Museoception

Archival Photo Finds: Reading Room

After a very intensive week in the Dawson City Museum archives, I am sorting, reading, and analyzing what I found. In order to help with analysis, I discussed archival documents as part of the Archival Research series. The Archival Photo Finds series similarly considers the stories archival photos can tell.

Within this post, I look at photos from the Klondike Heritage Library’s opening.

Photos

In the Dawson City Museum corporate archive, there is a collection of photograph credited to John Ritchammer from the opening of the Klondike Heritage Library in 1998. The library “opened” after a significant donation from Ed and Star Jones, providing space to access the Museum’s research materials. Photos from the dedication show the Jones’ involvement and community interest in the event. However, there is no attached information about the use and possible restrictions on the photos.

So, instead of provided you with images, I will encourage you to go to dawsonmuseum.ca and search through their wonderful collection as the photo examples for this posts. A search “Jones, Ed and Star” yields 585 results, demonstrating Ed and Star Jones’ significant contributions to the Dawson City Museum photo collections.

Screenshot of the Dawson City Museum website after searching “Jones, Ed and Star” on January 10, 2022

Here two examples of the pictures that come up, which I used in past posts:

Black and white view of the Dawson City Museum float. The banner reads: 'The Rudder of the Past Steers our Future.' — Dawson City Museum Float, Discovery Day Parade, c1980 (Ed and Star Jones; 1998.22.571)

Colour view of a steam engine (Klondike Mines Railway Engine No. 1 currently in the collection of the Dawson City Museum) beside the Administration Building, now the Dawson City Museum. — Dawson City Museum Float, Discovery Day Parade, c1980 (Ed and Star Jones; 1998.22.571)

Why do I find the pictures so exciting?

There are a few reasons these are interesting.

First, they highlight the Museum’s important role as an archive and site for research on the Klondike. Looking at the Museum’s archival records, they began receiving research requests as early as 1964 – that is, before the Museum even had any employees (Box 1: Genealogy/Research Requests 1964). The research role became increasingly important to the Museum and a deliberate area of activity. For example, the Museum did not follow recommendations and kept their records in the 1980s when they were advised to donate their archival collection to the Yukon Archives. Instead, the Museum used employment programs to support work on the archival collection and photography projects.

Second, the pictures demonstrate the ways in which community has shaped the Museum – that is, through donations. Importantly, the Museum has an extensive photo collection because people, including the Stars, donated photos to the collection. John Gould is another fun name to search in the collection. In particular, I recommend checking out his photos of the Bonanza Mining Museum.

Finally, these pictures demonstrate the importance of timing. They were taken in a distinct moment of time where the Museum was expanding its operations and receiving a lot of support. The dedication came with a promise of a full time staff member to work with the Museum’s library and archives. A few years later the Museum began experiencing financial difficulties and was unable to maintain the finances needed for the director position. If the donation had been made at that time, it seems less likely that the Museum could have secured the donation with a promise to maintain a library.

What can we learn from the pictures?

For me, they bring to mind ideas of institutionalism and path dependency. The Museum established a research role early and became a repository for documents or photos on the Klondike. As a result, the Museum still operates an archive despite the lack of funding for an archivist.

Questions

Why do you think museums continue to operate archives when they often have difficulty funding them?

Archival Photo Finds: Quilted Emotions

Within this post, I look at photos taken as part of the Quilted Emotions temporary exhibition in the 1980s.

Photos

Why do I find these pictures so exciting?

These pictures show Dawsonites creating quilts in the 1983.

In the mid 1980s, the Dawson City Museum underwent a 2.9-million-dollar renovation. They asked for a room that could be used as an exhibition space and got “the Big Black Box” – that is, a room without windows and painted black. The first exhibition in the space was an exhibition of quilts created by the locals in the photos.

Community

Before finding the pictures, the story was interesting because it is an example of the community’s influence on the Museum. The Museum’s temporary exhibitions were, historically, created in collaboration with the local community and/or for this community. The local community has thus shaped the stories that are told in the Museum.

