• About
    • What We Do
    • Membership
    • Our Advocacy
    • Newsletter
    • Donate
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Plans and Reports
    • Sponsors
  • Events & Activities
    • Heritage BC Conference 2023
    • BC Heritage Awards
    • Heritage Week 2023
    • Dates to Know
  • Learning Centre
    • Heritage 101
    • Advocacy
    • Accessibility for Historic Places
    • Climate & Sustainability
    • Heritage Place Conservation
    • Heritage Policy & Legislation
    • Homeowners
    • Intangible Cultural Heritage
    • Non-For-Profit Organizations
    • Reconciliation
    • Webinars On-Demand
  • Cultural Maps
    • Mapping Heritage Resources
    • Submerged Heritage Resources Map
    • Columbia Basin Region Historic Places Map
    • Francophone Historic Places Map
    • Chinese Canadian Historic Places Map
    • Japanese Canadian Historic Places Map
    • South Asian Canadian Historic Places Map
    • War Monuments and Memorials Map
    • Industrial Heritage Cultural Map
  • Funding
    • Heritage Legacy Fund
    • Government Funded Grants
    • Climate Disaster Response Fund
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Additional Funding Resources
    • Grant Writing Webinar
  • News
  • Professional Development
    • Educational Opportunities
    • Job Hunting Resources
    • Submit a Job
    • Job Board
    • Annual Conference
    • Professional Organizations
  • Contact
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Newsletter
Heritage BC
Membership Donate Newsletter
  • About

    About

    • What We Do
    • Membership
    • Our Advocacy
    • Newsletter
    • Donate
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Plans and Reports
    • Sponsors
  • Events & Activities

    Events & Activities

    • Heritage BC Conference 2023
    • BC Heritage Awards
    • Heritage Week 2023
    • Dates to Know
  • Learning Centre

    Learning Centre

    • Heritage 101
    • Advocacy
    • Accessibility for Historic Places
    • Climate & Sustainability
    • Heritage Place Conservation
    • Heritage Policy & Legislation
    • Homeowners
    • Intangible Cultural Heritage
    • Non-For-Profit Organizations
    • Reconciliation
    • Webinars On-Demand
  • Cultural Maps

    Cultural Maps

    • Mapping Heritage Resources
    • Submerged Heritage Resources Map
    • Columbia Basin Region Historic Places Map
    • Francophone Historic Places Map
    • Chinese Canadian Historic Places Map
    • Japanese Canadian Historic Places Map
    • South Asian Canadian Historic Places Map
    • War Monuments and Memorials Map
    • Industrial Heritage Cultural Map
  • Funding

    Funding

    • Heritage Legacy Fund
    • Government Funded Grants
    • Climate Disaster Response Fund
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Additional Funding Resources
    • Grant Writing Webinar
  • News
  • Professional Development

    Professional Development

    • Educational Opportunities
    • Job Hunting Resources
    • Submit a Job
    • Job Board
    • Annual Conference
    • Professional Organizations
  • Contact
  • Mapping Heritage Resources
  • Submerged Heritage Resources Map
  • Columbia Basin Region Historic Places Map
  • Francophone Historic Places Map
  • Chinese Canadian Historic Places Map
  • Japanese Canadian Historic Places Map
  • South Asian Canadian Historic Places Map
  • War Monuments and Memorials Map
  • Industrial Heritage Cultural Map
  • Cultural Maps

Industrial Heritage Inventory and Cultural Map

Call for Submission for Industrial Heritage Map

We are excited to be developing a new interactive map to geolocate and share BC’s industrial heritage. This project will add to our popular online Culture Maps series.

Industrial growth profoundly changed the province, establishing communities and infrastructure, and contributing to a strong provincial economy, largely from extracting natural resources. Yet many decades of European colonization and a limited understanding of natural resource management and ecosystem degradation left another legacy that some communities must still contend with today.

In our newest Inventory & Culture Map, we aim to raise awareness of this narrative through the province’s industrial heritage sites, providing a resource for researchers, educators and lifelong learners among others.

Submit A Historic Place

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you help


How Can You Help?

Submit A Site

Submit industrial sites in your area starting on March 8th, 2023. We will collate and review all submissions, generating a final shortlist of sites for upload to the new map. We will also be compiling an inventory of all submissions and aim to make this available publicly outside of the map.

Intake closes on June 9th, 2023.

Submit A Historic Place Here

Register Your Interest

Click here to send an email indicating your interest in this project and we will be in touch soon with more information on submitting your site(s).


FAQ

What is a Heritage BC Cultural Map?

Heritage BC has a series of interactive maps that geolocate and provide information on a range of heritage sites across the province. Each map covers a particular heritage theme. The other maps in the series can be found here.

