MacBride Museum

  Over March Break, I was fortunate enough to get a job at the MacBride Museum. It is museum in Whitehorse that has really unique Yukon artifacts and displays. This year, it opened a new Yukon Quest exhibit because it was the 30th Yukon Quest. It also outlines the history of the Gold Rush and many other Yukon specific exhibits. As a lover of history, I really enjoy visiting the MacBride Museum (every 3rd Thursday is free for Yukoners!) and so when I was approached by one of the curators to work as one of the March Break camp leaders I was thrilled.

 

  It meant longer hours (8-5 as opposed to my normal 8:30-3:30 :P) and it did take a lot of energy, but the kids who attended each camp were so great and really embraced a lot of the activities we had planned. I also had an excellent partner in crime, Steph. Steph is even newer to the Yukon than I am and her speciality is in archeology and museum-ology? (I think). Our different gifts- hers in the museum exhibits since she had been working there for a couple months already- and mine in classroom management and timing of events- paired well. We made a great team and it was a joy to see her every morning and high five each other at the end of another long, energy-filled day.

Steph- my partner in crime

One day we made archeologist costumes so we were in character for our "Dig".
The kids are way cuter, but I can't post photos of them.

  The camps we led over March Break (two weeks here in the Yukon) were the Gold Rush camp and Archeology camp. During the Gold Rush camp, the kids learned about the Gold Rush through the eyes of Aurore, a child who experienced the Chilkoot Trail and life in the boom times of Yukon as well as the legendary Soapy Smith whose gang took advantage of many Cheechakos (inexperienced Yukoners) by overcharging them and fleecing them out of the few possessions they had brought up with them. Many of the crimes gangs like Soapy Smith's were involved in occurred on the Alaska side of the border because the RCMP were well-known for dealing with such scoundrels swiftly and effectively. At the end of the week, the campers performed a play where Soapy Smith dies in a dramatic shoot-out. The kids got to dress up in Gold Rush costumes and had a blast practicing for their big performance.

Fun Gold Rush Costumes: Dance Hall Girl, RCMP Coats, Furs

Campers in the last scene- a lot of dead bodies on the ground.

   During the Archeology camp, we had two guest speakers come in. The first was an archeologist who brought in some interesting artifacts to show the kids. He also had them look through a number of artifacts that were found in a field and by using the history known about the field, estimate what time period each artifact would be from and what it may have been used for. It was really interesting. A paleantologist also came into speak to the campers. He brought all kinds of interesting skulls to show the kids and told the kids that paleantology is not just about dinosaurs! He recently was credited in finding a camel skull in the Yukon which proves that before the ice age, camels were able to survive in this climate. He definitely presented a different history and prehistory of the world than I grew up acknowledging and it really made me want to look into a Christian perspective on paleantology and how Christian archeologists account for the interesting evidence he was showing us.

The Yukon Wildlife exhibit.

   After the March Break camp, I was asked if I was willing to lead the camps during the summer. The staff at MacBride were very accommodating and said they would work the camps around my schedule so I could have some weeks off this summer. How could I say no to that? I'm so thankful that I will have employment this summer and through it I will get to learn more and more about this beautiful territory and hang out with kids all day. Now, if only the weather would start becoming a little more summerlike up here...