The pictures make the exhibition story more interesting to me because they show that the museum workers were also members of the local community. Several people who were involved with the Museum also participated in quilt creation. They were able to partner with the community to create an exhibition in part because they were that community.

Government Policy

Considering Yukon community museums more broadly, the Quilt exhibition is particularly notable because it enabled the Dawson City Museum to create Yukon’s first exhibition catalogue. The publication relied on funding from the Yukon Government, Yukon Lotteries Commission, and Canada Council. In other words, project funding enabled the catalogue’s creation.

The Quilt exhibition also provided the Museum with the time to develop permanent exhibitions for the newly renovated gallery, using project grants and employment programs.

What can we learn from the pictures?

The pictures challenge me to stop thinking of the Museum and the local community as two distinct groups. At times, the Museum, represented through staff and volunteers, has been an integral component of the community.

The pictures also help illustrate that temporary exhibitions can provide chances to engage with communities. While permanent exhibitions rarely change and involve multi-year long processes to change, the Dawson City Museum’s temporary exhibitions can change regularly.

Questions

Do you have any great examples of temporary exhibitions providing the impetus for community engagement? How can we ensure that this engagement is not momentary / isolated to that exhibition?

Archival Photo Find: Jubilee Doll Photos

In 1977, Dawson City celebrated its Diamond Jubilee year:

One black and white photograph of Dawson City mayor, Yolanda Burkhard, holding an official proclamation of the beginning of the City of Dawson's Diamond Jubilee Year. The proclamation is dated January 9, 1977. — Yolanda Burkhard, Mayor of Dawson City, September 1, 1977 (Canadian Photo Archive; 1994.642.2)

In preparation for the celebrations, the Dawson City Museum employed people to create Jubilee Dolls under the banner “Big Cabin Crafts.” Within this post, I look at photos of these Jubilee Dolls and their creation.

Photos

A black and white photo of two jubilee dolls in a museum exhibition. — These photos were found on a CD in the Dawson City Museum’s corporate archives.

What can we learn from these pictures?

The Dawson City Museum facilitated Big Cabin Crafts, using a Local Initiatives Program (LIP) grant in winter 1976. LIP was a federal employment program, which enabled the Museum’s first director/curator to work year-round.

Big Cabin Crafts and the picture above of people creating the dolls illustrates the Museum’s relationship to the community as an employer. Importantly, LIP provided employment in areas, such as Dawson City, suffering due to de-industrialization in the 1970s. The funding allowed the Museum to serve the community’s needs by providing winter employment to a number of people.

In short, government policy influenced the Museum through the provision of an employment grant, which helped the Museum better serve community needs.

What are some of the lasting impacts of LIP and Big Cabin Crafts on the Museum?

There are several lasting impacts of the Jubilee Doll project:

One of the dolls is still on display at the Museum as part of a display on celebrations.

A color photo of a display on celebrations at the Dawson City Museum. — These photos were taken by the author in November, 2021.

A close up of a doll in a display on celebrations at the Dawson City Museum, — These photos were taken by the author in November, 2021.

Employment and more general project grants became the primary means through which the Museum supported paid staff.
When the territory established a grant program explicitly for museums in the 1980s with a curator salary component, advocates pointed to the work accomplished at the Dawson City Museum when they employed someone year-round.

In short, the use of an LIP grant for Big Cabin Crafts led to a doll in the collection, provided a template for museum employment that continues today, and demonstrated the value of year round employment, which informed the development of a territorial grant program.

Questions

Short term employment and other project grants continue to be a source of funding for staff within museums in what is now called Canada. What effect do you think this has on community museum development and capacity?

Archival Photo Finds: Evolving exhibitions

Within this post, I look at photos of the Museum’s permanent exhibitions from 1959 to today.

