Fort St. John North Peace Museum Update: Museum Breaks Volunteer Record!

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — North Peace Historical Society volunteers set a new volunteer record in 2023: 4956.5 hours! That’s almost 2.75 full-time staff positions!

Our volunteers welcome visitors to the museum; maintain our grounds, exhibits, and historic buildings; operate the gift shop; scan newspapers, negatives, and photographs; catalogue and identify photographs in our database; research and respond to archival inquiries; develop exhibits; help with events, guided tours, and fundraisers; serve on our board of directors and committees; and so much more!

If you’d like to join our amazing team of volunteers in 2024, please contact Heather at fsjnpmuseum@fsjmail.com or 250-787-0430.

Our archaeology exhibit, Ancient Tool Technologies: Discovering the Lifeways of the Early Peoples of the North, by archaeology student Jennie Glennie, has some new additions. We have a hands-on chunk of obsidian from Mount Edziza in northwestern British Columbia (Tahltan traditional territory).

Obsidian from this area was traded as far away as Alaska and northern Alberta. Thin flakes knocked off this volcanic glass could have razor-sharp edges and were used for cutting.

Obsidian was traded as far away as northern Alberta and is often found in the British Columbia Peace Region. We now have our iPad up and running, so visitors can click on a map icon or scroll through the numbered artifacts to learn more about the 67 items on display in the exhibit.

2024 marks the 90th anniversary of the Bedaux Expedition through Fort St. John and the Northern Rockies.

Safari through the North Peace, our free display at the North Peace Regional Airport, looks at the items and people involved in this 1934 expedition, from champagne, collapsible bathtubs, and Citroen half-tracks to cowboys, a filmmaker, and Bedaux’s wife and mistress. Learn about the benefits this expedition brought to the North Peace during the Great Depression.

On Friday, January 19th, at 7 p.m., we will be hosting a documentary night on the Bedaux Expedition. The Champagne Safari looks at eccentric millionaire Charles Bedaux’s life with original film clips of the 1934 Bedaux Expedition through Fort St. John and into the Northern Rockies. Admission to the event is free, although donations are welcome.

On Friday, February 2nd, we are hosting our first Kids’ Night of the year on Nurses, Doctors & Hospitals in the North Peace. From Anne Roberts Young to X-Rays, learn some cool facts and fascinating stories of practicing medicine in the North Peace.

Read sample X-rays with our X-ray film viewer. Discover medical items on our scavenger hunt. Make crafts such as a medical kit and hand X-ray.

REGISTRATION IS MANDATORY AND LIMITED. Event tickets are $5 per child or $10 for a family and must be purchased in advance. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available in person at the museum starting January 22nd.

Written by Heather Sjoblom, Fort St. John North Peace Museum Curator