Take a look at the tools and gadgets used by the Pioneers of Haida Gwaii.
inside the museum
The White Raven
This is a rare albino raven, one of only two in Canada. The white raven is a big attraction to Port Clements it even became the towns mascot. The raven had no fears to cars so the town ended up putting signs at each highway entrance to warn drivers to be aware of the raven. The raven was born right here on Haida Gwaii in 1996 and ended up dying on November 30, 1997 due to flying into a telephone wire and being electrocuted only 2 months before his second birthday.
War And Spruce
This yellow cedar sign was carved by Ben Van Der Beke to honour the connection between WWII and Haida Gwaii’s Sitka spruce. In 1917 the British Government discovered high-quality Sitka spruce growing here on Haida Gwaii. The trees here were good for the airplane industry because they didn't have lots of knots. Later in 1917, they decided to start bringing these trees to Northern BC to make the famous mosquito bombers that were used in WWII. With the end of WWII, the Sitka spruce industry died. These times played a crucial part in Haida Gwaii's Pioneering and Logging History.
2 Man Chainsaw
This 2-Man Mercury Chainsaw is the biggest chainsaw in our collection. It's almost 9 feet long and weighs 135lbs when fueled. It dates back all the way to the 1940's when it was used here on Haida Gwaii. Our museum has a combined 16 antique chainsaws in our collection.
The Golden Spruce
The Fall of the Golden Spruce is a well known event in Haida Gwaii’s history. On the morning of January 20th 1997, Grant Hadwin had taken a chainsaw across the Yakoun River and cut the tree from its base. The event caused the entire island to feel great sadness and anger. Legal action was planned to take place but Mr. Hadwin had gone missing and has never been seen again. The museum has a two part saga of the events in detail which visitors can read.