A collection of British Columbia Heritage resources useful to teachers, students, and history enthusiasts of any age

Downloadable Resources from the Heritage Branch:
  

Teaching for Understanding: British Columbia's Heritage
This resource is the product of two years of workshops conducted by the “TFU” (Teaching for Understanding) professional development network, which resulted in lesson plans developed by partner groups of teachers and curators. Curators provided primary source material and historical content and teachers provided the appropriate educational framework and lesson focus. The TFU model of critical thinking was used to phrase the lesson as an open-ended question to stimulate students to discover their own thoughts and answers about complex historical issues which are still evolving or continue to happen here in BC.
Educator's Resource : Lesson Plans : Classroom Materials
BC Heritage Fairs
Heritage Fairs showcase Canadian history projects researched and designed by BC students Grades 4 - 9. Regional Fairs are public events held in over a dozen communities in BC and involve youth, schools, businesses and community groups in a contemporary celebration of our shared traditions and heritage.
Moment in Time: Fort Steele - A Historic Metaphor
will allow you to discover a slice of British Columbia's history. Fort Steele became a settlement in 1864 during the Kootenay Gold Rush. By browsing through stories and viewing photographs of the period between 1864-1898, you will experience life in Fort Steele through the eyes of the early white settlers, the Ktunaxa people and the North West Mounted Police.
Early Transportation on the Skeena River
In 1879, the Village of Hazelton became the interior post for the Hudson's Bay Company and the trading centre for the Upper Skeena Valley and Bulkley Valley. Unlike their other posts on the coast which could be easily accessed by sailing ships, transporting supplies to the post at Hazelton proved very difficult, and this site describes the ways these difficulties were surmounted.
Traditional Plant Use in the Hazeltons
Visitors to the Hazeltons, a collection of three small towns (Old Hazelton, New Hazelton and South Hazelton), in northwestern British Columbia come to admire two of our wonderful tourist attractions: the Hagwilget Canyon suspension bridge and the 'Ksan Indian Village and Museum. In this web site, we look at the various ways the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en traditionally and continually use the wide assortment of plants available here in the northwest. The types of uses have been divided into three categories: food-related, technical and medicinal.
Emily Carr At Home and At Work
This web site provides in-depth information and a great volume of images of the life and work of great Canadian artist and author, Emily Carr.
To the Totem Forests; Emily Carr and Contemporaries Interpret Coastal Villages
This web site is the first exhibit in which the voice of First Nations people is used to describe drawings, paintings and prints which were created by Emily Carr, Walter Phillips, A.Y. Jackson, George Pepper, Langdon Kihn and F.M. Bell-Smith.
The Cariboo Gold Rush
The purpose of "The Cariboo Gold Rush" is to provide accessibility to British Columbia historical documents, images, and other multimedia information in a format designed for school-age children. This web site is THE ONLY comprehensive on-line web site about "The Cariboo Gold Rush".
The Cariboo Gold Rush Adventure Game
Catch gold fever and collect a fortune’s worth of points in booming British Columbia. The Cariboo Goldrush Adventure Game may look like 'child's play', but is built on a solid technological database which remembers the player over time. Players can return to play again, taking up where they left off in their game. (For full effect use RealPlayer)
The Gold Rush Town of Yale
From 1858 to 1870 thousands of miners set out on the Gold Rush Trail, seeking fortunes on the Fraser River and, later, in the goldfields of the Cariboo. Yale was the head of navigation for paddlewheel steamers following the Fraser River inland from the coast. Prospectors and all their supplies literally had to "hit the trail" here, heading north through the spectacular Fraser Canyon.
Wells: Mining the Motherlode
Strike it rich with the Cariboo's second gold rush! After the well known gold rush in Barkerville in the late 19th century, Wells B.C. experienced its own gold rush. Instead of miners though, companies like the Cariboo Gold Quartz Company mined millions of dollars worth of gold and built a prosperous and vital town around the industry.
Educational Resource : Lesson Plans
The Biggest Little Rodeo in the West
Have you ever wanted to be a cowboy or cowgirl?  Well saddle up for your visit to the B.C.'s Kispiox Valley Rodeo, the Biggest Little Rodeo in the West! The Hazelton District Public Library employed two local youth to complete this Web site that has sparked the imagination and cooperation of the residents of Hazelton.
Educational Resource : Lesson Plans
Artifacts B.C.
This web site is an Internet exhibit that showcases artifacts, archival material and historic sites in the Province of British Columbia. It is a one-stop finding aid that allows students and researchers to do primary research on archaeology, anthropology, conservation, museums and historic sites.
Point Ellice Collection of Household Victoriana
Point Ellice was the 19th century home of Peter and Caroline O'Reilly and their children, Frank, Kathleen, Mary Augusta and Jack. The house remained in the O'Reilly family for three generations, becoming a Provincial historic site in 1974. The finest collection of on-line Victorian era artifacts can be found here.
Teaching, Learning and Farming at Craigflower Farm
This was one of Vancouver Island's first farming communities, established in 1853 along Victoria's Gorge Waterway to meet the Hudson's Bay Company's obligations to Britain to support colonization. On lands purchased from chiefs of the indigenous aboriginal people, Kenneth McKenzie oversaw construction of a self-sufficient settlement. The Kosapsom people still harvest shellfish, salmon and herring from the tidal waters that separate the Manor from the Schoolhouse.
Pacific Coast Salmon Fisheries
Learn something about salmon, their habitat, and the story of our relationship with these creatures, which are such an integral part of life on the Pacific Coast.
"Measured Drawings" An Architectural Heritage of British Columbia
The Measured Drawings of British Columbia bring to the Internet a collection of "As Found" drawings, exhibiting a sampling of the architectural diversity of historical buildings in British Columbia. The original "As Found" drawings were completed by third and fourth year architecture students at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. J. S. Helmcken Pioneer Doctor and Legislator
Dr John Sebastian Helmcken set up house here, and in 1852 married the daughter of Governor Sir James Douglas. The house was built by Helmcken and expanded as the prosperity and size of the family grew. A surgeon with the Hudson's Bay Company, Helmcken went on to become a statesman and helped negotiate the entry of British Columbia into Canada as a Province.
Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria
This web site outlines the history about Fort Victoria. Learn about the people who built it and made it a success.
The Pioneer Explorations of 'Scotch Boy' John Tod
John Tod, a Scottish fur trader, worked his way up through the ranks of the Hudson's Bay Company. John Tod was a fascinating and eccentric personality. He became a Chief Factor for the Hudson's Bay Company and later was appointed to the Legislative Assembly. Fortunately for historians, John Tod was a prolific writer, producing a volume of letters and memoirs which documented events around him.
Coast Salish Collections: Archaeology and Ethnology of the Gulf of Georgia
First Nations documents and oral histories present aspects of the long and complex history of the Salish people who inhabit the Pacific Northwest Coast of America. Viewers can search the Archaeological Collections from the Salish archaeological sites of Kosapsom and Xa:ytem and view artifacts that were made for hunting or fishing over 2000 years ago.
Fort Steele
Welcome to the real west. Here's everything you need to know about Fort Steele Heritage Town's location, services, admission fees and hours of operation. Explore the exciting Special Events offered this year as well as new exhibits and programmes. Take a moment to explore the research holdings or examine nearby attractions. You can also visit a number of online exhibits related to Fort Steele.
The Year Book of British Columbia and Manual of Provincial Information
(also found at http://hp.bccna.bc.ca/Library/Yearbook/ )
This Year Book of British Columbia by R.E. Gosnell (1860-1931), the first British Columbia Legislative Librarian and first Provincial Archivist, is a fascinating look at life in this province at the turn of the 20th century.

