Museum Road near Doré River
53.3254 N 120.2059 W Google — GeoHack
Not currently an official name.
Oscar’s Museum in Lamming Mills, in the early sixties, before it was moved to Museum Road. Valley Museum & Archives Society [accessed 4 April 2025]
Oscar Laming received his degree from the Northwest School of Taxidermy in 1917, but not until the 1950s was he able to pursue his hobby. Oscar set out to complete his first small museum at Lamming Mills as a British Columbia Centennial project (the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the mainland colony of British Columbia in 1858), and 1958 the first museum opened in a garage behind his house. In 1959 Oscar was presented with the Award of Merit and the Certificate of Merit from the British Columbia government. These were on the recommendation of Minister of Lands and Forests Ray Gillis Williston who had visited the museum.
In 1963 Oscar sold his share of the mill, retired from the logging business, and began working on a new museum. On June 17, 1965, Oscar and Nellie opened the museum, near the Doré River, for business. The opening of Highway 16 to Prince George saw a temporary increase in visitors to the museum, but when the highway was rerouted visitors dropped. In1 973, Oscar and Nellie sold property and museum to Maurice Bonneville and moved to Winfield.
According to Bonneville, the museum was a big attraction before the construction of the CNR overpass which re-routed traffic and by-passed the museum. In 1973 there were approximately 9,000 visitors to the museum. The museum operated regularly until 1983. From then on it was operated only on request. The museum contains 30 animal rugs, 40 horn mounts, 45 fully mounted animals, 54 head mounts, 169 or more stuffed animals. Included is a rare kinkajou from Brazil. Also a rock collection, seashell collection, antiques, arrowheads, foreign currencies.
The museum was purchased by Don and Edna Monroe in December 1988.
- Robson Valley Courier. McBride weekly newspaper published by Pyramid Press of Jasper from 1968 to 1988 (1968–1988).
Oscar and Nellie were my great grandparents. I sure enjoy reading articles like these.
I was going through an old family video from around 1960 – my grandfather is at the museum. Shows the sign, the area around it outside, and the sign showing it’s at Lamming, BC. He died when I was about 7 or 8 years old, so it was pretty neat to see him about a decade or so younger, and at a place which I thought might not exist anymore.
Great fun to do a search and read the history here.