Britannia Mine Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | British Columbia Museum of Mining |
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| Location | Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada |
| Collections | industrial, administrative and domestic buildings artifacts, photographs, documents, and maps |
| Owner | Britannia Beach Historical Society |
| Nearest parking | On site (no charge) |
The Britannia Mine Museum is a cool place to learn about mining history in British Columbia, Canada. It's located in Britannia Beach, about 55 kilometers north of Vancouver. This museum used to be called the British Columbia Museum of Mining. It's run by a non-profit group called the Britannia Mine Museum Society. Their main job is to save and share stories and items from BC's mining past.
A National Historic Site
The museum is home to a very special building called Mill No. 3, also known as the Concentrator. This huge building is 20 stories tall! It was used to process ore using gravity. In 1987, this amazing building was named a National Historic Site of Canada.
The Britannia Mine was a very important place for almost 70 years. It produced a lot of copper ore. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was one of the biggest mining operations in all of Canada. The way they used gravity to process ore in the Concentrator was very smart and new for its time.
Museum's History
The Britannia Beach Historical Society started in 1971. Their goal was to protect the history of mining in British Columbia. The museum first opened its doors in 1975. Back then, it was called the BC Museum of Mining.
Between 2005 and 2007, Mill 3 got a big makeover. About $5 million was spent to fix its outside, including the roof, siding, and windows. This helped keep the historic building safe.
In October 2010, the museum changed its name to the Britannia Mine Museum. This happened after a large project that cost $14.7 million. New exhibits were added to show how important minerals are in our daily lives. They also tell the story of the Britannia Mine, including how they cleaned up the environment after mining stopped. This big project was funded by the government, companies, and many people who donated money.
What You Can See and Do
The museum looks after 23 old buildings. These include places where people worked, lived, and managed the mine. There are also over 7,000 items, 9,500 old photos, and 3,000 documents and maps.
One of the coolest things to do is take a train ride! You go through an old tunnel that was dug in 1914. This tunnel was used to move ore from the mine to the shore. You can also see demonstrations of old mining tools and lighting equipment.
Because the site looks so historic, many movies and TV shows have been filmed there. Some famous ones include Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, an episode of The X-Files called "Paper Clip", Okja, The Man in the High Castle (TV series), and MacGyver.
