Immigrant Voices in Canada's West: Two New History Exhibits Open at the Canadian Museum of Civilization Hull, Quebec, June 27, 2001 — On Thursday, June 28, 2001, the Canadian Museum of Civilization will officially open two new historical exhibits in the Canada Hall on Level 3 of the Museum. An immigrant book and music supply shop and an ethnic multilingual print shop reproduce two Winnipeg businesses from the first half of the twentieth century. These exhibits have been added to the scenes already in the Canada Hall, which trace 1,000 years of Canadian history from east to west to the Arctic.
The two exhibit modules are housed inside a rebuilt portion of the Crump Block, which originally housed the bookstore on Main Street in North-End Winnipeg. Visitors can see objects set out in attractive shop windows and can also enter the two stores, which are filled with sales goods and authentic equipment. As visitors enter each of the exhibits, they step back in time and experience the distinct atmosphere of shops during the first half of the twentieth century.
Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, commented: "These two new exhibits bring visitors into a period where a new wave of immigrants to the Prairies developed their communities in a Canadian setting. The exhibits show how cultural expression in many languages and religions became a central part of the Canadian mosaic."
The Book and Music Supply Store
At the beginning of the last century, almost one-third of Western Canada's population was composed of newly-arrived immigrants, and businesses were created to respond to their needs. Frank Dojacek arrived in Winnipeg in 1903 from his native Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). Starting out as a book peddler, by 1906 he had founded a bookstore. He was an educated man who spoke seven languages. He sold books and newspapers in several languages, musical instruments, and a large array of goods, and he provided a mail-order, multilingual catalogue sales service to a dozen European ethnic groups. His store established a real bridge between the immigrants' countries of origin and their new home in Canada, providing information and familiar goods and services, thus serving as a veritable resource centre.
This exhibition module showcases the multi-ethnic character of Frank Dojacek's business, and the remarkable contribution he made by providing services that enabled immigrants to adapt more easily to Canadian life. We can see the initiative and spirit of enterprise, as well as the facility for adaptation, that immigrants to the West showed in their new environment.
The Print Shop
Adjoining the Book and Music Supply Store, this exhibit reproduces a typical print shop from the middle of the 1900s. It features a variety of machines, including a "Little Giant" (cylinder-type letterpress for small jobs), a Gordon press (platen-type letterpress for general jobs) and, dominating the room, an impressive Linotype (machine used for producing metal lines of type used in printing). Counter showcases at the entrance feature ethnic newspapers, period advertising, religious pamphlets and calendar almanacs. Panels provide explanations on the workings of the presses and the steps required to print texts.
The central theme of the two exhibits is the development of effective communications by new immigrant groups. It was crucial for new arrivals to find documentation and information in their mother tongues. Access to printed information in languages that immigrants could understand helped break down their feelings of isolation in Canada, solidified their sense of ethnic community and preservation of cultural values, and provided them with the tools essential to their adaptation and integration into Canadian society. The print shop is symbolic of the power of communication and the methods by which messages were delivered.
The bookstore and print shop modules show the importance of this type of business in Winnipeg during the first half of the twentieth century. These enterprises provided both a venue and a vehicle whereby immigrants from Central Europe could overcome their feelings of isolation in Canada through face-to-face contact and an exchange of valuable information. These two new modules in the Canada Hall express an important part of the heritage of the people of Canada.
The Canada Hall is visited by close to half a million people every year. It displays a wealth of information and knowledge, enabling visitors to discover many aspects of our country's history.
Information (media):
Media Relations Officer: (819) 776-7169
Senior Media Relations Oficer: (819) 776-7167
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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