Case Study: Fire vs. Heritage

In MacEwan’s Museum Management class, we consider the regulations that museums have to meet. For example, museums are – most often – buildings open to the public. As such, they have to follow the rules for publicly accessibly spaces. These rules, such as accessibility legislation and fire codes, are not usually written to consider the needs of museums and, more specifically, museums located in historic sites.

While accessibility legislation is relatively new, the first national Fire Code of Canada was published in 1963, meaning museums have a long history of adapting to new fire regulations. For example, in 1980 the Dawson City Museum had to delay opening because a fire inspector’s report called for changes to the building. They had to wait for funding from the territory to implement the changes and then approval from the fire inspector to open (Tait 1980; DCM Director’s Annual Report March 4 1981).

Within this post, I consider a difficulty that arises when museums open in historic buildings and work to make the space safer. These organizations try to meet regulation and install safety features that will preserve the collections while also maintaining the building’s historic elements of significance.

The case study is from the Dawson City Museum (DCM) Project. After providing context, the post considers the argument against the installation of sprinklers, the situation that led to sprinklers, and an instance where the sprinkler system damaged the collection.

Background

The Dawson City Museum (DCM) is an interesting case study because the DCM moved to the Old Territorial Administration Building after their first building (an old fire hall) burnt down (If you want to learn more about the Museum’s early history, check out these timelines from the 1950s and 1960s).

Picture of a burning building
Old Dawson City Museum on Fire, June 5, 1960 (Artist: Roy McLeod; Dawson City Museum Archive 1993.3.11)

The Museum re-opened in the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB) in time for the 1962 Gold Rush Festival. OTAB is a national historic site of Canada that the territorial government owns. As such, restorations are often discussed in the Legislative Assembly, leading to some interesting minutes.

Argument Against the Sprinklers

In the mid 1980s, the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB) underwent extensive renovations that cost the territory 2.9 million dollars (source).

In March 1986, a Member of Legislative Assembly argued for the installation of a sprinkler system in OTAB. Using quotes from the Dawson City Mayor and the territory’s fire Marshall, he argued Dawson City did not have the resources to fight a fire in a large wooden structure.

However, those most concerned about the heritage value of the building, argued against a sprinkler system. The Minister responsible for Government Services (and therefore government buildings like OTAB) stated:

Were we building a new building, we would clearly put in a sprinkler system, but this is a restoration function. The technical people have considered various possibilities, wet sprinkler systems, dry sprinkler systems, sprinklers only in the hallways but not in some areas, sprinklers in the areas slated to be heated all year, but not in other areas, and the like. The consensus is that it is not desirable. Parks Canada and the Yukon Heritage Branch and the Dawson City Museum Society, I am informed, are clearly and emphatically of that view. 

Source

At that time, the concerns about the historical integrity of the building were considered more important than installing sprinklers. They did not want to obscure the building’s beautiful features, such as the ceiling, and sprinklers were not needed to adhere to the fire code.

Picture of the North Gallery ceiling taken during the 1986 renovations (Source: Dawson City Museum)

Argument for the Sprinklers

In 1994, the territorial government installed a sprinkler system in the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB). A Member of Legislative Assembly inquired about the change, asking:

 I was under the impression that a sprinkler system was considered to be contrary to maintaining the historic integrity of that building – at least that was the rationale that was given when the OTAB building was renovated some years ago. There was even some suggestion from many people, including people in government, that the building have sprinklers. The department at that time seemed to be taking advice from someone or other that to do so would be completely unfriendly to the notion that this building was going to remain as an exact replica of its former self. 

Source

According to the Minister of Tourism, a significant event changed people’s minds. The Yukon Government acquired  S.S. Tutshi in 1971 and engaged in an extensive restoration process. However, as the restoration was nearing completion in 1990, it caught fire.

The loss of the  S.S. Tutshi prompted a reconsideration of a sprinkler system in the OTAB due to the historic value of the building. The change in approach led to one of the my favorite quotes from the Legislative Assembly minutes:

 I am a little surprised that people were not aware some time ago that wood burns and that without a fire protection system, buildings actually burn right to the ground, as do boats. 

Source

Oops!

In 2012, the Dawson City Museum’s (DCM) sprinkler system was faulty, soaking thousands of artifacts (source). The event demonstrates that even though sprinklers are recommended for museums and are the best way to protect collections (for an example, see this Canadian Conservation Institute note on the subject), there can be issues with them that need to be considered (in addition to the loss of historical character).

Picture of a piano damaged by the sprinkler system (Laura Mann; CBC Article Link)

Questions

Aside from fire and accessibility legislation, what government regulations related to space should students in museum management be considering?

References

Tait, Dave. 1980, January. “Dawson Museum gets $14,000 Worth of Relief.” Whitehorse Daily Star. p3.

Case Study: Dawson City Museum Timeline, 1970s

Last updated: April 6, 2022

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

Old Territorial Administration Building, May 1976 (Artist: Pam Elton; Dawson City Museum Archives 2006.4.21)

  • 1970:

    After a failed fire inspection in 1968 and a lack of community participation in the Museum, the Society offered to sell all of its assets to National Historic Sites for $1 (Shaw 1970).

    Collections

    The DCM arranged to repair and recondition a grand piano that was vandalized in the Community Hall (Whitehorse Star 1970, August).

  • 1971: After a fire inspection caused the Museum to consider closing and transferring its assets to the National Historic Sites, there is a change on the Board and the Museum decides to stay open (Snider 1971 1972).

  • 1973:

    Collections

    William Ogilvie’s – a pioneer surveyor / member of the first scientific expedition into the territory – granddaughter donates a theodolite that he used (Yukon News, 1973).

  • 1974:

    Collections

    The Museum is concerned about their ability to house valuable objects in the Old Territorial Building, such as Klondike Kate’s Clothing (Harvey 1974).

  • 1975:

    Building

    The DCM decided to build a new building for the museum, leading to a search for a suitable site (Jones 1975, April).

    The DCM repainted the interior of the Old Territorial Administration Building, which housed (and continues to house…) the Museum.

    Collections

    Colour view of the Dawson Hardware Store which also served as a Gold Rush Museum. A smaller building adjacent served as the gift store, called the Gold Rush Boutique. The buildings and museum were owned by Joe and Marion Langevin.
    Gold Rush Museum, October 1975 (Artist: Harold Dines; Dawson City Museum Archives 2013.1.21.7)

    The DCM purchased the Dawson Hardware Museum building and collection.

    • They had put down a downpayment in Spring to keep the collection in Dawson, but did not have the full amount when it was due.
    • The Klondike Visitor’s Association loaned money interest free and the defunct Kiwanas Club gave money that was left in their account (Snowalter 1975).
    • During the summer, this new museum / collection was opened to the public for four hours a day.
    Joe Langevin and Marion Langevin, Dawson Hardware Museum, c1975 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 1975.6.29)

    Exhibitions

    Staff began to reorganize and relabel the displays (Dawson City Museum Curator’s Report, 1975).

    Fundraising / Earned Revenues

    The Museum:

    • Held a Steak Dinner and Dance as well as a Bazaar to raise funds for the museum (Jones 1975, May).
    • Put out a pot for donations – that is, Thundermug fund (Dawson City Museum Curator’s Report, 1975).

    Winchester produced 10,200 Klondike Gold Rush Commemorative Rifles and gave a percent of the royalties from sales to the DCM for their building fund (Trolard 1986).

    Staffing

    Short term grants allowed the museum to hire staff. For example:

    • The DCM used a Local Initiatives Program grant, employing people during winter to build a washroom, put a fence around the trains, do research (Indigenous history and personalities of the gold rush), catalogue the collection, and rearrange the displays (Snowalter 1975).
    • An individual began working year round as the Museum’s first curator (Dawson City Museum Curator’s Report 1975).

    OTAB – the museum building – was too cold to work in during the winter. So, museum staff worked out of room in the City Garage with insulation and plastic provided by the Museum (Dawson City Museum Curator’s Report, 1975).

  • 1976:

    Building

    There was concern that the building was not to national standards, limiting federal funding available (Rubinsky 1976). As such, Society members agreed that the Old Territorial Administration Building should be restored (Dawson City Museum Society Meeting Minutes, February 2, 1976).

    The DCM advertised that the old Hardware Museum building was for rent or sale (Dawson City Museum Society Meeting Minutes, June 29, 1976).

    Bonanza Hotel Fire, May 1976 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 1984.170.1)

    The DCM Society members were concerned about fire due to a fire in Bonanza (see the picture above) so they installed smoke detectors (Rubinsky 1976).

    Collections

    The Museum stored some of its collection at the Parks Canada Bear Creek location (Dawson City Museum Society Meeting Minutes, June 29, 1976).

    Bear Creek, c1972 (Artist: Harold Dines; Dawson City Museum Archives: 2013.1.7.15)

    Exhibitions

    The Museum re-opened, incorporating the collection from the Hardware Museum purchased and operated in 1975. As a result, the exhibitions began to reflect rooms and shops (Rubinsky 1976), including:

    • Klondike Kate’s bedroom
    Klondike Kate, c1900 (Artist: Joseph E. N. Duclos; Dawson City Museum 1984.211.8)
    • a blacksmith shop
    Blacksmith Shop, c1920 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 1984.221.1)
    • a cabin

    Fundraising / Earned Revenues

    The Museum received funding through the Local Initiatives Program (LIP) for “Big Cabin Crafts,” which involved working with Dawsonites to make Jubilee Dolls and then selling the dolls in the gift shop (Dawson City Museum AGM Minutes October 27, 1976).

