What do Prince George residents in 2015 want to give the citizens of the city in 2115? What do the city's current residents want to say about themselves to the citizens living here 100 years from now?
Neither of these questions are easily answered, so it's wise that the city's 100th anniversary committee is taking some extra time before it puts a 100th anniversary time capsule in the ground, where it will remain sealed for a century. It was supposed to happen Monday but now it has been postponed until later this summer. The opening of the 75th anniversary capsule earlier this month provoked some sober second thought as to what should go in the 100th anniversary capsule. Even after just 25 years, some of the items that came out of the 75th anniversary capsule were greeted by a collective "Huh?" Those items may have been important and interesting in 1990 but they seemed cheap and insignificant to 2015 eyes. Worst of all, no explanation of why some of these artifacts were included in the capsule was provided.
If that happened after just 25 years, imagine the response in 2115 if the centennial capsule was opened to find, for example, a Jennifer Pighin-designed Team B.C. scarf for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, a team photo of the 2014-2015 Prince George Cougars, a program from Judy Russell's The Sound of Music currently on stage at the Playhouse and a Mr. PG doll, with no information of what they are or why they're important historical artifacts. Historians and archivists know that old material is just stuff without the back story. Huble Homestead, Barkerville and Fort St. James are simply a collection of old buildings. The stories keep those places alive for present and future generations. Scarves, photographs, musical programs and dolls are just knick knacks without the tales that goes with them. Our descendants don't want just our cool 2015 stuff, they want the stories that go with them to make them cool. Looking through that prism of time will help decide what belongs in the capsule. So will plenty of personal experience most people have.
Who hasn't been given old jewelry, dinnerware, medals, books, art, photo albums and so on from a beloved grandparent, graciously accepted the gift and then asked themselves afterwards why it was given to them and where the hell are they going to put it?
Another way for the anniversary committee to consider the capsule is to ask themselves what they wish city residents in 1915 had left for us today. Ideas can be found in the items from the Exploration Place archives that have been put on the 100 Iconic Prince George People, Places and Objects web page, such as the dance card from an event at the Ritts-Kifer Hall in 1915.
In other words, they need to be a offer a slice of 2015 life. They should provoke an "oh, wow!" response because it's clear what it is and what it signifies. With that in mind, The Citizen has submitted three items for the capsule: a copy of the city centennial magazine produced by the City of Prince George and the Citizen; a copy of the March 6, 2015 edition of the Citizen, which featured a mosaic of 2,015 photos from the Citizen's archive, wishing the city a happy birthday; and the Feb. 14, 2015 edition of the Citizen, with the opening ceremonies of the Canada Winter Games on the cover. We have no idea what the city or its residents or its newspaper will be like in 100 years but the point of the time capsule is to let our descendants know a little bit about us. It's possible there will be someone living today who will still be alive for the opening of the centennial capsule for Prince George's bicentennial but it's highly unlikely they'll remember the capsule going into the ground. It's important to include the right items and use the power of the written word to travel a century through time. The best gifts we can give to Prince George residents 100 years from now are not valuable items but memorable stories about who we are, how we lived and what mattered to us.
-- Managing editor Neil Godbout
