SNOW, Family Day, Winter Film Series, Excavation talk and more.

"SNOW": The Exhibition

Snow, the first exhibition of its kind in Canada, portrays the amazing love-hate relationship that the inhabitants of this great land have had with snow since the arrival of the First Peoples in North America. Created by the Canadian Museum of History in partnership with the J. Armand Bombardier Museum, Snow gives visitors a historical and cultural perspective on this element of nature as a source of adaptation, passion, ingenuity and creativity.
With over 400 digital photos and captions contributed by Canadians from across the country, Snow gives visitors a true feel for winter. Snow presents artefacts such as boots made out of sealskin and caribou hide, snowshoes and clothing designed to be warm and waterproof. Eyeglasses made from walrus ivory by Nunavut’s Thule Inuit that date back to around 1300 are among the items on display. Visitors young and old can try on replicas of the glasses and see some of the clever ways in which humans have adapted to snow and cold. Among the exhibition’s interactives are opportunities to try on a snowshoeing outfit, listen to recorded stories and view sketches made by explorers, voyageurs, soldiers and scientists, to learn how Canada’s early settlers endured and adapted to the winter months. It opens to the public on Thursday, January 26^th.

Family Day @ the Museum
February 20
10am - 4pm

Celebrate Family Day @ the Museum for FREE! Sit back and enjoy a performance by JUNO-nominated Mike Ford as he explores Canadian history through song @ 11am, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm, make a craft, complete a scavenger hunt and explore the history of our unique city!

Some Niagara Falls Street Names

Alphabetical Order

Ainslie Crescent –named for William and Robert Ainslie who planned the Coach/McMillan Drive Subdivision.

Alexander Crescent –named for a former Governor-General of Canada.

Arad Street –named for Arad Skinner who owned land near the intersection of Drummond and McLeod Roads; runs parallel to Skinner Street.

Armoury Street –the street on which the armoury was located.

Bampfleld Street –named for the Bampfield family who came to Niagara Falls in 1860, and operated the Great Western (later Grand Trunk) Restaurant until 1909.

Barker Street –named after a butcher by the name of Barker who married the widow of Stephen Peer, and opened up this street which originally extended only a short distance from Main Street.

Beaverdams Road –named for the Battle of Beaverdams which was a British victory during the War of 1812, fought June 24, 1813.

Beechwoods Road –originally an area which was heavily wooded with beech trees

Bender Hill –One of the two earliest settlers of this area, Philip Bender served as a Butler's Ranger and immigrated to Canada at the same time as Thomas McMicken, in 1782. He settled by the Falls, in the area which would later become known as Clifton.

Biggar Road –Hwy 47 named for the Loyalist Biggar family, one of the first area settlers, and prominent citizens.

For more, click on the link below:
S treet Names

Help Celebrate Canada’s 150 Birthday by lending us a piece of your history

The Museum is gathering 150 objects from the people of Niagara to tell the story of what it is to be Canadian.
Do you have an heirloom that ties you to Canada? What connects you to your Canadian Community? What do you have that makes you think of Canada? What is quintessentially Canadian to you? What do you miss when you are away from Canada?
Your objects and your stories will be on display at the Niagara Falls History Museum from
May – December 2017

BE A PART OF THIS ESSENTIAL EXHIBITION

Contact the Museum to share your object and tell your story.

Cinema Winters Film Series

Our winter offerings in our film series explores just that – winter. A series of films curated by Joan Nicks that complement our exhibition on Snow and provide a variety of films that will amuse, entertain and make you think. Viewings start with an introduction to provide attendees with some context and additional information before you watch the film.
This series runs every other Thursday and starts on January 26^th, the series includes:
FARGO (Joel and Ethan Coen, US/UK, 1996) 98 mins. R
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (Werner Herzog, US, 2007) 99 mins. G
COOL RUNNINGS (Jon Turteltaub, US, 1993) 98 mins. PG
FROZEN RIVER (Courtney Hunt, US, 2008), 97 mins. 14A
McCABE AND MRS MILLER (Robert Altman, US, 1971) 120 mins. R

Free Admission every Thursday night from 5 - 9 p.m. Make us a habit.

Thursday Nights are a great way to stay warm in the winter

The Niagara Falls History Museum is Free every Thursday night (5pm-9pm). Below are the activities on the schedule for this month.

February 2
It’s Me for the Inland Lakes @ 7pm
Picture of Ian Bell
Songs, chanteys and colourful tales of the sailors who worked under canvas during “schooner days” on the Great Lakes. Performed by Ian Bell on concertina,
guitar and banjo and presented along with a PowerPoint slide show of terrific period images of Great Lakes vessels, ports and sailors.

February 9
Winter Film Series @ 7pm

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (Werner Herzog, US, 2007) 99 mins.
Rated G A stunning documentary by a cinema master. Exploration of Antarctica as a universe of beauty and work site for interesting, odd scientists. Penguins
included. Several best documentary nominations and awards.

February 16
Then and Now: The History and Excavations of the Minoan Site of Gournia @ 7pm
Gournia is an ancient Minoan palace site that has a fascinating history beginning in the Bronze Age and continuing into modern day. Two excavations have taken place here, one in 1901 and one more recently in 2010. This talk will explore the past of Gournia in order to reconstruct the unique site.

February 23
Winter Film Series @ 7pm
Cool Runnings movie poster
COOL RUNNINGS (Jon Turteltaub, US, 1993) 98 mins.
Rated PG Adventure comedy: a fictionalization of
Jamaica’s bobsled team and their wild Olympic dream. Funny and uplifting, with a Reggae soundtrack. John Candy plays the coach in this sports fantasy.

The Insiders

Also on Thursday nights, when you visit the Museum, you might run across one of our new crew of volunteers. These individuals have worked with us on coming up with a new perspective on looking at our history. There will be new people out each week, so make it a habit of stopping by.

Educational Programs

The Museum has released the 2016/17 educational program offerings for teachers. There are a few new programs that fit the Ontario Curriculum as well as Museum and Battlefield tours.

We are also excited to be working with Niagara Falls Transit on offering free bus transportation to elementary school children.