    A screen shot of an image in: Hamilton, Janice. 1977, June 8. “Pay off comes for pre-industrial revolution.” Whitehorse Star, page 7.

    The DCM continued:

    • Thundermug fund
    • Operating a “sales corner” in the Museum
    • A Christmas bazaar / community fair

    The DCM held a raffle for a Klondike Commemorative Rifle (Dawson City Museum Meeting Minutes, August 31, 1976).

    Staffing

    Short term grants allowed the museum to hire staff. For example:

    • The Local Initiatives Program (LIP) was incredibly important to winter staffing, which involved as many as 7 staff (Dawson City Museum AGM Minutes October 27, 1976; Curator Report, December 7, 1976).

    The Museum continued to be too cold for use during the winter. During the winter, staff worked in offices on loan from Parks Canada (DCM Curator Report December 7, 1976).

    Programming (Other)

    The staff were costumed this year (Curator’s Report June 1976).

  • 1977:

    Building

    The Society unanimously agreed to stay in the Old Territorial Administration Building (Curators Report for a meeting on March 29, 1977).

    Collections

    The Museum rented a warehouse at Bear Creek from Parks Canada to store artifacts (Curator’s Report for the Annual General Meeting, October 25, 1977).

    card mounted view of Robert Service sitting at his desk in Monte Carlo with his hand on his small typewriter. The rolltop desk is also in the Dawson City Museum collection
    Robert Service at his desk in Monte Carlo, c1930 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archive: 1977.9.2)

    Robert Service’s Desk was donated to the Museum.

    Exhibitions

    The DCM opened new exhibitions on the second floor and re-decorated the old Council Chambers (DCM Curator’s Report for the Annual General Meeting, October 25, 1977).

    colour image of the of Fortymile Townsite sign
    Fortymile at Break Up, 1978 (Artist: Boyd Campbell; Dawson City Museum Archives: 1984.102.1)

    The Clinton Creek Ladies Petticoat Circle sponsored the Fortymile exhibit, which opened in the summer. The exhibit was based on research conducted as part of the 1976-1977 Winter Works grant (Jones 1977). Then information needed to be reviewed in the winter because it had not been “condensed enough” (DCM Annual General Meeting Minutes, October 25, 1977).

    Fundraising / Earned Revenue

    The Museum collaborated with Parks Canada on a postcard series (see below), which the DCM sold in their gift shop alongside a reproduction of a 1903 poster. Other objects sold in the new gift shop area include books and the Jubilee Dolls (see above).

    Governance

    The Museum received charitable status (DCM Minutes February 28 1978).

    Staffing

    Short term grants allowed the Museum to hire staff. For example:

    • During the summer season, the Museum hired eight people due to a Tourist Advisory Grant.
    • They received another Local Initiatives Program grant for winter employment.
    • They received a Young Canada Works Grant to clean graveyards in the community (DCM Curator’s Report for the Annual General Meeting, October 25, 1977).
    • During the winter there were up to 17 people employed at the museum (DCM Curators Report for a meeting on March 29, 1977).

  • 1978:

    Collections

    The DCM engaged in cataloguing work thanks to funding for employment from Canada Works (DCM Minutes March 28 1978).

    The catalogue work in partnership with Indigenous Peoples revealed most of the artifacts relating to Indigenous Peoples did not come from the area (Robinson 1978).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum developed an exhibition on Indigenous Peoples to replace the “Walk through Dawson” exhibit and former mining office wicket (DCM Minutes March 28 1978).

    • Using a Canada Works grant, the Museum hired someone to research the Hän speaking peoples.
    • The research involved taking photos of someone making snow shoes and another person tanning hides.
    • It also involved recording conversations with Indigenous Peoples.
    • Hides were donated from Old Crow for the exhibition.

    Planning

    The DCM received $13,800 from the Yukon Department of Tourism and $3,000 from the Klondike Visitors Association to hire Raymond Harris to conduct a planning study for the museums future (Lawrence 1978).

    • Importantly, the feasibility study was necessary for the Museum to be eligible for funding from the National Museum funding program.
    • The study considered whether the Museum’s collection could continue to be accommodated in the Old Territorial Administration Building because Parks Canada was planning restorations (DCM Minutes January 25 1978).

    Programming (Other)

    The DCM participated in the National Museum’s Explore your Heritage competition. The Museum selected six students who wrote essays on “A Yukon Winter” to win a 24 day tour of Canada to see heritage sites (DCM Director’s Report February 2 1978).

    The DCM was contracted to coordinated the Dawson Film Find, receiving funding from the National Film Archives. (DCM Minutes July 26 1978).

    A trailer for a film about the Dawson Film Find

    Using Canada Works, the Museum created a guidebook (DCM Minutes March 28 1978)

    Staffing

    Short term grants continued to enable the Museum to hire staff. For example:

    • Canada Works employed a total of 19 people (DCM Minutes September 26 1978).
    • The Yukon Tourism Grant provided for another staff person (DCM Director’s Report May 30 1978).
    • The National Museums National Inventory Assistance Cataloguing grant provided the salary for three student cataloguers and a leader (DCM Director’s Report May 30 1978).
    • The National Museums provided funding for the DCM to hire a coordinator for the Explore your Heritage competition (see information under programming).

  • 1979:

    Building

    The Dawson City Museum asked to buy the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB), which housed the Museum (Northern Times, February 23 1979).

    Flood of May 1979 (Artist: Brian Reeves; Dawson City Museum Archives: 1984.104.2)

    The OTAB steps were washed away in a flood during the Spring (DCM Annual General Meeting Minutes, November 19, 1979).

    The Museum failed a fire inspection (see documents in 4a.4.15: Fire inspection 1979. Box 4. Dawson City Museum).

    The Museum sold the Hardware Museum building (DCM Annual General Meeting Minutes, November 19, 1979).

    Collection

    Conservators from the Canadian Conservation Institute worked on the locomotives following a flood (DCM Annual General Meeting Minutes, November 19, 1979).

    Fundraising / Earned Revenue

    The Museum sold flood t-shirts, selling their original 200 quickly and ordering more (DCM Director’s Report July 23 1979).

    Programming (Other)

    Parks Canada contracted the Museum for the Creek Survey Project to survey locations and artifacts on Hunker and Dominion Creeks (DCM Director’s Report July 23 1979).

    Mining Operation, Dominion Creek, cJuly 1972 (Artist: Harold Dines; Dawson City Museum Archives: 2013.1.7.21)

    Staffing

    The Museum experienced a decline in earned revenue, and temporarily layed off the Director/Curator (DCM Annual General Meeting Minutes, November 19, 1979).

    Staff worked in a room provided by Parks Canada during the winter (DCM Minutes September 26 1978).

Government Policy

First Nation

  • 1977: The Indian Band Council rented the Dawson Hardware Store from the DCM (Dawson City Museum Meeting Minutes, June 1, 1977)

Federal

There were significant changes in the federal museum and employment policies during this period. Those changes are outlined in more detail here. This timeline will focus on Federal activities related to national historic sites of significance in Dawson City.

Parks Canada Brochure for the Dawson Historical Complex in 1974 (source)

Federal – Territorial

In 1977, the Federal and Territorial governments signed the General Development Agreement, which led to tourism being considered an integral element in economic development (See documents in Grants- CYTA 1982, Box 5, Dawson City Museum Archives).

Territorial

  • 1970:

    Explicit Museum Policy

    During a Yukon Territorial Council meeting, the Commissioner is asked about museum grants and states:

    …we’re having a difficult enough time taking care of the living without worrying about the dead, and I cannot assure Council at this time that there will be funds available or matching grants available for museums.

    Source

  • 1975:

    Tourism Policy

    There is a capital grant available to museums through Tourism (Source).

  • 1976:

    Historic Sites

    Yukon Government announced they would not become involved in an extensive historic resource stabilization, restoration or interpretive program because:

    YTG funding for this type of program simply does not exist now, and probably won’t be available for the foreseeable future.

    Lynch 1976

    Tourism Policy

    Museums are eligible for a grant to societies that promote tourism and the capital grant continues:

    If, Mr. Chairman, if a museum con- tributes towards the development of tourism, then it would qualify for this grant. Now, this is an operating grant. Any monies towards construction of museums will be handled separately under a Capital Museum Grant which is shown here as $30,000.00, but it could go to museums, yes.

    Source

    The capital grant now also provided funding for the acquisition of artifacts due to a concern that a artifacts were leaving Yukon (Source).

    The Yukon Tourism Advisory Council decided how the funding was distributed (Source). They provided the DCM with a $1,300 grant (Dawson City Museum Board Minutes, April 27, 1976).

  • 1977:

    Other

    The Territorial Council held a special session in the Old Territorial Administration Building’s (which housed the museum) old Council Chambers (Curator’s Report for the Annual General Meeting, October 25, 1977).

    Tourism Policy

    Museums in Dawson City, Teslin, Burwash Landing and Whitehorse (MacBride) received operational funding (Tourism, Parks & Information 1977). 

    • The Dawson City Museum received a Yukon Government Tourism Advisory Grant for $4,300 (Curator’s Report for the Annual General Meeting, October 25, 1977).

