The planned follow-up to last year’s very successful museum exhibit of skiing here in the 1930-to-1950 era is now in place.
It is about “Skiing Around Hudson Bay Mountain” from 1950 to 1980. It is just as interesting and certain to be as successful. Many, myself included, may well find it even more interesting since it covers a time that we can more clearly remember and events that we may well have taken part in.
Having had the opportunity to contribute to the current exhibit has in itself been an interesting experience for me. I can now appreciate better why input from local individuals is such an essential element of local history. However, only when many, or all, those with memories to share come forward is it possible to weed out error and omissions and to preserve out local history accurately. That applies particularly to the history of skiing here from 1950 to 1980, when so many changes were taking place. In the 1950s and early 1960s, many different ski hills and rope tows were in use, mostly for a few seasons only. Then, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Hudson Bay Mountain was gradually being developed in the Pine Creek area, marking the beginning of what would eventually become the present Nordic Centre.
If, as we must hope, there is a further exhibit next year, covering the years from 1980 to the present, we can look forward to following the developments that have brought the Bulkley Valley downhill and cross-country ski areas to the highly regarded venues they are today.
While skiing, as to be expected, takes centre stage in this year’s exhibit, other outdoor activities, such as the hockey played on outdoor rinks in the 1950s, are also featured. Quite likely, more could be added about such activities, and certainly more photos would be appreciated.
The present exhibit again shows what a valuable role the museum plays in our community not only recording, but also bringing to life the many different parts of our history in imaginative and entertaining ways that appeal to local people and tourists alike. It well deserves our support, our thanks and our input.
- Einar Blix