Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

New Vancouver Maritime Museum exhibit explores the Northwest Passage

The latest long-term exhibit from the Vancouver Maritime Museum - Across the Top of the World - chronicles the quest for the Northwest Passage.

vmm 1

The latest long-term exhibit from the Vancouver Maritime Museum - Across the Top of the World - chronicles the quest for the Northwest Passage. The European exploration for a shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific across the top of North America is one of the greatest stories in history.

vmm 2

The quest was recently brought back into the spotlight with the discovery of Franklin's ship HMS Erebus. With this recent discovery VMM Executive Director, Ken Burton notes, "We felt it incredibly important therefore to tell the story of the search for the passage, its eventual discovery, and the saga of human endeavour in the far north; as there are longstanding aspects of the history and culture of what is now Canada."

Some of the fascinating parts of history you'll experience at the exhibit include a 1744 Northwest Passage Act, a set of Longitude Acts and a selection of Sir John Franklin search correspondence and epehmer including Chart No 6 - the first ever to show a completed Northwest Passage.

vmm 3

About the Vancouver Maritime Museum: 

The VMM is a not-for-profit museum and gallery that celebrates the profound

significance of the oceans and waterways of the Pacific and Arctic, through the preservation and growth of its

extraordinary collection, and as a centre for dialogue, research, and experience.