    When soliciting additional funding, the Dawson City Museum made tourism related arguments to the Department of Tourism and Information. For example:

    In Yukon’s Tourism Industry, Museums have important role to play in disseminating much of the territory’s colorful past. The Museum is the only Museum in the Klondike region, and has an important function to perform in educating the visitor with regards to Yukon area’s history.

    Jones 1977, April

  • 1978:

    Advocacy

    The Yukon Historical and Museums Association began advocating for a territorial museums advisor.

    Since historical and museum development is being enlarged in the Yukon, the YHMA is preparing a brief requesting the establishment of a territorial museums advisor.

    YHMA 1978, November

    Tourism Policy

    The Yukon Tourism Development Strategy report prepared and established an approach for tourism development (See documents in Grants- CYTA 1982, Box 5, Dawson City Museum Archives).

    Other

    Flo Whyard, Minister of the Territorial Council, noted she should not be seeking re-election because Yukon does not have resources to implement the programs that will help the economy grow or control over the own resources (The Yukon News 1978).

  • 1979:

    Other

    Administration of Yukon was given to legislature and the commissioner was relegated to a lieutenant governor role (Johnson 1981).

    Tourism Policy

    Territorial tourism objectives established (See documents in Grants- CYTA 1982, Box 5, Dawson City Museum Archives).

    The Dawson City Museum continued to receive funding from the Department of Tourism for operations (DCM Director’s Report July 23 1979).

    There is a discussion in the legislature about the lack of legislation for the museum grant program.

    Mr. Chairman, I will answer that question in regards to the legislative authority for the museum grants. We do not have the legislative authority to make those grants; however, it has been a practice for years now, and I will leave it up to the honourable Members opposite whether they want me to take that out of the budget or not.

    Source

Local

  • 1974: The City Council provided the museum with funding for 40 working weeks as part of an employment program (Dawson City Museum Board, Minutes from December 12, 1974). I have no additional information on this program. It is possible this is the Local Initiative Programs given to municipal projects.

  • 1977: Dawson City’s Diamond Jubilee

    Peter Gould and Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau, April 30 1977 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 1984.235.2)

    Dawson Council used the old Council Chambers in the Old Territorial Administration Building (which housed the Museum) for Canada celebrations (Curator’s Report for the Annual General Meeting, October 25, 1977).

Community Action

  • 1970: The piano that the museum repaired is placed at the Palace Grand and played as part of the Gaslight Follies’ performances (Whitehorse Star 1970, August).

  • 1976:

    Dawson City Museum Float, Discovery Day Parade, c1980 (Artist: Ed and Star Jones; Dawson City Museum Archives: 1998.22.571)

    The Dawson City Museum receives 2nd prize in the Discovery Weekend parade.

  • 1977: Members of the museum community held the first Yukon Museums Seminar, establishing the Yukon Historical and Museums Association.

    Yolanda Burkhard, Mayor of Dawson City, September 1, 1977 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archive: 1994.642.2)

    Dawson City’s jubilee celebration year.

  • 1978: The Klondike Visitors Association begins to award the Community Trust Fund for Dawson non-profits’ capital projects. They awarded the first grant to the Dawson City Museum, which submitted the first application that they received. The Fund started when the KVA earned $75,000 surplus through their operations (Whitehorse Star 1978).

Questions

Do you know of any important milestones that are missing?

Would any of the entries benefit from more information or links to additional resources?

References

Harington, C. R. 1971, May 26. Letter to the custodian of National Historic Sites in Dawson City. 2.2.1: Correspondence 1971. Box 1. Dawson City Museum.

Johnson, Linda. 1981. “Governing the Yukon.” Proceedings of the Spring Meeting, 1981. Yukon Historical and Museums Association. 

Jones, Kathy. 1975, April 10. “New Museum Planned for Dawson.” Yukon News. p. 7.

Jones, Kathy. 1975, May. “Dawson News Report.” Yukon News. 18D.

Jones, Kathy. 1977, April. Letter to the Tourist Advisory Board. 3b.3.107 grants ytg tourism 1977. Box 3. DCM.

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

Harvey, R.B. 1974, July 17. Letter to the museum secretary. 2.2.8 Correspondence 1974. Box 1. Dawson City Museum.

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

Lynch, Michael. 1976 October. “Historic Resources Recommendations Accepted.” News Release. 5.5.13: A future for the past – ytg discussion paper &related info 1980, Box 4. Dawson City Museum.

Northern Times. 1979, February. “Parks Canada Cut-Backs add Problem for Museum.” Norther Times.

Northern Times. 1979. February 23. “Museum to Buy and Restore.” Northern Times.

Robinson, Sally. c. 1978. Letter to Jeff Huston. 3b.3.143 Han exhibit correspondence 1978. Box 1. Dawson City Museum.

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

Shaw, G. 1970, March 11. Letter to National Historic Sites. 1.1.43 correspondence 1970. Box 1. DCM.

Snider, K. C. 1971, January 27. Letter to the NHS Superintendent. 2.2.1: Correspondence. Box 1. Dawson City Museum.

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

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

The Yukon News. 1978, October 18. “Whyard Compares Yukon NWT Funds. The Yukon News.

Tourism, Parks & Information Branch. Government of Yukon. 1977. Annual Report 1976/1977. 

Trolard, Tom. 1986. Winchester Commemoratives. Commemorative Investments Pr.

Whitehorse Star. 1970, August 18. “Dawson News.” Whitehorse Star. p. 15.

Whitehorse Star. 1978, August. “Museum gets First KVA Grant.” Whitehorse Star.

YHMA. 1978. “Yukon Heritage Conference: Conservation Seminar.” Newsletter. 3.

YHMA. 1978, November. “In Summary, the Resolutions Read.” Newsletter, 3. 

Yukon News, 1973, August 23. “Dawson Museum gets Ogilvie’s Transit.” Yukon News.

Case Study: Intersections with Employment Programs

A previous post discussed employment policies as cultural policies. Within this post, I examine the Dawson City Museum’s experiences to demonstrate how employment policies intersect with other policies at all levels of government.

Theses intersections can lead to better access to the program or other opportunities. They can also be barriers to access. In other words, these intersections can have positive and negative effects for community museums.

Employment Programs and the Dawson City Museum

Background Information

The Dawson City Museum (DCM) began accessing federal employment programs in the 1970s, using them to employ a Director/Curator year round.

In particular, the Local Initiatives Program (LIP) was key to funding employment during the winter. LIP’s development is shown on the timeline of federal community museum policy here.

When the territorial government began subsidizing the salary for a year round Director / Curator at the DCM in the 1980s, federal employment programs continued to play a significant role. I have listed some of the programs the DCM accessed in a list of actors supporting the sector here.

In recent years, Canada Summer Jobs and Young Canada Works have been particularly important. The current Director actually started working at the Museum as a Young Canada Works summer employee.

Positive (for the Museum) Intersections

When the Dawson City Museum (DCM) began employing staff year round (using the federal support), they were the first museum in Yukon to have a Curator / Director.

Kyte (1980) observed that the full time Director allowed for proper museum management. Similarly, Johnson (1980, qtd. in Kyte 1980) stated “Clearly, the museum has benefited from this arrangement, to the point where its programs are the most advanced and effective of any Yukon museum.” According to the 1986 Lord Report, hiring the Director enabled them to:

  • reorganize the exhibitions into thematic displays;
  • establish a cataloguing system;
  • develop training for the part time workers; and
  • engage in heritage related projects in the community.

These activities were supported because the Curator / Director was able to:

  • spend time accessing funding programs, such as LIP and funding for a planning study.
  • work with Parks Canada employees (who were also on the board) on improving the Museum’s activities, such as collections management.

In short, the federal winter employment programs allowed the Museum to hire a year-round employee who could then make better use of the funding programs and other support available to professionalize the small community museum.

Considering the reports mentioned above (Kate 1980; Johnson 1980), the DCM then provided the evidence that supported arguments for salary assistance from the territorial government, which began in 1985.

As described in the Legislative Assembly:

 We have also initiated a new Curator Director Assistants Program in the form of matching grants to our two largest museums, Dawson and McBride. This is to assist them in their efforts to become increasingly professional and successful. Tourism development has been strengthened through permanent staffing of two positions previously occupied by casual employees funded from capital program funds.

Source

Negative (for the Museum) Intersections

As previously mentioned, the current Executive Director of the Dawson City Museum (DCM) began as a student / summer employee through the Young Canada Works (YCW) Program. YCW and Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) have been important to the Museum’s public programming during summer months.

However, accessing these employment programs has been increasingly difficult. The DCM no longer relies on YCW to the same extent for a few reasons, which I discussed with Alex (the Executive Director) during our interview.

  1. Wage Competition

In 2020 and 2021, Canada Summer Jobs provided a wage subsidy reimbursement of up to 100% of the territorial minimum wage to nonprofits (source). The Yukon minimum wage is $13.85 and will become $15.20 in August.

The Yukon Government employs student employees from Yukon through it’s STEP program, which has a starting wage of $20.19. Here is a chart showing annual increases:

Source

So, the Museum is disadvantaged compared to Yukon government in a wage competition for local students.

Similarly, the Museum is disadvantaged compared to Parks Canada in a wage competition for students across Canada. While I was unable to find a specific job post for comparison, some Parks Canada jobs are through the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP).

