Canadian Museum of History hosts Franklin Expedition pop-up display

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For immediate release

Gatineau, Quebec, March 24, 2016 — Recent discoveries and the enduring mysteries that surround the ill-fated Franklin Expedition of 1845 are being highlighted in an innovative pop-up display at the Canadian Museum of History. The display is all about exploration: Franklin’s search for the Northwest Passage and today’s search for answers regarding the expedition’s fate.

The single-panel display, flanked by two touch-screen tablets, was created for the Franklin Museum Network — which includes the Canadian Museum of History — by the Royal Ontario Museum and Parks Canada. It will be featured this year in simultaneous pop-ups at all ten of the Network museums from coast to coast to coast, beginning on March 23. The display, which runs at the Museum of History until October 10, provides an overview of the expedition and its significance. It also includes updates on information gleaned from HMS Erebus, discovered in 2014, and the continuing search for the expedition’s second ship, HMS Terror.

“The Franklin Exploration exhibit is an excellent way for people across the country to be introduced to the fascinating story of the Franklin Expedition,” said Jonathan Moore, a Senior Underwater Archaeologist with Parks Canada. “Through the partnership between Parks Canada and the Franklin Museum Network, even more Canadians will learn about the history of the expedition, the science behind the modern-day investigation and, equally important, the prominent role of Inuit in all aspects of the story. ”

“The Canadian Museum of History is proud to be part of the Franklin Museum Network, and is delighted to share this captivating display with its visitors,” said Jean-Marc Blais, Director General of the Canadian Museum of History. “It will give our visitors an opportunity to learn about this important chapter in our history, along with the fascinating research and discoveries going on today.”

The pop-up display is a perfect lead-in to a major exhibition on Franklin that the Museum of History is producing for 2017–2018. Sir John Franklin and the Northwest Passage, an exhibition developed in collaboration with Parks Canada, will be presented at Great Britain’s National Maritime Museum, Royal Museums Greenwich, from July to November 2017, and at the Canadian Museum of History from March 1 to September 30, 2018.

The Franklin Expedition has fascinated Canadians for generations. On May 19, 1845, under the command of Sir John Franklin, the Erebus and Terror left England in search of the Northwest Passage. Europeans last saw them off the coast of Baffin Island in late July. More than a century and a half later, the disappearance of the two ships — along with the deaths of all aboard — remains one of the greatest mysteries in Canadian history.

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of History attracts over 1.2 million visitors each year. The Museum’s principal role is to enhance Canadians’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the events, experiences, people and objects that have shaped Canada’s history and identity, as well as to enhance Canadians’ awareness of world history and culture. Work of the Canadian History Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

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