'Scores and scores' of artifacts to come out of storage with Dawson City Museum overhaul

The Dawson City Museum in Yukon is about to get an overhaulthat will allow new exhibits, displayingartifacts only ever held in storage.

It will bethe museum'sfirst major renovation in about three decades.

"Because our displays change very little, a lot of the acquisitions over the last 30 years have never been on display," said Alex Somerville, the museum'sexecutive director.

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"There are scores and scoreshundreds, evenof artifacts, many of which, the best ones, are closely connected with some personality in the history of Dawson, and the history of the Klondike."

Somerville says the museum's "renewal project" will involve renovations to improve "spatial inefficiencies" in the layout of the building to allow room for more exhibits. The work will also expand the main floor reading room, where the public can study materials held by the museum.

When the work is complete, the museum will also be open year-round. Right now, it is closed for most of the winter.

One goal of the renovation work, and the new exhibits, will beto provide visitors with a richer picture of Dawson City's history and heritage, beyond the Klondike gold rush.

A richer picture

"We have a lot of space devoted in the museum today to late-19th century stories, and very early-20th century stories. And the new exhibits willshare more of the stories from the 20th century in Dawson up to the late 1980s, early 1990s."

Newer exhibits will focus on the town's historic Jewish and black communities, and offer more insight into Tr'ondkHwch'inheritage and culture.

The museum is hoping to tap into federal funding to pay for the work.

The goal is to have it complete by 2021, when the town will mark the 125th anniversary of the discovery of gold in the Klondike.