Source

Through FSWEP, Post-secondary students can receive from $15.40 to $33.58 per hour. Here is a chart showing potential wages:

Source

There is a third source of competition – other provinces. As other subnational governments raise their minimum wage, the $17/hour that the DCM can provide by adding to the federal contribution becomes less attractive. For example, when the Executive Director began working at the Museum through YCW, his home province (Nova Scotia) had a minimum wage of $9.65. Nova Scotia’s minimum wage is now 13.10. As wages in other provinces (rightfully) become more competitive, the higher wages in Yukon look relatively smaller.

In sum, the DCM can struggle to fill positions as the wages they can provide are lower or not significantly higher than those provided by or through the actions of governments (federally and subnationally).

2. Housing Problem

Dawson City has a housing problem – that is, a lack of housing for renters and a substantially increased number of renters during the summer months. Here are CBC articles about the issue from 2011, 2015, 2016a, 2016b, 2016c, 2017, and 2019.

This article from 2016 discusses an apartment building developed to address the need. Importantly, the development was possible due to municipal and territorial policies. The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in has also been involved in development to address the issue (source). More broadly, the Yukon government has worked on affordable housing projects in different communities (source). In other words, the continued housing problem is a policy issue with potential solutions from different levels of government.

In short, as people become more aware of the housing problem in Dawson or struggle to find housing, they become less willing to go to Dawson City for a summer job at the Museum.

3. Effort vs. Benefit

Due to points one and two (wage competition and lack of housing), filling the government funded positions can be difficult for the Museum. There are also difficulties caused by the Museum’s location, requiring remote interviews.

For the employees, the Museum’s location can be an incentive (Dawson City is so much fun!), but it also provides additional challenges. Mainly, it is expensive in terms of money and time to get there. For example, when I visited Dawson, m tickets involved a long layover in Whitehorse, which necessitated a hotel stay and extended my trip by a day each way.

Considering the time and expense that both the Museum and employees invest, what should the Museum do if the employee’s quality of work is not sufficient? The Executive Director faces the question – Is it ethical to fire someone when they have flown to a City in a remote location without a support system since their employment contract is only a few months anyway?

In short, there are barriers for the Museum when accessing employment funding, which can make the effort they put into accessing and using the support disproportionate to the benefit they receive.

Questions

If you wanted to make the short term employment policies better for the Dawson City Museum, where would you concentrate your advocacy? Why?

References

Johnson, Linda. 1980, January. A Future for the Past: A Preliminary Discussion Paper on Yukon’s Heritage Resources. Department of Library and Information Services. Yukon.

Kyte, John E. 1980, November. Museums in Yukon: A Profile and Training Report. Prepared for Yukon Historical and Museums Association. 

Lord Cultural Resources Planning & Management Inc. with Lori Patterson Jackson and Linda R. Johnson. 1986. Yukon Museums Policy and System Plan. Volume One. 

Museoception: A Historical and Relational Consideration of Community Museums and Cultural Policy

I gave a presentation as part of the Maskwacis Cultural College’s micro learning opportunities today. It provides a general overview of some of my research and reflects on the value of this kind of research. Here is the video:

Museoception: A Historical and Relational Consideration of Community Museums and Cultural Policy

Case Study: Employment Programs as Cultural Policy

The Canadian and provincial/territorial governments have employment programs. These programs provide funding to hire someone to work on a project or fill a need for a short amount of time, targeting youth, students, and/or regions with high unemployment.

Federal examples include Canada Summer Jobs and Young Canada Works. I provide a larger list of employment programs that the Dawson City Museum has accessed here.

These employment programs are one of the most significant forms of support that community museums receive from the federal and, sometimes, provincial governments. They subsidize the labor museums desperately need.

As such, this post argues these employment programs are implicit cultural policies.

The first section contains YouTube videos from Employment and Social Development Canada that demonstrate the argument. The second section summarizes my findings about the provincial employment program and community museums in New Brunswick (Nelson 2015). The third section asks questions because I would love to hear what you think.

Canada Summer Jobs Advertisements

Employment and Social Development Canada created videos that demonstrate the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program has an influence on cultural organizations.

Here is a video that describes the importance of CSJ from both the youth and museum perspective:

Title: Wonder what it’s like to work in a museum? | Canada Summer Jobs 2020; Length: 1:29; Link

Here is another video that describes a link to theatre, showing the program has significance to different cultural subsectors:

Title: Be part of the theatre while helping a non-profit organization; Length: 1:30; Link

New Brunswick Employment Programs and Community Museums

Background

In New Brunswick, the government began providing funding for student employment in community museums in 1971. As I wrote in my thesis:

By the summer of 1979, the HRA [Historical Resource Administration] facilitated fifty student positions, increasing provincially financed student employment in museums and historical societies by thirty-two positions over eight years. In 2014, SEED funded a total of 102 student employees or 947 weeks in New Brunswick community museums and historical societies.

Nelson 2015, 57

Importantly, many of these museums had one or no paid staff year round. As such, one or two student employees represented a significant increase to museums’ human resources.

The Effects on Community Museums

Here are some of my key findings about this provincial program and its effect on community museums:

  • Student employees enabled museums to open.

Some museum volunteers in New Brunswick believed they would be unable to open their museum without student employees. Supporting this assertion, when museums opened for the summer or extended their hours often reflected the number of weeks provided through student employment.

  • Student employees enabled museums to offer programming.

Tours were (are?) a major form of programming in NB and student employees provided these tours. More interestingly, exhibitions in historic houses have developed with the assumption that students will be present to supervise visitors, meaning barriers between visitors and objects were not necessary.

  • Rural community museums struggled to fill the positions, which placed additional time / human resource burdens on the volunteers (or the one employee) attempting to find eligible people.

There are simply fewer students available in rural settings than in cities, making positions more difficult to fill at rural museums.

  • Museums did not know whether they would have employees or how many until the season was about to start, which made long-term planning, advertising for public programming, and hiring more difficult.

In other words, how the employment program was administered effected how the museums could plan and develop. Rural museums, in particular, found the late notification exacerbated their struggles to find local students.

  • The employed students often changed every year, leading to inconsistencies and lowering the quality of museum work.

For example, one interview participant described inconsistencies in their collections management because when the student engaged in this work changed, differences were introduced.

  • The provincial contracts were 8-10 weeks, which is the length of the summer season. As such, there was little time for training.

The lack of time for training changed what the museums could accomplish because it takes time to learn about a regions’ history and heritage.

Questions

Have you ever accessed a student employment program as either a student or employer? What do you think?

Do you agree that these programs are one of the most significant form of implicit cultural policy within what is now known as Canada? Why or why not?

Case Study: National Museum Policies Timeline, 1970s

Last updated: October 18, 2021

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).

The 1970s were significant in the development of an explicit community museum policy and a significant implicit community museum policy (student employment policy) at the federal level. As such, I am considering these timelines separately and with greater detail. These timelines are a work in progress – please let me know if you think anything important is missing!

Explicit Museum Policy

  • 1970:

    June: Cabinet approved a cultural policy.

    August – September: The Secretary of State, Gérard Pelletier, represented Canada at the UNESCO Intergovernmental Conference in Venice, studying cultural policies.

    There was wide agreement, however, on two essential tasks that governments must take responsibility for: the adequate financing and proper planning of cultural institutions and programs.

    Final Report: Venice, 24 August – 2 September 1970

    September: The Canada Conference of the Arts held a National Conference on Cultural Policy.

    Screenshot of the Conference schedule, showing Pelletier's talk titled "The Development of a Cultural Policy in Canada"
    Screenshot of the Conference schedule, showing Pelletier’s talk.

    Pelletier, spoke at the Conference about the federal cultural policy (objectives = democratization, decentralization, pluralism, federal-provincial cooperation and international cooperation). He received many requests to consult on policy, leading to planned consultations (Pelletier 1971; Source).

  • 1971:

    February: Cabinet approved Pelletier’s proposed museum policy in principle. The policy was most concerned with circulating the National Museum’s collections (Privy Council’s Office, 1971).

    Efforts to bring collections which constitute part of the national heritage to the notice of the general public have been largely inadequate. The museums, including the National Museums, tend to emphasize the preservation of this heritage to the neglect of the public. For this reason, priority must be given, at least temporarily, to relations between the museums and the public.

    Cabinet Document No. 27-71; Translated Summary of the memorandum to cabinet: Cultural policy with regard to museums and the national heritage

    February 14-16: Pelletier held a conference on the role of museums in the 1970s – CONSULTATION I: Museums 70+ Conference.

    Screenshots from the CMA’s October Gazette

    October: The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) circulated excerpts from Pelletier’s presentation at CONSULTATION I to the museum community through the Gazette with the CMA’s responding brief.

  • 1972:

    March 28: Pelletier announced a National Museums Policy (objectives: democratization and decentralization), leading to the:

    • Museums Assistance Program
    • Canadian Conservation Institute
    • National Inventory (now the Canadian Heritage Information Network) 
    • Gerard Pelletier looking at an artifact
      Pictures included in the article on the new museum policy in the CMA’s Gazette, Vol. 6, No. 2.
    • A black and white photo of men, including Gerard Pelletier, looking at an ate fact at the
      Pictures included in the article on the new museum policy in the CMA’s Gazette, Vol. 6, No. 2.

    April: The CMA circulated the policy in their Gazette.

