From myth to modern history: Canadian Museum of History explores impact of gold rushes in British Columbia and beyond

April 7, 2016

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

Gatineau, Quebec, April 7, 2016 — The Canadian Museum of History is aiming to strike gold with a new exhibition examining the race for riches on Canada’s West Coast. Gold Rush! – El Dorado in British Columbia taps into a much-mythologized vein of history that encompasses gold rushes in California, Australia and Canada in the 19th century.

Organized by the Royal BC Museum, in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of History, the exhibition illustrates how the legend of El Dorado, a source of endless gold said to be hidden in the New World, has driven exploration, conquest and colonization for 500 years. The British Columbia gold rush that began in 1858 stood out, however, because First Nations as well as immigrants from China and other countries played such key roles in how the story unfolded. Thousands of people of diverse social and ethnic origins, chasing dreams of wealth and a better life, helped shape the Canada we know today.

“The Canadian Museum of History is pleased to collaborate with the Royal British Columbia Museum in presenting a dazzling exhibition that is both universal and uniquely Canadian,” said Jean-Marc Blais, Director General of the Canadian Museum of History. “The British Columbia gold rush is a highly interesting period of our shared history and we are proud to have the opportunity to present it to our visitors.”

That the gold rush, and not the railway, first connected the Canadian West Coast to the rest of the world is just one of the intriguing storylines explored in the exhibition. Another is how the promise of riches attracted the regions’ first Chinese and African Americans from California, along with other settlers from across North America, Australia, Europe, Asia and South America.

Gold Rush! – El Dorado in British Columbia showcases 280 artifacts, including the spectacular, 1,642 gram Turnagain Nugget, the largest existing gold nugget from British Columbia. An exquisite gold box by Haida artist Bill Reid demonstrates the influence of gold on culture through the ages. A real stagecoach restored by the Historic O’Keefe Ranch in Vernon, BC evokes an era of adventure and exploration. Authentic miners’ tools and personal belongings from the gold rush, modern objects such as a $1 million gold Maple Leaf coin from the Royal Canadian Mint and a set of Olympic and Paralympic medals from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games show the timeless allure of the glittering metal.

The objects and information presented in Gold Rush! illustrate the great symbolic and monetary value of this malleable precious metal, as well as its uses in science, technology and medicine. They show gold to be a catalyst for personal and political conflict, an inducement for immigration and a cause of environmental destruction. They explore how gold has been a vector for racism, violence and disease, a motive for betrayal and an incentive for peace.

Gold Rush! – El Dorado in British Columbia is at the Canadian Museum of History from April 8, 2016 to January 15, 2017. This exhibition is organized by the Royal BC Museum, in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of History.

About the Canadian Museum of History

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of History welcomes 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.

About the Royal BC Museum

The Royal BC Museum explores the province’s human history and natural history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides a dynamic forum for discussion and a place for reflection. The museum and archives celebrate culture and history, telling the stories of BC in ways that enlighten, stimulate and inspire. Looking to the future, the Royal BC Museum will be a refreshed, modern museum, extending its reach far beyond Victoria as a world-class cultural venue and repository of digital treasures.

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Media contacts:
Stéphanie Verner
Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 819-776-7169
Email: stephanie.verner@historymuseum.ca

Éliane Laberge
Social Media and Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 819-776-7097
Email: eliane.laberge@historymuseum.ca