This is the 1901 edition, which includes information as far back as 1897. The 1901 edition of his Year Book was selected for digitization because it coincides with the start of the 20th century.

Fossils in British Columbia
Fossils can tell us a great deal about the pre-history of British Columbia. By examining fossils we can tell how plants and animals lived in the prehistoric period.
Our Northern Heritage
This is the Vancouver Maritime Museum's photo archive of Canada's North. Over 2,500 images related to the Arctic and the St. Roch, the first vessel to transit the Northwest Passage and the first vessel to circumnavigate the entire North American continent.
Where Two Rivers Meet
Prince George has not always looked the way it does today. Explore the city from the meeting of two cultures to the pioneer experience, logging, the railway, sternwheelers, and get a vision of how the modern city came to be.
The J. Simonson Photographic Collection
Simonson's photos are part of the Wally West Collection acquired by the Fraser-Fort George Regional Museum in 1993. There are 230 images and 120 glass plate negatives. Dated between 1910-1925, these photos are the single most significant collection of the early settlement days of this area. Many of his images capture important "firsts", such as the first sternwheeler, the first stage coach, and the first Fall Fair, later known as the Prince George Exhibition. Overall, Simonson's images illustrate his attachment to the land as well as to the lives of the early settlers, each photo suggesting a story about it's subject.
UVIC Archives: George Pearkes and Victoria College

This project is intended to provide an introduction to two significant collections of archival material: the George R. Pearkes Collection and the Victoria College fonds.

From Special Collections, the life of The Right Honourable George R. Pearkes V.C. (1888-1984) is illustrated from the Pearkes Collection of photographs, interviews, maps, and war diaries. Pearkes was an acclaimed military leader in both world wars who later went on to become Minister of Defence in Diefenbaker's cabinet, and Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.

From the Archives, an illustrated tour is provided of the life and times of students during the Victoria College era (1902-1963). The selections from the Victoria College fonds provide evidence of student academic and social life, student journalism and student activism.
A Visit To A BC General Store
A Visit to a B.C. General Store uses resources from the collections of the Kilby Store and Farm to provide a glimpse into rural British Columbian life in the nineteenth century. We learn about the adventurous and enterprising store owners who helped to shape outpost and gold mining settlements into the enduring communities of British Columbia.
Educational Resource : Lesson Plans
Ghosts of the Northwest Coast
Featuring the lively Celtic music of the popular West Coast folk band Tiller's Folly, "Ghosts of the Northwest Coast" is an exploration of early British Columbia from the perspectives of various historical figures.  The "Ghosts of the Northwest Coast" concept is based on the Tiller's Folly School Show which started touring the Province of British Columbia extensively 1998.
Educational Resource : Lesson Plans : Music




Questions or Comments mailto:jennifer.iredale@gov.bc.ca



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