  • 1973: The National Museum Policy: A Program for Canadian Museums provided a comprehensive description of the new policy’s components:

    • Associate Museums: A network of museums meeting certain standards and engaged in programming beyond their institution (e.g., demonstrating “regional initiative”).
    20150324-IMG_6293_HDR
    The Royal Ontario Museum was an associate museum in Ontario (copyright information)
    • Special Grants: A fund to help museums achieve higher standards so they can receive better exhibits.
    • Exhibition Centres: Capital funding to help institutions meet standards so they can become National Exhibition Centres, displaying the National Museums’ collections.
    • Training Assistance: Funding to increase the number of trained individuals.
    • National Loan Collection: Collection of materials designed for public use in non museum situations.
    • Emergency Purchase Fund: A fund to purchase nationally significant materials at risk of being sold abroad.
    • Canadian Conservation Institute: They planned five regional conservation laboratories with headquarters in Ottawa.
    • National Inventory of Collections: A computerized data bank of all major collections.
    • Catalogue Assistance: Support to help a museum prepare for eventual inclusion in the inventory.
    Image of an article titled Museumobiles parking where the people are. There are images of the museumobiles at the bottom.
    A National Museums of Canada poster about the Museumobiles program (copyright information)
    • Museumobiles: Traveling museums on wheels from the National Museums.

  • 1975: International Programme created to facilitate international exchanges of exhibitions.

  • 1978: As part of austerity measures, the National Museums of Canada budget receives a significant budget cut (OMA 1978/1979).

Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI)

The Canadian Conservation Institute originated as the National Conservation Research Laboratory within the National Gallery of Canada in the 1960s.

  • 1972: The National Conservation Research Laboratory split from the National Gallery of Canada and becomes the Canadian Conservation Institute (source).

    The Director of the CCI went on a recruiting campaign in Europe to find specialist staff (Stolow 1973).

  • 1973: The Pacific Conservation Centre was established in Vancouver with three conservators specializing in archaeology/ethnology, works of art on paper, and paintings.

    Picture of an article about the regional lab in BC.
    The Province (Vancouver, BC), January 18, 1974. p. 29.

    The Conservator Training Program was established to increase the number of conservators in Canada.

    The CCI conduced a survey of museums in the Atlantic provinces, finding a significant need for conservation work. They also conducted a survey in British Columbia, finding the conservation needs great and urgent (CCI 1976).

    The CCI offered scientific services through the Conservation Research Division at Headquarters, including (Sebra 1973):

    • Consultative Services
    • Analytical Services
    • Scanning Electron Microscope

  • 1974:

    June: The Atlantic regional laboratory was established in Moncton with conservators specializing in fine arts, paper conservation or attracts. There were plans to open a larger facility at the local university by 1978 (CCI 1976).

    The CCI’s training program began.

    The Province (Vancouver, BC), June 1, 1974, p. 1.

  • 1975: The CCI created an exhibition of recently restored works (Duncan 1975).

    Picture of a job advertisement
    The Gazette, August 12, 1975, p. 27.

    The CCI began searching for directors for regional labs in Ontario and Quebec.

  • 1976: Brian Arthur was hired as the Director and he implements changes in the organization (Click here for a podcast interview with Arthur from CCI and CHIN: In Our Own Words).

    Arthur reorganizes the CCI to make a better use of available resource through the integration of conservation research and services (CCI 1976).

    The CCI opened a permanent exhibition – A Future for our Past (Walker 1976).

  • 1977: A small facility opened in Quebec.

    The Pacific Conservation Centre released a report about the poor condition of museums in BC and Yukon. If you have access to this report – contact me! I would like to read it 🙂

    A mobile conservation services was proposed to the NMC’s Board of Trustees, but postponed due to a lack of resources (McCawley and Ward 1980).

  • 1979: The Regional Centers closed following financial cuts to the CCI (McCawley and Ward 1980).

    The NMC commissioned Anne Lambert to study the conservation needs across what is now known as Canada (Mitchols 1979).

    The Silver Lining: A Plan for the Future is released.

    Mobile Labs start as a 2.5 month pilot project (Arthur 1980). The project is seen as an “unqualified success” (OMA 1979/1980).

    The CCI began lending an Environment Monitoring Kit for two to three week periods (Lafountaine 1980).

Museums Assistance Program (MAP)

  • 1972: In its first year, organizations could apply for funding in the following categories (source – an example of newsletters providing great information):

    • Associate Museums
    Picture of the description of the associate Museum program
    Screenshot of The Grande New Dawson and Hind Quarterly Epistle. Vol No. 4, September 1972 (source)
    • Special Grants: A $1.5 million fund to allow smaller museums to upgrade their staff and facilities so they may become eligible to be an associate museum.
    • National Exhibition Centre: A $750,000 fund for Centres that did not have their own collections but could form a complimentary network to the associate museums in order to display exhibitions from the National Museums.
    • Catalogue Assistance: A $300,000 fund for organizations that want to catalogue their collections using procedures suggested for the National Inventory.
    • Training Assistance: A $500,000 fund to increase the number of trained personelle in what is now known as Canada.
    • Emergency Purchase Fund: A $1 million dollar fund so museums can purchase objects of national significance threatened with sales to other countries.
    • Canadian Conservation Institute: While it was being established, there was a $1.65 million fund for the restoration of works in urgent need of attention.

  • 1974: Funding provided in the following categories (Morrison 1974):

    Core funding:

    • Associate Museums

    Project funding:

    • Special Grants
    • National Exhibition Centres (for renovations and additions)
    • Training Assistance
    • Cataloguing Assistance
    • Emergency Fund

  • 1975: The Consultative Committee (formed to advise the NMC on the National Museum Policy’s financial assistance) engages in a revision of the financial programs (Proonovost 1975)

    The application approval process is updated with greater emphasis on provincial consultation (Nichols 1979).

    They develop a new structure described as follows (source):

    • Core-funding assistance: Grants of up to $3.3 million to institutions already designated as Associate Museums or National Exhibition Centres.
      • Associate Museums
      • National Exhibition Centres
    • Capital Assistance Program: Financial support and technical assistance for capital projects that will enable public programming or increase access to cultural heritage.
    • Special Activities Assistance Program: This continued to be a catch all kind of program “designed to provide financial, informational and coordinative assistance to non-profit organizations seeking to undertake specifically defined projects of a special, experimental, innovative, managerial, or informational nature that meet the intent and requirements of the Nation Museum Policy” (Source, 2).
    • Training Assistance

  • 1978: The National Museums Corporation (NMC) recommends the establishment of a specialized museums program because specialized collections were not receiving “satisfactory attention” (OMA 1978).

    The NMC engaged in consultation on the Associate Museums Programme because (NMC 1978):

    • After six years, a real network still did not exist.
    • There was no clear articulation of Associate Museum’s purpose, role and responsibilities within the network.
    • Designated institutions were diverse with little standardization.
    • Federal vs. provincial responsibilities were unclear.

    The Council of Associate Museum Directors approved the resulting “Preliminary Plan for the Associate Museum Programme” in October and then by the National Museums Corporation’s Board of Trusties in December (Clark, 1979).

    At this time, MAP included both core (operational) and project funding:

    Core Funding Assistance:

    • Associate Museums
    • National Exhibition Centres

    Project funding:

    • Capital Assistance
    • Special Activities Assistance
    • Training Assistance
    • Registration Assistance

Implicit Museum Policy – Employment Programs

Job programs in what is now known as Canada have typically aimed to: reduce cyclical unemployment, target a disadvantaged labour force (e.g., youth), relieve regional or structural unemployment, and produce something or provide a service of social value (Roy and Wong 2000). Museums are often well positioned to take advantage of these programs because they generally have a significant need for additional human resources to complete even basic museum activities, which arguably are of social value.

  • 1970s: Baby boomers were entering the workforce looking for jobs, causing an increase in the youth unemployment rate (Roy and Wong 2000).

  • 1971: The federal government establishes the Local Initiatives Program (LIP) to create jobs with an emphasis on areas where de-industrialization caused high unemployment (source). Originally, half of the 100 million budget was allocated to fund private projects working toward better communities. The other half was allocated to municipal government projects in consultation with provinces. Additional funding went to private projects, increasing the budget to about $180 million (Blake 1976).

  • 1972: LIP begins with a $85 million budget, but once again there are increases that raise the total expenditures to around $235 million (Blake 1976).

    LIP is criticized as part of the 1972 election (Blake 1976).

  • 1974: The LIP budget is reduced to $73 million (Blake 1976) and then continues to experience cuts.

  • 1976: Employment Strategy announced (Keck 1995)

  • 1977: LIP is terminated (with a 47 million budget in 1977-1978 – source).

    The federal government announces Canada Works and Young Canada Works to create jobs with a budget of $300 million (source). The main difference was YCW targeted youth with summer jobs and CW provided up to 52 weeks, targeting areas of high unemployment (Roy and Wong 2000).

  • 1979: The 1979-1980 Canada Works program restricted to provinces where unemployment was 9% or greater (OMA 1979a)

Questions

I have a feeling there is a lot missing! What else would you add? Is there an area you think needs more information?

Resources

Arthur, Brian. 1980, January. “CCI Mobile Laboratory Service.” F2091 15 B253022 CCI OAC. Archives of Ontario.

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

CCI. 1976. The Journal of the Canadian Conservation Institute. Vol. 1.

Clark, Ian. 1979, January. “Letter to Robert Johnson.” Rg47-50_1 NMC programme correspondence. Archives of Ontario.

CMA. 1978, September. “Ottawa Report: Museum Assistance Programmes.” Museogramme. Vol. 6(6): 1.