Photos

1959

Photograph of antique car located inside the first Dawson Museum. Possibly pre-1920 Dodge. Vaccuum/gravity feed gas line. — These photos were taken in 1959 by Charles W. Schneider. They are available in the Dawson City Museum photo archive here.

Interior view of the old Dawson City Museum located in the Firehall. Several artifacts, curios, and cupboards are visible. Two large oil paintings of nude women are hanging behind display. Items were subsequently damaged or lost in the fire — These photos were taken in 1959 by Charles W. Schneider. They are available in the Dawson City Museum photo archive here.

1962

1976 – 1978

An exhibit of animal bones — These photos were taken from 1976 to 1979. They were found in the Dawson City Museum’s corporate archives.

An exhibit containing a net, boots and other material — These photos were taken from 1976 to 1979. They were found in the Dawson City Museum’s corporate archives.

1989

2010s – 2020

These photos show the Museum exhibitions from around 2009 to 2020.

2021

Why do I find the pictures so exciting?

The photos demonstrate an evolution in how artifacts were displayed in a community museum with a relatively small budget.

Prior to the 1970s, the Museum objects were grouped together with some organization. However, the space had a “community attic” feel without a narrative. Here is an example:

Dawson City Museum Exhibits in Old Fire Hall, Front Street, pre 1960 (Canadian Photo Archive; 1984.66.1)

In the 1970s, the Museum began to employ a year-round director who used employment programs to hire staff. The paid staff worked to professionalize the Museum, organizing the exhibitions to tell stories. Here is an example, which shows the development of Dawson City chronologically with different eras:

The photo was found in the Dawson City Museum Corporate Archives with 1976-77 on the back (Box 41; 2000.16.152).

They also began creating dioramas, which organized artifacts according to themes (e.g., items seen in a store):

The photo was found in the Dawson City Museum Corporate Archives with 1977-78 on the back (Box 40; 2000.16.159)

In the 1980s, Parks Canada members were on the Museum’s board, participating on the display committee when dioramas were a popular way to exhibit materials in museums. As such, the Museum staff created more dioramic displays like the one below :

This image is of a postcard from the Dawson City Museum, showing a Miner’s Cabin. The Cabin was built as early as 1989 (see photo above).

The Museum opened a new permanent exhibition in the early 2000s, renovating part of the South Gallery. However, I do not have pictures illustrating this change. If you have any images of the “Lind Gallery,” please let me know!

In 2009 the Museum made mannequins that looked like community members. These mannequins then populated the exhibitions. Here is an example of a mannequin in the Miner’s Cabin from the photo above:

A Miner's Cabin diorama with a mannequin that looks like a community member.

Recently, the Museum opened their new exhibitions. They were created in partnership with a design team and use more contemporary methods of display. For example, information is considered thematically rather than chronologically, there are no dioramas, and some objects are behind glass.

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Here are some photos of one of my favorite themes – Klondikephilia:

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Interestingly, has kept a community museum feel with large groupings and collections of objects. There are so many artifacts on display! Here is an updated visible storage display:

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A post shared by Robin Nelson (@museoception)

What can we learn from the pictures?

The pictures demonstrate staffs’ commitment to creating professional museum displays despite limited resources. As expectations and best practices have changed, so has the Museum.

The pictures also help answer the research question – How has the Dawson City Museum developed in relation to government policy and community action?

Government policy: The creation of new exhibitions requires money. The Museum’s ability to update and renew the space, therefore, depends on government policy. Both the territorial and federal government have provided funding for exhibition development through programs that address museum or cultural policy goals. The Museum has also accessed funding from other programs, such as the territory’s Community Development Fund.
Community action: The community is reflected in the exhibitions, which tell stories about community action. Further:
- The dioramas reflect the approach taken to exhibitions within Dawson City’s heritage community.
- The objects displayed were donated from communities of people interested in the Klondike.
- The mannequins are a literal reflection of the local community.
- And, perhaps most importantly, the Museum is a vehicle through which the local community is presented to tourists. The permanent exhibitions have reflected the stories the Museum staff and board members, who are also members of the local community, feel are important to tell.

