Morrell, 2021; Shrumm, 2019).

Figure 10. Kane, Paul. “A Woman Weaving a Blanket,” 1849-1856.

Significance

Salish Wool Dogs were extremely valued by their people. The “nobility” blankets that were produced by their hair were highly important. They were used as currency, as payment of ceremonial workers, as dowries, and even as potlatch gifts (fig. 11.) (White and Cienski). Salish woman Seniquila Wyss states: “Yes, they were a source of wool, but they were so much more than that. They were great companions to us; they were members of the family.” (Lazenby, 2023).

Figure 11. Royal BC Museum. “Chiefs Delegation,” 1906.

The special physical characteristics of Salish Wool Dogs were extremely important to their people. Salish Wool Dogs were kept on their own isolated islands that separated them from the rest of the dog population. As no other dogs could breed with them, this would ensure that their unique hair characteristics stayed the same. Once a day, their owners would boat over and feed their dogs salmon and rendered elk fat – not scraps, but quality food that was good enough to feed humans. When they died, some Wool Dogs were even wrapped in blankets to honour them (Shrumm, 2019).

Extinction

There are several factors that led to the extinction of the Salish Wool Dog. First, when the Europeans arrived in Canada, they introduced sheep and manufactured blankets to the Coast Salish. The Salish found this way of producing textiles much more efficient, as it was cheaper and did not require as much maintenance as owning a pack of dogs. As a result, the Salish Wool Dogs were no longer needed, and their owners ceased taking measures to keep the breed pure. Much like Tahltan Bear Dogs, they were no longer kept separate, and were allowed to breed with European dogs. Another reason for their extinction is that some Wool Dogs were shot by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers (Shrumm, 2019). Seniquila Wyss explains that the Wool Dogs were part of the colonial genocide that happened. Their population declined rapidly throughout the 1800s. By around 1900, the breed was nearly extinct, with the last wool dog dying around 1940 (Lazenby, 2023).

Conclusion

After completing this project, we were surprised by how many similarities the Tahltan Bear Dog and the Salish Wool Dog shared. Although they differed in physical appearance and personality traits, both breeds provided necessities for survival, like clothing and food, and were esteemed and valued by their people. We were also surprised by the amount of care given to the dogs by the Tahltan and Salish people. As evidenced by quotes from both Indigenous groups, they viewed their dogs as more than just animals – they were cherished companions. It is unfortunate that we will never have the chance to meet either of these dog breeds.

Works Cited

BC Archives and Records Service. “Captain George Vancouver.” Parks Canada. https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=938

Broecke, K.Vandan. “Tahltan Bear Dog.” Guide to the Dogs of the World, by A. Gondrexon-Ives Browne, Elsevier Publishing Projects, 1974, p. 173.

Browne, A. Gondrexon-Ives. Guide to the Dogs of the World. Lausanne, Switzerland, Elsevier Publishing Projects, 1974.

Canada Post. “Tahltan Bear Dog Stamp.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1988. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tahltan-bear-dog.

Chilliwack Museum and Archives Booen Fonds Private Collection. “Two Coast Salish Women with a Wool Dog.” Vancouver Sun. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/hair-from-extinct-b-c-woolly-dog-found-in-old-coast-salish-blanket

Kane, Paul. “A Woman Weaving a Blanket.” Royal Ontario Museum, 1849-1856, collections.rom.on.ca/objects/228434/a-woman-weaving-a-blanket-songheessaanich-central-coast.

Kane, Paul and Royal Ontario Museum. “Studies of Salish Wool Dogs and Interior Furnishing.” Historylink, May 1847, http://www.historylink.org/File/11243

Kennedy, Dorothy. “Tahltan.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 28 Jan. 2007, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tahltan. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023

Kennedy, Dorothy, and Randy Bouchard. “Coast Salish.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 7 Feb. 2006, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/coastal-salish.

Lynch, Ian. “The Tahltan Bear Dog.” Canadian Kennel Club, 21 July 2020, www.ckc.ca/en/The-Dish/July-2020/The-Tahltan-Bear-Dog. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.

“Map of Tahltan Territory.” Tahltan Band Council, 2017. https://tahltan.ca/nation/territory/

Royal BC Museum. “Chiefs Delegation.” Mid Island News, 1906, nlpslearns.sd68.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/Coast-Salish-Nobility-Blankets.pdf.

Morell, Virginia. “The Dogs That Grew Wool and the People Who Love Them.” Hakai Magazine, 23 Feb. 2021, hakaimagazine.com/features/the-dogs-that-grew-wool-and-the-people-who-love-them.

Shrumm, Regan. “Salish Woolly Dog.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 14 Jan. 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/salish-woolly-dog.

Sp!Aq!Elthinoth. “Chief’s Blanket.” UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Teit, James and Canadian Museum of History.” Mary Jackson and Charley Quash, of the

Tahltan Nation, with a Tahltan Bear Dog in Telegraph Creek, British Columbia.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1915. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tahltan-bear-dog

White, William A., and Andrew Cienski. “Coast Salish Nobility Blankets.” Mid Island News Blog, midislandnews.com/early-nanaimo-history/history-coast-salish-nobility-blankets.

Camp Heritage Fair: James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement

Today’s post is by Alumni Council member Daniel, who took part in this year’s Camp Heritage Fair. You can also read Daniel’s CHF journal here.

Camp Heritage Fair Journal – August 2023Download

Territories covered by the Section 22 (Cree territory) and the Section 23 (Inuit and Naskapi territory) of the environmental and social protection regime of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-assessment-agency/corporate/james-bay-northern-quebec-agreement.html

On November 11, 1975, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) was signed by representatives of Northern Quebec’s Cree and Inuit populations, the Quebec government, and the federal government. It was, in its simplest form, a compromise meant to resolve a difficult question regarding land rights.

A few years before, the Quebec government had decided to construct some hydroelectric dams in the area of James Bay. They then announced their plans to do so and set to work. However, they had proceeded without the permission of the region’s Indigenous Peoples, which included Cree and Inuit groups. In response, Indigenous activists formed an organized front against this expansion. They asserted that they had never ceded their rights to this land, and that earlier agreements obligated the government to take part in negotiations before land rights could be relinquished. Leaders of this movement included Malcolm Diamond (Cree), Grand Chief Billy Diamond (Cree), Chief Robert Kanatewat (Cree), Charlie Watt (Inuit), Zebedee Nungak (Inuit), Robbie Tookalook (Inuit), among many others. The fact that many of them were young people only further contributed to the remarkable nature of their achievement. The Cree and Inuit peoples were represented in the signing of the JBNQA by the Grand Council of the Crees and by the Northern Quebec Inuit Association.

In essence, the JBNQA outlines how to share this region between Indigenous Peoples and the government; the compensation and services to which the Indigenous Peoples are entitled; and Indigenous self-governance in the area. Perhaps most importantly, it established in law Indigenous rights having to do with land usage, language, and more. Indigenous land usage rights were affirmed for over half of Quebec’s surface area. However, construction of the James Bay hydroelectric dams continued—bringing with it a host of repercussions for the region’s ecosystems.

