British Columbia Archives

Last updated
British Columbia Archives
Established1894
Location Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Typeprovincial history museum and archives
Public transit accessbus routes 3 27 27x 28 30 31 S
Website http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

The British Columbia Provincial Archives are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The BC Archives merged with the Royal BC Museum in 2003. The BC Archives contain the archives of the British Columbia government, and are valuable for both research and preservation activities. The BC archives have been archiving significant artifacts, documents, and records since 1894, including private historical manuscripts, maps, and government records. There is also a research library in the archives. Of note, the BC Archives website contains research guides to assist those interested in the material they house. [1]

Contents

Holdings

The BC Archives house the Douglas Treaties (1850-1854), the treaties signed between certain First Nations groups and the Colony of Vancouver Island in the nineteenth century. [2] The archives also preserve BC Provincial Police correspondence records, [3] Executive council of BC records, [4] documentation of the dispersal of Crown Land in British Columbia 1874-1944, [5] the Premier's Papers, [6] and the James Douglas Papers. [7] Furthermore, the BC Archives contain documents concerning prominent Canadian persons including Nellie McClung, [8] JS Helmcken, [9] and Emily Carr. [10] Also included in the archives are papers concerning the Trutch family, [11] Ida Halpern, [12] Clement Francis Cornwall, [13] and BC premiers Dave Barrett [14] and Thomas Dufferin Pattullo. [15]

Sisters of St. Ann Archives

In the spring of 2012, the Sisters of St. Ann announced the decision to place their collection of historical and religious artifacts and documents under the stewardship of the Royal BC Museum. Their collection dates back to 1858, and includes over 100 000 photographs, 500 pieces of art, and 1 000 000 archival records. Since the mid-nineteenth century, The Sisters of St. Ann have opened thirteen schools, nine hospitals, numerous parochial schools, and one nursing school in BC, the Yukon, and Alaska. Among other significant artifacts, their collection includes large hand-carved rosaries worn by the Sisters, liturgical objects used during mass, vintage textiles, and historic letters. [16]

Pemberton Holmes Business Archives

In the autumn of 2012, long time Victoria real estate company Pemberton Holmes donated their business archives to the BC archives for preservation and stewardship. [17] Pemberton Holmes was founded in 1887 by Joseph Despard Pemberton, the first colonial land surveyor in Victoria, and his son Frederick Barnard Pemberton. The donated archives date from the 1880s and include thousands of documents that serve as historical sources about the early development of BC and Victoria. The collection comprises more than 2400 individual client dockets or files containing business transactions and correspondences; 300 photographs; 40 maps and plans; 180 bound volumes of correspondence; original watercolour architectural drawings for commercial buildings in Victoria's Old Town; and other historic real estate memorabilia. [18]

Archivists

The position of Provincial Archivist was created in 1908, and dissolved in 2014. [19]

Former Provincial Archivists

Related Research Articles

Duff Pattullo Canadian politician

Thomas Dufferin ("Duff") Pattullo was the 22nd Premier of British Columbia, Canada from 1933 to 1941. The Pattullo Bridge is named in his honour as well as Prince Rupert's Pattullo Park, Mount Pattullo, and the Pattullo Range in North Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, and the Pattullo Glaciers in that range.

1941 in Canada Canada-related events during the year of 1941

Events from the year 1941 in Canada.

Royal British Columbia Museum Provincial history museum and archives in Victoria, British Columbia

Founded in 1886, the Royal British Columbia Museum consists of The Province of British Columbia's natural and human history museum as well as the British Columbia Provincial Archives. The museum is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by HRH Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a Royal tour of that year. The museum merged with the British Columbia Provincial Archives in 2003.

Joseph Trutch politician

Sir Joseph William Trutch, was an English-born Canadian engineer, surveyor and politician who served as first Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Pemberton, British Columbia Village in British Columbia, Canada

Pemberton is a village municipality north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,574. Until the 1960s the village could be reached only by train, but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.

Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park covers 23 ha of the Bulkley River Valley, on the east side of Driftwood Creek, a tributary of the Bulkley River, 10 km northeast of the town of Smithers. The park is accessible from Driftwood Road from Provincial Highway 16. It was created in 1967 by the donation of the land by the late Gordon Harvey (1913–1976) to protect fossil beds on the east side of Driftwood Creek. The beds were discovered around the beginning of the 20th century. The park lands are part of the asserted traditional territory of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation.

