Series includes records related to the administrative activities of the Association. The series contains a report of the committee, list of members, meeting minutes, a proposal, executive resignations and nominations and reference materials.
Series includes records related to the administrative activities of the Association. The series contains a report of the committee, list of members, meeting minutes, a proposal, executive resignations and nominations and reference materials.
Item is a petition to the Lieutenant Govenor of B.C., Edward Cawler Prior signed by the residents of Smithers to have Smithers incorporated as a Village under the Village Municipalities Act.
Item was donated to the Archives by the Town of Smithers on August 26, 1994.
Scope and Content
Item is a petition to the Lieutenant Govenor of B.C., Edward Cawler Prior signed by the residents of Smithers to have Smithers incorporated as a Village under the Village Municipalities Act.
The series contains records pertaining to the development of Smithers, including general improvements, expansion, public works initiatives and land and employment inquiries. These records primarily consist of correspondence.
The series contains records pertaining to the development of Smithers, including general improvements, expansion, public works initiatives and land and employment inquiries. These records primarily consist of correspondence.
Fonds provides evidence of the Associations efforts to expand and improve Smithers. It is organized into three series: Administrative, Financial and Public works and economic development.
The Smithers Citizens’ Association held an organizational meeting on October 29, 1913, where a committee was formed to write a constitution. The constitution was adopted on December 1, 1913, and the first annual meeting of the Association was held on December 8, 1913.
The constitution stated the object of the Association was the “advancement of the town of Smithers and its development along progressive lines.” Membership was an annual fee of five dollars and was open to those who owned property or held a business license. The executive members consisted of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and five additional members. The original executives included W.P. Lynch (President), H.G. Smith (Vice-President), T.T. Dunlop (Secretary), G.C. Killam (Treasurer), J.M. Adams, J.W. Turner, W.S. Henry, T.L. Carr and H.P. Jones. The Association seemed to be primarily funded through membership dues, donations and fundraising events.
The work of the Smithers Citizens’ Association did not end with the village’s incorporation in 1921, with an Interior News article of December 13 1922 proclaiming the organization’s continued importance. However, in July 1923 it was proposed by S. Mayer that a Board of Trade be established, allowing the Citizens’ Association to be disbanded. (Interior News July 11 1923). The Smithers District Board of Trade was in existence by the following year, and mentions of the Smithers Citizens’ Association disappear from the Interior News after 1923.
Custodial History
This fonds was previously held by the Municipality of the Village of Smithers and the Corporation of the Village of Smithers. Records were last held by Gordon Williams Sr. and kept in the Hoskins Ford vault. They were donated to the Archives in 1988 on the condition that they would continue to be kept in a vault.
Scope and Content
Fonds provides evidence of the Associations efforts to expand and improve Smithers. It is organized into three series: Administrative, Financial and Public works and economic development.
Arrangement
The arrangement is artificial as original order has been lost. In 1991 when the collection was initially processed the records were maintained in their original order. However, some point afterward (possibly 2003) the records were rearranged for unknown reasons. Records were rearranged physically and intellectually in October 2016 by Manda Haligowski to better reflect archival standards and to improve accessibility.
