McGill.CA / Redpath Museum / Collections

Mineralogy

Minerals

The mineral collection contains over 20 000 specimens from around the world. They include the early collections of Sir William Dawson, A.F. Holmes (1797-1850), a founder of McGill’s Faculty of Medicine, and B.J. Harrington (1848-1907), McGill’s first lecturer in mining, and later, Professor of Chemistry and Metallurgy. In 1913 the Museum acquired an extraordinary collection of minerals from the geologist and mining engineer Walter F. Ferrier (1865-1950). Over the years, the mineral collection has been enriched by many donations. Minerals from world-wide localities are displayed in the Hodgson Gallery. The Dawson Gallery features Quebec’s mineral diversity, including such world-famous localities as Mont Saint-Hilaire, the Francon quarry in Montreal, and the Jeffrey mine in Asbestos. At both of the first two sites rare minerals have been found, including Weloganite, Dresserite, Donnayite and Hilairite, which are known from only a very few localities.

Gold in quartz, from the Redpath Museum Mineral Collection
Gold in quartz, from the Redpath Museum Mineral Collection

 

A mineral case in the Hodgson Gallery

Land Acknowledgement

McGill University is on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.


Rematriation, Repatriation and Restitution Statement

We acknowledge that the return and restitution of cultural and natural heritage to communities of origin is an essential part of reconciliation and of recognizing the fundamental rights of Indigenous Peoples. As part of wider efforts to activate the standards presented in the Canadian Museums Association Report Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums (2022), the Redpath is working towards pro-active restitution practices. As per our Collections Management Policy (2024), repatriation requests will be received by the Redpath Museum Director and will be treated on a case-by-case basis.

 

Accessibility

We warmly welcome all visitors and aim to provide helpful information so you can plan your visit to the Redpath Museum with confidence.

Please note that the Redpath Museum is in a historic building that does not currently meet universal accessibility standards. At this time, there are no ramps or elevators, and access to the museum, exhibition galleries (located on 3 floors), and washrooms requires the use of a central staircase.

The building’s washrooms are gendered and located in the basement. The nearest gender inclusive washrooms are located in the McLennan Library Building (M6-37C).

Due to the architecture and open spaces, the exhibition galleries may become noisy during periods of high attendance.

Please also note that the building is not air-conditioned. During hot weather, indoor temperatures can exceed outdoor temperatures.

We recognize that these conditions may limit access for some visitors and are committed to improving accessibility over time.

If you have specific accessibility related questions, we encourage you to contact us at redpath.museum [at] mcgill.ca.

 

For more detailed information, please consult the Keroul 2025 accessibility report.

For more information on the status and scope of the accessibility project, please click here.

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