I look forward to seeing how the Museum continues to evolve over time!

Questions

What is your biggest take away from the pictures? What do you think that we can learn?

Do you agree with the connections I have made to government policy and community action?

Do you have any pictures of the Dawson City Museum’s interior that would enrich this presentation?

Archival Research: Reduced Student Positions

After a very intensive week in the Dawson City Museum (DCM) archives, I am sorting, reading, and analyzing what I found. The documents scanned are interesting and contributing to the narrative(s) about the DCM’s development. In order to help with the analysis, the “Archival Research” series considers the stories archival materials tell, looking at the items I found most exciting.

Within this post, I consider the effects of cuts to student employment programs experienced in the early 2000s. Here is an excerpt from a letter the Dawson City Museum’s Director sent to the territorial museums advisor:

2003, August. Letter to the Museum Advisor. Correspondence. Box 39a. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Why is the letter interesting?

As I have explained elsewhere, student employment programs are incredibly significant to community museums. In 2003, the Dawson City Museum (DCM) relied heavily on both Young Canada Works (YCW) and the HRDC Summer Career Placement (SCP). However, they received:

fewer student positions – that is, 6 fewer positions than they applied for.
fewer work hours a week per student – the SCP positions were reduced to 30 hours a week.
fewer work weeks per student.

As a result:

It was more difficult to staff the museum during opening hours.
Students quit partway through because they were not making enough money.
The Museum opened later than usual.
The Museum needed to pay out of pocket to have students working during Discovery Days – a significant holiday in Dawson City.
The Museum was unable to participate in Discovery Days and, therefore, saw a significant decrease in visitor numbers.
The Museum had to pay for a Gift Shop assistant out of their budget.

Fearing additional cuts, the Director wrote:

I feel that the Dawson City Museum and our reputation will be adversely affected if we continue to cut back hours, activities and services because we do not have the human or financial resources to do otherwise.
2003, August. Letter to the Museum Advisor. Correspondence. Box 39a. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Is there broader relevance?

During the 1990s, the DCM was able to take advantage of multiple employment programs, contributing to an expansion of museum activities. However, they began to experience cuts in those programs in the early 2000s. In addition to cuts, other government programs intersect to make funding more challenging to access as discussed here.

As I consider the development of the Dawson City Museum, I am looking at explanatory factors for change. The Museum experienced a significant change as it moved from the 1990s to the 2000s – that is, it went from being a hub of community activity, expanding its operations and engaging in significant projects, to being a tourist attraction more narrowly with seemingly less community engagement.

It is possible that the decline in summer student employment contributed to this change. With fewer people available to staff the Museum and provide programming during its busiest season, what affect does that have on the work of the permanent staff?

Questions

What do you think? Is this a potential explanation for a decline in museum activity / community engagement experienced in the 21st century?

Archival Research: Declining Role of the Museum Advisor

Within this post, I continue to examine the Museum Advisor’s role, which I started in The Importance of Presence. In particular, I consider the reduced relevance of the Museum Advisor to individual museums, like the Dawson City Museum, in the early 2000s.

As part of the consultations for the Museum Strategy in 2001, the Dawson City Museum’s Director submitted the following comments about the Museums Advisor:

The Museum Advisor currently is too overloaded with other
responsibilities to provide proper and timely services to museums. We have been waiting since April to hear word on Small Capital Grant
programme applications for summer work. It is now approaching the end
of August and there is no word yet on our success or failure. There will
not be sufficient time during the good weather remaining this fall to
complete the work contemplated. There seems to be no excuse for this
delay other than the fact that the Museum Advisor has too many other
responsibilities unrelated to museums. — Thistle, Paul. 2001, August. Response to Interview Questions. Strategy for Yukon museums. Box 29a. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Why is the submission interesting?

The submission is interesting because it outlines a change in the relationship between the Museum Advisor and individual museum workers.

