…Thunderbird Park

I’ve already shown some of Thunderbird Park in my post on Helmcken House (see “H”).

According to the Royal BC Museum’s website:

Thunderbird Park was established in 1941 when a display of totem poles from the provincial museum’s collection was set up at the corner of Belleville and Douglas streets in Victoria. In 1952 Anthropology Curator Wilson Duff initiated a pole restoration program and hired Kwakwaka’wakw master carver, Mungo Martin, as chief carver for Thunderbird Park. (http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/tbird-park/html/intro/intro.htm)

Helmcken Park, and St. Ann’s School reside in the Park, as do a Northwest Coast style big house (http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/tbird-park/html/present/ex07/ex07.htm) and several totem poles (Gitxsan, Haida, and Kwakwaka’wakw). The big house (or Kwakwaka’wakw) was built by Chief Mungo Martin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mungo_Martin) in 1953. You can see a plan of the present park here: http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/tbird-park/html/present/main.htm.

Websites of Interest

• Thunderbird Park at Virtual Tourist: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Canada/Province_of_British_Columbia/Victoria-903124/Things_To_Do-Victoria-Thunderbird_Park-BR-1.html
• Thunderbird Park at Explore Vancouver Island: http://www.explorevancouverisland.com/Thunderbird_Park_Victoria__Vancouver_Island_BC.htm
• Thunderbird Park at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_Park_%28Victoria,_British_Columbia%29
• Thunderbird Park at the Royal BC Museum: http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/tbird-park/html/intro/intro.htm

Part of the April A to Z Challenge.