 

What is industrial heritage?

According to the International Committee on the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (ICOMOS) :

Industrial heritage consists of the remains of industrial culture which are of historical, technological, social, architectural or scientific value. These remains consist of buildings and machinery, workshops, mills and factories, mines and sites for processing and refining, warehouses and stores, places where energy is generated, transmitted and used, transport and all its infrastructure, as well as places used for social activities related to industry such as housing, religious worship or education.

It is also important to consider the broader definition of Industrial Heritage that  UNESCO has been embracing :

The new discipline of industrial archaeology celebrates the artefacts of the workplace that have as much meaning in our history as the religious and domestic artefacts and architecture to which more attention has been paid throughout the years. Our industrial heritage includes not only the mill and factory, but the social and engineering triumphs spawned by the new technologies: Neolithic flint mines, Roman aqueducts, company towns, canals, railways, bridges and other forms of transportation and power engineering.
It is important to note that Industrial Heritage exists in all phases of human development. Therefore it is not only found in the 19th and 20th centuries, but as well for example in prehistoric, medieval times.

– Michael Falser, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

 

What ‘industrial heritage’ is being captured in this project?

The scope of activities that fall within the definition of industrial heritage, i.e., being related to industrial extraction, processing, production and transportation of raw materials or energy, is large. In BC, though extraction of raw materials stretches back thousands of years to early Indigenous quarrying of stone for implements – such as the Arrowstone Hills near Cache Creek, within Secwépemc territory – most of the province’s industrial heritage is confined to the post-colonial opening and growth of the region since the 1800s.

In BC, mining/mineral processing and the processing of logging activities were the key industrial heritage activities, and the railways and hydropower generation the main industrial infrastructure. Though not a comprehensive list, other notable industrial activities in BC include bridge-building, brick-making, shipbuilding and canning. These are the key industrial activities we intend to capture in this project. We do however invite communities to submit any site they consider to be industrial in nature. For sites not selected for inclusion on the cultural map, we will publish an inventory list as a means to share the diversity of industrial activities across the province.

While industrial heritage also relates to the equipment, as well as the intangible elements of industry (technologies or traditions) and the social aspects of those industrial activities (e.g., workers’ housing or amenities), in this project, we will generally be capturing the physical remains of buildings, important sites, or key infrastructure only.

 

What is meant by the positive and negative impacts of industrial heritage?

Like many sites around the world, industrial growth profoundly changed BC. It brought technological innovation and established many post-colonial towns and villages, infrastructure and transportation routes and contributed to a strong provincial economy, largely from extracting natural resources – with some of the industries continuing to support communities and the economy today. Yet many decades of European colonization, displacement of Indigenous Peoples from their traditional lands owing to the colonial development of small- or large-scale sites, and a limited understanding of natural resource management and ecosystem degradation also left legacies of environmental and political dispossession that communities, families and individuals must still contend with many decades later. These different legacies help contextualize the ongoing conversations around present-day industrial activity in BC.

The Industrial Revolution profoundly modified landscapes and life styles. The massive means employed to extract raw materials and exploit the minerals and agricultural products resulted in great achievements and grandiose constructions, testifying to the creative genius of humankind.

Guardians of the past, industrial sites testify to the ordeals and exploits of those who worked in them. Industrial sites are important milestones in the history of humanity, marking humanity’s dual power of destruction and creation that engenders both nuisances and progress. They embody the hope of a better life, and the ever-greater power over matter.

– Michael Falser, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

 

What time period is covered in this project?

In general, heritage sites in use before 1970 will be considered.

 

How will sites be evaluated?

We hope to see a wide range of sites across the province submitted to us. Exactly how sites will subsequently be evaluated will depend on the volume of submissions we receive. However, we intend to form an advisory working group of knowledgeable professionals to review and evaluate the submissions and to create a shortlist of sites to be further developed into cultural map sites. The sites that are not included on the map will be included in a published inventory.

 

Who can submit an entry?

Nominations can be submitted by anyone in British Columbia, including organizations (community, non-profit & charitable); educational institutions; local governments; First Nations; and individuals.

 

What is the project timeline?

The call for submissions is open until June 9th, 2023. The evaluation period will occur over summer 2023 with the map and inventory list published in October 2023.

If you have an Industrial Heritage Site that you plan on submitting, but are nervous that you won’t be able to meet the deadline, then please reach out to us and we can discuss individual cases.

 

How can I submit an entry?

Please complete our online entry form here.

 

Do you have questions about the Industrial Heritage Inventory & Cultural Map Project that haven’t been answered here?
Contact our project collaborator Diane Mitchell at [email protected]

Submit a Historic Place

Prepare to make a submission using this form. Intake closes June 9th, 2023.

