The Importance of People: The Dawson City Museum in the 1970s

The Dawson City Museum project asks – How has the Dawson City Museum evolved in relation to government policy and community action? 

We are taking two approaches to answering the question. First, we are considering the data chronologically (Dawson City’s Community Attic) to discuss the evolution of the Museum over time. Second, we have developed key themes (Inexpensive and Impressive but Challenging and Restrictive) related to policy and community. To solicit feedback, I will post a series of working papers that consider the data in these two ways – that is, chronologically and thematically. These papers will inform the final report for the Dawson City Museum and podcast miniseries.  

Providing the second chronological consideration of the data, this working paper asks – What are some key moments, influential policies, and community activities that defined the Dawson City Museum’s development from the 1970s to the early 1980s?

After summarizing the answers and outlining our research approach, I give a short overview of the Museum’s development from the early 1970s to the early 1980s. I consider significant policies, focusing on employment policy and the relationship with Parks Canada. Then, a section on community activity describes the community of employees that moved to Dawson City in the 1970s and communities continued influence on the collections. Finally, the paper concludes with a summary and research implications.  

  1. Summary
  2. Research Methods
  3. Overview
  4. Policy 
    1. Employment Policies
    2. Project Funding
    3. Relationship with Parks Canada
  5. Community
    1. People
    2. Collection
  6. Conclusion
  7. References

Summary

What are some key moments, influential policies, and community activities that defined the Dawson City Museum’s development from the 1970s to the early 1980s?

  1. Key moments: In 1972, the Museum’s first year-round director/curator began working as a summer employee. She then used employment programs to hire year-round staff, including herself, in 1975. The presence of staff led to a more active and professional institution that accessed a range of government programs and participated in the community. 
  2. Influential policies: Federal employment grants, such as the Local initiatives Program, were the most influential policies of the period. However, the Museum also began accessing project grants, such as those associated with the national museum policy, and developed a supportive relationship with Parks Canada. 
  3. Community activities: In the 1970s, the local community grew to include a group of young people interested in heritage who were not employed by Parks Canada. They became the backbone of the Museum’s work for the next twenty years. 

Research Methods

The working paper relies on archival research in the Dawson City Museum’s corporate archive and a document analysis, focusing on digitized minutes of Board meetings and curator/director reports. The fifteen interviews conducted for the Dawson City Museum Project included three with people who worked at the Museum in the late 1970s – that is, the curator/director and two contract workers – as well as a Parks Canada employee who worked closely with the Museum. 

Overview

The Dawson City Museum (DCM) would not be where it is today without the foundation laid in the 1970s and early 1980s when the Museum began employing year-round staff. At the beginning of the 1970s, the Museum was not very active. As one Interview Participant recalled:

There was not much of anything, other than the Museum opened in late May and closed in September.

Interview 5

However, by the early 1980s, Museum staff were actively engaged in collections management, exhibition development, and advocacy for territorial support. The change is attributable to the work of the first Museum director/curator who started as a summer employee in 1972 then began using government programs to support year-round staff, including herself. 

In 1975, the DCM used the federal Local Initiatives Program to employ people during the winter for the first time. Staff enabled the Museum to professionalize. They built a washroom, did research, and catalogued the collection. Cataloguing was particularly important because the Museum’s collection was not well documented at that time (Snowalter 1975). An Interview Participant described collection management as follows:

We kind of knew what was in the collection… People back in ‘62 had painted, I think, DM and a number of accession on an item, and they had recycled a really big old account book from one of the old businesses in town. It was leather bound and had plenty of pages. So, they just wrote down who donated, what the item was, and the date then put a number to it. That’s what we used to see what we had, but we were still getting artifacts and there was no official way of including them in the collection. Inventorying what we had was, to me, number one on the list.

Interview 5

Therefore, museum staff began establishing collection management procedures and cataloguing materials according to the best practices at the time. 

In addition to addressing issues with collection management, staff worked on the exhibitions. They organized displays into dioramas of rooms and shops, including Klondike Kate’s bedroom, a blacksmith shop, and a cabin (Rubinsky 1976). As they developed new exhibitions, they expanded into new spaces. An Interview Participant recalled:

We opened the north half of the main floor. I think it was the same year we took out the boxed-in walls barricading the second floor… [and] hiding that wonderful staircase up to the second floor. New exhibits went in both the north side and the south side, and they were more organized. There were people who had art skills, or research skills, or display skills, so we did a heck of a lot of renovation.

Interview 5

We were able to create these wonderful exhibits. I take no credit for [them], it was a group decision on what we needed, [and] what research needed to be done to create certain things. 

One of the exhibits I do remember was recreating a ton of goods, which is what was needed to climb the Chilkoot. That seemed to really impress visitors, they had no concept of what it meant to take a ton of goods over the Chilkoot. That particular exhibit was well worth it.

Interview 5

As the quotes demonstrate, the new exhibitions were well researched and aimed to be more professional. 

Despite the year-round employees and increase in activity, the Old Territorial Administration Building or OTAB, which houses the Museum, was not yet ready for year-round occupation. It was too cold. Staff worked in the City’s garage (DCM Curator’s Report 1975) and, later, a Parks Canada office (DCM Curator Report December 7, 1976). As an Interview Participant recalled:

It was pretty hard to do anything in the building in the wintertime. So, if you were doing a project, it was usually a research project or something that didn’t rely on the on the resources that were in the Museum.

Interview 7

In addition to hampering year-round work, the building’s condition limited the funding the Museum could access from federal programs targeting community museums (Rubinsky 1976). 

Money was thus a constant concern for the DCM and its new employees. As an Interview Participant observed:

It seemed that my life revolved around finding funds in any way, shape, and form.

Interview 5

As a result, the staff started an auction, which is still held annually, and developed other ways to earn money. For example, they used the Local Initiatives Program in 1976 to start Big Cabin Crafts, hiring locals to make Jubilee Dolls for the Museum’s gift shop (DCM AGM Minutes October 27, 1976).

The Museum also engaged in contracts with federal agencies. As an Interview Participants described:

The Museum did projects for other organizations – mostly government. [They did] inventories for historic sites, trips out into the backcountry and photographic and description projects – mostly to keep money flowing in.

Interview 7

Examples include a contract to coordinate the Dawson Film Find for the National Film Archives (DCM Minutes July 26, 1978) and a contract from Parks Canada for a Creek Survey Project (DCM Director’s Report July 23 1979). 

Maintaining funding levels to support staff and the increase in Museum activities was a challenge. The Director described 1980 as a year of turmoil because she attempted “to cover too many bases at once” and there was a lack of community involvement within the Museum Society (DCM Director’s Annual Report March 4th, 1981).  As she recalled:

I just went ahead 24-7 most days… [there was] constant worry of where’s the money coming from, not just to hire me, but to hire people to continue with what had been managed by these Winter Grants, and then Summer Grants. There was always in the background – what’s going to happen to the building? We fundraised, we put on steak barbecues, we started the annual Christmas Fair, Christmas Bazaar, out of which came the Museum auction

Interview 5

As the quote demonstrates, the director/curator was fundraising, applying for a range of grants to support employment, and managing contracts with federal agencies while also professionalizing the Museum and supervising staff.  At the same time, the board expected her to do bookkeeping and treasurer work for which she was not trained (See, for example, documents available in Klondike heritage services programs final report January 1982, Box 5, Dawson City Museum Archives).  As such, in 1981 she warned that she may resign, pointing to a lack of support for the job from the Board (DCM Director’s Annual Report March 4th 1981). Finally, in 1982, she resigned after being asked whether she took money from a Museum event (DCM AGM President’s Report November 26, 1982; interview).

In short, the second period examined ends with the first, but not the last, example of a director leaving the Museum due, in part, to work overload. She had done an impressive amount of work to ensure the DCM had staff who began professionalizing the institution. While the board had many suggestions, they were not yet providing the support needed. Moreover, as seen in the first period, the building continued to be a significant, ongoing concern (DCM Minutes January 25 1978). It failed a fire inspection and was unable to re-open without addressing the issues, which prompted territorial investment that will be discuss as part of the next chronological consideration. 

Policy 

There are three policies that were most important to consider during this period. First, employment programs intersected with other grants and Museum activities, enabling the DCM to professionalize. Second, new federal project grants encouraged museums to professionalize and directed activity at the DCM. Third, relationships with Parks Canada provided expertise guiding Museum staff in their efforts  

Employment Policies

Staring in 1975, the DCM began using federal employment programs to support staff. The grants were particularly important because there were no operational funding programs targeting Yukon community museums at the time. The DCM’s ongoing funding was limited to earned revenues and a $500 tourism grant. Employment programs supplemented the limited funding with support for what became the Museum’s most valuable resource – staff.

In the 1970s, baby boomers were entering the workforce, causing an increase in youth unemployment rates (Roy and Wang 2000). In some areas, de-industrialization also contributed to these high rates. The federal government responded by investing in employment with the Local Initiatives Program in 1971. While the program experienced cuts and was terminated in 1977 (Blake 1976), the federal government announced a new Employment Strategy in 1976 (Keck 1995), which led to a variety of programs like Canada Works. 

Reflecting on the importance of these employment programs, an Interview Participant recalled:

In the 1970s the federal government had Winter Works programs, LIP, Local initiative Programs, which evolved into the Winter Works Grant or the Canada Works Grant, and it was primarily to keep people working in the winter. 

I offered to put together one of the applications in ‘75. I had moved to Dawson by that point so that allowed me to stay in Dawson, and have employment through the winter, and then I could hire other people. We basically batted heads together with the Society on trying to improve the appearance of the Museum and give it a more solid standing within the community.

Interview 5

As the quote suggests, the employment programs enabled the Museum to professionalize its offerings. Most significantly, the Museum received a $133,000 “work grant” from the Department of Employment and Immigration’s Canada Community Services Program (DCM Director’s Annual Report March 4th, 1981). The grant supported the three-year Klondike Heritage Services project beginning in 1981. It enabled work on the resource center, education programs, audio-visual materials, registration and collection, photography, displays, and more (DCM Klondike Heritage Services Report). 

Importantly, federal civil servants actively supported the Museum in making applications for the work grants. As an Interview Participant recalled:

Canada Manpower in Whitehorse was instrumental in those grants being divvied out… There was one individual who was responsible for Dawson. He had come up, and invariably after the first grant we got, he would jokingly say, “now what do you want?” He’d tell me what grants were available, and he’d give me tips on what not to ask for, or what could be covered. 

Each year, it seemed that when we applied for a grant, the parameters for that grant had expanded. He was very quick to tell us, “last year you wanted to do this, that and the other, and you couldn’t. Well, this year, you can apply for that if it fits in with what you want to do.” If we submitted an application, he would phone us up and say, “yeah, I don’t think it’s going to happen if you include this or that.” Usually, by the time we had done the final draft on our application, we had covered all the bases that were asked of us. He was involved in that. I can’t take that credit.

Interview 5

In short, employment grants were available and applications for them were supported, leading to year-round staff at the DCM.  As described in the overview, having staff enabled the Museum to become more professional. For example, the DCM used Winter Work and Canada Works grants to research exhibitions (DCM Minutes March 28, 1978; Jones 1977). As one Interview Participant observed:

[The Director] got some grants that ran a couple of years and hired nineteen people. We set up, essentially, a modern museum like the staffing structure. That was really the beginning of pulling the Museum out of a curio shop into a museum with policies and procedures and an idea of what the correct way to go about things were.

Interview 7

Notably, the new staff were also able to support fundraising events and apply for project grants, which further expanded the Museum’s capacity. 

Project Funding

In the early 1970s, the federal government development a national museums policy, involving support for community museums. The DCM was ineligible for support as an associate museum and other project grants because of the poor condition of the Old Territorial Administration Building, which housed the Museum (Lawrence 1978). However, they began accessing available project grants in the late 1970s, which provided direction for professionalization with support for employment tied to projects the programs encouraged. 