Duncan, Elizabeth. 1975, July. “Swing and Hear a diverse exhibit.” The Ottawa Citizen. p. 63.

Lafontaine, Raymond H. “Monitoring Kit: Environmental Controls Save Artifacts.” The Journal of the Canadian Conservation Institute. Vol 4: 47-48.

McCawley, J.C. and Ward, P.R. 1980. “Regional Services: “helping museums help themselves.”” CCI: The Journal of the Canadian Conservation Institute. 4: 14-19.

Mitchols, Dann. 1979, May 23. Letter to John McAvity. F2091 15 B253022 NMC correspondence. Archives of Ontario.

Morrison, Barry. 1974. “The National Museum Policy.” Ontario Museum Association Newsletter Vol. 3 (3): 3 – 4.

Nichols, R. W. 1979, March. “Letter to Douglas Wright.” Rg47-50_1 NMC programme correspondence. Archives of Ontario.

NMC. 1978. “Towards a New Policy for the Major Museums in Canada.” F2091 15 B253022 associate museums program. Archives of Ontario.

OMA. 1978, April May. “Report Recommends New Specialized Museums in Ontario.” Currently Vol. 2(2): 1.

OMA. 1978/1979, December January. “National Museums Cut by $5 Million.” Currently Vol. 2(6): 1.

OMA. 1979a, October November. “Federal Employment Grants Cut.” Currently Vol. 3(5).

OMA. 1979b, February March. “Young Canada Works Grants.” Currently Vol. 3(1): 1.

OMA 1979/1980, December January. “First Mobile Lab – An Unqualified Success.” Currently Vol. 3(6).

Pelletier, Gerald. 1971, February. “Museums and the National Heritage: A Cultural Policy.” CCA MG28 I189 Vol 24 consultationI museums 70+ (file one). Library and Archives Canada.

Privy Council’s Office. 1971. Cultural Policy with Regard to Museums and the National Heritage. RG2, Privy Council Office, Series A-5-a, Volume 6381 Access Code: 90. 

Pronovost, Pierre. 1975, April 17. Circular Letter. F2091 15 B253022 NMC correspondence. Archives of Ontario.

Sebra, K. 1973, October. “Scientific Services.” Newsletter 1: 4.

Stolow, N. 1973, April 3. Report of the Director. RG47-51 B328429 canadian conservation institute. Archives of Ontario.

Walker, Kathleen. 1976, December 8. “Canadian Conservation Institute: An Interesting Exhibit Details Various Phases of Service and Operation.” The Ottawa Citizen. p. 99.

Case Study: Dawson City Museum Timeline, 1960s

Last updated: January 24, 2022

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).

Museum Operations

Dawson City Museum, August 1962 (Artist: John Gould; Dawson City Museum Archive 1984.241.62)

  • 1960:

    The Museum building (the old fire hall) was destroyed by fire.

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

    The Museum began searching for a new space, asking to occupy the Old Territorial Administration Building as early as December 1960 (Haldenby 1960).

  • 1961:

    Building

    The Dawson City Museum and Historical Society struggled to find a new building to house the museum.

    Collections

    Members of the Dawson City Museum and others made public appeals for objects to rebuild the Museum’s collections. These appeals asked specifically for objects from the Klondike Gold Rush (e.g., the Tear Sheet vol. 18 no. 5):

    Found in: 1.1.4: Correspondence w secretary treasurer March 1958 to October 1960. Box 1. DCM.

    A Klondike Mines Locomotive was donated to the Museum. It weighed 30 tonnes and was transported across the River. Click here to listen to an interview about that experience.

    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.
    Klondike Mines Railway Engine No. 1, 1970 (Artists: Ed and Star Jones; Dawson City Museum Archives 1998.22.172)

  • 1962:

    Building

    The Museum opened in the Old Territorial Administration Building in time for the 1962 Gold Rush Festival.

    Colour view of the Old Territorial Administration Building. This building currently houses the Dawson City Museum as well as offices for the Justice department and Renewable Resources.
    Old Territorial Administration Building, May 1976 (Artist: Pam Elton; Dawson City Museum Archives 2006.4.21)

    Collections

    An individual from the National Museum of Canada (Gaston Tessler) spent a week cataloguing the collection. He cleaned, organized and homogenized the space (Warner 1962, 1963).

    Visitors engaged with the objects, providing more information or services. For example, someone offered to repair the harmonium. Another individual opened a “metal affair” to fit pieces together and demonstrate that it was a peanut-vending machine (Warner 1962, 1963).

    Exhibitions

    The Museum hosted traveling exhibitions (DCM Board Meeting Minutes, May 23, 1962; Warner 1963):

    • Replicas of the Crown Jewels.
    • Royal North West Mounted Police and the chase of the Mad Trapper of Rat River.
    • Hudson’s Bay Pictures.

    There were also displays of the museum artifacts, such as a broken harmonium, harness-maker’s vise, an old map of the Yukon.

    Picture of a news article about exhibits arrive for the Dawson festival
    Whitehorse Star, Thursday, June 14, 1962, p. 32.

    Other content included:

    • a collection of prints from the national archives
    • a display of old keys and machinery from the Canadian National Telegraph.

    Fundraising (earned revenues)

    The Museum sold what would now be called Inuit prints (DCM 1962).

    Staffing

    Victoria Faulkner (who recently retired from the Department of Northern Affairs) acted as Curator for the summer.

  • 1963:

    Picture of an article about the work of the Dawson City museum, titled Dawson Museum Looks Ahead
    Whitehorse Daily Star, Monday, February 25th 1963, p. 12

    Collection

    The Museum received the original staking post from the Carmack’s claim.

    Exhibitions

    The Museum had displays of cabin interiors (Dawson City Museum Board Meeting Minutes, February 13, 1963).

  • 1964:

    Building

    The Museum installed a furnace and purchased a blacksmith shop (Warner 1964).

    Collections

    The Dawson City Museum received funding from a private foundation to clean and paint three engines.

    Picture of an article about a 400 dollar grant to the museum
    Whitehorse Daily Star, Monday, May 25, 1964, p. 21

    “Old-timers” (a term used to discuss miners) estates were given to the Museum (Warner 1964).

    There was a deep freeze that resulted in a lot of birds dying. Residents with freezers kept the birds and then a taxidermist in Whitehorse mounted them for the Museum (Warner 1964).

    Warner (1964) described other acquisitions, such as old movie film and maps. Importantly, Indigenous baskets and other works were loaned to the Museum.

    Exhibitions

    The Museum acquired the contents of Harry Leamon’s cabin on Bonanza Creek and exhibited the content to represent a miner’s cabin.

    Colour view of Harry Leamon's claim and mail box. The mail box is currently in the collection of the Dawson City Museum.
    Harry Leamon’s Claim, c1958 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 2004.13.35)

    Research

    We begin to see Museum records on research request.

  • 1966:

    Exhibitions (Board Meeting Minutes, March 4, 1966)

    The Museum has 970 objects on display (This is an assumption. The Minutes actually say they have 970 “exhibitions”).

  • 1967:

    Exhibitions

    The Museum had 1,000 objects on display (This is an assumption. The Minutes actually say they have 1,000 “exhibitions”- Board Meeting Minutes, January 26, 1967).

  • 1968:

    Building

    A failed fire inspection report threatened the Museum’s existence (see various letters in 1.1.38: Correspondence 1968. Box 1. Dawson City Museum).

Government Policy

First Nation (Tr’ondëk Hwëchin)

In 1960, the federal government granted First Nations people the right to vote in federal elections without losing treaty status. The Yukon Council of First Nations comments on the significance of this change:

A new generation emerged, barely intact from the brutality of the mission schools, and began a movement to fight oppression, provide vision and hope, and to gain some rights for the generations to come.

Source

Federal

  • 1960:

    National Historic Sites

    A person from the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resource’s National Historic Sites Branch arrives in Dawson to conduct a study of older buildings (Stuart 1990).

    Black and white view of the Klondike Visitors Association (KVA) members, on the banks of the Yukon River, greeting the crew from the SS Keno. The sternwheeler had just made the last trip from Whitehorse to Dawson. The captain is the man with the hat and a woman on each arm. Daisy Nordling is one of the KVA Greeters.
    Last Trip of the Keno, August, 1960 (Artist: Roy McLeod; Dawson City Museum Archive 1993.3.21)

    The Keno, which was donated to the Canadian Government in 1959, made its last voyage on the Yukon River to Dawson City.

    SS Keno, August 1963 (Artist: Harold Dines; Dawson City Museum Archive 2013.1.17)

    Northern Administration

    The Northern Affairs and National Resources’ Northern Administration Branch provided the Dawson City Museum with a 500$ grant for active societies (Collins 1960).

  • 1961:

    National Historic Sites

    The National Historic Sites Branch acquires the Palace Grand Theatre (Stuart 1990), which the Klondike Visitors Association had purchased then turned over (plaque below).

    Interpretive Panel, Palace Grand, 1963 (Artists: Ed and Star Jones; Dawson City Museum Archive 1998.22.190)

  • 1962:

    National Historic Sites Branch

    The National Historic Sites Branch rebuilt and reopened the Palace Grand Theatre in time for the Gold Rush Festival.

    Foxy, Palace Grand Theatre, August 18, 1962 (Canadian Photo Archive; Dawson City Museum Archives 1984.241.2)

    The Branch commissioned historical research on the Gold Rush and Dawson buildings, which became important later when the federal government began to acquire additional sites and offer interpretation in Dawson.