The leadup to the signing of the JBNQA was a complex and often counterintuitive process. There were times when some of the Indigenous parties could not come to an agreement with one another. The Indians of Quebec Association ended their involvement in summer 1974 due to a point of contention with Cree representatives regarding the scope of the land claims. Indigenous parties often found themselves dealing with a government that stubbornly refused to acknowledge Indigenous land rights. At one point, Cree and Inuit representatives visited the office of Quebec’s Premier, Robert Bourassa. Partway through a speech by Cree leader Malcolm Diamond, the Premier stood up, dismissed their concerns, and walked out of the office. After a lack of meaningful responses from the Quebec government, the Indigenous activists turned to the legal system to make their voices heard. In November 1973, they won a major victory when Superior Court judge Albert Malouf paused dam construction and called upon the government to begin talks with the Indigenous parties. Though an appeals court quickly overruled this injunction, it was an important spark for constructive negotiations.

The legacy of the JBNQA is only more difficult to wrap one’s head around. The JBNQA has been called the “first modern treaty”—and like the treaties signed in Canada’s early days, it has had significant consequences for Indigenous Peoples. For instance, George Manuel (Secwépemc), who was the president of the North American Indian Brotherhood, felt that the JBNQA gave rise to a trend of Indigenous Peoples essentially selling their land rights. Some Indigenous groups had been left out of the agreement, and had to continue fighting for recognition of their own rights as a result. Additionally, a 2008 Institute for Research on Public Policy analysis found that while the quality of life among the Cree and Inuit in Northern Quebec had improved in the wake of the JBNQA, it was roughly similar to Indigenous communities elsewhere in Northern Canada that were not part of a “modern treaty” or have not been part of one for as long.

At the same time, it is important to acknowledge the JBNQA as an important milestone for Indigenous activism in Canada. The Naskapi people became another signatory to the JBNQA in 1978, and several years later the historic 1984 Cree-Naskapi (of Quebec) Act was passed, providing a major boost for Indigenous independence efforts nationwide. When relations between the Indigenous signatories and the Quebec government grew fragile, particularly against the backdrop of the 1995 independence referendum, the Cree decided to re-assert their political rights. They stated that they could choose to remain in Canada regardless of Quebec’s decision. In 2002, another agreement between the Cree and the Quebec government was signed. The agreement was called La Paix des braves, or Peace of the Braves. Friendlier relations were established, and the Cree gained more autonomy in the process. The JBNQA has overall been a major factor in the political development of the Cree and Inuit.

Today, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement remains a complicated part of our history, laws, and government. The Indigenous signatories knew that through the agreement they were sacrificing some important aspects of their lives. But somewhat paradoxically, the agreement also protected many of their rights, and has contributed to their growth. Crucially, the Indigenous parties never gave up their understanding that the land in question was theirs. As the Inuit activist Zebedee Nungak said, “We have no doubt in our mind that we own the land. We are not going to go around trying to prove that we own it. It’s up to the people who are invading it to try to disprove our ownership.”

Download Bibliography

Camp Heritage Fair Week 5 Roundup

Welcome to the week 5 roundup. If you’re not on social media, this Roundup series will provide you with all of the title card photos and captions from our daily posts. Only want the highlights? Check out our Camp Heritage Fair page.

It’s the last week of #CampHeritageFair, which means it’s time to Put it All Together!

This week we will:
Aug 28: Write a post for the Alumni blog!
Aug 29: Post your project on Instagram!
Aug 30: Write a story or poem about your topic!
Aug 31: Celebrate your accomplishment!

#CampHeritageFair Week 5, day 1: Write a blog post for the Alumni blog!

If you’d like to share your experiences during Camp Heritage Fair, or the results of your research, you can send it our way to srfairs@bcheritagefairs.ca. You can also send us stories of any history-themed summer adventures. Or, practice your writing skills and write it just for you!

We’ll be re-sharing all of our alumni blogs from this year today, and posting them to a brand new highlight. Caught up? We’ll have the last student blog post going up later today!

#student #blog #historyblog #callforsubmissions

#CampHeritageFair Week 5, Day 2: Post your project to Instagram (or Facebook)!

Today, share your hard work with friends and family online. You could share a series of posts, or just one – any pieces of your project or Camp experience you like. Don’t forget to tag us! Catching up with our weekly recaps? You can send us your project to srfairs@bcheritagefairs.ca, just let us know if it’s ok to post.

#student #studentproject #heritagefair

#CampHeritageFair Week 5, Day 3: Write a story or poem about your topic!

Writing a story, poem, graphic novel, or diary is a great way to immerse yourself in your topic. As you saw when you read the historical fiction novel, fiction is a great entry point.

Not ready to write your own? Check out our Sunday Stories highlight to read Lillian’s story, Alone in the Arctic, from our 2022 Virtual Fair.

Some teachers request a story as part of your submission, so this is great practice! It’s also a great way to wrap up your Camp Heritage Fair experience. Tomorrow we celebrate and talk next steps for the year ahead.

#story #fiction #childrensfiction #studentwriting #penultimateday #almostthere

#CampHeritageFair Week 5, Day 4: Celebrate your accomplishments!

You did it! Whether you did all of the days, one day, or followed along, thanks for being here with us for Camp Heritage Fair. We hope you enjoyed it!

So what comes next? There are several ways for you to stay involved:

– Alumni Council: we’ll talk more about this tomorrow, but for those of you eager to join, applications are now open. Get the form here..

– Independent Regional Heritage Fair: we are officially opening registration for the 2024 IRHF! This is a Provincial Fair qualifier for classes and independent students in areas of the province without a Regional Fair. We’ll have more info early next week, and you can register now here.

– Start a classroom or school Fair program: teachers, librarians, and other school staff can all support students through Heritage Fair. Whether it’s a classroom project or a lunchtime club, you can get your grade 4-10 students involved. Contact srfairs@bcheritagefairs.ca for more information, to be put in touch with your Regional Coordinator, or to get more info about IRHF.

– Start or join a Regional Fair: most of our Regional Fairs are run out of museums, and lots of them are looking for support. In an area of BC not covered by a Regional Fair, but see a need in your community? We can help you get started. Email srfairs@bcheritagefairs.ca.

– Support our work: BC Heritage Fairs Society is a volunteer-run non-profit. Everything from administration to our Alumni Council to Provincial Fair to this month of programming is done entirely by a few very dedicated volunteers. You can become a member or make a tax-deductible donation at http://bcheritagefairs.ca.

Thanks for joining us! We’d love your feedback on Camp Heritage Fair and we hope you’ll stay involved.

#alumni #heritagefair #canadianhistory #heritage #teacher #student #studentproject

Camp Heritage Fair Week 4 Roundup

Welcome to the week 4 roundup. If you’re not on social media, this Roundup series will provide you with all of the title card photos and captions from our daily posts. Only want the highlights? Check out our Camp Heritage Fair page.

#CampHeritageFair Week 4: Prepare Your Presentation!

This week we’re going to be preparing your presentation. There’s more to a presentation than just the writing – you may want several different elements to make your story come to life for your audience.

This week we will:
– August 21: Find Historic Photos
– August 22: Draw a Historic Person, Place, or Thing
– August 23: Take a Heritage Walking Tour
– August 24: Make a Heritage Minute

See you tomorrow!

