Inside the front lobby of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre on Tuesday morning, everything looks pristine.

Carpets are being vacuumed, sunlight shines through the windows and employees are ready to greet visitors once the building opens for the day.

Behind the scenes, there is another troupe of people bringing the museum to life.

A conservation team, archivists, a graphic designer, multimedia specialist and exhibit designer have been researching, writing, uncovering photos and designing displays that will soon line the museumSA国际影视传媒檚 walls as part of a new exhibit.

This week, after nearly three years in the making, the team is putting the finishing touches on SA国际影视传媒淲e Took Care of Them: Special Constables in the NWT,SA国际影视传媒� which will reveal the stories of Indigenous people who helped the patrol the North in the 1900s.

SA国际影视传媒淚n the Canadian imagination, at least for me, I think of these Mounties going out in the Arctic, whereas the real story is I think more interesting,SA国际影视传媒� said museum director Sarah Carr-Locke. SA国际影视传媒淭hey had guides, they had people leading them through those patrols and the people were the special constables.SA国际影视传媒�

According to Carr-Locke, the idea for the exhibit arose a few years ago in the legislative assembly when Inuvik-Boot Lake MLA Alfred Moses brought up the important role special constables played.

The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, which falls under the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, agreed to look into the project and eventually partnered with the Department of Justice and to make it happen.

SA国际影视传媒淪ince then, whatSA国际影视传媒檚 happened is a great collaboration,SA国际影视传媒� said Carr-Locke.

Paul Andrew, who Carr-Locke said was contracted to help with the project, worked with a member of the to conduct 19 interviews with special constables or their descendants.

Meanwhile, Carr-Locke and exhibit designer Rae Braden travelled to Ottawa and Regina to explore oral histories and archive collections.

The museumSA国际影视传媒檚 archive team dug up its own photos and received more contributions from family members for an image wall within the exhibit.

A number of people also donated old uniforms, clothing made by women from the communities and even an old dog bowl from Fort Reliance.

SA国际影视传媒淭hen Rae does the magic of making an exhibit with that,SA国际影视传媒� said Carr-Locke.

Working with the museumSA国际影视传媒檚 graphic designer and multimedia specialist, Braden visualized how the exhibit would unfold.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 almost like a storybook,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭here should be a beginning, where we introduce the ideas and then take people on a bit of a journey through the space to give them a sense of why these special constables were so important.SA国际影视传媒�

Between the late 1930s to mid-1960s, the goal of patrols was often to check-in on communities and assert CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 sovereignty in the North, according to Carr-Locke.

But many Mounties had no experience in the North and needed help.

Whole communities from across the NWT pitched in to teach them how to live, including women who made clothes and cooked, Carr-Locke said.

SA国际影视传媒淲hat we heard over and over again in the interviews is SA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒楾hey would have died without us,SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e really trying to honour that history and honour the role of these people.SA国际影视传媒�

With the research done, photos printed and objects mounted, Braden said now is the SA国际影视传媒渇unSA国际影视传媒� part.

On Tuesday morning, she could be seen scurrying around the exhibit space, where a ladder and table of tools still stand and pieces of paper taped to walls map out how the final product will look.

SA国际影视传媒淎ll of the little pieces of that puzzle are starting to click in together,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e really just fine-tuning how weSA国际影视传媒檙e installing things.SA国际影视传媒�

The exhibit officially opens to the public Aug. 3, when Daniel Dubeau, acting commissioner of the , will make a guest appearance.

Special constables and their families are also being invited to take part in a pre-opening and dinner.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 really who weSA国际影视传媒檙e making this exhibit for,SA国际影视传媒� said Braden. SA国际影视传媒淪o thatSA国际影视传媒檚 kind of our real test - hoping that they come in and they see themselves or they see their family represented in a way that weSA国际影视传媒檙e trying to honour.SA国际影视传媒