Stewart Historical Museum
The Stewart Historical Museum is a historical museum in Stewart , a location in the Canadian province of British Columbia near the Alaska border . The museum was founded in 1976 and is located at 603 Columbia Street. It is only open from May to September and is dedicated to the history of the region.
Focus
The museum collects artifacts and archival materials with a focus on Stewart, but also covers the closely related neighboring town of Hyder , which is already in Alaska, but can only be reached by land from Stewart. The raw materials industry, which is important in the region, in particular silver mining, is another focus. There are also relics of the film industry, as numerous films were shot here.
The place itself is now viewed by the museum as an extended exhibition space and therefore the historical society offers a walking tour to the historical buildings and houses.
Stewart originated from the 1890s and got its name in 1905 from the founders, the Scottish brothers John and Robert Stewart. During the Klondike Gold Rush , the town had a population of up to 10,000, a number that slumped to fewer than 20 by World War I. The main mines were Premier Gold, Big Missouri and Granduc Copper. Until 1974 the place had no road connection.
The development of neighboring Hyder, which is on US territory, was less dramatic. The place was named after Frederick Hyder, a Canadian engineer in 1914. The Riverside Mine flourished there between 1920 and 1952 , where gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc were mined.
history
The museum was opened on July 3, 1976 by the Stewart Historical Society , which had been founded the year before. The building was the mayor's office building from the 1920s to the 1950s, then the local fire department until 1972 .
See also
Web links
- History of Stewart (English)
- History of Stewart
Coordinates: 55 ° 56 ′ 13.8 " N , 129 ° 59 ′ 33.4" W.