More specifically, in 1978, the Museum used a National Inventory Assistance Cataloguing Grant to hire staff (DCM Minutes September 26, 1978; DCM Director’s Report May 30 1978), directing work toward the collection. As an Interview Participant recalled:

The first funding that was available was for cataloging because, as I said, even at the Dawson Museum, we didn’t know where a lot of this stuff came from. Just to have photographs and descriptions just the basics without even trying to figure out where the things came from hadn’t been done to that point. So that was, again, government that said, “you have to look at your collections and figure out what you’ve got.”

Interview 7

The winter work was the core of people that were doing inventory or cataloging. Lots of cataloging, of course, because that’s where the money was from the government.

Interview 7

In short, the Museum was eligible for and able to get funding through the National Inventory Assistance program, which directed work toward collection management. However, due to an inadequate facility, the Museum was limited in the grants it could apply for. Importantly, the DCM was not alone. The Lord report observed an under use of federal funding in Yukon “largely due to inadequate staff and facilities to qualify for them” (12).  

Relationship with Parks Canada

In addition to funding through articulated policy programs, the Museum began receiving support from Parks Canada. Notably, Museum and Parks Canada employees (that is, people) developed a relationship with each other as they worked on the Dawson City Film Find in 1977. Parks Canada employees then began to support the Museum more actively in a variety of ways. An Interview Participant recalled:

During my time there, the person in charge of Parks Canada in Dawson was amazing. Anything they could do for the Museum they would do it.

Interview 5

Addressing the perennial concern – money, Parks Canada assistance directed more finances toward the Museum. As an Interview Participant stated:

Whenever we were looking at how to put more money into the museum, which would allow us to work on exhibits, research, cataloging, anything like that, Parks Canada came in

Interview 5

The financial support mentioned in the quote was indirect and not grant related. For example, Parks Canada engaged the Museum in contract work. One of the Interview Participants began working at the Museum through a contract with Parks Canada. She recalled:

I was relatively new to the community, I was looking for work, and I heard of a project that I was interested in. It was a joint project between the local Parks Canada office and the Dawson City Museum. [It] was documenting and recording historic sites and objects in the Klondike gold fields. I applied for it, got hired and worked for the summer months

Interview 9

The contracts provided the Museum with the funding to staff the project and a small profit. Further, Parks Canada collaborated to develop materials for the Museum’s gift shop, such as a post card series and a poster. 

Supporting collections management, Parks Canada began allowing the Museum to store materials at the Bear Creek Complex (this continues today). Parks Canada employees also helped provide training for those doing collections work. As stated in a newsletter: 

[Employee] has also been hired to assist with cataloguing. She is currently receiving three months training by [the] Curator of Collections for Klondike National Historic Sites (KNHS). In a cooperative venture, KNHS will provide [the employee] with on-the-job training in exchange for her “free” labor to that organization for this three-month period

Jones-Gates 1981, 8

Eventually, Parks Canada employees would even play key roles on the Museum Board and communities, such as the collections committee established in 1982. Participation enabled them to help train and guide museum staff. Several Interview Participants noted the importance of Parks Canada experts in providing advice and expertise whenever issues emerged:

Parks Canada, probably, was the one group in Dawson who very happily sent any specialist who came to town, they’d send them over, “go talk to [the Director] at the Museum” about whatever it was, so lots of advice, lots of sound suggestions from their staff

Interview 5

We relied a lot on what we considered the elite conservation or maintenance of collections. We looked to Parks Canada for expertise, and they had a big crew at one time. They had more than 60 people working in town. They had a conservator… They were very generous in supporting the Museum always.

Interview 7

In short, through relationships with Parks Canada staff, the Museum’s staff (hired with support from employment grants, project funding, and contracts with federal agencies) were better able to professionalize – that,  engage in collections management and develop well researched exhibitions. The relationships formed in the late 1970s were thus integral to the Museum’s development moving forward. In particular, Parks Canada staff began to sit on the Museum’s board and were able to direct the Museum’s efforts through the 1980s, which (as we will discuss in the next working paper) was a decade of change through territorial investment. 

Community

While the employment programs, project grants, and Parks Canada’s assistance provided the support needed to professionalize, the professionalization would not have been possible without the people the museum employed and the impressive collection around which those people organized. 

People

During the 1970s, there was an influx of young people with an interest in heritage. Some of those people were working for Parks Canada, which was developing the Klondike National Historic Sites. Others had moved in search of adventure. The youth became integral to the Museum as volunteers and staff. As Interview Participants recalled:

Young people were discovering Dawson. By young people, I’m thinking that in the summer months, Dawson had many businesses that only opened for the summer, so they all needed staff, and people could pitch their tents across the river and come into town to work. They would have free time and some of them, well, many of them, were University students. They’d come to the Museum, and some of them would volunteer to, I don’t know, wash the floors, or do this, that and the other. As a result, wherever they were working, they would let their employee know that it was a neat place to go to the Museum.

Interview 5

A lot of people had moved in the seventies and were looking around for something fun and exciting to do and be involved in. The Museum is a huge structure, and the collection was just amazingly interesting. So, it was a natural draw for those people. They were keen to be involved.

Interview 7

The second quote highlights that youth engagement at the Museum reflected a desire to engage with such an interesting collection in an interesting place. As that Interview Participant recalled:

At the time when I started [at the Museum] I think I was making five dollars an hour. And so, it wasn’t a well-paid job. People didn’t come to it because of that. They came because it was an interesting place to work, and it drew other interesting people.

Interview 7

Despite being central to the Museum’s work, staff was not paid well or employed permanently because of limited funding. As a result, employment at the Museum was only one job. An Interview Participant recalled:

The younger kids that came in would have worked at the casino and then they would be in a restaurant or handling baggage. You could have three jobs or two jobs during the week – one in the day and one at night and a third one on the weekend – but that wasn’t my position. My position was I would get a project and follow through with that, and then I would either be working on another project or working in construction

Interview 7

Engagement with the youth that moved to Dawson is important because they became fundamental to the Museum’s work moving forward. Some of the employees who started at in the 1970s were contracted over a period of about 20 years. As Participants recalled:

At that point [that is, 1976], I think I was running the staff and the front desk stuff. But over the years I’ve had very many positions with the Museum and sometimes there were a few of us that were quite loyal and, depending on the job, one of them would be the lead and I would work for them or at another time I would be and somebody else [would] work for me on the project. It was something that we didn’t worry about too much … but just focused on getting the job done and making the Museum a great institution… We were a great bunch of loyal people for a number of years.

Interview 7

I wasn’t full time at the Museum, I had other part time work or other contract work that was augmented by work at the Museum. There was always a shifting face of staff, but generally there were a core six to eight people.

Interview 9

In short, the availability of people is necessary for museums to use project and employment grants. However, it can be challenging for museums to maximize these programs to professionalize without staff with the knowledge and experience to engage in museum work. Starting in the 1970s, the DCM began hiring people with an interest and enthusiasm for the institution. They were able to develop the skills they needed. Given the seasonal nature of employment in the region the Museum continued to benefit from their experience over a long period of time. 

Collection

Within the first chronological consideration of the data, I argued the community influenced the museum through donations to the collection. The collection continued to be a key vehicle of influence in the 1970s. As an Interview Participant recalled:

The first Museum burned and people in the community were great about saying “well, this should be in the Museum.” Now that you’re in a bigger building and there’s room for things. The connection to the community was very strong. People would come in and say, “can I see that mammoth tooth that I donated twenty years ago?” They were quite proud of the fact that they had contributed to the collection the Museum held.

Interview 7

[The] collection related more to what the community thought was important. So we got collections that related to mining. We got more personal things and a lot of that was the items that First Nations made to sell tourists… The second museum [that is – after the 1960 fire] was like a new start for the community to say “Okay, this is important. This is what we consider important”

Interview 7

Importantly, the community shaping the collection was not limited to a local community. The museum helped researchers and would occasionally receive donations through that community of people:

Most of them were quite happy, and quite often it resulted in, sometimes a donation of money, but generally if they had photographs, or diaries, or letters, or anything from that period, they would either donate them or make quality copies for us to have, with the idea that when they passed away, they’d donate the originals.

Interview 5

As a foundation for activity, the collection then influenced other areas of museum work. For instance, when the contents of a cabin were donated to the Museum, staff created a diorama of a cabin. An Interview Participant recalled:

Oh, there was Harry Leaman’s cabin. When he passed away, the contents of his cabin were donated to the Museum. In one corner, there was a re-creation of the interior of his cabin, his table, his chair, etc.

Interview 5

In short, communities notably shape the Museum’s activities through donations to the collection. 

Conclusion

Some may argue that collections are museums most valuable resources. I do not think that is true. I think its people. Without people, collections are just storages of decaying objects. People are central to all aspects of museum work. 

The 1970s saw a confluence of grants and migration that enabled the Museum staff – people – to professionalize. While the federal museum program provided some direction toward collections work, implicit museum policies were in many ways more important. In particular, employment funding allowed the Museum to hire staff who worked to implement best practices and relationships with Parks Canada provided direction to those efforts. Without staff, the Museum would have been unable to both access project funding and then do those projects. 

References

Blake, Donald. 1976. “LIP and Partisanship: An Analysis of the Local Initiatives Program.” Canadian Public Policy. Vol. 2 (2): 17-32.

Jones, Kathy. 1977, December. “Forty Mile Exhibit Report… Dawson Museum, 1977.” 3b.3.103, Box 3. DCM. 

Jones-Gates, Kathy. 1981. “Museums update: Dawson City Museum.” YHMANewsletter. 7: 7-8.

Keck, Jennifer Marguerite. 1995. Making Work: Federal Job Creation Policy in the 1970s. Thesis. University of Toronto. 

Lawrence, Richard. 1978, August. “Dawson Considers Museum.” Northern Times. 

Roy, Arun and Wong, Ging. 2000. “Direct Job Creation Programs: Evaluation Lessons on Cost-Effectiveness.” Canadian Public Policy. 26(2): 157 – 169.

Rubinsky. 1976, June 9. “Renovated this Winter: Museum Reopens June 21 Officially. Whitehorse Daily Star. p. 22. 

Snowalter, Mirian. 1975, October 31. “Dawson Museum Society Finds Escape from Hole.” Whitehorse Daily Star. p. 21. 

Interview Analysis: The Community’s Voice

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I conducted fifteen interviews with people associated with the institution historically and today. Most of the transcripts have been approved. So, my Research Assistant and I are analyzing them now. The Interview Analysis series considers this analysis and the insights people have provided.

Within this post, I am continuing to examine the role of the Dawson City Museum as a community resource (Community Resource, Museum as Employer). In particular, I am considering the Museum as the community’s voice – that is, a place for the community to tell stories. Becoming a place for the community to tell its own stories is also a goal for current staff, but interview data demonstrates it was a reality for the Museum in the 1990s into the early 2000s.

Examples

In the 1990s, the Museum was seen as a community hub, telling the community’s stories. As one Interview Participant described:

I would introduce it as the community’s museum, telling the community story in a grand building that has a story of its own. An immersive experience and it was a hub in many ways to the

community.

Interview 10

Community involvement led to some interesting exhibitions about the community. One Interview Participant described “Dawson at Forty Degrees Below Zero”:

There was a really awesome project that they did one year where they pulled together just interested community members that wanted to tell visitors what their life was like in the winter and they helped them take good quality photographs and they created a slideshow for the summer. And it contained sort of these iconic images of what a day in the life of a Dawsonite was like in the winter. It included things like learning how to soak a roll of toilet paper in kerosine and set it under your vehicle to warm up the oil pan.

Interview 10

“Dogs” provides another example:

There was another exhibit that asked people to bring their favorite photo of their dog in… The idea was that people could bring in their dog portraits. The exhibit took place in the courtroom. So it was a fairly small space but those walls were filled with people’s dog portraits, and it was just an ability for people to come and honor the dog, which… has played such a large role in the community, in Dawson.

Interview 10

Ideas for these temporary exhibitions or programming came from the community. As a participant recalled:

But there were tons of exhibits that came on suggestion from the community. People would walk into the museum and say, “hey, I’ve got a great idea, and I’d like to do this.”

