Fraser Canyon museum awarded for preserving early history of Chinese Canadians in B.C.

A museum located on B.C.'s historicGold Rush Trail has received an award in recognition of its rich collection of artifacts showcasing the history of Chinese communities in the region and beyond.

The Vancouver-based Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C.declared theLytton Chinese History Museumthis year's winner of theDrs. Wallace B. and Madeline Chung Prize for Chinese Canadian Community Archiving.

The award is named after a Victoria retired doctor and his wife who collected 25,000 items currently housed at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, including items showcasing the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Founded in May 2017 by Lorna Fandrich and her husband, the museum in Lyttonsits on the site of a former Chinese joss house that was granted official heritage status by Heritage B.C. in February 2016.

The joss house a Chinese temple or community hall was built in 1881 and torn down in 1928. The land where the structure had stood was vacant until being purchased in 1980 by Fandrich, who decided to build a museum honouring the local Chinese community after she read an old newspaper article about her property.

The Chinese Canadian Historical Society commends the museum's 200 exhibits that tell stories about the B.C. gold rush, railway construction through the Fraser Canyon, cultural customs and practices and the hurdles faced by Chinese labourers from 1858 to 1928.

The museum is also praised for its online database of nearly 1,600 images of artifacts and photos collected across the province.

"[The online database] has been noted as a valuable resource by scholars and has drawn interest from around the world," the society says on its website.

Fandrich says she's glad her work is being recognized.

"The most important thing, I believe, is it [the prize] gives me another layer of credibility with the Chinese community," she said Wednesday to Shelley Joyce, the host of CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.

The Drs. Wallace B. and Madeline Chung Prize was previously awarded in 2018 to the Chinese Canadian Military Museum in Vancouver's Chinatown.

The Lytton museum is normally openfrom May to September every year, Wednesday to Monday. This year, it will open on May 22.