    National Museums

    A zoologist and two student assistants from the National Museum of Canada were in Dawson City for the summer (Lotz 1964).

    A cataloguer from the National Museum of Canada spent a week at the museum cataloguing (Warner 1963). The cataloguer was likely one of the Zoologist’s student assistants. Warner (1962) notes Phil Youngman from the National Museum in Ottawa (He was a mammalogist, meaning he is likely the zoologist Lotz described) asked if his cataloguer could assist the museum.

  • 1963:

    Explicit Cultural Policy

    Secretary of State becomes responsible for culture.

  • Mid 60s:

    National Historic Sites

    National Historic Sites had built the theatre and repaired the Keno, but did not participate in the Gold Rush Festival or operate the sites. They leased the sites to the Klondike Visitors Association for tourism related activity while the Mining Recorder acted as the Historic Sites agent in the area. He had limited authority and recommended a full time employee for the historic sites (Stuart 1990).

  • 1965:

    Explicit Cultural Policy

    The House of Commons established a Standing Committee on Culture.

    The Secretary of State recommended a national cultural policy.

  • 1966: Federal officials traveled to Dawson and Recommend the establishment of positions in Yukon (Stuart 1990).

  • 1967:

    Explicit Cultural Policy

    It was the Canadian Centennial year. The Federal Government invested in the celebration of the centennial.

    National Historic Sites

    The National Historic Sites Branch announced they would determine how their structures would be used.

    The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada held its annual meeting in Dawson, consulting community organizations. The Board recommended acquiring material relating to the Gold Rush, acquiring and preserving more building, the commemoration of gold mining, and the commemoration of Yukon transportation.

    The federal government began acquiring sites, which would become part of the Klondike National Historic Sites (Stuart 1990).

    For Dawson, the price of survival was the loss of autonomy. Paid for and developed from the outside by the Canadian taxpayer, Dawson depended upon external decisions for its future development. 

    Stuart 1990, 128

    National Museums

    The National Museums of Museum of Canada Act passed, creating the National Museums Corporation to run the national museums.

  • 1968:

    National Historic Sites

    The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development tabled the first policy statement on national historic sites at the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (Parks Canada 1976).

    Other

    The Government amended to Criminal Code to allow the federal and provincial governments to run lotteries, which influences future territorial funding programs that museums can access.

  • 1969:

    Other

    The Official Languages Act passed, which influenced future museum funding from the federal government with bilingualism requirements for museums.

Territorial

  • 1961: The Yukon Territorial Council discussed a territorial museum grant program (source).

  • 1962: The Travel and Publicity Branch was established as a two person branch (Graham 1972).

  • 1968: The Yukon Territorial Council discussed the procedures around existing grants. At this time, grants are being made to organizations, like Museum Societies, as special contributory grants without a policy (source).

    Yukon Historic Sites and Monuments Board created with the Historic Sites and Monuments Ordinance.

Local

  • 1967: The City renamed the Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall / Arctic Brotherhood Hall the Centennial Hall in honor of the Canadian centennial (source).

Community Action

  • 1960: The Dawson City Festival Foundation was established.

  • 1962: The Dawson City Festival Foundation organized the Gold Rush Festival with government assistance and the active participation of community organizations. The Klondike Visitors Association was particularly important.

    The festival drew attention to the need for better infrastructure to attract tourists, such as improved accommodations (Lotz 1964).

    Portable Motel Units Used During Gold Rush Festival, 1962 (Artists: Ed and Star Jones; Dawson City Museum Archive 1998.22. 166)

  • 1963: The Klondike Visitor’s Association’s Gaslight Follies begin performing at the Palace Grand (source).

    Program from the 1969 season (from the Jewish Museum Archives)

  • 1966: The Yukon Consolidated Gold Corporation closed.

Questions

Do you know of any important milestones that are missing?

Would any of the entries benefit from more information or links to additional resources?

Resources

Where possible, sources are hyperlinked in text or included as pictures. Additional sources include:

Collins, F.H. 1960, November 24. Letter to the Dawson City Museum and Historical Society Secretary-Treasurer. 1.1.4: Correspondence. Box 1. Dawson City Museum Archives.

DCM. 1962, September 4. Museum Register. 1.1.10 correspondence 1962. Box 1. Dawson City Museum.

Graham, R. D. Tourism and Information Branch. Yukon. 1972. Yukon Tourism 1972 Annual Report: Review of the Yukon Travel Industry 1962-1972. Whitehorse. 

Haldenby, Allan. 1960, December 7. Letter to the Superintendent public works. 1.1.4: Correspondence w secretary treasurer March 1958 to October 1960. Box 1. DCM Archives.

Warner, Iris. 1964, November 19. “Preserved in Museum at Dawson. Whitehorse Daily Star. p.9.

Warner, Iris. 1963. “A Museum for Dawson City.” North, 10(4): 13-16.

Warner, Iris. 1962. “Museum – Tribute to Dawson City. Lesson to All Communities.” Journal name is not clear.

Case Study: Dawson City Museum Timeline, 1950s and earlier

Last updated: January 24, 2022

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).

Museum Operations

  • 1954: The Klondike Visitors Association opens the museum on June 28 in the old firehall (Doiron 2001).

    Black and white view of the Dawson City Fire Hall located on Front Street north of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, which can be seen to the left in the photograph.
    Dawson City Museum, June 7, 1959 (Artist: Roy McLeod; Dawson City Museum Archive 1993.3.7)

  • 1957:

    Building

    The Dawson City Museum and Historical Society formed to cash a cheque for $500 from the federal government (DCM Board Minutes, October 1959).

    • The check is used to repair the old fire hall, housing the museum (DCM Board Minutes, February 25, 1961).

  • 1959:

    Governance

    The Dawson City Museum and Historical Society incorporated, creating bylaws and a constitution (DCM Board Minutes, October 1959 and November 1959).

    Image of a news article about the museum's information in the Whitehorse Star on December 17, 1959.
    Whitehorse Star, Thursday, December 17, 1959, p. 6.

Government Policy

First Nation (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in)

In the late 1800s, an increased number of people associated with the Klondike Gold Rush began settling the Tr’ochëk, displacing the Hän speaking Indigenous peoples. Chief Isaac moved his people to Moosehide.

Importantly, Chief Isaac also sent the gänhäk (dancing stick) to relatives in Tanacross village in Alaska. These relatives kept sacred songs and dances safe during a period of uncertainty for Hän speaking peoples from the Tr’ochëk (Council of Yukon First Nations; Stories North; Tr’ondëk Heritage).

  • 1950s: The population at Moosehide had declined and the Hän people return to the area now incorporated as Dawson City (Council of Yukon First Nations).

Federal

  • 1953: Historic Sites and Monuments Act

  • 1957: Provided a $1,000 grant to Yukon museums, which is split between the Dawson City Museum and MacBride Museum.

  • 1958: Prime Minister Diefenbaker was re-elected after a campaign that launched a northern vision (Norquay 2014).

  • 1959: Prime Minister Diefenbaker suggested Dawson City should be developed as a tourist attraction (Taylor 1990).

    The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized Dawson City (Stuart 1990).

    Due to the HSMBC recognition, Parks Canada eventually began operating the Klondike National Historic Sites in Dawson City (link)

    A meeting between the Stratford Festival and Department of Norther Affairs and National resources led to a proposal for a Dawson City Festival (Stuart 1990).

Territorial

Importantly, the museum is now housed in a historic building – the Old Territorial Administration building.

Picture of the Dawson City Museum
Dawson City Museum

Designed by Thomas Fuller in 1899 and built in 1901, the site is significant because of its association with the 1896 Gold Rush and subsequent settlement in the territory. It was the site of federal and territorial action until 1953.

  • 1953: The territorial government was transferred to Whitehorse.

  • 1959: The Yukon Territorial government offered a $300 operating and maintenance grant to registered societies (DCM 1988).

Local

  • 1950: Dawson City incorporated (Lotz 1964)

  • 1951: The City obtained Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall (then the Arctic Brotherhood Hall) and began operating it as a community hall (source).

Community Action

The 1896 Gold Rush is of particular importance to the development of both Dawson City and its museum. For more information about the Klondike Gold Rush, check out this Canadian Encyclopedia article.

When Dawson City ceased to be the capital of the Yukon (due in large part to the Alaskan Highway), attention to the tourism industry increased. Members of the community felt they had to draw tourists to survive (Stuart 1990).

  • 1952: The Klondike Tourist Bureau (later, the Klondike Visitors Association) formed (English 1997).

    Black and white view of the Klondike Visitors Association (KVA) members, on the banks of the Yukon River, greeting the crew from the SS Keno. The sternwheeler had just made the last trip from Whitehorse to Dawson. The captain is the man with the hat and a woman on each arm. Daisy Nordling is one of the KVA Greeters.
    Last trip of the Keno, August, 1960 (Artist: Roy McLeod; Dawson City Museum Archives 1993.3.21)

  • 1958: The Klondike Tourist Bureau received a grant from the Yukon Visitors Association to fix up local attractions (Stuart 1990).

  • 1959: The Klondike Tourist Bureau incorporated (Stuart 1990).

    The Museum’s incorporation led to a surge in artifact donations from community members (DCM 1988).

Questions

Do you know of any important milestones that are missing?

Would any of the entries benefit from more information or links to additional resources?

