Spring 2011 - The Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia

KSM
3177 Westmount Place
West Vancouver, BC V7V 3G4
Cell: 1-778-386-1723
Office: 1-604-926-4062
Email: info@kingsmanresources.com
www.kingsmanresources.com
Tumbler Ridge:
Rich in history
In addition to the magnificent mountain
wilderness, with 30 hiking trails and spectacular
waterfalls, visitors to Tumbler Ridge are rewarded
with a peek into its very and not-so distant past.
The Tumbler Ridge Museum comprises two
distinct themes. The first relates to palaeontology.
The Tumbler Ridge area has become famous for
its remarkable fossil discoveries and
resources, exhibited in the Dinosaur
Discovery Gallery, which adjoins the
Peace Region Palaeontology Research
Centre – the only facility of its kind in
British Columbia. Visitors are treated to
exhibits of dinosaurs, marine reptiles,
fish and a host of other denizens of the
area from the distant past. The region is
particularly rich in dinosaur footprints,
and a large exhibit recreates the type of
environment in which these creatures
roamed. Tumbler Ridge also boasts
the first dinosaur excavations in B.C.
and exhibits are regularly revised to
incorporate the latest discoveries.
The coal that is prevalent in the area is
the compressed, slow-cooked remains
of the Cretaceous forests in which the
dinosaurs tramped. For this reason some
of the finest footprint assemblages are
found in the local coal mines beside the
coal seams. Thousands of footprints
have been reported to the museum
by the mines, with whom an excellent
working relationship is maintained. Future
exhibits will examine this relationship more closely.
There is a gift shop, and visitors also have the
opportunity to participate in a variety of educational
programs or to go on dinosaur trackway tours,
including unique lantern tours.
The second theme relates to the more recent
history of the area, displayed by means of 30
exhibits in the Tumbler Ridge Community Centre.
Archaeology, First Nations heritage, pioneer
history, natural history, the creation of Tumbler
Ridge, early exploration, the coal mines, historic
maps and the local Sports Hall of Fame are
some of the topics covered. Admission to the
Community Centre exhibits is free.
56 SPRING 2011 Photograph: