Kispiox Valley Farmers’ Institute fonds

Scope and Content: The records created and collected by the Kispiox Valley Farmers’ Institute reflect the objectives outlined in the Societies Act. These records include correspondence, annual reports, financial statements, as well as records pertaining to a variety of issues relevant to the Institute, such as flood …

History / Biographical: The Kispiox Farmers’ Institute was incorporated in February of 1915. The first meeting was held on April 21, 1915, at the Salvation Army Hall in Poplar Park. In 1917, Matthew Halliday was elected as president, Fred Janze as vice-president, P.H. Sheehan as secretary-treasurer, and John Love and J.E. Janze as auditors. The institute temporarily closed down in 1920 (as reported in the 1920 annual report of the British Columbia Department of Agriculture). In September 23, 1929, a re-organization took place and the Kispiox Valley Farmers’ Institute was granted a new charter. As of 1929, under the Societies Act, the objectives of the Institute were: 1. To improve conditions of rural life, so that settlement may be permanent and prospers; 2. To promote the theory and practice of agriculture by lectures, essays, the circulation of information and other educational methods, and to stimulate interest by exhibitions, prizes and other means; 3. To arrange on behalf of its members for the purchase, distribution, or sale of commodities, supplies, or products, and generally to act on their behalf in all matters incidental to agricultural pursuits; 4. To promote social intercourse, mutual helpfulness, and the diffusion of knowledge, and to make new settlers welcome. Articles and advertisements in the Interior News indicate that the Kispiox Valley Farmers’ Institute was active until at least the early 2000s.

Custodial History: These records were held by Helen Campbell, Secretary-Treasurer of the Kispiox Valley Farmers’ Institute, and were transferred to the Archives by Howard Ennis, a member of the Farmers’ Institute.

Scope and Content: The records created and collected by the Kispiox Valley Farmers’ Institute reflect the objectives outlined in the Societies Act. These records include correspondence, annual reports, financial statements, as well as records pertaining to a variety of issues relevant to the Institute, such as flood surveillance, the Kispiox Valley Road, weed control, planning and zoning, resource use, and Gitxsan and Witsuwit’en land claims.