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North Saskatchewan Heritage River Webinar

In Spring of 2021 Tom got to participate in a Heritage River webinar as part of Smoky Lake County’s efforts to have the North Saskatchewan River recognised as one of Canada’s heritage rivers. (This was successful!) From 30.40 to 40.51 you can see his story “Mr. Rowand’s River Race: The Year the North Saskatchewan wasContinue reading “North Saskatchewan Heritage River Webinar”

Clio’s Armada: 1893 Viking and the Mystique of the Viking Longship

Tom Long, 2024 I still think I’ve found the earliest modern example of heritage boatbuilding with Napoleon III’s 1863 trireme reconstruction effort, but I was still shocked at the vintage of this 1893 viking longship replica, appropriately called Viking. In 1880, a new archaeological discovery of a longship sparked a great deal of interest. TheContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: 1893 Viking and the Mystique of the Viking Longship”

Clio’s Armada: The (Second) Bounty replica and Thirty Years of Adventure

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of replica vessels out there for me to look at in the course of this blog. Often each story I find leads to another. Expo ’86 has proven to be a goldmine of heritage boatbuilding and replicas from around the world, including this second Bounty replica. But that’s notContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: The (Second) Bounty replica and Thirty Years of Adventure”

Clio’s Armada: Loo Taas and the Not So Lost Art of Haida Canoe Carving

One boat leads to another, and there is a remarkable cache of content for me contained in the records of Expo ’86 in Vancouver. The Golden Hind replica of London, Phinisi Antar Bangsa from Indonesia, the York Boats I know so well from Fort Edmonton Park and others. And, of course, famous Haida artist BillContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: Loo Taas and the Not So Lost Art of Haida Canoe Carving”

New History Talks: Heritage Boats and Boat-Building

Based on our popular blog series, Tom has prepared a few new talks discussing heritage boat-building projects around the world. The wealth of examples means this presentation can be tailored to your interest in at least four different ways. Want something centred on Vancouver and the Pacific Coast? Or on Indigenous heritage projects? See below!Continue reading “New History Talks: Heritage Boats and Boat-Building”

Clio’s Armada: The Bartolomeu Dias Caravel and Challenging History in South Africa

I’ve been lucky enough to travel widely in my life. This has often contributed heavily to my passions, including history but more specifically museums and heritage watercraft. In 2017, my partner and I visited Mossel Bay in South Africa, home of the historic Post Office Tree and I was delighted to find another replica vesselContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: The Bartolomeu Dias Caravel and Challenging History in South Africa”

Steal This idea: Sitting with Meaning

There will be lots of time when visitors need or want to sit in your museum. Or your neighbourhood. Why not make that an experience in and of itself? It can be as complex as building a custom theatre for your exhibition… …or as simple as using the right materials and ensuring those taking aContinue reading “Steal This idea: Sitting with Meaning”

Clio’s Armada: Indonesian “Phinisi” and the Fyrstyx Legacy

Expo ’86 is not something in my own memory, although I was alive and only a dozen hours from Vancouver at the time. Strangely, despite often driving to visit relatives on Vancouver Island, my family didn’t go. Instead I formed connections with it through my work on Fort Edmonton park’s York Boat project (soon toContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: Indonesian “Phinisi” and the Fyrstyx Legacy”

Clio’s Armada: Fraser River Flat-Bottomed Skiffs and Britannia Shipyards Nat’l Historic Site

In the 1990s, the Britannia Shipyard National Historic Site Society built two replicas of the Fraser River flat-bottomed skiff. These craft fished the Fraser River in what is now British Columbia in the 1870s and 1880s before being replaced by round-bottomed boats. They could be maneuvered by oars as well as sprit-sails in favourable weather.Continue reading “Clio’s Armada: Fraser River Flat-Bottomed Skiffs and Britannia Shipyards Nat’l Historic Site”

Steal this Idea: Empty Cases

Museums generally organise their stories around objects. But what to do when you don’t – or shouldn’t -have an object? Sometimes drawing attention to the lack of a material history can be just as effective. Steal This Idea is a new series of blog posts designed to promote some of the best heritage practices thatContinue reading “Steal this Idea: Empty Cases”