Viewpoints: A Symposium on British Columbia History, 1858, 1908 and 1958

Sunday, November 16th (RBCM, Newcombe Conference Hall) and Saturday November 22 (Vancouver City Archives).

The Friends of the B.C. Archives are pleased to announce that they will be presenting two special symposia in honour of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Colony of British Columbia, Archives Week (November 16th - 22nd), and the 100th anniversary of the formal establishment of the B.C. Archives.

The first will be held on Sunday, November 16th in Victoria at the Royal B.C. Museum between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and the second will be on Saturday, November 22 in Vancouver, in conjunction with the Friends of the Vancouver City Archives, and will run between 11:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m. with the same speakers.

The symposium will look at British Columbia history from the vantage points of 1858, 1908 and 1958.

Sylvia Van Kirk, who has written extensively on the First Nations, the Metis and the Hudson's Bay Company, will speak on the topic "'The Past is not Prologue': The Hudson's Bay Company and the Making of British Columbia in 1858". She will look at aboriginal relations with the fur trade and then the gold rush/colonial society and will highlight her recent research on HBC families in colonial Victoria and try to point out archival resources (both textual and visual) that still remain to be tapped.

Terry Eastwood, a retired professor of Archival Studies at the University of British Columbia, will speak on "Celebrating BC History and Founding a Provincial Archives, Events of 1908 and Beyond". He will relate the establishment of the Archives to the prosperity and expansion of the "boom" years in B.C.

Robert A.J. McDonald, a professor of history at the University of British Columbia, will look at the 1958 centennial year as a symbol of modern British Columbia in a talk on "Continuity and Change: 1958 and the Making of Modern British Columbia".

The symposia will be moderated by Sue Baptie, retired City Archivist, Vancouver City Archives, and Patricia E. Roy, retired Professor of History, University of Victoria.

There will be a $15.00 charge for the Victoria event. Refreshments will be provided, but lunch is on your own. Please contact Ron Greene at 250-598-1835 by November 10th to register. For further information about the Vancouver event, and to register, please contact Heather Gordon at 604-736-8561.

Join us as we celebrate 150 years of B.C. history!

The Victoria Historical Society meeting on Thursday, October 23, 2008, will feature authors and teachers Linda Picciotto and Debbie Marchand who will give an illustrated talk about South Park School, Victoria, the the oldest continuously operating school in western Canada.

The meeting will be held at the James Bay New Horizons, 234 Menzies Street, 7:30 pm. Visitors are welcome. For more information, call 250-480-1061.

The Women's History Network of B.C. Conference being held October 3 and 4, 2008 in Victoria is titled "Raising the Bar: Historical Perspectives on Women and the Law." Friday evening session at the Friends Meeting House, 1831 Fern Street. Saturday's sessions at the Maritime Museum of B.C., Bastion Square. All interested are invited to attend. More information: www.members.shaw.ca/whnbc

Contact: M. Diane Rogers, Secretary, Women's History Network of BC, diane_rogers@shaw.ca or 604 294 5369 (Lower Mainland).

The Victoria Historical Society's meeting on September 25, 2008, will feature well known local historian John Adams. He will give an illustrated talk on the Ker family, pioneering industrialists, who were based in Victoria between 1859 and 1976.

The meeting location is the James Bay New Horizons, 234 Menzies Street, 7:30 pm. Visitors welcome. For more information, call 250-480-1061.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Newcombe Conference Hall
Royal British Columbia Museum
675 Belleville Street, Victoria

Annual General Meeting (2:00 - 2:30) and "Early Explorations of Vancouver Island"

Michael Layland, a cartographer, has studied the history of exploration and early cartography for over forty years, and is now working on a book on the early exploration and mapping of "Vancouver's Island". He will discuss his research into the archival resources held at the B.C. Archives - which he describes as a "treasure trove" of maps, painting, photographs and early travel accounts. Although the Island's history is relatively short, there are a wealth of stories to be told. Michael will be also be describing some of the challenges involved in this type of research - some anticipated - but others not.

Michael was born and educated in England, and spent 7 years as an officer in the topographic mapping service of the Royal Engineers. Later, he managed numerous commercial map making projects in various countries in South America and Africa. Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a member of the Historical Map Society of BC and the Society for the History of Discoveries. He recently stepped down after three years as president of the Victoria Historical Society.

This event is free.

For more information about the following Friends of the BC Archives events contact Ann ten Cate, Outreach Coordinator, BC Archives, (250) 387-2970 or Ron Greene, Secretary of the Friends of the BC Archives at (250) 598-1835. Call in advance for information about handicap access.