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Letters
Empress of Ireland artifacts going to The Royal Alberta Museum Hello Everyone! It has been quite some time since I've sent any progress report. The reason for this is because there have been negotiations Today, November 15, 2007 is a great day for the Committee. Because of generous donations from supporters across Canada, USA, and Britain, The Empress of Ireland Artifacts Committee was able, in the past 4 years, to purchase 55 artifacts that had been retrieved from the wreck of the liner when it was still legal to do so. Many of these artifacts were taken on tour to the following locations: Camrose AB, Revelstoke BC, Salmon Arm BC, Kelowna BC, Vancouver BC, Mortlach SK, Grande Prairie AB, Provost(Rosenheim) AB, and Calgary AB. During this time we came in contact with thousands of people who had a connection to the liner. Some had relatives who had perished on the final voyage but a much larger number had relatives who had come to Canada on the liner. During its 95 successful voyages, the Empress of Ireland brought to Canada 117,000 passengers of which a large proportion went on to settle western Canada. It is with great pride that the Empress of Ireland Committee turned over 55 artifacts, 4 replications, 7 archival pieces, and 1 model to the Royal Alberta Museum located in Edmonton. The RAM accepted the collection within the mandate of its Western Canadian History department. Here is a report in the Edmonton Journal: Tonight there was coverage of this gifting on Global TV. CBC Radio and CBC TV most likely will cover this too. Here is information about the museum: The Royal Alberta Museum, due to undergo a $200,000,000 renovation and renewal next fall, is one of three provincial museums in Canada, the others being the Royal BC Museum in Victoria and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The committee is delighted that such a prestigious museum will be home for the collection. In May, the RAM will open an exhibition of Empress of Ireland artifacts. All of our supporters and contacts will be receiving an invitation to attend this event. In the meantime, the Committee will continue to work for the procurement of the rest of the artifacts. Thanks so much, Marion Kelch |
