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 Collection Revelstoke Museum and Archives has been collecting artifacts since 1960, with a focus on community and district history. Our collection area extends north to Boat Encampment, south to Trout Lake, east to Donald and west to Malakwa. Over 99% of our collection has been donated. We now hold over 5,000 artifacts, the majority of which are catalogued in a database with artifact and donor information. Displays of artifacts are changed on a regular basis and only a portion of the collection is exhibited at any time. Exhibits are theme-based and focus on some of the district's major areas of development. Currently, the museum features displays on sports, including Revelstoke's prominence as a ski-jumping venue; trapping and mining; agriculture; business; ethnic communities; transportation; national parks and natural history among others. Here is a small sampling of some of our more unique artifacts.  Ornate
ChairCommemorative Chair for the 60th Anniversary of the Reign of Queen Victoria. This chair was made in 1897, on the occasion of Queen Victoria's 60th year of reign. It was prominently displayed in the home of Charles and Lyda Holten, now one of Revelstoke's most outstanding heritage homes. The home was constructed in 1897 and has been painstakingly restored in the last 15 years. 
Cedar Bark ChairA very different chair is this one found in a prospector's cabin in the "Big Bend" region north of Revelstoke, so named because of a sharp bend taken by the Columbia River. The innovative prospector fashioned this chair out of roughly sawn pieces of wood and cedar bark woven to create the seat and back.  Buffalo
CoatThis coat, made of buffalo (North American bison) fur was worn by a National Park warden in the 1920s. It weighs 33 pounds. 
Bear TrapThis large bear trap is one of two displayed in the museum. This is the smaller of the two traps, the other trap being specifically made to trap grizzly bears. Both were made by the Oneida Steelworks in Oneida, New York and were used in the "Big Bend" region by a trapper in the early 1900s. The donor inserted this cow bone in order to show the teeth of the trap.  Fur
PressOne of our most unique artifacts is this large fur press, made locally for Revelstoke clothing merchant F.B. Wells in 1911. Mr. Wells was the agent for the local trappers, purchasing their furs and sending them to furriers in Winnipeg and Montreal. The archives holds two of his ledgers which show the amount of money he paid to the trappers and the number of furs they brought in. For example, in April of 1914, a trapper named Mr. C. Wood brought in 103 marten furs and was paid $654.65. Penciled notations on the side of the press show where Mr. Wells tallied up the furs. One note reads: "58 skunks, June 19, 1917."  Gold
ScalesThe Big Bend region of the Columbia River, north of Revelstoke, was the scene of a gold rush in the 1860s. It is estimated that over $3,000,000 worth of gold was taken out of the region in just two years. Mining activity continued in the Big Bend for many years and there are still prospectors who work claims in the region. The Imperial Bank in Revelstoke used these gold scales in the 1890s to weigh gold brought in by miners.  Chinese
exhibitRevelstoke once had a large Chinese population, many of them working for the Canadian Pacific Railway as transient employees. A few families did settle here, however, including the Kwong family. They settled in Revelstoke in 1907, opening a laundry where Revelstoke's Community Centre is now situated. When Mr. Kwong died in the 1930s, Mrs. Kwong and her nine children continued to run the laundry and the family was very well respected here. The items of clothing and the tea set in this display belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Kwong and the banner at the back of the case came from the Chinese store of Wing Chung, a local Chinese merchant who operated a store in Revelstoke for over 40 years.  Side Saddle This ladies' sidesaddle is displayed on a harness maker's stand. The sidesaddle was used by Mrs. Isabel Coursier, on her white horse, Buckskin. Mr. H.N. Coursier was an early merchant in Revelstoke and his wife Isabel came here in 1889. Isabel was a noted artist and several of her watercolour paintings are now in the museum. She was the first woman on the Revelstoke school board in the 1920s and was also a member of Revelstoke's first parks board. Her home was noted for its beautiful flower gardens. |
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