#walkingtour #heritageminute #drawingprompts #photography

#CampHeritageFair Week 4, Day 1: Find Historic Photos!

Today we start putting together our presentation. Photos of the time, event, or person you’re talking about can help provide information, or bring your topic to life. There are historic photos everywhere! Are there signs near you talking about history, like this one about the Hong Wo store in @cityofrichmondbc?

Photos can also tell you about places as they were when they’ve changed – like Julia’s photo of ghost town Michel Natal, marked by her grandfather.

You can also find historic photos in online or physical archives.

If you’re heading out of the house today, safety reminder for our young Campers to take an adult or let someone know where you’re going – and if you’re in BC don’t forget to check the air quality report before you go.

It’s a scary time in BC; our thoughts are with everyone evacuated and under wildfire alerts.

#michelnatal #archive #archivalphotography #photography #historicphoto

#CampHeritageFair Week 4, Day 2: Draw a Historic Person, Place, or Thing.

Sometimes you can’t find a photo of what you want, either because there isn’t a good one available or because it’s something that wasn’t photographed. Maybe you want to try your hand at copying the style of an artist you’re talking about, or you’re looking to create an artifact or diorama to illustrate your project. Whatever the reason, most projects have some sort of drawn or made artistic elements. Today, you’re going to design the artistic elements of your project.

Slide 1: student drawing during a workshop with Bateman Foundation during our 2019 Fair in Victoria

Slide 2: Keerat’s Emily Carr project from our 2023 Fair in Prince George

Slide 3: Lillian’s diorama from our 2023 Fair in Prince George

Slide 4: Mannat’s diorama from our 2023 Fair in Prince George

#studentart #diorama #heritagefair

#CampHeritageFair Week 4, Day 3: Take a Heritage Walking Tour!

Walking tours are a great way to learn about the history of your city – and the best part is, most places in the world have some kind of walking tours. Whether they’re guided tours or self-guided, you can usually learn something new.

Today, look into walking tours in your area and see if you can book something for this weekend or later in the month (younger Campers talk to your grownups first).

Some advertised walking tours may be cancelled due to alerts, evacuations, or air quality. Please be safe out there, BC.

#walkingtour #heritagefair #guidedtour

Photo is from our 2019 Fair tour in Victoria with Discover the Past.

#CampHeritageFair Week 4, Day 4: Make a Heritage Minute!

We love Heritage Minutes, created by Historica Canada, and if you love history you probably do too. Why not try making one? You can use all the research you’ve done, and the historic photos you found. You can even make it as a reel right in the Instagram app.

We’ll post an example of one a student made for the 2020 Fair in our stories, and it will be saved to our highlights. Don’t forget to tag us in yours so we can share!

#heritageminute #history #heritagefair #student #learning

#CampHeritageFair: it’s our final Friday Free Space Day! Use today however you want – read more of the books if you haven’t finished them yet, finish up your research, do a square you missed, or take a break. You can check off the Free Space square no matter what you choose to do.

Already caught up? Your bonus this week is to try making a split photo like the ones done by On This Spot, or recreating a famous historic photo.

Or, get out and do something heritage related this weekend. We’ll post some ideas in our stories. Know of a festival, tour, or other heritage event this weekend? Drop it in the comments.

As always, safety first: take or tell an adult if you’re young, check the air quality reports, and be respectful of evacuation and alert zones.

#heritageminute #historicphoto #weekend #fridayfun

Hogan’s Alley

By Rehma, Alumni Council

In any big city, you can often find small communities. Groups of people form together as one and hold onto each other for support in times of doubt. But have you ever wondered about communities that were once the most lively, now nowhere to be found? That is the story of Hogan’s Alley, the first and last prominent Black neighborhood in Vancouver. 

Hogan’s Alley was the unofficial name for Park Lane, an alley that ran through Strathcona in the city of Vancouver. Around 800 individuals lived in this alley, which former residents described as a tight-knit Black neighborhood. However, due to Vancouver’s urban renewal plan created in 1958 which called for the demolition of almost all old buildings in Strathcona, Hogan’s Alley did not live on and was demolished in 1967.

Canada Architecture

Traces of Hogan’s Alley: The First Concentrated African-Canadian Community

This was my first time researching a place once someone’s home, now nowhere in sight. A burning question I had that guided me through my research was what was the importance of Hogan’s Alley to Canada’s Black community then and now.  

Before this Alley was demolished, it was a close and cozy neighborhood. If you took a look in the streets you would see rows of small cottages, lots of makeshift nightclubs, and southern-style restaurants. Since this alley was right by the Western Terminus of the Canadian Pacific railway, many men were porters and spent their days working. The most popular career in Hogan’s Alley for a woman was to be an owner of a chicken house, which at night would double as a speakeasy. When both men and women would come home from a long day of work, they would take time to unwind, enjoy a drink, and have some fun at their favorite eatery.

The Canadian Encyclopedia

Hogan’s Alley | The Canadian Encyclopedia

One restaurant in particular that was very well-known at the time was Vie’s Chicken and Steak House, which true to its name, only served chicken and steak. This famous restaurant attracted many famous entertainers such as Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis Junior, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole. The Legendary American guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, was also a frequent customer, as his grandma Nora Hendrix worked alongside Vie in the kitchen. Restaurants like these were considered the heart of Hogan’s Alley: laughter always filled the room, and happy couples danced along to music. The nightlife was the most vibrant it had ever been. When Vie passed away in 1975, her daughter Adelene Ellen Alexander Clark, took over the restaurant until it closed in 1979.

Vancouver Sun

This Week in History: 1979: At Vie’s, everyone got equal treatment and great food | Vancouver Sun

Here is a sketch by “Neon Eulogy Vancouver Cafe and Street” of what Vie’s Chicken and Steak House looked like at the time. 

Image from McKellar, Keith. Neon Eulogy: Vancouver Cafe and Street. Victoria, B.C.: Ekstasis Editions, 2001. 

An interesting fact I came upon researching was that there were two extremely opposite perspectives of Hogan’s Alley. Described by those who lived there, it was seen as a haven of culture, surrounded by loving people. However, people that did not live there, and who looked down upon the alley, could only describe it as a haven of crime and unsafe. This closed-minded thinking from outside of the Alley was due to the discrimination and unwelcoming gestures that Black Canadians received at the time. That is one of the main reasons why Hogan’s Alley was formed, it was a place for Black Canadians to comfortably call home.  

However, their newfound home did not last for long. During the ’60s, Vancouver participated in the wave of urban renewal efforts across Canada. The council had decided to demolish parts of Chinatown to be leveled for a freeway and of Hogan’s Alley to make room for the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts. The city chose to demolish the poorer neighborhoods that were seen as too “weak” to oppose them, and unfortunately, both these towns fell into that category. Thankfully, with protestors from the alley along with the lack of funds, the freeway was never built, saving Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, but not before their own home was destroyed.  In 1967, the Western end of Hogan’s Alley was bulldozed to make way for the Georgia And Dunsmuir Viaducts. The consequence of this was felt strongly by those who lived in the alley. Almost all housing, rentals, and businesses were destroyed, leaving the majority of residents with nothing. 

