In a chance conversation early in 2003, Hazel Peters let slip that she had worked with statuary plaster and casting moulds in a previous business operation. Within days the directors of the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation approached her, asking if she would assist in their efforts to make replicas of some of the dinosaur footprints that had been found in the canyons around town.

Although Hazel and her husband had only recently arrived in Tumbler Ridge and were anticipating semi-retirement, she was intrigued at the potential of this novel concept. Within weeks she was elected one of the TRMF’s directors, and commenced production almost immediately.

The original casting of the best footprint had been made over a period of four days the previous summer by Daniel Helm and Ryan Durand, who had been taught by palaeontologist Rich McCrea. Their mould of the print had been sent to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, where technician Darren Tanke had made a master cast, and returned it with instructions for production. It all seemed very complicated, and although the directors knew they had a unique opportunity, they were not sure how to proceed. Hazel’s arrival was certainly timely.

She quickly developed her own technique and began production, initially in a hastily constructed outdoor marquee-like structure in her backyard, later in the museum’s new Palaeontology Field Centre. Well over 300 prints have now been made, each slightly different, and each assigned its own number. These are sold to the public along with a numbered certificate of authenticity. They have proven remarkably easy to sell, as they are unique in North America and possibly the world, are fairly light and compact, and can be hung on a wall. Predictably, they have become a major fund-raising tool for the museum’s Souvenir Committee. They now grace the office walls of many an influential Canadian politician and business leader, and some have made their way overseas.

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