In September 2016, a sign was unveiled just up the street from my home in Kamloops. It was the kind of familiar sign that dots Canada’s highways, meant for motorists to pull over and read, learn a thing or two about local history, and move on with a new appreciation for the landscape. The sign kicked off a campaign by the BC Ministry of Transportation to expand the province’s stock of public history and to invite new suggestions for stories.
That renewal campaign signalled an awakening of sorts for public commemoration, as Canadians began to better understand how much of the public history attempted by Canada’s provinces, and indeed, the nation itself, reflects a very narrow, often idealized experience. The plaques, statues, and roadside displays that feed our collective understanding…
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British Columbia History (Digital) - 1 Issue, 53.4 Winter 2020