Civilization.ca - Canada Hall (phase 1) - Canadian history exhibition

Would you like to embark on a journey through time and see exhibits on aspects of Canada’s social and economic history?
All you need is Apple's QuickTime VR player which you can download (it's free!) by clicking on the logo:

Instructions

There are 21 modules in the QuickTime VR tour of the Canada Hall. Each can be viewed as a separate panoramic movie (some have more than one movie). Or you can download a multi-node movie containing all 21 modules.

Within each QTVR movie, you can look around by using the left and right arrows on your keyboard, or by clicking and dragging the "mouse" in the direction you wish to go. The Shift (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) key allows you to zoom in closer to the images, and the Control key allows to you zoom out. To travel forward and backwards through the hall (in the multi-node movie), click the mouse on the symbol to move to the next module.

full tour	12.4Mb 3.7Mb	Multi-node movie - high resolution Multi-node movie - low resolution
module 1	539K	Crossing the North Atlantic A Norse Settlement in Newfoundland The Norse (Vikings) crossed the North Atlantic in search of new lands, circa 1000. The first exhibit depicts a Norse family unloading tools and supplies from a small boat upon their arrival in Newfoundland. More information European Exploration, circa 1500 The search for a sea route to the Spice Islands and the Orient led the Europeans to explore North America. The coastal waters off Europe had been overfished, so by the mid-sixteenth century, European ships began crossing the Atlantic to fish and hunt whales. More information The San Juan This is a reconstruction of the stern of a Basque whaling ship, believed to be the San Juan, which sank in 1565 off Newfoundland during a storm. More information
module 2	538K	A Basque ship Winter in Labrador Insufficient protection against the cold, unhealthy living conditions, and an inadequate diet took a toll on the number of sailors. More information Cod Fishing Four men are cleaning the cod and packing the fish into large barrels. More information
module 3	539K	Whaling Hunting Whales Each spring, hundreds of ships would make the four-week crossing from Europe to Newfoundland for the annual whale hunt. More information Whaling Stations The Basque established a dozen whaling stations on the southern coast of Labrador. Once the whales were brought to shore, the blubber was rendered into oil at the tryworks. More information
module 4	538K	Early Acadia Salt-Marsh Dike The Acadian exhibit shows a cross section of a dike built to convert the salt marshes into rich farmland in the Bay of Fundy. More information Acadian Cart, circa 1750 Constructed with either four wheels or two, they would have been drawn by oxen or horses. More information
module 5	520K	Farm Life The farmhouse is typical of the New France era. Inside, there were normally one or two rooms, divided by a central fireplace used for cooking and heating. More information
module 6	520K	The Town Gate Gates to fortified towns in New France (circa 1750) displayed the royal coat of arms. More information
module 7	520K	Fortified Walls As you enter the Place de la Nouvelle-France town square, you pass through the fortified wall that protected urban dwellers from enemy attack. More information
module 8	539K	Place de la Nouvelle-France New France Towns Most towns were located at strategic points on the banks of rivers and lakes. Port towns were centres of military, administrative, and commercial activity. More information Buildings The white house belongs to a wealthy artisan, the cooper, a skilled craftsman who manufactured barrels. The stone house is the residence and workplace of a shoemaker. The wooden building is an inn, a popular meeting place for travellers and local men. More information
module 9	539K	Inside the Inn The inn’s modest size meant that guests slept on the floor. Food was cooked in the fireplace. For entertainment, guests enjoyed games such as nine-pin bowling, checkers and chess. More information
module 10	539K	Inside the Shoemaker’s House In rather cramped quarters, the shoemaker housed and fed his family, and made and repaired shoes and leather goods. More information
module 11	538K	The New France Convent The Hospital Only a small part of the convent hospital (the white building) is visible, but it would have been connected to a much larger institution. More information The Chapel Bell The chapel bell from Beauport, Quebec, is the oldest bell in Canada. More information
module 12	538K	Inside the Hospital Nuns provided daily medical assistance to all members of the community, including long-term care for the chronically and mentally ill. More information
module 13	538K	The Fur Trade A Voyageur Camp The fur trade was the major commercial activity that sustained New France. In camp settings such as this, Europeans and Native trappers exchanged furs for trade goods. More information Trade Goods The major trade goods were woollen blankets, cotton and linen cloth, metal goods, firearms, and fishing gear. More information
module 14	539K 539K	The Métis View A View B Using horses, oxen, and Red River carts, the Métis achieved great mobility in the Canadian West. At large campsites they gathered to butcher the meat and prepare the hides following the buffalo hunt. Several days were spent processing the meat into pemmican. More information
module 15	539K	The Timber Trade In the early nineteenth century, a new industry emerged in the forests of eastern and central Canada. The camboose shanty is typical of those found in Ottawa Valley lumber camps. By mid-century, sawmills were producing more and more milled lumber, needed for shipbuilding, for urban development, and for the production of paper. More information
module 16	539K	The Loyalists Loyalist Settlement Following the American Revolutionary War, waves of immigrants (Loyalists), poured into Canada, using transportation like the Conestoga wagon. Refugees were housed in tents the first few months. More information Defence Efforts were made to fortify the borders of British North America through the construction of citadels, forts, and blockhouses. More information
module 17	539K	The British Military Following the 1763 conquest, the influential British military establishment occupied a prominent place in many Canadian urban centres. The military was responsible for defence, maintenance of civil order, surveying, map making, road construction, and other tasks. More information
module 18	539K	Maritime Trade Canadian ships were involved in transatlantic trade, carrying domestic goods such as lumber, fish, agricultural products, tobacco, and manufactured goods, as well as American cotton. Between 1850 and 1870, the Canadian merchant sailing fleet grew to be the fourth largest in the world. More information
module 19	539K	Shipbuilding The shipbuilding industry has been active on the east coast since the early days of settlement. With improved technology and the increased importance of maritime trade, the production of bigger and faster ships began. The ship under construction is a tern schooner, the type built in Nova Scotia in the 1870s and 1880s. More information
module 20	539K 532K	Ontario Town Life View A View B An Ontario Street A street scene from a small town in Ontario, circa 1885, illustrates the optimism and affluence due to technological innovations. More information Shops The goods displayed in the windows of the glass and earthenware shop and the millinery and fancy dry goods store are indicative of fashion trends. The cabinetmaker’s shop is an example of progress in the manufacturing sector. More information The Merchant's House The merchant’s house illustrates the comfort and affluence enjoyed by the town’s elite. More information The Railway Station The railroad, which had been recently completed, opened new domestic and foreign markets, so that many imported luxury goods, like those seen in the shop windows, became available. More information
module 21	539K	Inside the Merchant's House The Drawing Room The dominant feature was the mantel, on which were displayed the family’s prized possessions. The main furnishings included a sofa, a variety of small chairs and tables arranged to facilitate conversation in small groups. More information The Dining Room The sharing of daily meals was an important part of the lives of the merchant, his wife and his children. More information
object movie (module 21)	1.14Mb 340K	Tea Service (Merchant's House) large version small version The entertaining of guests at afternoon teas and dinner parties, served on fine chinaware, was of vital importance to a family’s image.

Text: Nancy Ruddell
Photography: Harry Foster
Quicktime VR Production: Romy Randev
Web page production: Stephen Alsford