A pop-up display and a presentation on the ill-fated 1845 Franklin Expedition will take place in Ladner next week.
Vancouver Maritime Museum programs coordinator Talya Mallek, who will give a talk titled The Franklin Expedition and its Legacy, says it will provide context to Sir John Franklin's famous voyage within the history of the quest for the Northwest Passage.
"The talk will delve into the 170-year-old mystery of what happened to Sir John Franklin and his men through evidence found by subsequent explorers, as well as details of the modern-day discoveries of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror," says Mallek in an email to the Optimist.
The wreck of the HMS Erebus was discovered by an expedition led by Parks Canada in 2014 in Nunavut while the HMS Terror was found last September.
After the talk guests will have a chance to see and touch different reproductions of artifacts from the HMS Erebus.
They include an illuminator, a Blue Willow Pattern plate, a small 3D replica of the HMS Erebus bell and a reproduction of the letter left by the Franklin Expedition in a cairn on King William Island.
Mallek says the popup display includes text, images and two digital touch-screens where visitors can view videos about the history and modernday search.
"The pop-up display puts the mysteries of Franklin's tragic voyage into a historical context of science and exploration, looking at reasons behind the expedition and clues from early search efforts, and connects visitors to contemporary Arctic investigation, presenting the methodologies and findings of ongoing scientific research in Canada's North."
Mallek notes the display is the cornerstone of The Franklin Network Outreach Project, an innovative, three-year initiative helmed by the Royal Ontario Museum, in collaboration with Parks Canada and the History Museums Network.
The presentation is set for Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Port of Vancouver Delta Community Office at Trenant Park Square. The exhibit is on display there from Feb. 1 to 4.
Those interested in attending the free presentation are asked to RSVP by Jan. 31 online at portvancouver.com/delta, by phone at 604-665-9636 or in person at the community office, 5225A Ladner Trunk Rd.
For more information visit portvancouver.com/delta.