In The Important of Presence, I looked at the Dawson City Museum’s Board meeting minutes to consider the assistance that both the territorial Heritage Branch Director and Museum Advisor provided to the Dawson City Museum. At the time, the Director and Advisor were physically present in the museum community and easily reachable by phone. As a result, they were able to provide assistance in response to issues.

The submission above indicates that the Museum Advisor was no longer as helpful as he once was. Historically, he had helped the Museum with their grant applications. However, in August 2001 the Museum had:

been waiting since April to hear word on Small Capital Grant programme applications for summer work.
see above

At the end of the summer, they had not heard anything from the Museum advisor. He was far less present in the Museum than he had been in the 1980s.

Is there broader relevance?

When the Museum Advisor was hired in 1984, six museums were receiving operational support. In 2001 – the date of the submission above – nine museums were receiving operational support from the territory and First Nations were beginning to develop cultural centers. At the same time, the territory had its own collections and opened the Beringia Centre.

As a result, the Museum Advisor had increasing responsibilities. In other words, he was becoming:

too overloaded with other responsibilities to provide proper and timely service to museums.
Thistle, Paul. 2001, August. Response to Interview Questions. Strategy for Yukon museums. Box 29a. Dawson City Museum Archives.

The addition of other museums, cultural centers, and territorial institutions to the Museum Advisors’ portfolio without the addition of more museum advisors provides an explanation for change. Although the articulated policy did not change, the policy changed in practice with fewer resources available to the museums through the advisor.

Questions

What do you think? Have I properly understood and explained this change in territorial policy?

References

Thistle, Paul. 2001, August. Response to Interview Questions. Strategy for Yukon museums. Box 29a. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Other Archival Research Posts

The Importance of Presence

Early Federal Influence

The Issue of Rent

The Beringia Center as Competitor

A Community of Community Museums?

Arguments Against Centralization

Community Mobilized

Too Much for One Person

Overwhelming Obstacles

Archival Research: The Importance of Presence

Within this post, I am considering the importance of a person’s physical presence and availability when providing support to community museums. In particular, the Dawson City Museum’s (DCM) Board Minutes from the 1980s demonstrate that the territorial Heritage Branch’s Director and the Museum Advisor attended meetings, providing reactive support in response to issues.

Please note: unlike past archival research posts, I am not including a picture because there are a lot of names in these reports and I am respecting confidentiality.

Why are these meetings interesting?

The Minutes show tangible examples of the assistance that can be provided when government actors are physically present in a museum space to learn about problems. For example, the Heritage Branch’s Director attended a meeting in 1983 and offered the following assistance:

The Museum Board members were upset because the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) was only going to Whitehorse and would not visit Dawson. The Director agreed the Museum had a definite need and noted:

He will be seeing a woman from the CCI later this month and will see what he can do.
DCM Minutes May 3, 1983

He provided insider advice on how to be more successful in grant applications. The Minutes state:

It was suggested that when we apply for capital grants we should try to emphasize visible projects that will have more direct approval from politicians and the public.
DCM Minutes May 3, 1983

He agreed to try and send a bookkeeper to help museum staff who were struggling with bookkeeping.
He volunteered to help the Museum buy a second hand microfilm reader from the territory.

In 1984, the territorial Heritage Branch hired a Museum Advisor. This advisor also began attending occasional Dawson City Museum Board meetings. Examples of assistance provided include:

He worked with Museum staff on grant applications (DCM Meeting minutes June 12, 1984).
He provided unofficial information on granted amounts to help with planning (DCM Meeting minutes June 12, 1984).
He facilitated a better relationship with national funding agencies (DCM 1984 Annual General Meeting Minutes).

More importantly, the Minutes and the Museum’s reports indicate that he was also available by phone to regularly help Museum staff.

In short, during the 1980s both the Director of the Heritage Branch and Museum Advisor went to the Dawson City Museum (or were easily available by phone) and were able to assist the Museum in response to problems.

Is there broader relevance?