Interview 10

Notably, the Museum also actively sought out community members’ contributions for traveling exhibition on the Gold Rush in the 1990s, circulating their stories to a broader audience.

I was there during the time that the traveling exhibit for the centennial of the Gold Rush was coming together and that involved multiple stakeholders and partners. And it also involved a lot of community input for everything from gold miners donating gold and sharing their story about what they wanted the world to know about their experience to community members in general that had a buy-in about what narrative was going out there in the world about their town. And so there just seemed to be a lot of interplay between the community voicing their opinion and then that directing exhibits and activities within the Museum.

Interview 10

In short, during the 1990s, the Museum was actively listening to and telling community stories through an active temporary and traveling exhibition program.

The Importance of Leadership

The timelines created for the project (1990s, 2000s, 2010s) and interview data suggest there has been a less dynamic temporary exhibition program since about 2006. There is no one change that explains the shift. However, some have pointed to the importance of leadership in creating the relationship needed in the community for the community to approach the museum with ideas and enthusiasm. Most notably, the Museum had a Director in the 1990s widely recognized as charismatic, drawing the community into the Museum:

So there was what feels like to me a real Heyday time, but I don’t think it was one single component that shifted that and made things a little more challenging at the Museum. But certainly would not want to understate how formative [he] was as the Executive Director of the Museum as well as that incredibly involved community member who was very good at engaging people and keeping that interest, keeping the Museum as the community’s hub.

Interview 10

Other changes that help explain the shift include a move from project based funding to more operational funding for museums at the territorial level, changes in employment considered in Museum as Employer, and the reality that the 1990s was a decade of anniversaries for the Yukon, which can contribute to more enthusiasm for heritage.

Questions

What do you think? How to museums become vehicles for the community to tell its own story?

Teaching Resource: Mini Lecture on Museum Development

I am currently re-writing a course on Museum Management at MacEwan University. As part of the course, I have created some mini lectures. When I created Museoception, I originally conceived it as a place to share teaching resources. So… I am sharing!

The history and development of museums in what we now call Canada is often misunderstood or not discussed. In this post, I am sharing a mini talk on the development of museums, which is embedded in my course. I would love to hear your thoughts – Did I miss anything you feel are important to consider?

Interview Analysis: Museum as Employer

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I conducted fifteen interviews with people associated with the institution historically and today. Most of the transcripts have been approved. So, my Research Assistant and I are analyzing them now. The Interview Analysis series considers this analysis and the insights people have provided.

Within this post, I am continuing to examine the role of the Dawson City Museum as a community resource (Community Resource). In particular, I am considering its role as an employer, which was mentioned in a few interviews. Interview quotes provided below highlight the Dawson City Museum’s role as an employer and its related expansion in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the Museum stopped being a major employer in the 21st century, which can be explained through an examination of both community and policy changes. The interview data thus serves as a starting point to discuss ways the Dawson City Museum’s development was shaped through government policy and community action.

Interview Excerpts

During the 1970s through the 1990s, there were a dedicated group of about five people who worked for the Museum. As one interview participant recalled:

Those folks [were] very important for … the work of the Museum, the day-to-day job of the Museum. They were the most important crew, ultimately.

Interview

These individuals had an interest in heritage and, as such, enjoyed working at the Museum. Several were interviewed for this project and one remembered:

At the time when I started [at the Museum] I think I was making five dollars an hour. And so it wasn’t a well-paid job. People didn’t come to it because of that. They came because it was an interesting place to work and it drew other interesting people.

Interview

Through their hard work, the Museum was able to professionalize and ran an active museum program with exhibitions, collections work, research, and public programs. Different projects led to more employment for more people. As one interview participant recalled:

I would just say that it expanded. It expanded in its outreach, and expanded in its projects, and it expanded with the staff. It became one of the larger employers in the community at that time.

Interview

Similarly, another participant who worked at the Museum in the 1990s noted:

At the time that I started there, it was one of the main employers in Dawson.

Interview

Despite the significance of their work to the Museum, staff were not hired in full time permanent positions.

We were essentially employees, but we were contractors.

Interview

Since staff were tied to projects, running the Museum involved ongoing work to develop projects and get funding for them to support staffing.

And that’s the way the funding works. You have to have a new project every time. You just get people enthused and trained and actually excited about doing something and you have to come up with something new and find new people. Even then, that was a problem. You were always searching for things that fit inside what a museum is interested in doing but would bring money is into the coffers so you could keep people employed.

Interview

At the time, there were a range of project grants available related to unemployment. As one former Director from the period recalled:

As I mentioned, we would access the EI grants all the time. We also accessed all sorts of other grants about keeping people employed, or project-based, probably through MAP, which was.Museum Assistance Program, at the time, that existed… It was a time of unemployment, and governments wanting to get people working and keep them working.

Interview

Importantly, this era of employment came to an end at the close of the 20th century. Entering the 21st century, it became increasingly challenging to staff the museum. The Museum is no longer considered a major employer in the region and a consideration of community and policy changes helps explain why.

Community

Changes in the community provide a partial explanation for why the Museum is no longer an employer as a primary role.

As noted above, from the 1970s to the 1990s, there was a core group of about five people who would work for the museum regularly on contracts associated with project or employment funding. However, a number of these individuals left Dawson in the late 1990s or early 2000. As one interview participant recalls:

At the time as well, there was this amazing group of people who had been involved with the Museum for quite a long time… So there was this corporate knowledge and energy that was there as well. Just because of happenstance, most of those people ended up getting Yukon government jobs and moving to Whitehorse kind of at the same time that [the Director] as well moved on and also at the same time that I think financial constraints came in on the Museum. 

Interview 10

While not stated in the interviews, their departure from Dawson to government jobs reflects a core issue of contract staffing in museums, which can fail to address the needs of employees as a community. Most notably, there is a lack of job security, meaning the Museum lost valuable resources when other, more secure and well paying opportunities became available. As stated in a discussion paper for the Yukon Museums Strategy in the early 2000s:

The other aspect of staffing which requires immediate attention is the so-called itinerant museum contractors who are largely responsible for the outstanding quality one can observe throughout the Yukon’s museum system. Their training, skills and commitment, coupled with the unique manner in which they work, are an outstanding example of adjusting to local circumstances without sacrificing quality and expertise.

But the message here is also loud and clear. These contract workers, despite their sustained success, are feeling abused and neglected by the government system they serve. It is our understanding that they have no secure employment contracts, receive no benefits, and are not necessarily paid in keeping with their skills and experience. The loss of these talented workers would do serious damage to the overall content and quality of Yukon’s museums, even if it were possible to replace them.

Barkley et al 2001.

The Dawson City Museum was never able to replace the people who had helped the museum thrive, maintaining corporate knowledge for over 20 years. While there are a variety of reasons they have not been replaced, looking at policy changes provides another partial explanation.

Policy

Importantly, several programs existed in the 1980s and/or 1990s, which the Museum used to employe people. These programs either no longer exist or exist in different forms.

Local Employment Opportunities Program (LEOP) + Others = Community Development Fund

The Local Employment Opportunities Program (LEOP) was announced in October 1985 with the goal to provide employment during the winter months (YLA 26.2.4). More specifically, the Minister responsible for Community and Transportation Services explained:

it is our intention that this will assist local governments, Indian Bands, registered societies, recognized non-profit institutions to undertake projects that normally would not have been undertaken due to a lack of funding. The program will fund capital projects that are labour intensive, will improve the quality of life, will be a measurable asset to the community as a whole. The program will also stimulate the economy at the local level, as one of the concrete examples of the government’s commitment to jobs for Yukon people.

YLA 26.2.7

The Dawson City Museum used LEOP in the late 1980s to develop their exhibitions. For example, in 1987 LEOP provided over 20 thousand dollars in wages for carpenters (DCM AGM 1987; See for example, YTG LEOP Program, Box 13, Dawson City Museum Archives).

LEOP was terminated in the late 1990s and the Community Development Fund (CDF) replaced it (Source). Importantly, CDF started as an amalgamation of several employment programs the Museum was once able to use. For example, the Yukon Employment Incentives Programs, through which the Museum employed someone for 16 weeks in 1990 (DCM Directors Reports 1990), was also amalgamated into CDF (YLA 27.1.57).

While the Museum has used CDF, it does not support employment at the Museum in the same way that multiple overlapping programs designed to increase employment once did.

Lotteries

Starting in the late 1980s, the Museum began receiving funding for a part time administrative assistant (Gorrell 1988). However, in the 1990s, the MacBribe Museum asked for increased funding for administration during the winter. Subsequent meetings led to a statement in which the Yukon Lottery Commission asserted:

operating grants to museums are the joint responsibility of the Heritage Branch of Y.T.G. and the community in which the museum is located.

Beaumont 1994

As a result, the Museum was no longer able to get wage support from lottery funding.

Federal Strategies

The Dawson City Museum began to use federal employment programs in the 1970s, starting with the Local Initiatives Program. The Program enabled the Museum to have year round employees for the first time. It also started the trend of the Museum using federal programs to subsidize employment. For example, in 1981 the Museum received a $133,000 “work grant” from the Department of Employment and Immigration’s Canada Community Services Program.

In 1985, the Government of Canada announced the Canada Job Strategy, which included a number of programs that the Museum used. For example, the Museum used the Job Development program, which provided support to make unemployed people more employable (O’Brien et al. 2005). In 1990, the Museum used Job Creation (Sec. 25) to employ someone on a photography project and for office assistance (DCM Directors Reports).

In 1996 the Government of Canada the job strategy was reformed, changing the available programs.The Youth Employment Strategy launched in 1997, including funding for student employment like Young Canada Works. The Young Canada Works program targets museums specifically and contributed a shift whereby the majority of temporary workers at the Museum became summer students.

Implications

As employee support for winter employment became less accessible, funding for student summer employment became more available and the people who had been contracted by the Museum moved away. Since then, the Museum stopped being a major employer outside the summer months.

As one participant noted there is a gap in support for the community itself to once again have a role in the Museum:

One of my big things is I think in the old days, the seniors and elders in the community had more of a role with the Museum. And now it’s so focused on providing employment for young students that we’re really missing the big important connection with the community not having support for all these people who have these wonderful stories to tell and could really contribute to the Museum’s sustainability because you get more loyalty from the community and you’d have more interesting programming.

Interview

Questions

How do government employment programs shape the work of museums? Are there alternative arrangements that could serve everyone better?

References

Barkley, Bill, Janes, Robert, Jensen, Marilyn, Johnston, Ingrid, Ingram, Rob, and Dobrolsky, Helene. 2001. Preliminary Observations on Yukon’s Museum Community: Discussion Paper. Strategy for Yukon Museums. Box 29a, Dawson City Museum Archives.

Beaumont, Doug. 1994, November. Letter to the Dawson City Museum. Sports and Lotteries Paper. Box 22. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Gorrell, Truska. 1988, December 14. Letter to the DCM. Lotteries Yukon. Box 15, Dawson City Museum.

O’Brien, Cathleen, Tommy, Diane, and Thomas, Bob. 2005, June. Wage Subsidies in Canada. Paper for Korean Ministry of Labour and Korea Labour Institute. Government of Canada.

Inexpensive and Impressive but Challenging and Restrictive: A Consideration of Non-profit Museum Management in a Historic, Government-Owned Space

The Dawson City Museum project asks – How has the Dawson City Museum evolved in relation to government policy and community action? 

We are taking two approaches to answering the question. First, we are considering the data chronologically to discuss the evolution of the Museum over time. Second, we have developed key themes related to policy and community. To solicit feedback, I will post a series of working papers that consider the data in these two ways – that is, chronologically and thematically. These papers will inform the final report for the Dawson City Museum and podcast miniseries.   

Providing the first thematic consideration of the data, this working paper focuses on the relationship between the Dawson City Museum and the space it occupies – that is, the Old Territorial Administration Building or the OTAB.  The OTAB is a National Historic Site and a government owned building. So, this thematic consideration relates to policy and demonstrates the role of unarticulated or implicit policies in shaping the Museum’s development. 

