The Almanac

The

Almanac Museum: 45820 Spadina Ave Chilliwack, BC, V2P 1T3 604.795.5210

Archives: 9291 Corbould Street Chilliwack, BC V2P 4A6 604.795.9255

www.chilliwackmuseum.ca info@chilliwackmuseum.ca

CONTENTS At Home and Overseas Discovery Cupboard Opens Doors The Mobile Museum New Website on First Nations Curatorial Corner Volunteer Spotlight Fraser River Facts Facing the Future - Our New Website STAFF

AT HOME AND OVERSEAS A New Chilliwack Museum & Archives School Program It’s brand new! An education “trunk” program is in current development that makes use of all the research material gathered on Chilliwack’s military history. There’s a change of focus too. We decided that this new program should be of interest to educators all year round and not just draw attention for Veterans Week and Remembrance Day. For us remembrance remains vitally important but this time a Remembrance Program is included within a diverse selection of topics.

The program is being created for students in Middle and Senior High Schools. Lesson plans have been created for each program as well as a list of activities and other resource materials. Included in these resources are Chilliwack specific related material and resources available online. Working with experienced teachers will ensure that a variety of activities and concepts are developed.

Ron Denman, Director Paul Ferguson, Heritage Collections Manager Brenda Paterson, Education Coordinator Alison Adamson, Administrative Assistant Shannon Anderson, Heritage Records Manager BOARD OF DIRECTORS Fred Feistman, President Pauline Heppner, Vice President Anna Erho, Treasurer Tia Halstad, Director Bea Mazurenko, Director Esther Harder, Director Charlie Fortin, Director Jason Lum, Director

Spring- Summer 2010

the museum and make guesses about artifacts and their functions. The program is a fun and exciting way for teachers and parents to introduce children to history and the role of the museum. The Discovery CupIf you visit the Chilliwack Museum this summer, you board is here for people of all ages and interests to will notice a new pearly white cupboard gracing the enjoy and learn from! downstairs exhibition area. Thanks to a donation from RONA, it will be home to a new hands-on display called The Discovery Cupboard. The purpose of this cupboard is to provide an engaging learning experience for children, as well as adults. Often in a museum, children are told not to touch the displays which can be very disappointing or frustrating. Now, everyone will have the opportunity to hold and study FRASER RIVER FAST FACTS artifacts that are related to Chilliwack’s history!

DISCOVERY CUPBOARD OPENS DOORS TO HISTORY

The main ingredient in this project was finding artifacts that are interesting, are related to Chilliwack and can be handled safely. The next step was compiling photographs, information and activities that would make handling the artifacts a more interactive experience. The Discovery Cupboard holds six themed Discovery Boxes that contain objects related to Stó:lō, food preparation, communication, agriculture, sports, tools, sewing and hair. A typical Discovery Box experience will involve learning about what an artifact is, how it works and how it relates to Chilliwack’s history.

Participants will be invited to compare the past to the present, answer questions, find related items within

There are over 30 fish species that depend on the river for life. All of these fish use the gravel reach section (from Hope to Mission) for spawning, feeding, migrating through and hiding from other predators.

AT HOME AND OVERSEAS

• • • •

“At Home and Overseas” is the name we have chosen for this program as it reflects both, wartime and peacetime, the frontlines and the home front.

The trunk will be available to area schools for a two week time period.

Topics Include: • •

Air Raids and Rangers CFB Chilliwack: WWII – Korea - Peacekeeping

Over 100 kilometres of side channels in the gravel reach section have been cut off from the main river channel. Development and diking have contributed to this situation. Side channels are used by spawning sturgeon, salmon and other fish species. The loss means less habitat for many species including mammals and birds.

• • • • • •

The Chilliwack War Memorial The Diary: Ernie Pearson’s Writing during WWI Family Surname Search: Online Research Rationing: Food and Gas and the Second World War In My Small Corner: The Wartime Writings of Connie Barber Posters, Ads and Propaganda The Red Cross: From WWI to Afghanistan Writing Home Salvage: Wartime Recycling cling Peace: Chilliwack Peace e Celebration Concert Music usic

- 2011School School Brochure is now Visit www.

