From of The Last of Us to the last mine cart: Britannia Mine Museum turns 50
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Britannia Mine Museum 50th Anniversary: A Museum's Journey
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If you haven't been, then you've probably passed by while on the Sea to Sky. And if you have been, then you know that Britannia Mine Museum is one of the best (and only) places in B.C. for an underground train ride, not to mention for a crash course in the province's copper mining industry. We talked to senior curator Laura Minta Holland, about the half-century-old institution's staying power.
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A: In terms of attendance, we basically had our best March in the museum's history. I think that the museum has developed so much over the past 50 years, and there's always something different for people to see. They really enjoy their experience. And once they've been, they tell friends and family and others to visit if they've not been for a while. There's a variety of things that you can do on site while you're here, and that variety, I think, is what brings people back. And the team here is absolutely brilliant at what they do. They make every experience engaging.
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A: Yes. It started in the 1980s and now over 150 movies and TV shows have been shot here. You might have seen the museum in the movies G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes and Okja, or The Last of Us or The X-Files and other TV shows. That has kept the museum in people's minds. And location-shooting has become an important revenue stream, allowing us to continue the museum's legacy. We have also seen lots of investment from the province, the feds, different arts organizations, different funding bodies and donors over the years.
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A: The curator, Heather Flynn, and I spent the last six to eight months going through the archives and pulling out photographs and documents. The museum has been through a lot of changes, and we're taking people on a journey that shows how the museum developed, what has changed over time, and how things have been impacted by those changes. Visitors will also get to contribute an idea or vote on an idea, because we've been here 50 years, and the museum wants to be here for 50 years more at least. So what would you and what does the community want to see happen here next?
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A: The biggest surprise, really, is the tenacity of the people to keep the museum going through challenging times. There were times when it was maybe not seen as important as it is. The mill building that had been left for quite a number of years, and at one point was in quite a state of disrepair. All the windows were broken. Some people who were involved in the museum were like, 'Oh, it's just going to be easier for us to get rid of the mill.' But others were like, 'No, it is so important, and we need to preserve our history.'
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Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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Cision Canada
7 days ago
- Cision Canada
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Toronto Sun
30-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Interactive experience brings Last of Us Vancouver filming locations to life
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