Canadian Museum of History: National Museum in Gatineau, Quebec
The Canadian Museum of History is one of Canada’s most-visited museum attractions. Located on the banks of the Ottawa River, in Gatineau, Quebec, it’s just across from Ottawa’s Parliament Hill. It’s one of three Canadian national museums located outside of Ottawa.
Long curved passageway entrance to the Canadian Hall of History. Photo by Linda Aksomitis. Fast Fact: The Passageway into the Canadian History Hall is lined with 101 backlit silhouettes of familiar Canadian landmarks, symbols, and activities. The shadows created by inset displays and overhead lighting may shift as you walk through, making it feel like you're truly walking through time.
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
My favorite part of the Canadian Museum of History was the First People’s Hall. Showcasing centuries of history “from time immemorial,” the hall covers approximately 35,000 square feet. That’s a lot of display room!
Display in the First Peoples Hall. Photo by Linda Aksomitis.I love bright and colorful, so the Aboriginal peoples of Canada displays are a perfect fit for me. Many of the displays could be classed as artworks. However, they’re much more than that. They show the cultural diversity of the many groups that are part of Canada’s early history.
Welcome to the First Peoples Hall. “We include Inuit, First Nations and Metis. Together, we have often been called Native. Now we are more often known collectively as Aboriginal. It has been hard to find a common name because we are, in fact, hundreds of distinct peoples. Each of these peoples has its own name, language, ancestral lands and culture.”
~ Canadian Museum of History
The displays in the First Peoples Hall were guided by a pan-Indigenous advisory committee. Indeed, the team included Indigenous scholars, artists, and leaders. This helps ensure authenticity and reflection of their histories and lived experiences.
Three zones make up the Hall:
- Aboriginal Presence: Displays cultural diversity and early settlement.
- An Ancient Bond with the Land: Emphasizes Aboriginal spiritual and ecological connections.
- Arrival of Strangers: Traces the history of European interactions through to modern political rights and cultural resilience.
Beaded dance collars sewn by Tlingit women in British Columbia since the late 1800s. Photo by Linda Aksomitis. Fast Fact: Beaded dance collars are a type of ceremonial regalia. This type of regalia displays a person's clan crest (the collar above is from the Raven clan). By the early 1900s, potlach participants wore a wide range of regalia, including dance collars, Chilkat robes, button blankets, and beaded tunics.
Displays in the Hall represent groups from across Canada. I discovered everything from Inuit snow goggles to contemporary artworks such as Shelley Niro’s Sky Woman.
Totem Poles
And of course, I also found many examples of totem poles. Located in the Grand Hall, the Canadian Museum of History showcases the largest collection of totem poles in the world.
What was the purpose of totem poles?
Totem poles served various purposes for the different Aboriginal groups that carved them. They represent storytelling traditions and carry many levels of meaning.
The poles were often memorials to represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people and events. Like the dance collars, the totem poles may indicate a family’s lineage, clan membership and crest. So, the totem poles may have served as house or entrance posts.
All groups of Canadian Aboriginal peoples didn’t carve totem poles. Rather, the peoples of the Pacific Northwest made totem poles, usually from Western Red Cedar. This type of tree is straight-grained and easy to carve. Before taking a tree for carving, many coastal First Nations peoples performed a ceremony of gratitude and respect in honor of the tree.
The totem poles in the Grand Hall are displayed in a huge area of natural light along with reconstructed house facades. Often called the “Poles along the Windows” section, it’s an impressive sight!
Totem poles and house facade in the Grand Hall. Photo by Linda Aksomitis. These totem poles are tall! Indeed, they stand 10 to 12 metres (33 to 39 feet) high. The Grand Hall wall height, behind them, is around 15 metres (49 feet).
I found them awe-inspiring!
What’s in the Canadian Museum of History?
The Canadian History Museum is situated on around 9.5 hectares or about 24 acres of land. According to the museum website, the museum spans 93,000 square m (111,227 sq. yards). It’s big!
Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. Photo by Linda Aksomitis. Actual exhibit space of course is lower, with about 25,000 sq. m (269,000 sq. ft). In fact, it’s the largest museum exhibition area in Canada. The big advantage of having so much space to store artifacts is that the exhibits rotate frequently. So, there’s always something new to see.
In addition to exhibits, the museum includes:
- Restaurants including the Panorama Cafe and Second Cup
- Boutique / gift shop
- 295-seat 3D (formerly IMAX) theatre
- 500-seat performance theatre
Levels & Galleries
The Canadian Museum of History has four levels.
The Lower Level includes the Grand Hall, the First Peoples Hall, Tsimshian Prehistory, First Peoples of the Northwest Coast, and the Canadian Stamp Collection.
Fast Fact: The Canadian Postage Stamp collection begins with the 1851 "Three-Penny Beaver" stamp.
