Time capsule inside St. Albert Hudson’s Bay store donated to local museum

On June 1 Hudson’s Bay stores across Canada closed for good – including the one in St. Albert, Alta.

“It was mixed emotion actually,” said Muna Abdulhussain, who worked at the Bay for 15 years.

“It was sad, very emotional to see our customers. We had very loyal customers there and built a good relationship with them.”

On that final day, staff — past and present — opened a piece of history stored in the wall; a time capsule from 1995. It was supposed to be opened in 2045.

“When we opened the frame there was a hole in the wall, and they grabbed the box and there was a key attached already,” Abdulhussain explained.

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“They opened that box (and) it was just like opening a treasure.”

The capsule contained an array of memories — staff names, pictures from the company’s 325^th anniversary, a catalogue, newspaper,  a comic book about Hudson’s Bay, an Eagles CD and two cassettes: The Lion King soundtrack and a Tragically Hip album.

“Right away, the employees at the store and the store manager decided that this is really something that shows the history of The Bay in St. Albert,” said Musée Heritage Museum curator Martin Bierens.

Hudson’s Bay staff made the decision to donate it to the Musée Heritage Museum in St. Albert.

“It’s not too often we get a time capsule, so this is a unique donation,” Bierens said.

“Capturing the end of the Hudson’s Bay Company is very important for our museum. The Hudson’s Bay Company has had an influence within our community since the founding of the community that became known as St Albert.”

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