In a nutshell, Hogan’s Alley was something incredibly rare. It was more than just somewhere to live, it was a place for comfort, and understanding, and it shaped their lives into something beautiful. Having your community taken from you, especially in a difficult time where not everyone accepts you, can be one of the most brutal things to live through. 

One organization that plays a vital role in keeping the legacy of this alley alive is Hogan’s Alley Society. This nonprofit gives a voice and brings light to the history of Black settlers in Vancouver, using the story of Hogan’s Alley and the impact it had on their community. Their website was an amazing tool for my research, and if you’d like to dive even further into this topic I would recommend checking them out!

Bibliography

• About Hogan’s Alley
• Hogan’s Alley • Vancouver Heritage Foundation
• Hogan’s Alley | The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Hogan’s Alley | Vancouver Public Library
• Hogan’s Alley – British Columbia – An Untold History
• Traces of Hogan’s Alley: The First Concentrated African-Canadian Community
• Hogan’s Alley-Vie’s Chicken and Steak House – The British Columbia Food History Network
• Artwork Remember Hogan’s Alley by Ejiwa “Edge” Ebenebe – Public Art Registry – City of Vancouver
• This Week in History: 1979: At Vie’s, everyone got equal treatment and great food | Vancouver Sun
• McKellar, Keith. Neon Eulogy: Vancouver Cafe and Street. Victoria, B.C.: Ekstasis Editions, 2001. 

Camp Heritage Fair Week 3 Roundup

Welcome to the week 3 roundup. If you’re not on social media, this Roundup series will provide you with all of the title card photos and captions from our daily posts. Only want the highlights? Check out our Camp Heritage Fair page.

#CampHeritageFair Week 3 preview!

This week you’ll be refining your knowledge. As always, we’ll have options for those of you following the process without using a topic.

August 14: visit your local museum
August 15: learn about a local building
August 16: interview a friend or family member
August 17: read a historic non-fiction book

Have things you’d like to share with us from the first two weeks? DM us or email srfairs@bcheritagefairs.ca.

#heritagefair #history #heritage #museum #builtheritage #oralhistory #nonfictionbooks

#CampHeritageFair Week 3, day 1: Visit your local museum!

This week you’re going to be refining your topic and starting to think about presenting. First up, a visit to your local museum (standard reminder to younger folks to take a grown-up or tell someone where you’re going).

If your local museum has information about your topic, this is a great way to see how they’re presenting it and what artifacts they’re using. Many teachers have students create or collect artifacts, including dioramas, pictures, or objects to go with their project. Take a look and see how the museum uses objects to tell the story. This is useful even if your museum doesn’t have info on your topic.

This is also a good way to see how bias shows up in presentation. Are there exhibits from different eras? Different curators? How does that change the way information is presented?

Not close to a museum or not able to go to one? There are lots of virtual exhibits available from museums around the world. We’ll link some in our stories.

Photo credits:

Slide 1: Steveston Museum, by Rachel
Slide 2 & 3: Cranbrook History Centre, courtesy of the Cranbrook History Centre
Slide 4: Humble Homestead, courtesy of Huble Homestead
Slide 5: W.G. Hardy Collection at University of Alberta, by Julia
Slide 6: Chinese Canadian Museum of BC, by Liam, Alumni Council (from his #MuseumMonday post)
Slide 7: Kamloops Museum, by Julia
Slide 8-10: Steveston Museum, by Rachel

#museum #exhibit #virtual #virtualmuseum #history

#CampHeritageFair Week 3, day 2: Learn About a Local Building!

Today, find out about a local building that works with your topic. This could be a building that’s still being used – like Steveston’s only red brick building, originally built as a doctor’s office but now home to Splash Toy Shop and Fab Pad among others – or an abandoned building like Julia’s photo of Tranquille Sanatorium in the second slide (with a connection to Lucy’s post on Riverview).

Not following a specific topic? Find the history of any building near you. Even modern or modern-looking buildings can hold surprising history. The goal today is to learn more about where you live.

Found a building with a surprising history? Drop it in the comments.

#builtheritage #constructionhistory #buildinghistory #heritagefair #redbrick

#CampHeritageFair Week 3, day 3: Interview a friend or family member!

Interviews are a huge part of Heritage Fair. Whether you’re conducting an interview to learn more about your topic or being interviewed at your School or Regional Fair, interview skills are really important. Today, let’s practice!

There are a few options today:

– interview a friend or family member who knows something about your topic. Can they fill in gaps for you? If it’s an event your interviewee experienced, that’s a primary source!

– ask someone to interview you about your topic. This will give you an idea of what people might be curious about, or where you might want to add more information.

– ask us! Send a DM if you’d like to talk to someone on our team to get a feel for what it’s like when someone you don’t know interviews you. Or interview someone on our team to get practice being the interviewer.

– Don’t feel ready to do an interview yourself? You can always listen to our podcast or watch the videos of our students being interviewed on our YouTube channel.

It’s okay if you can’t do your interview today – start the process of connecting with someone to set up the interview and do your interview later in the week. Hint: record your interview so you can listen back and transcribe any important quotes or information.

#oralhistory #interview #podcast #studentinterview #learning #teacher #heritagefair

#CampHeritageFair Week 3, day 4: Read a historic non-fiction!

Remember on the research day when we said you didn’t need to read the entire book, just look for information that was relevant to your topic? Today we’re flipping that on its head.

Maybe you’ve found a book that’s so useful you’ve read almost all of it. Maybe you’re trying to figure out how your topic fits into the wider history of the time or place. Either way, sometimes you do need or want to read the entire book.

General books like these (remember this photo from our library visit post?) Are great for that: “Canadian Women Now and Then” might help you figure out how your subject impacts the present, while “World Soccer Legends” could help you figure out how your player influenced the sport as a whole. Or maybe a general book on D-Day helps you figure out the significance of the event and the Canadians’ role in it.

Situating your subject within wider history helps you answer the question of the impact your topic had on Canadian or world history – an important question that adjudicators often want to know about. It might also help you find an interesting fact to share with your adjudicators or peers.

You have until Monday to complete this stage, but we’ll be back tomorrow with a bonus if you finish today.

Let us know in the comments what you’re reading!

#nonfictionbooks #nonfiction #amreading #history #historybooks #question #learning

#CampHeritageFair: it’s our second Friday Free Space Day! Use today however you want – read more of the book you started yesterday, do a square you missed, or take a break. You can check off the Free Space square no matter what you choose to do.

For those of you caught up and looking for something extra, this week’s Friday bonus is to write up something you did this week and post it to your Instagram, Facebook, or DM us (let us know if we have permission to share). This could be a review of the museum you visited, a quick post about the building you researched, a transcript of your interview, or a book review.

Don’t forget to tag us in your post, or drop the info in a comment below!

#fridayfun #friday #history #heritagefair

Camp Heritage Fair Week 2 Roundup!

Welcome to the week 2 roundup. If you’re not on social media, this Roundup series will provide you with all of the title card photos and captions from our daily posts. Only want the highlights? Check out our Camp Heritage Fair page.

#CampHeritageFair week 2 starts tomorrow, and this week’s theme is Get Prepared!

This week, you’ll be starting your initial research. Following along but not using one topic? We’ll have information on each day for both options.

