A Walk-Through British Columbia's History

One thing that my husband and I enjoy doing together is visiting museums. While he prefers science exhibits and I prefer cultural and artistic ones, we voluntarily go with each other, no matter what and no matter where, and Victoria was no exception.

On our second day in Victoria, we headed to the Royal British Columbia Museum right after breakfast, in time for its opening. We wanted to avoid line-ups and crowds, especially on a holiday weekend.

Founded in 1886, the Royal British Columbia Museum (most of the time simply referred to as the Royal BC Museum) consists of The Province of British Columbia's Natural and Human History Museum, as well as the British Columbia Provincial Archives. It has three permanent exhibitions – natural history, local Indigenous history, and modern history.

A visit here will literally walk you through the history of the province and tell you its story from the time it was ruled by extinct species to the settlement of the Indigenous tribes, and the arrival of Western immigrants.

The Natural History Gallery contains artifacts and life-sized displays of the diverse geography of the province, from prehistoric times to the present. It features impressive dioramas (the most notable of which is the one with the woolly mammoth), a huge collection of fossils and taxidermy specimens, and a tide pool that contains live crabs, starfish, and other crustaceans. I was amazed at how large and extensive their collection is covering various categories – Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Paleontology, Mammalogy, Ornithology, Herpetology (a discipline primarily dedicated to studying the amphibians and reptiles of BC), and Ichthyology (a discipline primarily dedicated to studying the fish of BC). I naturally stayed away from the Herpetology section, and those who know me will know why (Clue: I have a reptile phobia).

The First Peoples' Gallery is dedicated to the collection of Indigenous artifacts, most of them from the Haida people. It includes village models, totem poles, ceremonial masks, regalia, jewelry, houseware, and utilitarian objects. It also features exceptional master works, as well as a real long house. There are also photographs and film clips taken over the years that document our Indigenous people and their way of life. This was my favourite section.

The Totem Hall serves as the central exhibit with monumental carvings from various West Coast communities evoking the grandeur of their coastal villages in the 19th century. This is most impressive, and in my opinion, the best backdrop for a picture inside the museum.

There is also a replica of a pit house or kekuli, which are winter homes constructed underground by some communities in BC’s southern interior that are well-insulated by an earth-covered roof and a layer of snow. I thought that was a very clever idea and it looked like a cozy winter den. I wish we had one in our backyard.

Apart from cultural items and art work, the gallery also has a section for archeology containing ancient artifacts like tools and weapons found buried underground in the same land occupied by the Indigenous communities. It is a visual reminder that they have lived in these regions for thousands of years, long before the arrival of the European settlers. In fact, the museum itself is located on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations).

I enjoyed the visit to the Haida Argillite Carving Gallery, which is a tribute to one of the most significant artistic expressions of BC. Argillite is a type of black shale obtained from a quarry on Slatechuck Creek near Skidegate on Haida Gwaii, and from this stone, the Haida people make commercial carvings which are all exquisite. At the time of our visit, there was a carving demo presented by an Indigenous artisan, which was nice to watch because we normally just see the finished products in art galleries and souvenir shops.

In another section, the Modern History Gallery takes you on a journey throughout BC’s most recent history. It begins at Century Hall, which features artifacts and replicas from the province’s olden days. In the Old Town, you can take a walk along a life-sized model of Victoria circa 1870 to the 1920s, a cobblestone streetscape lined with shops, a hotel, a silent movie theatre, a train station, Chinatown, and even old automobiles.

This gallery was designed to look like a movie set. We had fun taking photos while striking poses that made us seem like we were part of the scenes.

Then the displays shift into a gallery that depicts the early forestry, fishing, and mining industries in the province. There is even a replica of a mineshaft and a Cornish water wheel. This section also contains models of the original Fort Victoria, a Port Moody train station, and the 1902 Tremblay Homestead in Peace River. You will also find a large-scale replica of Captain George Vancouver’s ship, the HMS Discovery. If you are a fan of trains and miniature models, this is the section for you.

A few hours at a museum certainly takes you back in time and transports you to another world. The Royal BC Museum not only did those for us, but also reminded us how privileged we were to be living in beautiful British Columbia.