After summarizing the answers and outlining our research approach, I give a short overview of the Old Territorial Administration building. Then, I outline the benefits born from the Dawson City Museum’s relationship with the building and the challenges it causes. Finally, I conclude that although the OTAB is a significant form of government support, government inaction hinders the Museum’s development and necessitates ongoing advocacy, which places a significant human resource burden on the Museum. 

Summary

What is the relationship between the Dawson City Museum and the Old Territorial Administration Building?

Most simply, the Dawson City Museum has lived in the Old Territorial Administration Building since 1962. As a result, the grand and imposing space has become an integral component of the Museum’s identity, featuring prominently in marketing materials and shaping the Museum’s development. 

What effect has the relationship had on the Museum’s development?

The Yukon Government owns the OTAB, which causes benefits and challenges for the Museum. The rent for the grand, neoclassical building is relatively inexpensive and represents a significant form of support. However, Yukon Government’s reluctance to properly maintain the space creates a human resource burden for the Museum as Executive Directors manage mishaps, advocate for change, and work with the government to ensure they follow through on commitments. Moreover, Yukon Government’s reticence can hinder the Museum’s ability to seek other funding and properly care for the collection. It also represents a threat to the building itself. 

What are the policy implications?

Yukon Government’s lease agreement with the Museum is a kind of implicit cultural policy with both intended and unintended effects. The agreement supports the Museum’s development. However, the Government’s apparent reluctance to adequately maintain the space and support the Museum’s use of the space (in)actively works against the Museum’s interests. 

Research Methods

The analysis draws on research conducted for the Dawson City Museum (DCM) Project, including archival research, document analysis, and interviews with fifteen people. The former Executive Director, Alex Somerville, provided comments on a draft of this paper, which contributed to significant edits.  

Overview

The Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB) is a National Historic Site constructed in 1901 and designated in 2001. Architect Thomas Fuller designed the building to house diverse legislative and administrative activities in the new Yukon Territory. It accommodated various offices (e.g., the Mining recording office, commissioner’s office), rooms (e.g., a draughting room), and the Council chamber. By the 1920s, all federal and territorial administrative services for Yukon were consolidated into the building except for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Public School. However, when the school building burnt to the ground, it also moved into the OTAB for a short time. Despite the OTAB’s versatility, the territorial capital had moved from Dawson City to Whitehorse in 1953 and the building was empty by 1961 (Archibauld 1977).   

Like the Public School, the Dawson City Museum needed space after its building burnt down in 1960. As such, the Museum moved into the OTAB in 1962 and has remained ever since. The building benefits the Museum because it is inexpensive and impressive. However, it also restrictive and challenging, influencing the Museum’s development in both beneficial and detrimental ways. 

Benefits 

Inexpensive (Financial)

As noted in “Dawson City’s Community Attic,” the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB) represents a significant form of government support to the Dawson City Museum (DCM). 

The DCM originally rented the OTAB from the federal government for $5 a month during the Gold Rush Festival period in Summer 1962. Despite no longer paying rent, the Museum continued to display artifacts on the first floor of the OTAB through the 1960s and 1970s. After ownership transferred to the territorial government in the late 1970s, the Museum even expanded onto the second floor. However, in 1998, Yukon Property Management began asking for rent, which the Museum negotiated from $10,000 to $4,000 a year (DCM Minutes 14 January 1998).  

Importantly, rent has stayed $4,000 a year. It is below the Yukon government’s costs and has not increased with inflation. Moreover, Yukon Government took over responsibility for janitorial costs in 2006, increasing their commitment (DCM Minutes September 21, 2006). 

Operational and maintenance costs for the OTAB, which also now houses 1100 square feet of government offices, are now over $130,000 a year – that is, more than the Museum’s operating grant from Yukon government. See Figure One for the annual totals from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021.

2016/17145,389.68
2017/18155,124.33
2018/19158,312.30
2019/20146,716.22
2020/21137,396.12
Figure one: Operation and Maintenance Costs for the Old Territorial Administration Building

Yukon government has also made capital investments into the OTAB (though, as discussed below, these investments can be stop gap measures that do not address core issues). Most notably, in the 1980s, the OTAB underwent over 2.9 million dollars in renovations. These renovations made the building code compliant after a failed fire inspection and addressed issues with the crumbling foundation. They also made the building more usable year-round with insulation and modern washroom facilities. 

From 2016-2017 to 2020-2021 capital investments have included updates to the fire alarm system, asset management planning, and repairs (e.g., stairs, ice damage, sprinklers). These costs range from 18 thousand dollars to over a million in a year, totaling 2,052,466.11 from 2016 to 2021. However, importantly, that figure include a revitalization project started in 2020-2021, which has not been completed. A less expensive example includes $7,000 to level and repair stairs after a patron complained about the tripping hazard and wrote a letter to government (notably, this is an example of Yukon Government not acting on a known issue until there was some advocacy work).   

In short, the low rent that the Museum pays for OTAB and the investment in the space represents a kind of implicit cultural policy whereby the government provides space that supports museum operations. 

However, when accounting for the building as a form of support, it is also important to recognize that the Museum’s work supports Yukon Government. According to Yukon Government’s 2020-2021 Five-Year Capital Plan, capital investments, such as those made to OTAB, ensure Yukoners are able to live healthier, happier lives. Moreover, Yukon Government owns the OTAB and would ultimately be responsible for the building costs regardless of the Museum’s occupation.  As an occupant, the Museum has the legitimacy to advocate for maintenance and capital work to ensure the historic building’s continued operation as a publicly accessible space. The Museum’s role as advocate for the building extends nationally as well. In particular, the Museum applied for historic site designation in the early 2000s, leading to national recognition of the building’s significance.

Impressive 

The Old Territorial Administration Building is both an artifact and home to artifacts. As an artifact, it is visually impressive. An Interview Participant described the building as follows:

When it was finished in 1901, the Old Territory Administration Building was the largest building in the north. It’s 200 feet long. It’s 2 and 1/2 stories high. It’s a beautiful old wooden building. It was built to house the government of the Yukon of the late nineteenth century. We couldn’t have asked for a grander home in resplendent white neoclassical style, gently set back on dusty 5th avenue in the park-like setting. 

Interview 1

This description is significant because context influences how objects look and signify (Jones and MacLeod 2016). The OTAB – a visually impressive and imposing historic building – provides context, influencing perception in two major ways. 

First, museum architecture can contribute the experience of the transcendent because, through architecture, people can feel connected to something larger than themselves (Buggeln 2012). The observation that the OTAB’s architecture connects visitors to something larger than themselves is not new. The application to designate the OTAB as a national historic site argued the building reflects the sense of optimism that characterized the Klondike Gold Rush. It reads:

As an architectural construct, the imposing size of the (Old Territorial) Administration Building also symbolizes the sense of optimism which characterized the Klondike Gold Rush itself… Evidently, the belief in the continued prosperity of Dawson played a part in architect Thomas W. Fuller’s decision to house the mining offices in such a large facility. 

DCM 2000

The application also argues the building symbolizes the new relationship between Canada and the Yukon. It provided an air of stability and permanence to the new governance structures in the territory (Ibid). As a museum, the Dawson City Museum is thus a colonial construct within a visual representation of and connection to colonialism. The historic building connects visitors to the past and systems of continued relevance as a grand physical representation of bygone eras that are also represented inside through objects. 

Interestingly, the OTAB and its foundation reflect the Museum’s old exhibitions. The building was created to provide space for government after an influx of minors. It thereby serves as a visual representation of the Klondike Gold Rush era and the old exhibitions centered this migration event. At the same time, the building’s various uses overtime physically represent the new exhibition’s major theme – that is, the people of the Klondike survive and prosper through adaptation and change.  Through the interpretation of the space, the building can help connect visitors to these broader themes. The connection also raises a question thus far unanswered– as staff work in a physical symbol of the past, has the building itself influenced the development of the exhibition themes? 

In addition to signifying the past, the building also provides a visual representation of the Museum’s connection to a broader heritage interpretation in Dawson City. Notably, in 1978, Parks Canada recognized OTAB as a Grade One Historic Resource, which “is essential to the commemorative integrity of the Dawson Historic Complex in order to portray the gold rush and its aftermath in a coherent manner” (Thistle 2001).

Second, experiences are mediated through the architecture, which expresses a position on the function of the museum (Sweet 2007). The OTAB is a historic building that legitimizes the small nonprofit as a professional museum telling stories about that history. As the Interview Participant quoted above observed: 

            It all looks very much like a museum.

Interview

Reflecting the perception that the building looks like a museum, “Saw the building” was the second highest reason people visited the Museum identified in a 1989 visitor survey (the first was a recommendation from the visitor information center). 

Beyond looking like a museum, the space looks grand and impressive, which shapes its use. As a former Executive Director noted, 

The OTAB presents the Museum with a challenge of greatness. It is an intimidating building to fill. 

Somerville, personal communication

Another interview participant observed:

I think it’s quite a grand building, so it’s a lovely space to be in. It elevates the quality of our exhibits from them being in that space, but also, I think it makes people expect great things…

It definitely was a pleasure to work in that space and I think it improves the Museum for it. If we were just in any old building, we’d still be great, but it wouldn’t be as good.

Interview

The OTAB thereby influences how exhibits are perceived, elevating them in the eyes of visitors and challenges staff to elevate their work to meet the greatness called for in the space. For example, starting in 1975, the Museum staff began to professionalize the Museum. An Interview Participant recalled:

At one point, [the Curator] just looked around and it’s a big building with lots going on. So, she and I looked at a few books about how a museum should run, and she got some grants that ran a couple of years and hired nineteen people. We set up, essentially, a modern museum like the staffing structure. That was really the beginning of pulling the Museum out of a curio shop into a museum with policies and procedures and an idea of what the correct way to go about things were.

Interview

The participant went on to say:

            I told you we were trying hard.

interview

Their hard work involved expanding through the building into unused spaces and developing exhibition themes, which began with the observation “it’s a big building with lots going on.” As a result, the Museum evolved from more of a “curio shop” into a modern museum. The building prompts and present the opportunity for “greatness.”

Discussing the OTAB as influencing the Museum due perception raises important questions: without the grand space, would the Dawson City Museum have become the largest collection in the Yukon? How much of what has been accomplished is attributable to the grandness of the OTAB? 

In short, the OTAB is an artifact of aesthetic and historic significance, visually signifying – a museum lives here. The grand and impressive building provides the appearance of a traditional (and relatively well funded) museum. As a result, perceptions of the exhibitions and those working in the space can be elevated. 

Challenges

The ongoing issue of renovations 

When the Dawson City Museum moved into the OTAB in 1962, it needed extensive renovations, which did not happen for more than 20 years. As a result, occupying the space presented significant challenges for the museum society. Advocating for renovations became a major preoccupation of the Museum’s first Director, leading to a 2.9-million-dollar investment in the 1980s. However, the need for renovations persisted given the building’s age and adaptive use. The inability to do these renovations independently and the government’s inaction has presented a number of challenges for the DCM over time.

The OTAB provided its first challenge in 1968 when it failed a fire inspection. Importantly, those running the Museum did not perceive the building as any more dangerous than when the government used the space without addressing core issues. The treasurer argued:

Sure, this old building is a fire trap. Has been for as long as I can remember… One thing is certain that it is no more a fire hazard than it was when the government were using it, in fact less.

Shaw 1968

As a result, the inspector’s report was seen as an unreasonable obstacle for an already overburdened group of volunteers running the Museum. After describing the Museum as a team of only three people, the treasurer stated:

… it might be a good time to bunch it. Why keep batting one’s head against a wall?

Ibid

Due to a lack of support to bring the building up to code, the Museum Society was prepared to sell the collection for one dollar to Klondike National Historic Sites (Shaw 1970). However, the board changed, and the inspection seems to have been forgotten in the early 1970s. The new secretary wrote:

We have faced a problem in that some have had a desire to abandon the work rather than improve it. This has started to change now with some changes in our directors.

Snider 1972

As a result, the Museum continued to live in the OTAB without doing the much-needed renovations that it could not afford. 

