20mm's in Smithers - One of the B36s lost in Canada

[Dosing]

Having seen all the remaining B36s left, I wanted to see the display at the Bulkley Valley museum in Smithers BC. Since I was playing around in the North of BC, I decided to stop in on my way home.
The display is small, to say the least, but so is the museum. It had some other interesting small displays, but the B36 cannons and prop blade seem to be the linch-pin of the museum.
This is from the first American 'Broken Arrow' incident, when a B36 carrying an atomic bomb was lost, ultimately crashing into a mountain in Northern BC, and remaining undiscovered for several years.











































Display on Japanese-Canadian forced relocation




Display, with Dug-out canoe, on local tribes

 

[bearhunter]

It's actually a very interesting little museum. All sorts of mostly local history there.

From your pics, I'm not sure it it's still in the same building as it was when I visited it almost 30 years ago for the first time.

It was in a reasonably well preserved two story house that appeared to have been built right after WWI.

It had yellow siding and the floors were hardwood lathe, over shiplap. They weren't level in any part of the building.

The last time I was there, the main display included the props from a movie which had been shot nearby and one of the stars was Donald Sutherland.

Thanx for posting

 

[DragonFire]

I`ve been there lots. My parents lived there since 68 until they passed a few years ago. My brother donated a few tools that my father used to make scrambling nets during WW2 to that museum.

DF

 

[gaff]

There is a b36 in Newfoundland as well.
Bergions cove I think.

 

[Hyllar]

It's actually a very interesting little museum. All sorts of mostly local history there.

From your pics, I'm not sure it it's still in the same building as it was when I visited it almost 30 years ago for the first time.

It was in a reasonably well preserved two story house that appeared to have been built right after WWI.

It had yellow siding and the floors were hardwood lathe, over shiplap. They weren't level in any part of the building.

The last time I was there, the main display included the props from a movie which had been shot nearby and one of the stars was Donald Sutherland.

Thanx for posting

it is hte same buidling, there was some rno work when they put in the broken arrow exhibit.
scuttle butt is that two of those guns were slavaged, and one guy kept his mouth shut and one guy didnt

 

[270WSMXBolt]

Going to check it out next time I'm in your town. Thanks and Cheers

 

[bdft]

it is hte same buidling, there was some rno work when they put in the broken arrow exhibit.
scuttle butt is that two of those guns were slavaged, and one guy kept his mouth shut and one guy didnt

There are lots of stories about the gun salvage expedition. I have heard that all the guns were packed out but only one made it to the museum. I have also heard that the RCMP got wind of these guns arriving at the Smithers airport and completely lost their sh!t. Apparently there was a lot of ammo laying around too. Nobody knows anything about that.

 

[bdft]

It's actually a very interesting little museum. All sorts of mostly local history there.

From your pics, I'm not sure it it's still in the same building as it was when I visited it almost 30 years ago for the first time.

It was in a reasonably well preserved two story house that appeared to have been built right after WWI.

It had yellow siding and the floors were hardwood lathe, over shiplap. They weren't level in any part of the building.

The last time I was there, the main display included the props from a movie which had been shot nearby and one of the stars was Donald Sutherland.

Thanx for posting

The museum is in the old government building built in 1914. On your right heading west at the intersection of Hwy 16 and Main St. You drive right past it going through town. Considering it's built of the edge of a swamp it's holding up pretty good.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I thought the Americans cleaned the site up thoroughly including explosive demolition, never realized some bits and pieces ended up in a museum.

 

[bdft]

The CIA went in there a year later and destroyed or packed out everything that was classified. Documents, nuclear triggers, avionics. Anything that would give the Russians an edge. They left everything else there. Including the 20mm tail guns.

 

[Dosing]

I thought the Americans cleaned the site up thoroughly including explosive demolition, never realized some bits and pieces ended up in a museum.

Still a lot of it smeared across the side of the mountain. People do helicopter tours most every year it seems, I was thinking of going next year.

 

[fat tony]

Interesting cannons. They essentially were updated HS 404's, and were not in service with the USAF for long.

The RN Museum in CFB Halifax off Gottingen St. Has or had a slightly rusty ANM2 aircraft MG in presumably .303 on display. The placard said it was found at a remote crash site in Saskatchewan associated with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.