Presence facilitates support.

When the Director and/or Museum Advisor were present in the Museum, they were able to hear about problems and offer solutions. For example, in the microfilm reader example above, the Museum had already tried purchasing a used machine from government without success. As a government actor, the Heritage Branch’s Director was able to make the connections needed to be successful.

Sometimes, museum workers discuss a decline in support, but the number of advisory services remain the same. I think the change is actually in the accessibility of the government actor(s). Who is accessible? How accessible are they?

The next post will provide a contrasting example to show this difference.

Questions

What do you think? Have I fully understood the significance of presence?

Other Archival Research Posts

Early Federal Influence

The Issue of Rent

The Beringia Center as Competitor

A Community of Community Museums?

Arguments Against Centralization

Community Mobilized

Too Much for One Person

Overwhelming Obstacles

Archival Research: Early Federal Influence

Within this post, I am considering an instance of early federal influence on Yukon community museum policy. The federal government started a grant for operating funding to community museums in Yukon. When they stopped, the Yukon government stepped up. Here is a letter describing the change:

MacKenzie, K. 1961, December. Letter to the Dawson Museum & Historical Society. Correspondence Roy minister 1961-2. Box 39. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Why is this letter interesting?

The letter shows that the federal government originated operational funding to Yukon community museums. They gave the Dawson City Museum (DCM) and MacBride $500 each, starting in the late 1950s. However, the grant did not last.

When the grant ended in 1961-62, these museums began receiving funding from the territorial government as registered societies engaged in tourism related activities. In other words, the territory continued a source of funding originally established by the federal government.

Is there broader relevance?

Federal influence on Yukon community museum policy is a significant theme in my research. The operating grant provides an early example.

The Old Territorial Administration Building is another. When the Museum began occupying the space for 5$ a month, it was under federal jurisdiction. Then, when the territorial government became responsible for the building, the Museum was already there and continued to occupy the space. I discuss the issue of rent here.

Moving forward, I will continue to consider federal action when seeking explanations for territorial policy development. As this letter demonstrates, federal initiative seems to be critical to explaining the development of Yukon community museum policy.

Questions

What do you think? Do you know of other instances where federal action significantly influenced territorial activity?

Other Archival Research Posts

The Issue of Rent

The Beringia Center as Competitor

A Community of Community Museums?

Arguments Against Centralization

Community Mobilized

Too Much for One Person

Overwhelming Obstacles

Government Relationships

Archival Research: The Issue of Rent

Within this post, I am looking at the letter that gave the Dawson City Museum permission to occupy the Old Territorial Administration Building for 5$ a month after their first location burnt down. Here it is:

Correspondence Minister 1961-2, Box 39c. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Why is the letter interesting?

The Dawson City Museum (DCM) was housed in the old fire hall until it burned down in 1960.

Old Dawson City Museum on Fire, June 5, 1960 (Artist: Roy McLeod; Dawson City Museum Archive 1993.3.11)

The DCM began looking for a new building immediately because they wanted to open for the Gold Rush Festival in 1962. In an appeal to occupy the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB), a Museum representative wrote:

It is imperative to assist the Festival that we have accommodations. Until we can have assurance it is not possible to get going on this important project as we will need to start from scratch.
Shaw 1962

Fortunately, the federal Department of Public Works agreed to lease the space at a rate of $5 for the festival period.

In the late 70s Parks Canada planned to take over the space, but their budget for the Klondike National Historic Site program was cut from $1.5 to $1 million, meaning they were unable to include the OTAB in their renovations (Northern Times 1979). As such, it became a territorial building and the DCM continued to grow in the space.

The DCM did not pay rent or have a lease for most of its time in OTAB. In 1998, they entered into negotiations at the request of Yukon Property Management, which proposed a rent of $10,000 a year (DCM Minutes 14 January 1998). The Museum could not afford this, but began to pay $4,000 a year in 1999. Despite inflation, the Museum continues to pay the same rent for the space.