References

Where possible, I have linked to sources. The following are references that are not currently available online:

Dawson City Museum & Historical Society. 1988. “1988 DCM History.” Box 14. Dawson City Museum Corporate Documents. Dawson City Museum Archives, Dawson City. 

Taylor, C.J. 1990. Negotiating the past: The making of Canada’s National Historic Parks and Sites. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Case Study: Property Tax as Cultural Policy?

Municipal museums and related cultural institutions often have greater capacity than non-municipal museums because of the non financial supports municipal structures provide. Examples might include IT services, human resources, and lawn maintenance. Most importantly, municipal institutions are often housed in municipal buildings. As a result, they do not have to pay for utilities, maintenance and property tax.

Property tax can be a huge expense for museums and other cultural organizations (particularly non profit ones). For example, an article in the Canadian Museums Association’s Museogramme June/July 1991 issue discusses cut backs on staff, programs and hours at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. At the time, they were paying $300,000 in property taxes, leaving little for maintenance or preservation.

Within this case study post, I examine the MacBride Museum’s relationship with the City of Whitehorse to argue property tax abatement is a form of cultural policy, which has a major influence on the community museum sector. Petitioning municipalities for property tax exemptions is a significant form of cultural policy advocacy.

Whitehorse and the MacBride Museum

As part of the Dawson City Museum Project, I have been reading through the Yukon Historical and Museums Association’s (YHMA) newsletters. I talk about how useful museum association newsletters are to cultural policy research in another post (here).

As the YHMA’s Fall 2013 Newsletter, a few CBC articles (here, here, and here), and the MacBride Museum’s website describe:

  • 1950s: The MacBride Museum opens. It did not (and has never) paid property taxes.

  • Mid 1990s: The City of Whitehorse provides non profits (including museums) with tax exemptions (100%).

  • 2013: The City proposes a modification to the exemptions, planning to cover only 88% of the property tax payment.

    The YHMA began sharing concerns, opposing the proposal through the radio, television, and papers.

    The City’s proposal was voted down.

  • 2014: The City reintroduces the proposal and it passes.

  • 2015: The City passes an amendment that if the museum holds the title for their land, it would not be taxed. This exemption only applies to the MacBride Museum (and not the Transportation or Old Log Church museums).

  • 2016: The MacBride Museum begins a planned expansion and confirms the exemption would continue to apply to their larger space.

  • 2018: The City sends the MacBride Museum a bill for property tax after the assessed value of the museum’s property increased. The Museum’s annual property taxes had increased from about 30,000 to 71,000.

The City of Whitehorse argues the MacBride Museum is now ineligible for tax abatement because it has a cap of $50,000 on annual grants to a single organization. The MacBride Museum argues the 2015 amendment is not contingent on the size of the tax.

As of July 2021, property taxes and whether the MacBride is exempt seems to still be a point of contention. The MacBribe and YHMA have posted related content, showing advocacy in action.

First page of a six page Q&A sheet. The document is available here.

Other Examples

As seen in the Yukon example, provincial governments often say non profits museums and other cultural organizations (or those registered as charities) can be exempt from property taxes. They allow municipalities to impose additional requirements, indicating the exemption is simply a possibility. Here are a couple of examples:

Alberta

A guide on property tax explains the exemption for museums and other cultural organizations. Notably, municipalities may impose additional requirements:

A screenshot of a table on property tax exemptions in Alberta for arts and cultural facilities.
A screenshot of Table 3 from Property Tax Exemptions in Alberta: A Guide

British Columbia

Provincial guidelines note museums owned by a charitable organization may be eligible for property tax exemption:

Screenshot from a page on “Local Government Tax Exemptions”

Saskatchewan

Under The Cities Act museums are not exempt from property taxes. However, they can be. In Saskatoon, for example, museums can apply for relief through the Culture Grant Program. They are not always successful! Click here for an example where the museum was not immediately successful but the City staff were committed to helping the organization meet requirements in the future.

Municipalities

As you can see, municipalities generally decide whether museums are exempt from property taxes in what is now known as Canada. As such, there is a lot of variance across the country. Part of the YHMA’s argument for the MacBride Museum is that most municipalities exempt museums. Here is a screenshot of their position with information on two municipalities:

PROPERTY TAX AND NON-PROFITS Most Canadian municipalities offer property tax exemptions for non-profits. Here’s the low-down on a couple: The Regional Municipality of Halifax offers a tiered approach to property tax exemptions for non-profits. Depending on the function of the non-profit, organi- zations may receive a 100% exemp- tion, a partial exemption, or even have property taxed at a lower, residential rate. As they provide benefits to the public, groups that operate heritage properties are generally awarded high- er exemptions. The City of Kelowna offers tax exemp- tions for non-profits with municipal, recreational, religious, cultural or chari- table purposes. The City also adminis- ters a Heritage Building Tax Incentive Program Policy, which provides grants to property owners who have restored heritage buildings.
Screenshot from the YHMA 2013 newsletter (here)

Questions

To summarize, municipal tax exemptions are a significant form of cultural policy, requiring advocacy and attention, within what is now known as Canada. They demonstrate the important of advocacy at the municipal level (in addition to provincial / territorial, federal, and possibly First Nation).

Do you agree? Can you think of other significant examples?

Research: Newsletters

Newsletters are one of my favorite things to read when researching community museums and museum policy in what is now known as Canada.

Picture of an Ontario Historical Society Bulletin
Image of an Ontario Historical Society Bulletin from 2018 (source)
Image of a Yukon Historical and Museums Association Newsletter
Yukon Historical and Museums Association Newsletter from 2021 (source)

They are so much fun!

Pre-internet newsletters are particularly helpful. Nowadays, a lot of organizations create email notifications with lots of links and short descriptions. As a researcher, I am not a fan. There is something more interesting about a physical newsletter or a PDF document with grainy photos and long descriptions.

Screenshot of Page 10 in the YHMA Summer 2009 Newsletter

This post is going to explore:

Why are newsletter so useful in community museum policy research?

No (or few) Links! And so Much Information!

The newsletters are such rich sources of information.

Email communications often link to a website for details. Conversely, the newsletters are (or were) more self contained and describe things.

For example, they describe speeches and personal communications not documented elsewhere. Or, if they are documented in an archive, the documentation can be difficult to find. The Canadian Museums Association’s (CMA) Gazette from the early 1970s provides information about the development of the national museum policy, demonstrating how the policy changed from the Honorable Gerald Pelletier’s initial ideas in 1970/71 to 1973. Here is an excerpt from a speech he gave at a conference in 1971 and the CMA’s response:

Excerpt from the CMA's gazette in 1971 showing the beginning of a speach.
CMA Gazette, Oct. 1971, Vol. 5 No. 4, Page 4
Except from the CMA Gazette in 1971 showing the CMA's response to a proposed museum policy
CMA Gazette, Oct. 1971, Vol. 5 No. 4, Page 5

Before reading the Gazette, I did not know how much the museum policy had changed with the input of the CMA and other museum people.

Demonstrating and Simplifying Complexity

Community museums are not the designated responsibility of any one level of government in what is now known as Canada. They receive support from and are regulated by all levels. Further, the support and regulation is not limited to a singular department responsible for museums. For example, a museum may be eligible for support from economic or community development programs.

In addition to government, non profit associations provide support to community museums. And, once again, the support is not limited to associations specifically for museums. Community museums may also benefit from the work of associations connected to one of their programs or goals (e.g., a tourism association).

In relation to this complexity, newsletters do two things:

  1. They highlight the breadth of support available, demonstrating complexity.

The image below is from the Ontario Museum Association’s (OMA) newsletter – Currently – in 1983. The OMA provided information on a new organization for tourist attractions and a Ministry of Tourism and Recreation initiative related to tourism data. Articles like these demonstrate tourism related support is significant to community museums in Ontario.

Excerpt from an Ontario Museum Association Currently in 1983 on the Provincial Attractions Monitor and Attractions Ontario.
Excerpt from Currently, January 1983, Vol. 6 No. 7

2. Newsletters help define the scope of research, simplifying complexity.

In addition to demonstrating the complexity of support for museums, the example above also provides parameters for research. It shows that I should consider tourism related support AND also identifies the specific tourism related support of relevance, meaning I don’t have to research everything that the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation did that may be relevant. Presumably, the most relevant actions are already identified for me in newsletters.

The Human Component

I saved this one for last because it is my favorite part.

Newsletters demonstrate community. Through the newsletters people are (or were) able to learn about what other people are (or were) doing.

My favorite instances are “Current People News” from the OMA’s Currently, “Of People and Museums” from the CMA’s Museogramme, and any section of the OHS’s Museums Committees newsletters. Here are examples:

  • Excerpt from the OMA's Currently
    Currently, December 1977, Vol 1 No. 2, page 6
  • Image of an "of People and Museums" excerpt from the CMA's museogramme
    Museogramme, January – February 1979, Vol 6 no. 10-11
  • excerpt from the OHS's museums committee newsletter
    Local Museums Committee Newsletter, No 21, page 1

Interestingly, the Yukon Historical and Museum Association did not have a similar section / component in their early newsletters. These newsletters do not evoke the same sense of community that I have studied elsewhere. I am interested to see how or whether the association comes up during interviews for the Dawson City Museum Project.

Questions

How about you? Do you like reading these newsletters as a practitioner or researcher? What role do they serve? Do you have a favorite example that I should consider?