Contact:
Barbara Winter, 778.782.3325; Barbara_winter@sfu.ca
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323; Marianne_Meadahl@sfu.ca


A class of 15 Simon Fraser University archaeology students is heading to Chase B.C. this weekend (Feb. 17-19) to help the rural community salvage materials from its fire-damaged museum.

The students will sift through charred and smoke-damaged files and artifacts pulled from the Chase and District Museum, which was heavily damaged by two fires last July. They’ll be applying conservation methods learned in their archaeology class.

Barbara Winter, curator of SFU’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, teaches the course in archaeological conservation and will direct the students in their hands-on project.

Winter visited the site following the fires and immediately offered the services of her students. “I was saddened and shocked at the extent of damage,” says Winter, who had occasionally taken students to visit the Chase museum, which is housed in an old church.

“These students, all aspiring heritage professionals, are keen to help the community as best they can,” she adds. “At the same time the experience will provide them with the opportunity to take the procedures they’ve learned and apply them outside the classroom, in real life situations.”

Winter says while some materials were severely damaged, students will go through a number of storage boxes containing historical files that may only have been singed, leaving some of the materials inside – documents, letters, photos - still intact. Students will also clean some of the museum’s damaged artifact collection.

Among the artifacts in the museum are archaeological materials held in trust for the Little Shuswap Band and archival files detailing the life of historical figure and train robber Billy Miner.

Fundraising efforts are underway in the community towards rebuilding the museum, which is not a designated heritage site. The students welcome donations to help cover their costs, which can be sent to Winter at the SFU museum.

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