Mystery of the silver canoe: Find out how museum ‘sleuths’ build a backstory for donated items

Staff at the B.C Archives are often tasked with building a history for mysterious donations to the Royal B.C. Museum.

Archivist Stu Hill uses the ample records at the B.C. Archives to stitch together an item’s backstory and determine if it has a place in the collection.

Hill recently investigated a replica, silver canoe on top of a wooden plaque. After consulting with the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Hill found out the canoe was nearly 200 years old and repurposed for a commemorative award over 100 years later.

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