This week’s plan is:

– August 7: Listen to the BCHFS podcast

– August 8: Go to your local library

– August 9: Research a heritage topic

– August 10: Read a historic novel

– August 11: surprise bonus

How did week 1 go for you? What’s been your favourite so far? Let us know in the comments!

#heritagefair #canadianhistory #student #project #teacher #socialstudies #studentproject

#CampHeritageFair Week 2, day 1: Listen to the BCHFS Podcast!

One way to learn about what makes good topics, and how to create your inquiry question, is to hear from students who’ve done it before. The first season of the BC Heritage Fairs Interview Cast is interviews from our 2022 Fair with our students about their projects (you can also watch the interviews on our YouTube channel).

For teachers, we have a four-episode mini series on our 2023 students’ best advice for teachers about how to support students.

And in between we have an episode from our alumni Lucy and Freddie talking about Freddie’s project on the Chignecto Ship Railway. Stay tuned for a new episode from them soon, about Lucy’s project on Riverview.

#podcast #heritagefair #bcheritage #teacher #student #chignecto #maritime #engineeringhistory

#CampHeritageFair Week 2, day 2: Go to your local library!

There are a few different things to do at the library today. Tomorrow we’ll be researching, and Thursday we’ll be reading a historic novel, so you’ll want to pick up some books related to your topic (or choose a topic just for this week) as well as a novel. As always, take a grown-up with you or tell them where you’re going depending on your age. You can choose any historic novel, we’ll talk more about that on Thursday.

You can also:
– explore the non-fiction section to see what you might want to learn. Look for signs like the one in slide 2 if your library has them. Remember when we talked about following your curiosity? Find a section that interests you and look for something you’ve never heard of before! Younger Campers, follow any rules your family might have around reading adult books.

– check for signs like the one in slide 3 that show the current bestsellers, or ask the librarian to look it up for you. Maybe there’s a project topic idea on the list.

– take a look at the kids non-fiction section and see what catches your interest. Books like “100 Scientists Who Made History” in slide 4 are amazing resources for you to quickly learn about a lot of people you may not have heard of.

– look at picture books! Picture books, like those in slide 5, are made to teach very young readers about all sorts of things. The Indigenous Perspectives display in slide 5 might contain some historical stories of people or events you might want to research.

Which library did you visit? What did you learn? Tell us and tag them when you’re done.

Photos here were take at the Steveston Branch of the Richmond Public Library .

#library #librarian #books #fiction #nonfictionbooks #project #heritagefair

#CampHeritageFair Week 2, day 3: Research a Heritage Topic (part 1).

Today you’re going to start your research! You may have an idea of your inquiry question, or you may just have a general topic idea. Keep an open mind as you start reading.

Your inquiry question, depending on how specific it is, may change through your research process. For example, you may start with “what was Canadian involvement in D-Day?” As you research, you may discover a particular regiment did something significant, so your question might change to “how did this regiment’s involvement impact the landing/the battle/the taking of a specific area?”

Struggling to narrow down your topic? Talk to a friend or family member! Often talking through your topic can help you figure out what you want to say.

Following along without a single topic? Look through the books you got yesterday and make a list of potential inquiry questions for the topics you found. It’ll help practice those curiosity and inquiry question development muscles we worked on last week!

Found your inquiry question? Let us know in the comments. We’ll also have a sticker up today where you can share your research photos.

#research #student #education #heritagefair #history #canadianhistory #canadiana

#CampHeritageFair Week 2, day 3: Research a Heritage Topic (part 2):

When you’re researching, there’s not always a need to read the entire book for the information relevant to your topic. You can check the index to see what pages contain information you’re looking for! (Here we’re using a second hand book on D-Day and looking for information on Canadian involvement. Pen lines were in the book before Rachel got it.)

And how do you know if the book is reliable? One good idea is to check the publication date. Information is declassified all the time by various governments, which means that historians always have new material to work with. This can change the way we view history, or confirm things that are suspected but not known for sure. Historians often get very excited when new information is going to be declassified about a particularly interesting or contentious period.

#heritagefair #history #research #student #studentproject #researchproject

#CampHeritageFair Week 2, day 4: read a historic novel.

Today’s plan is to read a historic novel. This will take you through to our next new piece on Monday, but we’ll be back with a bonus tomorrow if you’re a fast reader.

Reading historic fiction is a great way to get interested in history – series like Dear Canada, published by Scholastic, are designed to help kids learn in an entertaining way (slide 1)! Just be careful, and fact-check anything you find in a novel as some authors take artistic license with the past. And, as with the research books we talked about yesterday, sometimes information changes and is updated.

Missed the library trip earlier in the week? Check your shelves at home with something for heritage content, or see if there’s a Little Free Library in your neighbourhood, like the one in slide 2!

You could also take “historic” novel literally, and head to a rare book library or archive. Slide 3 is Alumni Council Coordinator Julia with a first edition Pride and Prejudice. (Standard reminder to take an adult or let someone know where you’re going if you’re a younger Camper.)

Slide 4 is a still from a reel we did of a book that sparked School and Regional Fairs Coordinator Rachel’s interest in Barkerville as a child – we’ll repost the reel to our stories if you missed it.

What are you reading today? Let us know in the comments, and post a photo of the book – or any historical fiction you’ve read recently.

#amreading #prideandprejudice #firstedition #library #historicalfiction #historicfiction #dearcanada #littlefreelibrary #library #bookstagram

#CampHeritageFair Friday Free Space Day! Use today however you want – read more of the book you started yesterday, do a square you missed, or take a break. You can check off the Free Space square no matter what you choose to do.

For those of you caught up and looking for something extra, this week’s Friday bonus has two options:

1. Write a book review of the fiction book you read.

2. Write a historiography of the book. Historians study history, and historiographers study how that history was studied. The time in which a book is written, and the biases of the person who wrote it, can tell us a lot about how they may have interpreted the facts. For example, how would the fact that Kurt Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse-Five, a Second World War novel, during the Vietnam War, impact how he talked about the war? How does that in turn impact people’s perception, given the popularity of the novel?

You can either post it and tag us so we can repost, or DM us and we’ll share it.

We’ll see you Sunday for next week’s preview!

#slaughterhousefive #books #bonus #fridayfun #weekend

Bomb Girls

By Mannat, Alumni Council

Bomb Girls:

The Second World War was a mechanized total war. What happened on the front line depended on the home front. The world economy was mobilized on both sides to produce equipment, supplies, and ammunition needed for victory. As a part of the massive effort, General Engineering Company Canada Limited (aka GECO) built and ran a massive fuse filling plant in Scarborough, Ontario. GECO personnel often referred to their workers as the “Fourth Arm of Service” or “The Girls Behind the Guns.”

In 1940, Allied Supplies Corporation (AWSC) contacted GECO to construct a plant. Between July 1941 to 1945, more than 256 million munitions were filled. GECO was a catalyst for Scarborough. The cheap and low taxes of the area of Scarborough brought in a new industry… and it was the start of the Golden Mile (Canada’s first industrial centre).

