Annelise Kempling

Pachena Point, 1944. People from the area surrounding the lighthouse gather to visit the wreck of the Russian frieghter "Uzbekistan". The "Graveyard of the Pacific" claimed the Uzbekistan when it ran aground in 1943 due to a navigational error. The ship was subsequently torn apart by storms and rough seas.

Royal BC Museum Textile Conservators Colleen Wilson and Kjerstin Mackie highlight the effort that goes into conserving textile collections through their work on one dress which will be part of the 2015 Gold Rush exhibition.

Entomology Collection Manager Claudia Copley discussed the collection she cares for (insects!), how important insects are to ecosystems, studies of biodiversity, and the crucial role they play supporting human life.

Thought to be a threat to national security, Japanese Canadians were sent to various detainment camps in the interior of the province for the duration of WW2. Goods, property, and possessions were seized and often sold at fractions of their real worth. When the war ended many did not return to the coast, deciding instead to re-settle elsewhere.

More than 55,000 British Columbians enlisted to serve overseas in World War One. One professional photographer, Mr. Crocker, documented the departure of ships carrying troops and sold prints to loved ones left behind.

Surveyor and soldier Frank Swannell maintained extremely detailed and intricate journals of his experience during and after the First World War. In his diaries he kept records of not only his experience of war, but who he served with and what their orders were. These diaries allow us to examine one man's military service in great detail.

Letters written from soldier Joe Shires of the Canadian Mounted Rifles to former co-worker Miss Alma Russel, for whom he had some romantic feelings, describe the beauty of France. He also admits that it is unlikely that many of the men he serves with will see home ever again. Shires died after suffering major injuries at the battle of Somme, 1916.

Letters to and from the front were important to the war effort at home and abroad during the First World War. Christmas letters and postcards between soldiers and their families are explored in this segment, highlighting the Christmas cheer shared between family and friends despite their separation.

Princess Patrica, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, visited BC while on a tour of the province with her family in 1912. A regiment was formed and named after Princess Patricia - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. "The Patricias" served in both world wars, the Korean War, and in Cold War and Peacekeeping missions as well.

John Macoun is one of the founding contributors of the Royal BC Museum's botany collection. Macoun worked as a botanist for CP rail and collected and documented hundreds of species. His collection documents and provides samples for species that are now considered invasive and his collection also provides some hints about our changing climate.

This specimen was donated to the museum in 2004 after being caught by a local fisherman. It was one of the first Humboldt Squid to be collected off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Being able to document the presence of this species will help determine where the species goes and their habitat range.

The Royal BC Museum houses nearly 100,000 fossils. Many of the pieces in the fossil collection were found by amateur collectors instead of archaeologists. Marji Johns of the Royal BC Museum and archives discusses the collection, the history of donation to the museum, some significant items, and where fossils have been found within the province.

While on a deep water survey trip on October 11, 2006 museum scientists and researchers were thrilled to pull up a Spiny-Eared Assfish, the first discovered in BC waters.

The Royal BC Museum houses a diverse collection of animal skeletons and skulls. None are quite so intriguing as the "mammoth marmot" skull with overgrown, tusk-like teeth.

The Newcombe collections consists of over 1400 pieces of Indigenous art. The items were collected by Charles Newcombe and his son William in the mid to late 1800s. Most of the items came with detailed documentation almost as valuable and informative as the objects themselves.

Iconic TV personality Jack Webster hosted a regular TV show from 1978-1987. The Royal BC Museum and Archives holds recordings of Webster episodes, but they are deteriorating and the technology used to play them obsolete. These recordings are being digitized to preserve this media legacy and to keep episodes of Webster accessible for future viewers.

St. Ann's school opened in 1858 and began sending pamphlets to parents explaining what they could expect from the school and courses to be taught. The printing press that created these pamphlets was brought from France and was the first printing press in BC. It is on display in the "Print Shop" in the museum's Old Town Gallery.

Until January of 1922 British Columbia drivers drove on the left side of the road. Legislation changed in early 1922, requiring drivers to drive on the right side of the road.  Learn about "Elizabeth", a Model T Ford housed in  the museum's Old Town Gallery that would have been part of this transition from the left to the right side of the road.

An image showing the SS Princess Sophia stuck on the reef awaiting assistance before the storm.

The  Victoria City Isolation Hospital was built to treat those suffering from smallpox.

Aerial view of the valley after the mountain side gave way.

The West Coast Trail, now popular with recreational hikers, began as The Dominion Lifesaving Trail in 1907 to make coastal rescue in case of shipwreck possible. Hikers enjoying this scenic trail today will see evidence of shipwrecks as they walk the beaches and pass over exposed reef.

A few of the ship passengers who managed to escape the wreck of the SS Valencia made it to shore at this lighthouse along Vancouver Island's rugged and treacherous west coast.

January 22, 1906 the SS Valencia was traveling from the San Francisco to Seattle and Victoria when heavy winds, fog, and a strong current caused it to veer off course. The ship struck a reef along the coast of Vancouver Island and the surrounding sea was too rough and too shallow for other ships to attempt rescue. 136 perished and only 37 survived.

The steamer Princess Sophia left Alaska, October 24, 1918 with over 350 passengers on board. When the ship struck a reef and became stuck other small ships in the area decided to wait to attempt rescue until a larger ship could assist or the tide rose. Unfortunately, a severe storm made rescue impossible and all aboard perished.

Disease and Terror 1862: the first public health crisis in BC. Thousands of people lost their lives within one year of the arrival and spread of Smallpox. Medical pioneers, researchers, and doctors did their best to inoculate BC residents with a proven vaccine , provide medical care, and try to stop the spread of the disease.

In 1965 the side of a mountain near Hope, BC, gave way and significantly altered the valley below. The Hope Slide, the largest landslide in Canadian history, claimed lives but it could have been much worse.

BC's coastal and interior mountains often receive significant amounts of snow. Sometimes a heavy and unstable snow pack in these mountains can lead to disastrous avalanches, like it did near Revelstoke in March of 1910.

Traditional roles for women in the 1940s in British Columbia were that of wife and mother. On this episode of This Week in History we introduce you to Josephine Hart, in addition to being a wife and mother, she was also a respected marine biologist.

BC's first female pilot took flight July 1913. Alice McKee Bryant and her husband were both daring pioneers in the development of flight in our province.

Originally from Ontario, Pauline Johnson moved to BC to pursue a career in poetry and writing. She is recognized as one of Canada's greatest poets and admired for challenging racial and gender stereotypes.

Phyllis Munday is one of BC's best known mountaineers. Phyllis and her husband, Don, explored the mountains of BC for years together and lead numerous expeditions into the mountains for other eager climbers. Phyllis continued mountaineering while raising a family and even brought her young children along with her and Don into the mountains.

Emily Carr is famous for her modernist paintings of landscapes, forests, and BC Indigenous communities as well as for her writing. Carr was also an animal lover and proud to have been born in BC. She was sometimes criticized for having some coarse character traits, but she was well loved and admired within the arts community.