The Reach Gallery Museum has launched a new online photo archives with 3,000 images from its 15,000 photo collection.
The photos span the 1800s to 1980s and are searchable by keyword, place, year, topic and subject. They feature neighbourhoods and communities that make up present-day Abbotsford, and an extensive collection related to the Sumas flood.
People can add comments, experiences and updated background information to each image.
The project was made possible in part by a grant from the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia Digitization Grant.
The museum is asking the public to help kick off the launch of the online photo archives by taking pictures of images on the website. These will be uploaded to www.thereach.ca in an ongoing effort to capture Abbotsford history.
To participate, visit the website and pick a photo to update. Send the image with information on the original picture, including the photo number, to archives@thereach.ca.