Ariel view of GECO:
https://www.barbaradickson.ca/bomb-girls-at-geco/

Underneath the bustling building lay an underground tunnel where the girls would discreetly enter and exit. When the Second World War ended, businesses moved in, ignorant of the rich and intriguing stories. They sealed up the old tunnels, and with them, a treasured era. Sadly, if you listen closely, you can hear the creaking of old trap doors closing, ending a unique era – not only in Scarborough, but in Canadian and world history, as well.

Tunnels:
https://www.barbaradickson.ca/scarboroughs-tunnels

From Autumn 1941-1945, 30,000 workers came to work in Scarborough. They gave out different flyers. A few were attractive while others were remarkably simple. “Our requirements are simple,” remarked Ms. Grace Hyndman (plant head). “We need women of any age, physically capable of anything to do very light work for two hours at a stretch and resuming after rest periods.”

Picture of a flyer used to inform girls about how they can become a part of the war as well.:
https://www.durhamregion.com/news/ajaxs-bomb-girls-their-story/article_a1ff2719-170e-591e-b9d4-f7f51c6d940b.html

The company had its own newspaper, called the GECO Fusilier, and for $1 a year the workers could also join the GeoCities Recreation Club. Workers took breaks in a massive two thousand seat cafeteria where the kitchen served more than three thousand meals a day. They also supplied childcare for working mothers.

They served so that the men could fly. Their commitment helped bring an end to the Second World War. It is imperative that Canada as a whole honour the women from across the great nation who left their mothers, father, and their siblings to move Toronto, and fill munitions for Canada and the allied forces during the war.

Bomb Girls filling ammunition:
https://www.vintageinn.ca/2021/06/the-bomb-girls-of-scarborough-ontario-canada-as-seen-thru-vintage-photographs-from-the-1940s/

Bomb Girls risked their lives by handling dangerous explosives and gunpowder daily during the Second World War. A risky undertaking involving seventy-six different operations just to stuff one of the forty-one types of fuses they had filled.

It has a huge impact on Canadian society today.


References:
“Stories of Canadian Bomb Girls Stories of Canadian Bomb Girls.” Barbara Dickson, http://www.barbaradickson.ca/stories-of-canadian-bomb-girls.“
‘Bomb Girls’: Defense Industries Limited and the Home Front – Canada’s History.” ‘Bomb Girls’: Defense Industries Limited and the Home Front – Canada’s History, 1 Apr. 2020, http://www.canadashistory.ca/education/lesson-plans/bomb-girls-defense-industries-limited-and-the-home-front.
“Bomb Girls of Scarborough.” Bomb Girls of Scarborough, http://www.facebook.com/bombgirlsofscarborough.
Brooks, Harrison. “Remembering Canada’s Second World War Bomb Girls.” 650 CKOM, http://www.ckom.com/2019/11/09/631845.

Camp Heritage Fair Week 1 Roundup!

Welcome to the week 1 roundup. If you’re not on social media, this Roundup series will provide you with all of the title card photos and captions from our daily posts. Only want the highlights? Check out our Camp Heritage Fair page.

We’re one day away from the start of #CampHeritageFair, and this week’s theme is Get Curious!

A good Heritage Fair project always starts with curiosity: finding something you want to spend time learning about, and figuring out one specific inquiry question you want to answer.

For Camp Heritage Fair, you can choose one topic to follow through the whole month (in which case we recommend a topic local to you), or use the month to explore a few different topics!

Students: already know that your teacher next year does Heritage Fair? Maybe this is a chance to start thinking about topics. Not sure if your school/region has a Fair? DM us and we’ll put you in touch with the right people (safety first – please don’t put your full name and school in the comments).

Adults: there are so many ways to support students doing Heritage Fair projects – from teachers, librarians, and school staff to parents and guardians to museum folks, we can help you figure out your role. DM for more info or put it in the comments below.

This week’s Bingo squares are:
– Tuesday: Follow us (find the blog link in our linktree)

– Wednesday: brainstorm ideas & questions

– Thursday: find hidden or forgotten history near you

– Friday: visit a historic site

#heritagefair #canadianhistory #student #teachersofinstagram #teachers #canadianteacher #historyteacher

#CampHeritageFair Week 1, day 1

Today’s an easy one – make sure you’re following us on whichever social media platforms you prefer so you don’t miss a post (on Instagram you can hit the bell on our profile to get notified when the posts go up).

Then, go check out our alumni blog! You can take a look through the photos of this year’s students, or view full projects from our 2020-2022 Virtual Fairs. Don’t forget to check out the #ForgottenHistory posts from this year’s Alumni Council.

Last, make sure you’ve grabbed a screenshot of the bingo card from our Camp HF highlight or blog and mark off today’s square. Share it to tell your friends about Camp Heritage Fair, and tag us so we can see it!

#education #student #teachers #hiddenhistory #heritagefair #heritage

#CampHeritageFair Week 1, day 2: Brainstorming ideas and questions (part 1)!

Today, you’re going to start looking for topics. If you’re doing a project in a school setting, some teachers give a list of projects for students to choose from; others leave it wide open for students to decide.

The best place to start when choosing your topic is with yourself! What do you like learning about? Is it sports? People? Wars and battles? Heroic moments? Injustices of the past? Family history? You’ll enjoy working on your project so much more if you choose something you want to learn about.

Today, make a list of potential topic ideas on one side of a piece of paper. Go as big or as small as you like – we’ll narrow the topic down later. Then see part 2 for your next step!

History is all around us, and all of your favourite things have a history. One of the best things about Heritage Fair is that you can fit it to whatever you’re interested in. Don’t believe us? Drop your idea in the comments and we’ll help you figure out how to make it into a Heritage Fair topic.

#canadianhistory #summercamp #heritagefair #socialstudies #socialstudiesteacher #teachers #student

#CampHeritageFair Week 1, day 2: Brainstorming ideas and questions (part 2)!

Once you have an idea in mind, it’s time to think about inquiry questions! Your bookshelves can help you learn more about your topic to find potential inquiry questions. Don’t have books at home? Canadian Encyclopedia is a popular resource for students to start with.

Here, School and Regional Fairs Coordinator Rachel has decided to write about Canadian involvement in the Second World War, but knows that topic is huge and is trying to narrow it down. She’s selected a few books off of her shelf to get started.

Once she has her books, she’s going to grab that paper she wrote her brainstorm ideas on and write potential inquiry questions next to each big idea. She might have one question per idea, or she might have five! Flip through your books and look for things that make you curious – who is this person they talk a lot about? Why is this place important? What happened to this group of people?

Once you’ve had enough brainstorming for today, post a picture of your brainstorm sheet (don’t forget to tag us) or put it in the comments, and check off the next square on your bingo card.

Stay tuned for our research reel in week 2 to see how she assesses whether these are good sources!

#secondworldwar #inquirybasedlearning #historical #historicalthinking

#CampHeritageFair Week 1, day 3: Find hidden or forgotten history near you!

Today’s adventure is to go for a walk and look for the history that’s around you. (Safety first: depending on your age, make sure you take an adult with you or tell someone where you’re going.)

If you’ve already decided on your topic, and it’s local to you, use that as your destination. If you haven’t decided yet, let curiosity guide you and see what topics might be in your neighbourhood!

Here are some questions to inspire you:

Slide 1: who is Big Red and why does he have a gravesite at Steveston Museum ?