In 1979, the Museum once again failed a fire inspection and was labeled a “death trap.” The inspector wrote:

To be completely honest, up until the time of the familiarization tour that you guided for the members of the Fire Department, I considered the Museum as a large “fire trap”. However, since the tour, I believe a more accurate term is a large “death trap”. These are dramatic terms, but I believe they are realistic.

Rehn 1979

As a result, the Museum was forced to remain closed until they addressed the issues and passed another inspection. However, the Museum Society did not have the funds to make the OTAB code compliant. Considering territorial ownership, they asked the Yukon Government to pay for some of the upkeep. The Territory responded with a one-time grant of $14,000, making its first capital investment into the OTAB since the Museum’s occupancy. The investment allowed the Museum to do electric work, plumbing, carpentry and fix broken windows (DCM Director’s Report for August). Importantly, the successful advocacy for funding reflected a positive relationship between the Museum’s director and the Klondike’s MLA who was a Minister within the government at the time (see “Government Relationships”). 

Despite the investment, there continued to be issues with the OTAB. For example, the basement was full of ice, making the building incredibly cold. As one interview participant remembers:

So, the two Elders or the two seniors that I told you about that were so delightful, they used to wear their idea of old-time costume, which was a long dress, frilly. They would wear long johns and whatever else they could get on underneath the dresses because it was just freezing, even in the summer.

Interview

Due to the cold, when the Museum began using employment programs to hire year-round staff in 1975, they could not work in the building. It was simply too cold during the winter. There were also critical structural issues. Most alarming, a report found 26% of the foundation posts had failed and 35% had rotten to an unsalvageable level (Ross 1982).

The Museum Society, in partnership with Parks Canada, advocated for the much-needed renovations. Fortunately, the Canada-Yukon Sub agreement on Tourism was signed in 1980 to undertake programs identified as integral to long term tourism development. The investment directed attention to the Museum’s issues and some funding, such as $125,000 for roof reconstruction (DCM President’s Report AGM 1980; YLA 25.3.38). The Museum expected to receive funding for the foundation as well but were considered ineligible (Ross 1982) so they continued to advocate. When a Minister and government officials received a tour of the building, someone leaned on a foundation post, and it fell (Interviews). The Museum then received funding for the foundation (Dawson City Museum and Historical Society 1983), which started 2.9 million dollars in renovations in the mid 1980s. 

Subsequent renovations have related to exhibit renewal. In the early 2000s, the gallery space underwent construction to install a new permanent exhibition, which required new wall openings. These renovations were delayed by Yukon Government. The Director gave the plans to and spoke with the on-site property manager in late 1999. The Manager did not provide negative feedback and agreed it was a relatively simple plan. In 2000, the Director began working with the Government Services’ technical review staff to approve the tender documents. However, after revisions responded to their feedback, they decided a professional architect was needed to produce more detailed documents. So, the Museum hired an architect, but struggled to obtain the correct drawings of the OTAB from government that were needed to start the process (Thistle 2001, May). Eventually, the documents were obtained, but these delays and the lack of clarity about the need for an architect at the beginning of the process meant the new gallery did not open until 2002. 

More recently, the Museum underwent a renewal project and installed new exhibitions. The territorial government agreed to do related renovations, such as changing the south gallery into the library, archives, and offices. They also identified a new fire panel, new sprinkler pipes and heads, as well as retro fitting the attic, crawl space, and windows as priorities (DCM ED Report Aug 21). However, most of the renovations never occurred despite the Museum installing its new exhibitions. As of March 2022, the only work that has been done was on the floors at the Museum’s insistence when the floors were exposed during the exhibit renewal. As a result, a section of the building is currently closed. 

Perhaps more importantly, the sprinkler system still has not been replaced, which is an urgent problem for the Museum’s collection and the building itself. In 2012 the OTAB’s sprinkler system began to fail (See “Fire vs. Heritage”). As stated in an interview with the former Executive Director:

In 2012 part of our fire system came apart and flooded the museum, damaging our collections. It will be ten years next year since that happened before the fire suppression system will be replaced and updated. 

Interview

As of March 2022, the system has not yet received an upgrade, putting the Museum’s collection at a significant risk. As the Executive Director observed:

In some ways, the museum’s holdings have been at risk of similar floods because we are at the mercy of the building owner. We can’t get the money to replace that system on our own. We don’t own the building. We don’t own the system.

Interview

The quote highlights the Museum’s inability to address the issue without the cooperation of Yukon Government. Unfortunately, that cooperation can be difficult to get.

In short, the Old Territorial Administration Building is a historic site and, as an old building, presents challenges for those animating the space. Despite its occupancy, the Museum is unable to address these challenges alone because of the costs and its position as a tenant. While the owner – that is, the Yukon Government – has provided significant financial investment to address some issues, this investment is only made after significant advocacy from the Museum. Moreover, the government’s involvement can delay projects and, as a result, the Museum’s collection is currently at a significant risk of water damage. The Government’s inaction actively works against the Museum’s interest. 

Restriction (No Lease)

As the renovation issues demonstrates, Yukon Government can be slow to act, and this can cause challenges for the Museum. For example, in March 2015 the Dawson City Museum’s lease expired. At the time Yukon Government was not negotiating new leases because it was conducting a review of its policies (DCM ED Report March 20, 2018). In 2018, the Museum’s Director began preparing an application for the Cultural Spaces Program to support the renewal project, working with a federal program officer. However, they were unable to apply without a 10-year lease agreement (DCM Minutes September 18, 2018).

Getting a 10-year lease agreement was difficult. Yukon Government officials were involved in meetings with the federal program officer and knew the requirements. However, during the process they suggested they could try to provide a five-year lease, which would not have met the needs for federal funding (DCM ED Report May 08). As delays continued, Yukon’s Property Management Director noted “the Executive Council decision on the Museum’s lease has not happened because the matter has been so far left off the Executive Council’s agenda” (DCM ED Report Aug. 21). 

The delays meant that the lease became “the greatest hold up on the progress of the renewal project” (DCM Minutes July 5, 2018). It prevented the museum from applying for funding in 2017-2018 (DCM 2018 Annual Report) and 2018-2019 (DCM 2019 Annual Report). In May 2019, the Museum finally signed a lease with Yukon Government and were able to apply for funding from the federal Cultural Spaces program. The funding application was successful and supported their work on the renewal project.

In short, the Museum’s lease agreement ended in March 2015. Yukon Government did not offer a new agreement until May 2019 (DCM 2019 Annual Report; DCM 2020 Annual Report). The lack of action on the part of the territorial government caused a two-year delay in the Museum’s ability to apply for federal funding. Territorial inaction has, therefore, hindered the Museum’s ability to go outside the territory for financial support. 

Conclusion

The Dawson City Museum benefits from being in the Old Territorial Administration Building because it reduces expenses and provides an imposing historic site, which arguably elevates the exhibitions and work of staff as it influences perception and presents the challenge of greatness. However, Yukon Government can be slow to act, and the building has significant deficiencies. The Museum cannot address those deficiencies alone due to ownership and costs. As a result, the Museum expends significant human resources advocating for upgrades and working to ensure renovations come to fruition. The OTAB is, therefore, both a benefit and a challenge for the Museum. 

From a policy perspective, the Yukon Government’s intention is unclear. The lease agreement benefits the Museum because OTAB is inexpensive and impressive. However, the government also hinders the Museum’s development with an apparent lack of interest, challenging and restricting the Museum in ways that undermine their own support . 

Questions

What do you think? When asking – How has a museum evolved in relation to government policy and community action? – what role do you think a building plays?

References

Archibald, Margaret E. 1977. Manuscript Report Number 217. National Historic Parks and Sites Branch, Parks Canada, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. Accessed: http://www.parkscanadahistory.com/series/mrs/217.pdf

Buggeln, Gretchen T. 2012. “Museum Space and the Experience of the Sacred.” Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art and Belief. 8(2): 30-50. 

Dawson City Museum and Historical Society. 1983. “Dawson Museum News.” Newsletter, 13: 39-41.

Dawson City Museum. 2000. “Application, Part 1 OTAB.” In Heritage Canada – YCW, 2000. Box 27b, DCM Archives.  

Rehn, Rick. 1979, June. Letter to the Museum director. 4a.4.15: Fire inspection 1979, Box 4. Dawson City Museum Archives, Dawson City. 

Ross, Brian. 1982, September. Letter to the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Cultural Affairs. 7.7.10; grants 1981 1982. Box 5. Dawson City Museum Archives, Dawson City.

Shaw, Geo. O. 1968, October 7 Letter to the Commissioner 1.1.38 Correspondence 1968, Box 1, Dawson City Museum Archives, Dawson City. 

Shaw, G. 1970, March 11. Letter to National Historic Sites. 1.1.43 correspondence 1970. Box 1. Dawson City Museum Archives, Dawson City.

Snider, K.C. 1972, February 21. Letter to the White Valley Historical Society. 2.2.2: Correspondence 1972. Box 1. Dawson City Museum Archives, Dawson City. 

Sweet, Jonathan. 2007. “Museum Architecture and Visitor Experience,” in Museum Marketing: Competing in the Global Marketplace, edited by Ruth Rentschler and Anne-Marie Hede, 226 – 237. Taylor & Francis Group. 

Thistle, Paul. 2001, May. Letter to Mr. Philip B. Lind. Correspondence Lind. Box28b. Dawson City Museum.

Interview Analysis: Community Resource

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I conducted fifteen interviews with people associated with the institution historically and today. Most of the transcripts have been approved. So, my Research Assistant and I are analyzing them now. The Interview Analysis series considers this analysis and the insights people have provided.

Within this post, I am continuing to engage with the curator interview and the question – What is the Dawson City Museum’s role? Notable, the Museum was founded as part of an effort to encourage tourism and its static exhibitions primarily appealed to tourist (As discussed in Tourism Role). The new exhibitions, which opened in 2021, reflect a desire to be more responsive to and reflective of their community, becoming a community resource beyond tourism.

Examples

As discussed elsewhere, the Dawson City Museum is a tourism attraction. For example, in an interview, the curator stated:

The Dawson City Museum at large in the community, I don’t think is really viewed right now, unfortunately, as a hub, whether it’s for events, or for research or for programs, or to come and see the exhibit. It’s very much viewed as, let’s bring visiting family or tourists to see them.

Tourism

Importantly, the Museum is undergoing change. A current objective is for the Museum to be more reflective of the community’s diverse needs.

I really want the Dawson City Museum to become a community resource for research, for recreation, for understanding, or whatever. I feel like that is my chief goal, rather than just become an attractive tourist attraction.

Interview

The new exhibitions, which opened in 2021, reflect this desire to become a community museum for the community, reflecting the community and responding to its needs. To that end, the Klondike Gold Rush is not as centered in story telling as it once was. The curator explained:

With the new exhibits going up, we definitely are making a more concerted effort to be more reflective, and maybe responsive, to our community. I want to say responsive is definitely a way where we have a lot to learn, and a lot to go to be genuinely responsive, but I mean more so to be better storytellers for Dawson City. I think, we see the importance as a small town museum to actually be that small town’s museum, to be a community museum rather than just a tourist attraction, and in doing so, wanting to tell stories beyond that Gold Rush period.

Interview

Rather than focusing on the Gold Rush, the new exhibitions center the people of the Klondike, telling a story of survival and prosperity through adaptation and change:

I think the story of the Klondike, beyond the Gold Rush, is fascinating. It is one of adaption, one of survival, and that should be appreciated as much as the Gold Rush. It’s something that I hope visitors from afar would like to learn about. And I, even more, sincerely hope that community members really want to reflect on.

Interview

Further, in their daily work, museum staff are focused on building relationships within the community in order to:

be responsive to their requests, and their interests, and also trying to be part of new stories developing, whether it’s in the work on Truth and Reconciliation we did or helping certain projects out around town.

In short, the Museum staff is working to be seen as a community resource in addition to being a tourists destination. Importantly, the Museum has played a variety of roles within its community over time. As such, subsequent interview analysis posts will explore other roles the museum has had, which reflect both community need and government policies that have changed over time.