20102010 - 2011 Brochure is online. now online. chilliwackmuseum.com Visit www.chilliwackmuseum.com

THE MOBILE MUSEUM Our Bus Tour After an absence of several years, a mobile museum bus tour took place on June 5. The four-hour tour took participants to Vedder Crossing, Rosedale, Greendale and Sardis. Stops on the route illustrated how the valley was transformed from an area with an abundance of peat bogs, old growth forests and meandering streams, to the landscape that we see today. The Fraser River figured prominently in the tour. The changes that have occurred beside and in the river have been just as dramatic as the changes on the land and participants learned how these changes are affecting the river and the life that depends of the river.

NEW WEBSITE OPENS DOORS TO FIRST NATIONS CULTURE A new website, designed to make it easier to research the history of aboriginal people living in the Pacific Northwest is being launched this month. A collaborative project between the Museum of Anthropology, Musqueam Indian Band, the Stó:lō Nation/Tribal Council, and the U’mista Cultural Society, the site is designed to allow for the easy exchange of information between communities, cultural institutions and researchers.

Users of the site will be able to build their own projects, collaborate on shared projects, record stories, upload files, hold discussions, research museum projects and create social networks. This groundbreaking site represents the first time that institutions from around the world and aboriginal communities have worked together on a project to foster lasting relationships.

Do you have to be part of an institution to join the network? Well the answer is no. Anyone can join the network and begin to explore the site. The site’s address is http://www.rrnpilot.org/.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

CURATORIAL CORNER Can you guess what object this is?

Hint... it has something to do with the word “Twighlight”. Visit our Curator’s Blog at http://curatorialcorner. blogspot.com to find the picture!

April Gerwatoski has volunteered at the Museum since September, 2009 and quickly became a bright and friendly addition to our team. In March she expanded her volunteer time to include shifts at the Archives building.

When the time came for us to hire this year’s summer student, we were happy to be able to have her apply. April’s tasks this summer will include creating our new Discovery cupboard, coordinating and leading the summer Discovery Camp, and other general archival tasks.

April moved to Abbotsford in the summer of 2008 from DeBolt, Alberta to pursue her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from UFV. She plans to graduate in 2011. She moved to Chilliwack a year ago and has been enjoying the beautiful scenery and range of outdoor activities. April has completed Grade 7 of the Royal Conservatory of Music in piano and continues her musical education. She shares her home with Maurie and their two cats, Abby and Chase.

UPCOMING EXHIBIT - Erna Ewert “In Retrospect” Presented by the Chilliwack Visual Artists’ Association Erna’s rich heritage inspires her to record pictorially her lifetime journey and experiences that touch the windows of the inner soul, inviting the viewer to respond accordingly. Opening Reception: Saturday July 10 Noon – 2:00 pm

FACING THE FUTURE WITH OUR PAST As anticipated, we have taken the advice of marketing consultants 3 Degrees West with the launch of our new website, social networking and new marketing initiatives. The new website utilizes our new logo and brand and seeks to be inviting, informative, inclusive, warm and fun. These are all core values that the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, as the community expert on culture, history and heritage, represents and strives to attain every day.

You can view our website online at www.chilliwackmuseum.ca where you can view our online exhibits, read our curator’s blog, view some of our archival film footage on youtube and keep up to date on events and activities through facebook and twitter. Here, you’ll also see our list of school programs, info on Chilliwack’s history, fees and research information from the archives, books for sale in the gift shop and you can even view and download our new e-books.

Like the rest of the world wide web, the Museum’s online presence has transformed from a static resource into a changing, evolving community which we hope that you will become part of as we grow and build for the future. **Like** us on facebook today!

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Published by the Chilliwack Museum and Archives