Slide 2: what is the history of salmon fishing on the Fraser River?

Slide 3: what is the history of commerce on the Fraser River?

Slide 4: what is the history of logging on the Fraser River?

Slide 5: what is the history of this invasive species? Of medicinal native plants?

Slide 6: what is the Nikkei history in Steveston? The history of the Japanese Internment?

Slide 7: what is the history of rail transportation in BC? (Steveston Tram)

Slide 8: what is the history of the Japanese involvement in the fishing industry?

Slide 9: what is the significance of this flower garden Britannia Shipyards ?

Slide 10: what is the history of cycling in Canada? Of children’s cycling? Of children’s toys in general? (Sanctuary Cafe)

Some of these topics would be too big, some too small, and some just right. Which do you think are which? What would you choose?

Share your forgotten and hidden history finds in the comments, or post and tag us!

#forgottenhistory #hiddenhistory #localhistory #local #localadventures #heritage #heritagefair #fraserriver #logging #japanesecanadian #fishing #fishinghistory

#CampHeritageFair Week 1, day 4: Visit a historic site!

Historic sites are a wealth of inspiration for Heritage Fair projects. You could write about the site itself, or see what other topics they inspire.

If you’ve already chosen your topic, and it’s local to you, see if there’s a historic site where you can learn more.

If you’re following the process without a single topic, or you haven’t found your topic yet, choose a historic site you haven’t been to before and see what you learn!

You have all weekend for this part, so why not make a family or friend adventure of it? (As always for our younger followers, make sure you take an adult or tell someone where you’re going.)

Here are some questions from a visit to London Farm:

Slide 1: who is the London family and why is their farm important?

Slide 2: what is the history of this type of house?

Slide 3: what is the history of home gardening and landscaping?

Slide 4: what is the history of beekeeping?

Slide 5: what is the history of farming in this area?

Slide 6: what is the history of Chinese immigration to Canada?

As with yesterday, some of these questions are really big and might need to be narrowed down. Which would you choose? What inquiry questions do you see in these photos? Let us know in the comments!

Don’t forget to post your adventures and tag us in them, or DM if you’d like us to share.

#heritagefair #farm #farming #farmhistory #richmond #richmondbc #visitrichmond #tourist #playingtourist #explorebc

The History of Mental Health Care in BC

By Lucy, Alumni Council

The history of mental health care in BC is very long and complicated. So, this blog post will use Riverview Mental Hospital and its history as a way of showing how mental health care and treatments have evolved over the years. However, before continuing, please note that this is a very heavy topic and that many of the historical treatments were inhumane. That being said, this is an incredibly influential part of history that is often forgotten today. That is partially why I chose it, because it’s almost forgotten. Abandoned places interest me, and when I saw that this place was abandoned, my curiosity was piqued. I live close to Riverview and have been around the grounds, but I didn’t know the history. So, I began to research it, which was at the beginning of the pandemic. I have been researching for around 2 years, yet I haven’t uncovered all the mysteries buried at Riverview, and I don’t think I ever will. I will attempt to share Riverview’s rich history and give it the importance it deserves.

For the major part of the 1800s, there were no mental facilities in British Columbia. If someone was suffering from mental health issues, they had two choices: go to jail or go to the closest mental facility in San Francisco. Surprisingly, many people thought it inhumane for these people to be imprisoned, so the first asylum was opened in Victoria in 1972, just one year after it was named the capital of BC. The building had originally been built in 1859 as the Royal Hospital. However, much like the jail, it was small and ill-prepared for treating patients. On top of the building’s deteriorating condition, there weren’t many treatments available. The asylum was beside the ocean, and the treatment consisted of recreational activities and fresh air. The Victoria Asylum closed in 1887, just as another mental institution opened, this time in New Westminster. 

The Provincial Asylum for the Insane in New Westminister opened in 1878. It was slightly larger than the Victoria Asylum and lasted for much longer, closing in the 1990s. All the patients from the Victoria Asylum were transferred to this new asylum. However, this building was not very well equipped either. The windows were too high to look out of, the heating system was inefficient, and there was little ventilation. The asylum became overcrowded to the point where patients had to share rooms. Quickly, reports of abuse began to appear. The supposed care of the patients included restriction through handcuffs, straitjackets, and dog collars. Patients would be dipped into cold water while restrained and put into wooden cages for hours. This was seen as unacceptable, and all the staff who participated in this abuse were fired. The head of the asylum, Dr. Bently, was removed and replaced with Dr. Boddington. The new head attempted to humanize the hospital, and he succeeded in improving the situation at the asylum. The name was changed to the Provincial Hospital for the Insane in 1897. Due to the overcrowding, which will become an ongoing theme, the government began planning a new hospital, this time in Coquitlam.

The government acquired 1,000 acres of land on Mount Coquitlam and began clearing the area. Many of the labourers were patients from the Provincial Hospital of the Insane. A temporary hospital called The Hospital for the Mind at Mount Coquitlam was built. The hospital was very remote, with Coquitlam being a very small town at the time. In fact, what is now known as Port Coquitlam was called Westminster Junction, and it was a railway town.

The permanent building, the Male Chronic Unit, later known as West Lawn, was finished in 1913. The area became known as Essondale after the Provincial Health Officer at the time, Henry Esson Young. A farm was also started called Colony Farm, mostly staffed by patients.

At this time, the care provided to patients was mostly recreational: working at Colony Farm, doing laundry and other chores, or even helping in the construction of other buildings. Hydrotherapy was also common. Needle showers, long baths, and steam closets were often given to calm down unruly patients. 

In the 1920s, an Acute Psychopathic Wing was opened for the more unruly patients who were prone to hurting themselves or others. This building would later be called Centre Lawn. This building included cells as well as solitary confinement. The Riverview Artifact Collection does have several straitjackets, but those likely came with patients who were transferred from the Provincial Hospital for the Insane. While many male patients transferred to Essondale, there were no facilities for women. So, in 1930, the Chronic Female Wing (sometimes referred to as the Chronic Female Building), later called East Lawn, was opened. In that same year, the Nurses’ building was opened and used for housing and teaching.

This decade introduces many of the treatments we associate with historical mental healthcare. The most publicized example is electroconvulsive (shock) therapy. However, before ECT became widespread in the early 40s, insulin and metrazol were used to create seizures and comas. Insulin therapy would last days and even weeks; it included seizures and comas. Metrazol shock therapy would only cause seizures, but they were so violent that patients would bruise themselves and even break bones. Patients were conscious during the Metrazol therapy, making it a very unpopular treatment among patients. By the 40s insulin, Electroconvulsive therapy (replacing Metrazol) and lobotomies were all in use, although they were mostly reserved for extremely manic patients, such as those with severe schizophrenia. These treatments yielded very different results for different people. Some attributed their recovery entirely to ECT, while other families documented how these treatments turned patients into shells of themselves. 

In 1949, Crease Clinic opened. A portion of the building had already been functioning as the Veterans’ Block, but with the new expansion for temporary care, it became Crease Clinic. Patients would spend a maximum of 3 months at Crease; if they recovered, they were discharged; if not, they were transferred to other buildings. This transfer was pretty much a death sentence. If they did not manage to cure you within 3 months, there was little hope for recovery after that. Doctors from that time recall the terror patients felt once their 3 months were up and were basically condemned to spend the rest of their lives at Essondale. After the Second World War, the number of nurses went down significantly, while the number of patients went up. 

