Owner plans to rebuild Lytton Chinese History Museum after it was destroyed by wildfire
CBC
The owner of the Lytton Chinese History Museum says she plans to rebuild it as soon as possible after it was burned down in a wildfire that destroyed most of the town on June 30, 2021.
Lorna Fandrich, who purchased the property in the 1980s and opened the museum in 2017, says she wants to restart her business to preserve an important part of Canadian history and help the town move forward.
"I still think people need to hear about the Chinese story in this area."
On Wednesday, Fandrich had the chance to survey the site for the first time since the fire. She said that although most of the 1,600 artifacts held in the museum were destroyed, a search uncovered a few surviving pottery and ceramic pieces and she is hopeful more artifacts may still be found.
Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman said that in addition to documenting important history, the museum was also a key tourist attraction for the town.
"It was definitely an important draw … I know that there's a keen interest in trying to rebuild the museum."
Fandrich said that she plans to focus the new museum around a digital concept, as she has kept a database of all of the items in the museum.