3 November 2010

Your Ideas and Contributions Wanted for Last Spike Anniversary Legacy Project

Revelstoke British Columbia - The Revelstoke Railway Museum has spent much of the past year celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike in conjunction with other special events and commemorative activities but the time has come to celebrate the historical moment itself! Much is being planned as part of the ceremonial program at Craigellachie on 7 Nov 2010, at 12 noon, and the Railway Museum has been working with Parks Canada and CP to pull together significant contributions to this special event.
 
In order to create something lasting and unique to augment the celebrations, the Railway Museum is sponsoring a special project that will be launched on that day. The Last Spike Anniversary Legacy Project is designed to be a kind of time capsule relating to the year-long celebration of the 125th anniversary. A traveller's chest trunk from the museum's collection will form the basis of an exhibit that will feature items from local, national, and international contributors. A contributor may be anyone who has something they wish to add to this open collection that represents what the Last Spike means to them. It may be a souvenir from anniversary events, a picture that a child has drawn, a photograph of visitors in front of the cairn at Craigellachie, a newspaper article, a note from descendants of railway workers of the time, genealogical references, certificates, an email or blog reference, coins, flags, national souvenirs, provincial souvenirs, maps, brochures, badges, railfan memorabilia, pieces of 1880s rail, and so on.
 
The trunk is a Victorian style chest that was commonly used for travel in the 1880s and would have been the kind of luggage in use for those who travelled by train across the country once the railway was completed at Craigellachie in 1885. Using the trunk as our container for this significant collection also symbolizes the souvenirs and items that are collected when one is on a journey and represents the connection of the country "from sea to sea" that was the National Dream. The trunk will be on display at the anniversary event on 7 Nov 2010 and attendees will be encouraged to bring something with them that day or add something to it at the museum, until 15 Dec 2010.
 
More information may be obtained by calling the museum at 250-837-6060 for instructions on how to donate.
 
Jennifer Dunkerson.