New exhibition highlights role of mail, rail and retail in Canadian history
Gatineau, Quebec, November 20, 2003 — The Canadian Postal Museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization announced today the opening of Mail, Rail and Retail: Connecting Canadians. This is the first exhibition to explore in depth the roles that communication, transportation and commerce played in the development of modern Canada — and the far-reaching impact that mail, rail and retail services have had on the lives of Canadians. The Canadian Postal Museum developed this exhibition in partnership with Canada Post, Canadian Pacific Railway and the Hudson’s Bay Company.
“We cannot underestimate the challenge posed by Canada’s vast geography,” said Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. “Private industry and public services have served as a link between regions and as an engine for the formation of the country. In many ways, modern Canada is the product of the combined ingenuity of these sectors,” he said.
Mail, Rail and Retail features 150 artifacts, many on public display for the first time. They illustrate how Canada’s postal service, rail transport and retail commerce helped to shape the nation we live in today. The artifacts also show the interdependence of the rail and postal networks and the retail sales industry, and illustrate how the three sectors ensured each other’s success.
The exhibition highlights the railway’s adaptations for dealing with ever-increasing volumes of mail and for providing the fast delivery demanded by both the postal service and the growing retail sales industry. Visitors will learn about the special rail cars that transported millions of dollars’ worth of fragile silk from Vancouver to eastern markets from 1886 until the mid-1930s. They will explore the world of illustrated mail-order catalogues that enabled anyone with mail service or a nearby railway station to buy the kind of goods found in big-city stores.
Mail, Rail and Retail also dramatizes how railways opened the West for settlement. The exhibition eloquently recounts the crucial role that all three sectors played in the lives of new immigrants to Canada.
Oral history interviews explore the exhibition’s major themes, and special educational kits are available to enrich children’s experience of the exhibition.
Mail, Rail and Retail: Connecting Canadians will be on display at the Canadian Postal Museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization from November 21, 2003 to November 29, 2004. It will then travel across the country. The exhibition is sponsored by Canada Post, Canadian Pacific Railway and the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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