Questions

I always struggle with this question – When museums say their role is as a community resource, what does that mean in practice?

Interview Analysis: Tourism Role

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I conducted fifteen interviews with people associated with the institution historically and today. Most of the transcripts have been approved. So, my Research Assistant and I are analyzing them now. The Interview Analysis series considers this analysis and the insights people have provided.

As someone who loves museums but recognizes they are colonial constructs, I often wonder: What, exactly, is the contemporary role of a museum within a community? Do they perpetuate and reinforce colonial narratives or do they serve other functions?

In the working paper Dawson City’s Community Attic, I discussed the critical role of tourism to the Dawson City Museum’s establishment and early development. Within this post, I consider the interview with the Dawson City Museum’s curator to describe the Museum’s contemporary role in tourism.

Examples

In 2021, the Dawson City Museum reopened with new permanent exhibitions. These new exhibitions aim to better engage and reflect the local community.

Importantly, the old exhibitions were installed in the 1980s with small changes over time and an addition in the early 2000s. They primarily appealed to a tourist audience rather than locals. As stated in the interview with the curator:

I could see the visitors that were enjoying it at the time. It was really checking their boxes, for lack of a term. I’ve really perceived it, in that sense, as a tourist attraction for a certain kind of niche of visitor.

There were some community events happening, but there wasn’t as close a connection to reflecting community stories or community focused activities that I would expect from a small museum.

Interview

Here, they wanted to see the authentic item in a certain display. Again, very much for the tourists, because most locals know about that, and there wasn’t necessarily any additional context provided.

Interview

As part of appealing to tourists and reflecting the tourism industry within Dawson City, the Museum exhibitions were oriented around the Klondike Gold Rush. As stated in the interview:

It was very much Gold Rush focused. It kind of toed the party line locally of the Gold Rush experience. I think it really complemented, in a sense, the Parks Canada narrative, because it just kind of gave what people wanted to see; lots of stuff in the story of the Gold Rush context.

Interview

The focus on the Gold Rush was reflected in the interpretation, including rocker box and gold pouring demonstrations. As the Curator explained:

They very much covered that period in history, the Gold Rush – just before, or during, and just after – that tourists tend to crave…That’s very much how I saw it. I think that’s very much the tourist designated program, and again, any tours or guidance within the building would focus on the salient features of that period.

Interview

Tourism and the Dawson City Museum

The Dawson City Museum was founded, in part, for tourists in an effort to grow the tourism industry following deindustrialization and the Yukon Government’s move from Dawson to Whitehorse. The exhibitions that were in place for between 20 and 40 years served this objective well. Considering tourism, therefore, helps to explain consistency in the Museum’s historical development – that is, exhibitions and interpretive programming stayed the same over a long period of time.

Notably, tourism is not the only role the museum served while maintaining the exhibitions and programming. In subsequent posts we will consider other roles that more directly respond to evolving community needs, such as its role as an employer.

Questions

What do you think – Is tourism a key role for museums generally or simply this Museum?

What are the policy implications of a tourism focus?

Timeline: Dawson City Museum, 2010s

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I am creating timelines of the Museum’s development in relation to government policy and community action (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s).

Museum Operations

  • 2010:

    Collection

    The Museum deaccessioned most of its paleontology collection, giving the artifacts to Yukon Government (DCM Report June 28, 2010).

    Acquisitions were minimal because of an ongoing collections project. However, the Museum accessed a series of photographs, which were significant because they showed the interior of buildings (DCM Annual Report 2011).

    Renzonis Champion Hockey players playing the Reginas in the Dawson Amateur Athletic Association Rink, April 1904 (Joseph E. N. Duclos; 2010.27.5)

    Exhibitions

    The Museum created French translations of exhibition content (Source).

    The Museum held an exhibition titled “The Beauty that Surrounds us” featuring the work of Palma Berger as part of the Riverside Art Festival’s Gallery Hop (DCM Annual Report 2011).

    Programming (other)

    Canada Day continued to be a significant success for the Museum (DCM Report August 4, 2010).

    Screenshot from the DCM 2011 annual report

  • 2011:

    Collections

    After finishing the three year collections project in 2010, the Museum began a three year project to assess and address inefficiencies in the archival collection (DCM ED Report May 30, 2011).

    The Museum acquired Yukon Order of Pioneer photographs.

    Colour view of setting the pylon for the Ice Pool, which is held every spring. In recent years, the ice pool has been managed by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE) and setting the pylon has been taken care of by members of the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP). Identified in this image is left to right: Chuck Barber, Gordie Caley and Jack Fraser
    Setting the Pylon for the Ice Pool, 2005 (Brian Close, 2011.13.19)

    Exhibitions

    The Museum launched three new exhibits:

    •  “Discovered in the Collections”: A case on the landing featuring sports related material. 
    • “Children of the Klondike”
    • an exhibition about Minto Park and its historic importance
    A Gathering in Minto Park, c1925 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 1983.182.2.3)

    The Museum held a retrospective of Jackie Olsen’s painting for the Arts Festival’s Artswalk (DCM Annual Report 2011-12).

    Governance

    The Museum passed a new Corporate Records Management Policy, a Facilities Use Policy, and a Gift Shop and Admissions Policy (DCM Annual Report 2011-12).

    Partnerships

    The Museum partnered with the Dawson City Music Festival and the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture to access support from the Cultural Investment fund for website upgrades (DCM Report Jan 24 2011).

    Programming (Other)

    Screenshot from DCM Annual Report 2011-12

    With funding from Yukon Energy, the Museum began offering the education kit “Simple Machines” to the local school with plans for more boxes (DCM Report Jan 24, 2011). However, school programs were suspended due to the departure of the program manager (DCM Annual Report 2011-12). .

    The Museum began to offer tours of the storage facilities (DCM Review of Dawson City Museum 2007-2012).

    A summer student – future museum director – prepared a guide for the train shelter to be used by future interpreters (DCM End of Summer Report).

    Staffing

    The Museum eliminated a short lived programmer position due to financial challenges (DCM ED Report January 17, 2011; DCM Annual Report 2011-12). However, the Museum continued to have a seasonal gift show and admissions Manager, Archival Technician, Collections Technician, and summer student workforce of six (DCM Annual Report 2011-12).

  • 2012:

    Building

    A sprinkler burst, causing damage to the collection.

    Collections

    The Museum received a donation of 446 editions of the Klondike Sun in physical and digital format (DCM Annual Report 2013).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum had a temporary exhibition titled – What to do on Tuesdays in Winter? – which featured quilts as part of the local Arts Festival (DCM Annual Report 2013).

    Governing

    The Museum transitioned from being an administrative governing board, which did hands-on work, to a policy governing board (DCM Annual Report 2013).

    Library

    Due to the donation of proceeds from the sale of In the Footsteps of my Father, the Museum began to professionalize the appearance of the Klondike History Library (DCM Annual Report 2011-2012).

    Programming (Other)

    Screenshot from the DCM Annual Report 2013

    The Museum organized a comedy show with Ron James at the Palace Grand.

    Screenshot from Davidson, Dan. 2012, May 30. “Ron James Packs the Palace Grand.” Klondike Sun. P22.

    Self generated / Earned revenue

    Screenshot from DCM Notes for meeting with Minister

  • 2013:

    Collection

    The Museum used donations to make more photographs available on their website (DCM Annual Report 2013). Check out their awesome photo collection here!

    Significant donations accepted into the collection came from families of deceased Dawsonites, such as images from “Dinty” Dines:

    Colour view of gold being prepared for shipment. The location of the Mining Recorders Office at the time was located in the Old Post Office on Third Avenue and King Street. The man is tentatively identified as John Dines [source: S. Burkhard]. Caption: Mining Recorder Shipping Gold 1957.
    Preparing Gold for Shipment, December 1957 (Harold Dines; 2013.1.9.15)

    The Museum hired a conservator to restore the piano damaged in the 2012 pipe burst.

    Exhibition

    The Museum hosted Riley Brenan for the Riverside Arts Festival (DCM Annual Report 2014).

    Programming (other)

    Screenshot from DCM Annual Report 2014

  • 2014:

    Staff

    The Museum hired a full time curator and an archivist/librarian in addition to the executive director.

  • 2015:

    Building

    There was a small flood in the Museum, but fortunately nothing was damaged (DCM ED Report June 16, 2015).

    Governance

    After a hiatus of almost two years, the collections committee began to meet and accept donations (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    Staff

    The Museum began hiring fewer student summer staff (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

  • 2016:

    Building

    The Museum continued to experience problems with its sprinkler system, resulting in damage to a Gwichin language bible and the board room (DCM ED Report February 16, 2016).

    Collection

    The Museum had a dermestid beetle infestation, but were able to clean the infested artifacts with help from the territorial conservator before their summer opening (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    The Museum continued to receive artifacts through donation, including Diamond Jubilee Dolls (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum began working with Origin Studios on the Exhibit Renewal Project with support from the Community Development Fund (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    The Museum hosted three temporary exhibits during the summer. They were on (DCM 2017 Annual Report):

    • Jewish history of the Klondike Gold Rush
    • Yukon’s role in the First World War
    • artwork by Priska Wettstein

    Programming

    The Museum held a St. Valentine’s Day dance fundraiser, which cost the institution money (DCM March 1 Minutes).

    The Museum stopped its movie program due to low attendance (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    The Museum participated in Chris Clarke and Bo Yeung’s walk for Truth and Reconciliation, providing research resources (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    The Museum participated in the Jack London Festival with movie nights and as judges for the gala dinner’s costume contest (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    Staff

    The Museum laid off the Archivist/ Librarian, leaving the museum with only two core staff members (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

  • 2017:

    Building

    There were minor sprinkler renovations, but the system was not replaced (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    Collection

    The Museum continued to receive donations, accepting ten acquisitions and receiving 15 new donation lots (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    The Museum loaned Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in artifacts for a display in the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in government building (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum used a Special Projects and Capital Assistance grant to create a traveling exhibition on the sinking of the S. S. Princess Sophia (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    “Princess Sophia” on Vanderbilt Reef Oct. 24th 1918 (Winter Pond Co; 1983.182.2.39)

    Governance

    The Museum commissioned a feasibility study for their renewal project (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    Programming (Other)

    The Museum participated in the Walk for Truth and Reconciliation with research and speaking at two spots (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    The Executive Director provided a talk on the Museum’s hot soda machine for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in conference Myth and Medium (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    The Museum launched a social media initiative – the History of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike in 100 objects (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    Staff

    The Museum experienced significant difficulties hiring summer staff due to fewer applicants and applicants turning down interviews (DCM ED Report May 16, 2017). However, they hired four 35 hour/week student positions at the museum using Young Canada Works and Canada Summer Jobs (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

  • 2018:

    Collections

    The Curator conducted an inventory of the Museum’s artifacts (DCM 2019 Annual Report).

    Staff

    With recommendations from teachers, the Museum was able to fill summer positions primarily with local students (DCM 2019 Annual Report).

    The Museum used funding from the Yukon Heritage Training Fund for both full time employees to attend courses outside of the territory (Source)

  • 2019:

    Building

    Leaks continued to be a problem for the Museum (DCM 2020 Annual Report)

    Collections

    The Museum reconciled donor records with catalogued information (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

    The Collections Committee reviewed 35 donation lots, including material from the Gold Rush Festival (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum began working with Kubik-Maltbie on the new exhibitions.

    Staff

    The Museum hired two 35 hour / week student positions using the federal Youth Employment Strategy Programs (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

Government Policy

First Nation

Federal

  • 2010:

    Parks Canada

    Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada

  • 2012:

    Parks Canada

    Cuts to Parks Canada resulted in the loss of six full time jobs at Klondike Historic Sites and reduced hours for an additional five positions (Davidson 2012).

  • 2015:

    Parks Canada

    Parks Canada provided the Museum with space for staff housing (DCM ED report September 15, 2015).

  • 2017:

    Parks Canada

    Parks Canada submitted the Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site Advisory Committee’s nomination to the World Heritage Center (source).