Helmcken Falls Waterfall in Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

Helmcken Falls is a 141 m (463 ft) waterfall on the Murtle River within Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. The protection of Helmcken Falls was one of the reasons for the creation of Wells Gray Provincial Park in 1939.

British Columbia Provincial Police

The British Columbia Provincial Police (BCPP) was the provincial police service of British Columbia, Canada, between 1858 and 1950.

Wilson Duff was a Canadian archaeologist, cultural anthropologist, and museum curator.

John Sebastian Helmcken Canadian politician and physician

John Sebastian Helmcken was a British Columbia physician who played a prominent role in bringing the province into Canadian Confederation. He was also the founding president of the British Columbia Medical Association.

Ida Halpern Austrian-Canadian ethnomusicologist

Ida Halpern was a Canadian ethnomusicologist.

William George Cox was Gold Commissioner for the Cariboo and Boundary Districts in the Colony of British Columbia, Canada during the Rock Creek Gold Rush. He was born in Ireland.

Lumley Franklin was the 2nd mayor of Victoria, British Columbia. He was born in Liverpool, England, the son of a successful banker. Lumley emigrated from London to New York City in 1845 to establish his career in the U.S. He was a successful business man before he moved to San Francisco in 1854 to join his brothers Edward and Selim during the California Gold Rush. Lumley's cousins, Maurice and Lewis Franklin, had already left San Francisco to establish the Franklin House in San Diego, but frequently visited San Francisco.

Wells Gray Provincial Park provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,250 square kilometres. It is British Columbia's fourth largest park, after Tatshenshini, Spatsizi and Tweedsmuir.

Wells Gray (Canadian politician) Canadian politician

Arthur Wellesley Gray (1876–1944) was a British Columbia cabinet minister and mayor. He is particularly noted for his work creating some of British Columbia's early provincial parks and Wells Gray Provincial Park is named for him. His colleagues usually called him by his nickname, "Wells".

Henry Dallas "Harry" Helmcken was a lawyer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Victoria City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1894 to 1903.

Joseph William McKay (Mackay) was a fur trader, businessman, politician and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada.

The 1866 election was the first election to the united colony of British Columbia.

The Honourable Ronald Ian Cheffins is a professor emeritus of political science and law and the University of Victoria. He was the first lawyer to be appointed directly to the British Columbia court of appeal in 1985. He held the seat until resigning 2 years later in 1987 to return to legal and scholarly practice after finding judicial work too "uncongenial". In 1991 he served as the Vice-Chair on the Law Reform Commission of British Columbia. He is an expert on the Canadian Constitution and has advised five past lieutenant-governors. He is a weekly Friday guest on CFAX 1070's Adam Stirling show, where he discusses both local and world politics.

Pemberton Holmes Real Estate is a Canadian real estate company located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is considered one of the oldest family-owned real estate companies in North America; in continuous operation since 1887. The company was founded by Frederick B. Pemberton, a son of Joseph Despard Pemberton, who was responsible for the land surveying of the area.

References

  1. ↑ BC Archives. "BC Archives: The official archives of the government of British Columbia." http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca . 2012. Accessed 26 October 2012.
  2. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Douglas Treaties." . 2012. Accessed 16 November 2012.
  3. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Provincial Police Superintendent Correspondence 1891-1910." . 2012. Accessed 28 January 2013.
  4. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Executive council of British Columbia records." . 2012. Accessed 16 November 2012.
  5. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Disposal of Crown Lands." . 2012. Accessed 28 January 2013.
  6. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Premier's Papers." . 2012. Accessed 16 November 2012.
  7. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: James Douglas Papers." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  8. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Nellie McClung." . 2012. Accessed 16 November 2012.
  9. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: JS Helmcken." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  10. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Emily Carr." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  11. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Trutch family." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  12. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Ida Halpern." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  13. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Clement Francis Cornwall." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  14. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Dave Barrett." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  15. ↑ BC Archives. "Search BC Archives: Pattullo." . 2012. Accessed 8 January 2013.
  16. ↑ "Royal BC Museum and Sisters of St. Ann Preserve BC History with Unique Partnership". RBCM News Release. 21 March 2012.
  17. ↑ "Pemberton Holmes Donates Business Archives Rich in BC History". RBCM News Release. 25 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "The Pemberton Holmes Ltd. Collection". RBCM News Release. 25 October 2012.
  19. ↑ "History of the British Columbia Archives" (PDF). Royal BC Museum. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.