Our Museum & Archives Society
Keeping a Rich History Alive
The Pemberton Museum collects, preserves and displays artifacts
connected with the human history of Pemberton and district. The
displays feature: the self-sufficiency of the Lil'wat people before
contact with people making their way to the gold fields, the coming
of people attracted by gold on the Fraser and some of the physical
changes they created in the district, and the lives of the settlers
and later residents.
Life moved slowly in the area as the connection to the outside
world was by pack train. The railroad did not arrive until 1914.
Electrical power was not available until 1951 and the highway was
not open until 1967.
The Pemberton Pioneer Women started collecting examples of life
in the area and made the first moves to found a museum which would
house the collections and tell the story of the early days.
A piece of land was made available in the Village of Pemberton
and the first museum opened in 1982. As the museum grew and more
artifacts were contributed, a larger site was obtained from BC
Rail. This is the current location.
The official move to the new site started in 1992 and buildings
to house the growing displays continue on an ongoing basis. The
museum is run by volunteers and a curator and is open from June to
September.
The Collecting District is defined geographically as: those
areas drained by waters entering the north end of Harrison Lake and
those areas drained by waters entering Anderson Lake.
Our Collecting Policy
A. The items collected must conform to the foregoing statement
of purpose of the museum, but when an artifact once common to the
district is needed for display and is no longer available locally,
we may then go outside our area to find it.
B. We will add to the collection by means of gifts or any
transaction by which title passes to the museum. We will accept
loans for only a specific exhibit, and then for only a specified
time. Insurance on loaned items will be the responsibility of the
owners.
C. When the museums limited storage space is filled, we will
look elsewhere for acceptable alternative storage for donated
items. Until the society has expanded and has appropriate
facilities for artifact storage, the museum society reserves the
right to accept only those materials which can be stored and
conserved (adequately).
D. We will review this policy at regular intervals.
ARCHIVE HOLDINGS
Total Volume: TBD approx: 224.637 cm
(7.37 feet)
Inclusive Dates: 1846 to present
Pre-dominant Dates: 1914 - 1958
The holdings consist of both public and private records
generated by residents and organizations of Pemberton and
District. Holdings include personal records of families
and individuals in the community as well as the records of
organizations and businesses that reflect the social, political and
economic life of Pemberton and District. The collecting
district is defined as those areas drained by waters entering the
north end of Harrison Lake and those areas drained by waters
entering Anderson Lake
References are made to surrounding areas such as: Pemberton
(Agerton, Port Pemberton), Port Douglas, 29- Mile, Poole Creek, Mt.
Currie (Creekside), Birken, D'arcy, Whistler (Alta Lake), and
Lillooet (Cayoosh). Holdings include: photographs; manuscript
collection (letters, memoirs, minutes, manuals, project studies and
proposals); oral histories; VHS videos; posters; postcards;
information files (contain copies of brochures, articles, essays,
clippings, and ephemera); pamphlets; local newspapers; and
maps.
The Pemberton Museum supports research and archival
reproductions on a year round basis. Simply contact us to
set up an appointment. Please see our
research and
reproduction terms and fees and and if you have any questions
please speak to the Curator, Niki Madigan.
Pemberton & District Museum & Archives Society
Board of Directors
President: George Henry
Vice President: Lori Hughes
Treasurer: Florence Bilenduke
Secretary: Denize Calloway
Directors:
David Midgley, Betty Mercer, Judy Mc Nolty, Laurie Laursen,
Georgina Erickson, Mabel Stillwell
Curator
Nicole Madigan
The Society meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at the
Museum.
Watch a Short Video About the Pemberton Museum
A short video clip produced by Shaw Cable for their community TV
segment called "Express". The clip gives a great overview of
the Pemberton Museum.
Express -
Pemberton Museum
Watch some short videos about Pemberton today
History isn't just about old stuff! We collect artifacts
and archival material from today for the future. These videos
about Pemberton were produced for the Olympic Secretariat in
the lead up the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games and were donated
by Shirley Henry.
About
Pemberton - Clip 1
About
Pemberton - Clip 2
About
Pemberton - Clip 3
About
Pemberton - Clip 4
About
Pemberton - Clip 5
Snow Trax - North America's most watched
snowmobile TV show, was in Pemberton in Feb of 2010 and produced
the following videos about Pemberton and the backcountry
snowmobiling experience.
Snow Trax
1
Snow Trax
2
You can also access these videos and find out more about current
events from Tourism Pemberton