  • 2018:

    Parks Canada

    Klondike National Historic Sites of Canada: Management Plan 2018

  • 2019:

    Cultural Spaces Fund

    The Government of Canada contributed $557,000 to the Dawson City Museum’s new exhibits.

Canada – Yukon

  • 2012:

    Parks Canada Cuts

    Territorial Ministers were concerned about the effects cuts to Parks Canada would have on the territory. The Minister of Tourism and Culture stated:

    The Yukon government is actively taking steps, as I mentioned, to identify potential solutions to address the impacts of these changes within Parks Canada and on Yukon. I’ve written to the Hon. Peter Kent about this issue and department officials have been meeting with local Parks Canada representatives to also identify possible mitigations to these cuts.

    YLA 33.1.64

  • 2013:

    Canadian Conservation Institution (CCI) and Yukon Government

    At Yukon Government’s request, a CCI representative visited the Dawson City Museum and conducted a site assessment (DCM ED Report October 15, 2013).

  • 2017:

    The Issue of a lease

    In order to apply for federal funding for the Dawson City Museum’s renewal project, the Museum needed a 10 year lease from the territory for the Old Territorial Administration building. The lease was not provided (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

  • 2019:

    The Issue of a lease

    The lack of a lease with Yukon government continued to delay the Museum’s application for funding. They finally received a lease in May 2019, allowing them to apply for federal funding (DCM 2019 Annual Report; DCM 2020 Annual Report).

Territorial

  • 2011:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The territorial Museums Unit held the first roundtable (Cambio 2013).

    The Museums Advisory Committee (MAC) asked the territorial Museums Unit to review standards in other jurisdictions (Cambio 2013).

  • 2013:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The roundtable participants formed a working group on standards (Cambio 2013).

    The Museums Unit met with clients to review special projects funding, clarifying the criteria and evaluation process (Cottongrass Consulting Group, Inc 2014).

  • 2014:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    Funding Allocation for Yukon Museums and First Nation Cultural/Heritage Centres Options Paper

  • 2015:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    Yukon government considered and implemented changes to the museum funding program. The government (Cambio 2015):

    • considered a new hybrid funding model that would tie some funding to standards.
    • committed to a two staged increase to operational funding of 10% a year for two years.
    • proposed a 10% increase in the third year dependent on standards adherence and taken from the Special Projects Capital Assistance Program funding. .

    Due to a lack of demand for special project money, the Museums Unit had a surplus and provided each of the 19 museums and cultural centers with over three thousand dollars to spend (DCM ED Report June 16, 2015).

    Historically, the MacBride Museum and Dawson City Museum were in a highest tier for operational funding. In 2015, the Territory made a separate higher tier for the MacBride Museum (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

  • 2016:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    Due to concerns from First Nations Cultural Centre, the hybrid model for funding was reassessed during the 2016 Roundtable. As a result, the third year funding increase was no longer tied to meeting standards (Cambio 2016).

    The Museums Unit hired a contractor to review the collections management database in consultation with museums and cultural centers (Cambio 2016).

    Operational funding increased.

    The territorial conservator visited the Dawson City Museum to help manage a beetle infestation (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

  • 2017:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The territorial conservator visited to clean artifacts that had been moved for the Dawson City Museum’s sprinkler renovations (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    At the 2017 Roundtable, Museums were asked whether they supported the Museums Unit exploring the CollectiveAccess System for collections management. According to the roundtable report, clients were supportive (Glynn-Morris 2017).

    Participants at the Roundtable also voted unanimously that they would like to develop a new museum strategy (Glynn-Morris 2017).

  • 2018:

    Tourism Policy

    Sustainable Tourism. Our Path. Our Future. 2018-2028.

  • 2019:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The Yukon Government provided $500,000 to help the Dawson City Museum Pay for new exhibits. Describing the support, the Minister of Tourism and Culture stated:

    On the Dawson City Museum exhibit renewal, we have $250,000 for each of the next two years — so a total of $500,000 has been allocated to this. This is multi-year — again, it will take some time, but it is about the exhibit redevelopment at the Dawson City Museum. They are going to be redoing all of their exhibits, and this will align with their anniversary. Highways and Public Works is doing extensive work as well with the Dawson City Museum to address some challenges. Again, they will be doing the permanent exhibits in the museum which require updating or replacing. Archival storage has exceeded its capacity and its offices are very inconveniently located on the second floor. To address the challenges, the museum is planning a renewal of the offices, archival storage, the exhibits, and the gallery spaces

    YLA 34.2.142

    Within Yukon Government, the Museums and Heritage Unit merged, resulting in challenges as staff had limited time to do everything (Hemmera 2019).

    Old Territorial Administration Building

    Yukon Government conducted a building assessment, funding serious defects with the building (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

Local

  • 2018:

    Official Community Plan Bylaw

  • 2013:

    During regional economic planning, the World Heritage Project (a proposal to designate the Klondike Region as a UNESCO world heritage site) was identified as a key priority (source).

Community Action

  • 2013:

    Local Community

    The Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site Advisory Committee formed with participation from the Dawson City Museum (DCM ED Report April 16, 2013).

  • 2018:

    Local Community

    The Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site Advisory Committee decided to withdraw and resubmit its nomination (source).

Questions

Is there anything missing? Let me know!

References

Cambio. 2013, October. Yukon Museums & Cultural Centers: Annual Roundtable Workshop.

Cambio. 2015, October. Yukon Museums & Cultural Centres Roundtable.

Cambio. 2016, November. Yukon Museums & Cultural Centres Roundtable.

Catherine C. Cole & Associates. 2014. Funding Allocation for Yukon Museums and First Nation Cultural/Heritage Centres Options Paper. Cultural Services, Department of Tourism and Culture, Yukon Government.

Davidson, Dan. 2012, May 30. “Council Reacts to the Cuts at Parks. The Klondike Sun. P3. http://klondikesun.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Sun12-5-30online.pdf

DCM – internal documents from the Dawson City Museum

Glynn-Morris, John. 2017, October. Museums and Cultural Centres: Dawson Roundtable.

Hemmera. 2019, November. Museums and Cultural Centres 2019 Roundtable Report.

Case Study: Dawson City Museum Timeline, 2010s

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I am creating timelines of the Museum’s development in relation to government policy and community action (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s).

Museum Operations

  • 2010:

    Collection

    The Museum deaccessioned most of its paleontology collection, giving the artifacts to Yukon Government (DCM Report June 28, 2010).

    Acquisitions were minimal because of an ongoing collections project. However, the Museum accessed a series of photographs, which were significant because they showed the interior of buildings (DCM Annual Report 2011).

    Renzonis Champion Hockey players playing the Reginas in the Dawson Amateur Athletic Association Rink, April 1904 (Joseph E. N. Duclos; 2010.27.5)

    Exhibitions

    The Museum created French translations of exhibition content (Source).

    The Museum held an exhibition titled “The Beauty that Surrounds us” featuring the work of Palma Berger as part of the Riverside Art Festival’s Gallery Hop (DCM Annual Report 2011).

    Programming (other)

    Canada Day continued to be a significant success for the Museum (DCM Report August 4, 2010).

    Screenshot from the DCM 2011 annual report

  • 2011:

    Collections

    After finishing the three year collections project in 2010, the Museum began a three year project to assess and address inefficiencies in the archival collection (DCM ED Report May 30, 2011).

    The Museum acquired Yukon Order of Pioneer photographs.

    Colour view of setting the pylon for the Ice Pool, which is held every spring. In recent years, the ice pool has been managed by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE) and setting the pylon has been taken care of by members of the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP). Identified in this image is left to right: Chuck Barber, Gordie Caley and Jack Fraser
    Setting the Pylon for the Ice Pool, 2005 (Brian Close, 2011.13.19)

    Exhibitions

    The Museum launched three new exhibits:

    •  “Discovered in the Collections”: A case on the landing featuring sports related material. 
    • “Children of the Klondike”
    • an exhibition about Minto Park and its historic importance
    A Gathering in Minto Park, c1925 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 1983.182.2.3)

    The Museum held a retrospective of Jackie Olsen’s painting for the Arts Festival’s Artswalk (DCM Annual Report 2011-12).

    Governance

    The Museum passed a new Corporate Records Management Policy, a Facilities Use Policy, and a Gift Shop and Admissions Policy (DCM Annual Report 2011-12).

    Partnerships

    The Museum partnered with the Dawson City Music Festival and the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture to access support from the Cultural Investment fund for website upgrades (DCM Report Jan 24 2011).

    Programming (Other)

    Screenshot from DCM Annual Report 2011-12

    With funding from Yukon Energy, the Museum began offering the education kit “Simple Machines” to the local school with plans for more boxes (DCM Report Jan 24, 2011). However, school programs were suspended due to the departure of the program manager (DCM Annual Report 2011-12). .

    The Museum began to offer tours of the storage facilities (DCM Review of Dawson City Museum 2007-2012).

    A summer student – future museum director – prepared a guide for the train shelter to be used by future interpreters (DCM End of Summer Report).

    Staffing

    The Museum eliminated a short lived programmer position due to financial challenges (DCM ED Report January 17, 2011; DCM Annual Report 2011-12). However, the Museum continued to have a seasonal gift show and admissions Manager, Archival Technician, Collections Technician, and summer student workforce of six (DCM Annual Report 2011-12).

  • 2012:

    Building

    A sprinkler burst, causing damage to the collection.

    Collections

    The Museum received a donation of 446 editions of the Klondike Sun in physical and digital format (DCM Annual Report 2013).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum had a temporary exhibition titled – What to do on Tuesdays in Winter? – which featured quilts as part of the local Arts Festival (DCM Annual Report 2013).

    Governing

    The Museum transitioned from being an administrative governing board, which did hands-on work, to a policy governing board (DCM Annual Report 2013).

    Library

    Due to the donation of proceeds from the sale of In the Footsteps of my Father, the Museum began to professionalize the appearance of the Klondike History Library (DCM Annual Report 2011-2012).

    Programming (Other)

    Screenshot from the DCM Annual Report 2013

    The Museum organized a comedy show with Ron James at the Palace Grand.

    Screenshot from Davidson, Dan. 2012, May 30. “Ron James Packs the Palace Grand.” Klondike Sun. P22.

    Self generated / Earned revenue

    Screenshot from DCM Notes for meeting with Minister

  • 2013:

    Collection

    The Museum used donations to make more photographs available on their website (DCM Annual Report 2013). Check out their awesome photo collection here!

    Significant donations accepted into the collection came from families of deceased Dawsonites, such as images from “Dinty” Dines:

    Colour view of gold being prepared for shipment. The location of the Mining Recorders Office at the time was located in the Old Post Office on Third Avenue and King Street. The man is tentatively identified as John Dines [source: S. Burkhard]. Caption: Mining Recorder Shipping Gold 1957.
    Preparing Gold for Shipment, December 1957 (Harold Dines; 2013.1.9.15)

    The Museum hired a conservator to restore the piano damaged in the 2012 pipe burst.

    Exhibition

    The Museum hosted Riley Brenan for the Riverside Arts Festival (DCM Annual Report 2014).

    Programming (other)

    Screenshot from DCM Annual Report 2014

  • 2014:

    Staff

    The Museum hired a full time curator and an archivist/librarian in addition to the executive director.

  • 2015:

    Building

    There was a small flood in the Museum, but fortunately nothing was damaged (DCM ED Report June 16, 2015).

    Governance

    After a hiatus of almost two years, the collections committee began to meet and accept donations (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    Staff

    The Museum began hiring fewer student summer staff (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

  • 2016:

    Building

    The Museum continued to experience problems with its sprinkler system, resulting in damage to a Gwichin language bible and the board room (DCM ED Report February 16, 2016).