The Old Territorial Administration Building

Is there broader relevance?

Most obviously, the Museum never left. The original rental price referred to the period of the Festival. Then, there was no lease agreement but the Museum remained and eventually expanded into the unused rooms. In other words, the Old Territorial Administration Building has been the Museum’s home since 1962 thanks to a decision made by Public Works to provide the Museum with space in time for the Gold Rush Festival.

The low rental cost also reflects a form of support from the territorial government. The amount has not increased with inflation and the building’s operation and maintenance costs are between 135 thousand and 158 thousand a year. As such, we see the same path dependent effects with the rental costs. The Museum pays $4000 a year in rent because that is the cost established over 20 years ago.

Questions

What do you think? Do you find the document as interesting as I do? If so, what lessons do you think we can draw when talking about the history of the Dawson City Museum?

References

Shaw, G. 1962. Letter to the Superintendent of Buildings. Correspondence Minister 1961-62, Box 39c. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Archival Research: The Beringia Centre as a Competitor

Within this post, I build on the centralization (support for a territorial museum) vs. decentralization (support for a network of museums) conversation in Yukon community museum policy. The first post on this topic is available here and the second here.

I am looking at the Minister of Tourism’s response to advocacy from the Yukon Historical and Museums association (YHMA). The YHMA articulated a concern that funding for new staffing positions at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, which is a territorial institution that opened in 1997 to exhibit natural heritage, would ultimately harm the community museums in the territory.

Here is an excerpt from the Minister’s letter:

Keenan, David. 1997, May 16. Letter to the Chair of the YHMA Committee. Correspondence director 1997 1998. Box 25. Dawson City Museum Archives.

Why is the letter interesting?

I find the letter interesting for two reasons:

First, the letter assumes that community museums are only hiring summer student staff and not permanent staff with the same “level of skills, training and experience” the government was looking to hire (Keenan 1997). It neglects the possibility that community museums, like the Dawson City Museum which has had a year round curator since 1975, may want to hire professional staff but struggle to compete with government positions due to their limited resources.

Second, the letter goes on to say:

Considering that Parks Canada has been hiring summer interpretive visitor service staff in Kluane National Park, Klondike National Historic Sites in Dawson, Chilkoot Trail National Historic Park and S.S. Klondike National Historic Site, year after year, with no impact on museum operations, it is extremely unlikely that Beringia Centre staffing would have any negative consequences.
Keenan 1997

The Minister assumed Parks Canada operations and staffing had not competed with community museum’s attempts to hire students. This assumption conflicts with my existing research. In Dawson City, the Museum does compete with Parks for staff and has less to offer in terms of salary and accommodations. I talk about that here.

In short, the letter shows little consideration of community museums’ concerns about a territorial center. In particular, the government representative does not seem to understand how a territorial centre may compete with the existing community museum program for funding and resources. Or, perhaps more accurately, community museums’ concerns were not a priority. As the letter stated:

I can appreciate your desire for more Yukon Government funding of museums activities but your interests have been and are consistently weighed against equally legitimate interests in all aspects of our Yukon Society. It is therefore important to recognize that Government of the Yukon has allocated additional O&M funds to community museums in the 1997/98 budget – particularly when many important non-governmental organizations either had reductions or saw no increases whatsoever.
Keenan 1997

Is there broader relevance?

I do not know if there is broader relevance. However, the creation of the Beringia Centre suggests a shift toward supporting centralized museums and museum-like institutions within Yukon. What is not clear is: Has that change been paired with a shift away from support for a decentralized system? Further, when considered with reference to government responses to museum problems in the 1980s (e.g., Government Relationships), was there a shift away from concern for and knowledge of community museums’ problems?

Questions

What do you think? Are these the same lessons you draw from the letter? Do you have potential answers to my questions?

References

Keenan, David. 1997, May 16. Letter to the Chair of the YHMA Committee. Correspondence director 1997 1998. Box 25. Dawson City Museum Archives.