Altogether there are over 3,000 stamps in the museum's collection.
That's every postage stamp ever issued in Canada!
Pin me! The Canadian Stamp Collection. Level 2 includes the Main Entrance (Laurier Street), the Canadian Children’s Museum, Special Exhibits, Gift Shop, theatres, and restaurants.
On Levels 3 and 4, you’ll find three galleries. They include:
- Gallery 1: Early Canada – including earliest times to 1763
- Gallery 2: Colonial Canada – covers the period from 1763 to 1914, the start of World War I
- Gallery 3: Modern Canada – includes 1914 to the present day
Why does the Early Canada period end in 1763?
So what happened in 1763 in Canada? First, you have to consider the political landscape of the time. The British and French had both established colonies in what’s now Eastern Canada. In the West, French and British fur traders paddled up and down the rivers trading European goods with Indigenous trappers.
In other words, there was a lot of competition between the French and the English! And not just in the new world. The competition was worldwide.
It all came to a halt with the Treaty of Paris. This treaty ended the Seven Years’ War global conflict between the Great Powers, who were primarily Great Britain and France. Major battles occurred in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa, and India.
However, in 1763, France officially ceded New France (in Canada) to Britain through the Treaty of Paris. You can learn more in this Canadian Encyclopedia article about The Royal Proclamation of 1763, issued by King George III, to establish the new administrative structure.
The galleries contain a smattering of everything! Models of galleon ships from the 1500s. A 1700s plow that would have been pulled by oxen or horses to break up grasslands for farming. Maternity clothes and children’s toys from the 1950s baby boom.
My favorite toy of the era–a table hockey game! I never had a Mountie suit, but my brothers had lots of toy guns and holsters. Photo by Linda Aksomitis. As you’d expect in one of Canada’s National Museums, the information boards are extremely well done. There are lots of images blown up to wall size to illustrate different periods that make the museum a very visual experience.
Canada on the war front. Photo by Linda Aksomitis.Linda’s Road Trip Tips
The Canadian Museum of History was one of my stops on Ottawa’s Hop On, Hop Off bus. It’s a great way to see the city if you’re visiting without a car during tourist season. I used the two-day pass to get to all but one (it’s not a stop) of the National Museums.
I got to the museum at lunch time, so walked through the Grand Hall across to My Bistro. The Bistro menu had several comfort classics from poutine to burgers. My choice, a Smashed Cheeseburger, had beef, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, and burger sauce. It was tasty!
Burger in My Bistro at the Canadian Museum of History. Photo by Linda Aksomitis. Who Should Visit the Canadian Museum of History?
The Canadian Museum of History is designed to appeal to everyone from the youngest to the oldest. With interactive displays in the Canadian Children’s Museum and rich, immersive galleries throughout, it’s a fascinating place for all visitors to the city.
Visitor Tip: Purchase a one-day or three-day pass for discounted entry into all seven national museums in Ottawa and Gatineau.
I spent a couple of hours on my visit, but that barely got me through the museum. So, start with the level you’re most interested in and pace your visit accordingly! Better yet, especially if you’re a local, visit a couple of times.
Pin me! The museum has a full range of amenities, general services, and accessibility accommodations.
In addition to public washrooms with diaper-changing tables on all levels, there’s a private nursing room located on the first level.
Coat checks and lockers are available, so if you’re on your way back to the airport you can store your bags after they’re screened.
Courtesy strollers and wheelchairs are available–just ask at Information.
Accessibility services include wheelchair accessibility from the parking garage and allowing service animals. Elevator buttons are in Braille along with an induction loop system in the CINÉ+ theatre for those using hearing aids.
How Do You Visit the Canadian Museum of History?
The Canadian Museum of History is located alongside the Ottawa River, which forms the border between the cities of Ottawa, Ontario, and Gatineau, Quebec.
Parking: The underground parking garage (Indigo OT-002) is located at 100 Laurier Street in Gatineau. It has around 350 parking spaces, including designated accessible parking spaces. You can also use Uber or Lyft or the Hop On, Hop Off bus. The museum is served by both OC Transpo (Ottawa) and STO (Société de transport de l’Outaouais, Gatineau) transit systems. The nearby dedicated bus stop is “Musée de l’histoire (#2618)”.
Street Address: 100 Laurier Street, Gatineau, Québec.
Visit the Canadian Museum of History Website.
Keep up-to-date with what’s happening with the Canadian Museum of History Facebook page.
Take a virtual tour of the museum with this YouTube video from the Canadian Museum of History.
Plan your visit with Google Maps.
Read More Quebec Museum Reviews
Check out all these museum reviews for the Canadian province of Quebec!
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Acknowledgments
During my visit to Ottawa, Ontario, I received a national museum pass, and hop on, hop off bus pass, from Ottawa Tourism. I appreciate their support!
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