    Collection

    The Museum had a dermestid beetle infestation, but were able to clean the infested artifacts with help from the territorial conservator before their summer opening (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    The Museum continued to receive artifacts through donation, including Diamond Jubilee Dolls (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum began working with Origin Studios on the Exhibit Renewal Project with support from the Community Development Fund (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    The Museum hosted three temporary exhibits during the summer. They were on (DCM 2017 Annual Report):

    • Jewish history of the Klondike Gold Rush
    • Yukon’s role in the First World War
    • artwork by Priska Wettstein

    Programming

    The Museum held a St. Valentine’s Day dance fundraiser, which cost the institution money (DCM March 1 Minutes).

    The Museum stopped its movie program due to low attendance (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

    The Museum participated in Chris Clarke and Bo Yeung’s walk for Truth and Reconciliation, providing research resources (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    The Museum participated in the Jack London Festival with movie nights and as judges for the gala dinner’s costume contest (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    Staff

    The Museum laid off the Archivist/ Librarian, leaving the museum with only two core staff members (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

  • 2017:

    Building

    There were minor sprinkler renovations, but the system was not replaced (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    Collection

    The Museum continued to receive donations, accepting ten acquisitions and receiving 15 new donation lots (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    The Museum loaned Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in artifacts for a display in the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in government building (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum used a Special Projects and Capital Assistance grant to create a traveling exhibition on the sinking of the S. S. Princess Sophia (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    “Princess Sophia” on Vanderbilt Reef Oct. 24th 1918 (Winter Pond Co; 1983.182.2.39)

    Governance

    The Museum commissioned a feasibility study for their renewal project (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    Programming (Other)

    The Museum participated in the Walk for Truth and Reconciliation with research and speaking at two spots (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    The Executive Director provided a talk on the Museum’s hot soda machine for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in conference Myth and Medium (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    The Museum launched a social media initiative – the History of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike in 100 objects (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

    Staff

    The Museum experienced significant difficulties hiring summer staff due to fewer applicants and applicants turning down interviews (DCM ED Report May 16, 2017). However, they hired four 35 hour/week student positions at the museum using Young Canada Works and Canada Summer Jobs (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

  • 2018:

    Collections

    The Curator conducted an inventory of the Museum’s artifacts (DCM 2019 Annual Report).

    Staff

    With recommendations from students, the Museum was able to fill summer positions primarily with local students (DCM 2019 Annual Report).

    The Museum used funding from the Yukon Heritage Training Fund for both full time employees to attend courses outside of the territory (Source)

  • 2019:

    Building

    Leaks continued to be a problem for the Museum (DCM 2020 Annual Report)

    Collections

    The Museum reconciled donor records with catalogued information (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

    The Collections Committee reviewed 35 donation lots, including material from the Gold Rush Festival (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum began working with Kubik-Maltbie on the new exhibitions.

    Staff

    The Museum hired two 35 hour / week student positions using the federal Youth Employment Strategy Programs (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

Government Policy

First Nation

Federal

  • 2010:

    Parks Canada

    Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada

  • 2012:

    Parks Canada

    Cuts to Parks Canada resulted in the loss of six full time jobs at Klondike Historic Sites and reduced hours for an additional five positions (Davidson 2012).

  • 2015:

    Parks Canada

    Parks Canada provided the Museum with space for staff housing (DCM ED report September 15, 2015).

  • 2017:

    Parks Canada

    Parks Canada submitted the Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site Advisory Committee’s nomination to the World Heritage Center (source).

  • 2018:

    Parks Canada

    Klondike National Historic Sites of Canada: Management Plan 2018

  • 2019:

    Cultural Spaces Fund

    The Government of Canada contributed $557,000 to the Dawson City Museum’s new exhibits.

Canada – Yukon

  • 2012:

    Parks Canada Cuts

    Territorial Ministers were concerned about the effects cuts to Parks Canada would have on the territory. The Minister of Tourism and Culture stated:

    The Yukon government is actively taking steps, as I mentioned, to identify potential solutions to address the impacts of these changes within Parks Canada and on Yukon. I’ve written to the Hon. Peter Kent about this issue and department officials have been meeting with local Parks Canada representatives to also identify possible mitigations to these cuts.

    YLA 33.1.64

  • 2013:

    Canadian Conservation Institution (CCI) and Yukon Government

    At Yukon Government’s request, a CCI representative visited the Dawson City Museum and conducted a site assessment (DCM ED Report October 15, 2013).

  • 2017:

    The Issue of a lease

    In order to apply for federal funding for the Dawson City Museum’s renewal project, the Museum needed a 10 year lease from the territory for the Old Territorial Administration building. The lease was not provided (DCM 2018 Annual Report).

  • 2019:

    The Issue of a lease

    The lack of a lease with Yukon government continued to delay the Museum’s application for funding. They finally received a lease in May 2019, allowing them to apply for federal funding (DCM 2019 Annual Report; DCM 2020 Annual Report).

Territorial

  • 2011:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The territorial Museums Unit held the first roundtable (Cambio 2013).

    The Museums Advisory Committee (MAC) asked the territorial Museums Unit to review standards in other jurisdictions (Cambio 2013).

  • 2013:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The roundtable participants formed a working group on standards (Cambio 2013).

    The Museums Unit met with clients to review special projects funding, clarifying the criteria and evaluation process (Cottongrass Consulting Group, Inc 2014).

  • 2014:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    Funding Allocation for Yukon Museums and First Nation Cultural/Heritage Centres Options Paper

  • 2015:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    Yukon government considered and implemented changes to the museum funding program. The government (Cambio 2015):

    • considered a new hybrid funding model that would tie some funding to standards.
    • committed to a two staged increase to operational funding of 10% a year for two years.
    • proposed a 10% increase in the third year dependent on standards adherence and taken from the Special Projects Capital Assistance Program funding. .

    Due to a lack of demand for special project money, the Museums Unit had a surplus and provided each of the 19 museums and cultural centers with over three thousand dollars to spend (DCM ED Report June 16, 2015).

    Historically, the MacBride Museum and Dawson City Museum were in a highest tier for operational funding. In 2015, the Territory made a separate higher tier for the MacBride Museum (DCM 2016 Annual Report).

  • 2016:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    Due to concerns from First Nations Cultural Centre, the hybrid model for funding was reassessed during the 2016 Roundtable. As a result, the third year funding increase was no longer tied to meeting standards (Cambio 2016).

    The Museums Unit hired a contractor to review the collections management database in consultation with museums and cultural centers (Cambio 2016).

    Operational funding increased.

    The territorial conservator visited the Dawson City Museum to help manage a beetle infestation (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

  • 2017:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The territorial conservator visited to clean artifacts that had been moved for the Dawson City Museum’s sprinkler renovations (DCM 2017 Annual Report).

    At the 2017 Roundtable, Museums were asked whether they supported the Museums Unit exploring the CollectiveAccess System for collections management. According to the roundtable report, clients were supportive (Glynn-Morris 2017).

    Participants at the Roundtable also voted unanimously that they would like to develop a new museum strategy (Glynn-Morris 2017).

  • 2018:

    Tourism Policy

    Sustainable Tourism. Our Path. Our Future. 2018-2028.

  • 2019:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    The Yukon Government provided $500,000 to help the Dawson City Museum Pay for new exhibits. Describing the support, the Minister of Tourism and Culture stated:

    On the Dawson City Museum exhibit renewal, we have $250,000 for each of the next two years — so a total of $500,000 has been allocated to this. This is multi-year — again, it will take some time, but it is about the exhibit redevelopment at the Dawson City Museum. They are going to be redoing all of their exhibits, and this will align with their anniversary. Highways and Public Works is doing extensive work as well with the Dawson City Museum to address some challenges. Again, they will be doing the permanent exhibits in the museum which require updating or replacing. Archival storage has exceeded its capacity and its offices are very inconveniently located on the second floor. To address the challenges, the museum is planning a renewal of the offices, archival storage, the exhibits, and the gallery spaces

    YLA 34.2.142

    Within Yukon Government, the Museums and Heritage Unit merged, resulting in challenges as staff had limited time to do everything (Hemmera 2019).

    Old Territorial Administration Building

    Yukon Government conducted a building assessment, funding serious defects with the building (DCM 2020 Annual Report).

Local

  • 2018:

    Official Community Plan Bylaw

  • 2013:

    During regional economic planning, the World Heritage Project (a proposal to designate the Klondike Region as a UNESCO world heritage site) was identified as a key priority (source).

Community Action

  • 2013:

    Local Community

    The Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site Advisory Committee formed with participation from the Dawson City Museum (DCM ED Report April 16, 2013).

  • 2018:

    Local Community

    The Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site Advisory Committee decided to withdraw and resubmit its nomination (source).

Questions

Is there anything missing? Let me know!

References

Cambio. 2013, October. Yukon Museums & Cultural Centers: Annual Roundtable Workshop.

Cambio. 2015, October. Yukon Museums & Cultural Centres Roundtable.

Cambio. 2016, November. Yukon Museums & Cultural Centres Roundtable.

Catherine C. Cole & Associates. 2014. Funding Allocation for Yukon Museums and First Nation Cultural/Heritage Centres Options Paper. Cultural Services, Department of Tourism and Culture, Yukon Government.

Davidson, Dan. 2012, May 30. “Council Reacts to the Cuts at Parks. The Klondike Sun. P3. http://klondikesun.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Sun12-5-30online.pdf

DCM – internal documents from the Dawson City Museum

Glynn-Morris, John. 2017, October. Museums and Cultural Centres: Dawson Roundtable.

Hemmera. 2019, November. Museums and Cultural Centres 2019 Roundtable Report.

Interview Analysis: How do I Consider Space?

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I conducted fifteen interviews with people associated with the institution historically and today. Most of the transcripts have been approved. So, my Research Assistant and I are analyzing them now. The Interview Analysis series considers this analysis and the insights people have provided.

Within this post, I consider descriptions of the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB). The building and its relationship to the Dawson City Museum (DCM) is a major theme within both the interview and archival data. As such, I am writing a paper on the building, examining the challenges and benefits it has provided the Museum. However, I am a little stuck. I do not know how to consider the descriptions below.

Examples

The Old Territorial Administration Building

Those interviewed described the Old Territorial Administration Building, which has housed the Dawson City Museum since 1962, as an actor of incredible significance. Here are some examples:

Ultimately, the Museum Society managed to take up residence in the Old Territorial Administration Building.

A 1901 vintage building on Fifth Avenue prominently cited. When it was finished in 1901, the Old Territory Administration Building was the largest building in the north. It’s 200 feet long. It’s 2 and 1/2 stories high. It’s a beautiful old wooden building. It was built to house the government of the Yukon of the late nineteenth century.

We couldn’t have asked for a grander home in resplendent white neoclassical style, gently set back on dusty 5th avenue in the park-like setting. It all looks very much like a museum.

Interview

I think it’s quite a grand building, so it’s a lovely space to be in. It elevates the quality of our exhibits from them being in that space, but also, I think it makes people expect great things…

It definitely was a pleasure to work in that space and I think it improves the Museum for it. If we were just in any old building, we’d still be great, but it wouldn’t be as good.

Interview

The Old Territorial Administration Building and the Museum’s Development

The Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB( has played a significant role in the Dawson City Museum’s development. For example, the OTAB is a government owned building and the Museum’s occupancy reflects a significant form of support without which the Museum may have closed after a fire in 1960.

The space also tangibly influences the exhibitions, which are designed with location in mind. In particular, the new exhibition cases work with the architecture. The architecture also shapes how visitors move through the building and therefore how the exhibition themes are laid out.

While there are a number concrete examples of the building’s influence, the quotes above suggest a more intangible influence – that is, the building looks like a grand museum, which effects perception.

People use words like “resplendent” to describe the space. They derive pleasure from working there and visiting. I experienced this while doing archival work in the Museum. Approaching the building in darkness was awe inducing. Sitting in the old council chambers reading letters from the 1950s felt inspiring.

According to at least one person interviewed, the space also elevates the exhibitions. People begin to both expect and see greatness. As a researcher with a love for more concrete data, I do not know how to talk about this reality.

Questions

What role does a museum space have on the ways people experience the exhibitions?

Do historic sites confer additional legitimacy to museums?

Have you ever been to the Dawson City Museum and, if so, what did you think about the space? What effect, if any, do you think it had on your experience?