In the early 50s, after the Second World War, the staff-to-patient ratio was 1/232. This overcrowding led to the construction of North Lawn, a tuberculosis unit, as unfortunately, many patients had the illness. 

The coming years would be a time of great change for Essondale, as the first antipsychotic drug was introduced. These drugs, for the most part, replaced all former treatments, including ECT. It began the process of deinstitutionalization and the end of Essondale. Deinstitutionalization is the name given to the shift in focus in terms of mental health treatments. The ideal place for people with mental illnesses would no longer be large institutions like Essondale; now it would be a community approach. Instead of aiming for complete curing, the focus would be on allowing people to rejoin society as soon as possible. In past times, if you were not completely cured, you would be forced to remain at Essondale because there was no way to manage the illness. But if patients could continue to take their medications, they would be able to have a normal life, for the most part. So, large institutions like Essondale became unnecessary and the symbol of outdated medical practices. 

The name of the hospital was changed to Riverview to further show the changes the mental healthcare system was undergoing. Buildings at Riverview began to close, starting with West Lawn and Colony Farm in 1983. However, not everyone was happy with the changes. Doctors at Riverview warned that before closing these large institutions, enough support would have to be in place. The money that the government would be saving by closing Riverview would have to be employed beforehand in creating new services. The government reassured that everything would be in order, and the deinstitutionalization continued. The Provincial Hospital for the Insane, renamed Woodlands School (as it was now a place for children with developmental disabilities), closed in the 90s. 

Riverview’s final building closed in 2012, ending the age of mental health institutions. However, despite the government’s promises, many of the people living at Riverview were not taken care of properly. Many of them ended up on the street and continue to live there. Now, there are talks of reopening Riverview to aid in the current mental health crisis, but no action has been taken to do so. For the most part, the buildings lay abandoned, except for Crease Clinic, which is constantly used as a filming location. The land has been reclaimed by the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm nation and is now called səmiq̓ʷəʔelə or the place of the great blue heron, as the area used to be nesting grounds for the great blue heron. New buildings have been constructed and are in use for mental health purposes, but they are very different from older buildings.

That is the end of the history of Riverview, but there is one more topic I wish to talk about. The abuse, or perhaps lack thereof, at Riverview and other mental institutions. When we talk about mental hospitals or asylums, we think of dark places where people are tortured. However, that was not entirely the case. Many patients, staff, and even children who grew up at Riverview recall it as a beautiful place filled with love and care. Thousands of people have been discharged over the years due to the treatments provided there, and they were able to go on living their lives. However, there are also brutal accounts of abuse, even in the late 90s/early 2000s. A prime example is the increase in ECT at Riverview after the government put a monetary bonus in place for doctors who administered the treatment. The number of treatments done jumped from 689 (1996–1997) to 1,249 (1997–1998), and finally to 1,533 (1999-2000). Any staff who spoke out were silenced, demoted, or even fired. In Woodlands (the Provincial Hospital for the Insane), gravestones were turned over and used as pathway stones. Records of those deceased were discarded, and graves were disrespected. Many children who lived at Woodlands recounted abuse and even sued the government because of it. It was a long battle because the government had put in place a law saying they could not be sued for any actions committed before 1970. The law was eventually overturned, and the people were recompensed. But money does not return the years lost to abuse. Apologies do not bring back family members who were lost due to lobotomies or ECTs.

My final message is simply this: the history of mental health treatments cannot be branded as evil or good. It is complex, long, and impossible to summarize in a blog post. Hundreds of thousands of people were treated at these institutions, each with their own stories and experiences. For every abusive staff member, there was another who loved their patients and sincerely wanted to help them. As we continue speaking about how to improve our current mental health system, let’s look back, see what we did right, what we did wrong, and build on that. Many of the current problems we have today were there back then. Overcrowding, doctors and nurses exercising power unchecked, and negligence in follow-ups after discharge are just some examples. In conclusion, do not attempt to label this history as good or bad, because you would not be honouring the hundreds of thousands of stories being woven together to create this history. Instead, reflect and realize that there is more to it. And what we see as beneficial today may be regarded as inhumane in the future.

Works cited:

Codd, Lisa. “Collecting Riverview: A Visual History of Photographs and Objects.” City of Coquitlam, 2021, coquitlam.ca/DocumentCenter/View/7413/Collecting-Riverview-.

“Coquitlam Archives.” City of Coquitlam, searcharchives.coquitlam.ca/index.php/.

Foulkes, Richard. “British Columbia Mental Health Services: Historical Perspective to 1961.” Canadian Medical Association Journal, 9 Sept. 1961, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1848292/?page=1.

“The History of səmiq̓ʷəʔelə.” Sumiqwuelu, http://www.sumiqwuelu.com/about-sumiqwuelu/history.

Mangione, Kendra. “Survivors of Woodlands Asylum Receive Compensation for Abuse.” British Columbia, CTV News, 8 Oct. 2018, bc.ctvnews.ca/survivors-of-woodlands-asylum-receive-compensation-for-abuse-1.4125669.

“New Westminster Archives.” City of New Westminster, archives.newwestcity.ca/search.aspx.

“RBCM Archives.” Royal BC Museum, search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/.

“Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health & Addiction.” BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, http://www.bcmhsus.ca/our-services/provincial-integrated-mental-health-addiction-programs/red-fish-healing-centre.

“Riverview Hospital Patient Assessment and Treatment Operational Records Classification System.” Government Records Service, Government of British Colombia, 2018, www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/services-policies-for-government/information-management-technology/records-management/orcs/rhpa_orcs_for_e-library.pdf.

Ronquillo, Charlene. “Deinstitutionalization of Mental Health Care in British Columbia: A Critical Examination of the Role of Riverview Hospital from 1950 to 2000.” PRISM: University of Calgary’s Digital Repository, University of Calgary, 2009, prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/1880/48968/2009_HMD_Ronquillo.pdf;sequence=1.

“Search for: Annual Report of the Mental Hospitals.” Open Collections, UBC, open.library.ubc.ca/search?q=%2522Annual%2520Report%2520of%2520the%2520mental%2520hospitals%2522&p=0&sort=0&view=0&perPage=0&dBegin=&dEnd=&c=2&collection=bcsessional.

“This Week in History: The Early Days of Mental Health Treatment in BC.” CHEK News, 8 Mar. 2020, http://www.cheknews.ca/this-week-in-history-early-days-mental-health-b-c-649978/. 

“1878 – BC: Madness Canada.” Madness Canada , 30 July 2021, madnesscanada.com/contributor-exhibits/the-asylum-project/1878-bc/. Accessed 12 July 2023. 

Currie, Heidi, and Anna Tremere. Consciousness (Riverview Hospital Story Project: Part Three). Douglas College, 2012, dc.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/dc%3A465?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=e5e26198020e19e01192&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=2.

Riverview Hospital Historical Society, et al. Riverview Reminisces: A Collection of Anecdotes from Former Employees of Riverview Hospital. Riverview Hospital Historical Society, 1992.