If you need any assistance with your nomination, please contact Heritage BC at [email protected].

  • Contact Information:

  • (if applicable)
  • (if applicable)
  • (if applicable)
  • Heritage BC recognizes and respects your right to privacy, and is committed to protecting it. This personal information is being collected under the authority of The Personal Information Protection Act of British Columbia [SBC 2003]. This information will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to other organizations. It will be used to follow-up with you should we require further clarification about your nomination and to provide related information that can be considered reasonably appropriate under the circumstances of the collection of your personal information. Heritage BC will comply with all requests to cease communications. Personal information will not be used or disclosed for other purposes, unless permitted by The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). If you have any questions about the collection of your personal information, contact the Heritage BC office (by email: [email protected]), PO Box 846 Ladysmith, BC V9G 1A6

Save & Continue Later
  • Provide as much information as possible concerning the name and location of the historic place, including street address, municipality, region, postal code. Please also provide GPS coordinates; you can find out how to do this here.
  • Whose territory was the historic place built on? If possible, please provide in the language of the relevant First Nation(s). Learn about whose land it is on here, and the local First Nation Languages here.
  • Is the historic place owned by an individual, corporation, organization, or level of government (local, provincial, or federal)?
  • Provide information about the historic place. If possible, answer the following questions: What type of historic place is it (building, group of buildings, industrial site, landscape, etc.)? Do you know when or who constructed it? Can you provide a brief history of the historic place, including what industrial activity/activities it has been used for in the past? When did the industrial activity start/cease?
  • Explain the positive and/or negative impacts that the historic place contributed to the local population, economy, regional/provincial growth, First Nations or the local environment. Did the historic place leave a legacy that is still present today? Include information that can be substantiated by reputable, published sources.

    What do we mean by "positive and negative impacts"?Like many sites around the world, industrial growth profoundly changed BC. It brought technological innovation and established many post-colonial towns and villages, infrastructure and transportation routes and contributed to a strong provincial economy, largely from extracting natural resources – with some of the industries continuing to support communities and the economy today. Yet many decades of European colonization, displacement of Indigenous Peoples from their traditional lands owing to the colonial development of small- or large-scale sites, and a limited understanding of natural resource management and ecosystem degradation also left legacies of environmental and political dispossession that communities, families and individuals must still contend with many decades later. These different legacies help contextualize the ongoing conversations around present-day industrial activity in BC.
  • Explain why you think this historic place should be recognized as important to the history and development of BC. Why is this historic place important? How is it important to the community? How does this historic place have continued use and value to the community? What heritage values or character defining elements does this historic place have? Heritage values can be defined in many categories. In your answer think about how and why the historic place might have heritage values according to the categories Aesthetic, Historic, Scientific, Cultural/Social, and Spiritual as defined in the Canadian Register for Historic Places guidelines.
  • Please select all that apply
  • Do you know of any websites related to the historic place or its associated stories? In relation to impacts or legacies of the historic place, links to reports, publications or references that support the information may help with the evaluation process. Please provide website URLs below:
  • Need help finding information about the historic place? Contact your local archives, museums, historical societies, libraries, and local government resources for example.

    Below is a list of suggested supporting documentation.

    • - Contemporary photographs
    • - Historic photographs
    • - Archival/historic documents
    • - Site plan of place
    • - Location map
    • - Statement of Significance if applicable
    • - Information from Heritage Register
    • - Letters of support from Local Government, community organizations, etc.
    • - Newspaper articles, etc.
    Drop files here or
    Max. file size: 8 MB.
      • -To the best of my/our knowledge all the information contained in this submission is true and complete.
      • -Heritage BC may make edits or additions to the submitted content when publishing the Industrial Heritage Cultural Map and Inventory.
      • -Heritage BC may edit and update language in the submitted text in order to maintain a consistent voice for all map and inventory submissions.
    Save & Continue Later

    Register now for our 2023 Conference
    Intake open for Heritage Legacy Fund 2023
    Submit an Industrial Heritage Site for our new Cultural Map

    Support Us

    Membership Donate
    Heritage BC

    604-417-7243

    PO Box 846
    Ladysmith, BC
    V9G 1A6

    Connect with Us

    © 2023 Heritage BC.
    Website by SplitMango

    As an organization of provincial scope, Heritage BC recognizes that its members, and the local history and heritage they seek to preserve, occupy the lands and territories of B.C.’s Indigenous peoples. Heritage BC asks its members and everyone working in the heritage sector to reflect on the places where they reside and work, and to respect the diversity of cultures and experiences that form the richness of our provincial heritage.