Floyd Ray Richerson and Nellie Aline Richerson (nee Hollowell) were both born and raised in Denison, Texas; they married secretly in Oklahoma in 1937 when Floyd was 25 and Nellie was 17. The couple had five children: James, Donna, Jane, Margaret, and Joyce. Floyd earned a chemistry degree and joined the marines, working as a machinist for the American military in WWII, while Nellie worked at a cotton mill. In 1951, the Richersons passed through the Bulkley Valley on a family road trip to Alaska and ended up permanently settling in Smithers. Floyd opened a machinery business where he built and repaired parts for local companies for over 40 years. Richerson's Studio opened in 1954 at the corner of 4th Avenue and Queen Street (though a 1961 Interior News article states it was at 4th and Columbia). It was active throughout the 1950s and 60s. Mentions of the Studio in the Interior News stop after 1976; it likely closed by the time Nellie retired around 1982. Floyd Richerson passed away in Smithers in 2013, and Nellie passed away sometime before 2011.
Custodial History
The photographs were collected by Dianne Van Der Meulen, who passed away in May 2019. They were then donated to the museum in two separate binders by Gary Van Der Meulen in summer 2019.
Scope and Content
The collections are primarily wedding photographs, family portraits, and headshots taken by Richerson’s Studios in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Arrangement
The photographs were entered into the database in the order in which they appeared in their respective donated binders. The first binder contained P6589-P6690 and the second contained P6806-P6932. Additional photos are numbered P7110-P7286 and P7296-P7312.
Charlotte Euverman's godmother was Matias Michell's wife, Sarah Michell (nee Tommy). This would explain why Charlotte Euverman's mother, Gguhe’ Lucy Bazil-Verigin, had Matias' certificate of enfranchisement in her posession before it was passed on to Charlotte.
Item is Matias Michell's certificate of enfranchisment granted March 13, 1943 by Harold W. McGill, Director of Indian Affairs, Department of Mines and Resources.
Fonds currently contains an album of 145 postcards and 10 photographs, as well as 50 additional postcards outside of the album. Most postcards are addressed to her paternal aunt Florrie Hann.
Wana Florrie Abel (nee Hann) was born in Smithers, B.C., on September 8, 1914. She was the first-born daughter of parents Addie and Ernest Hann. After graduating from Smithers High School, Abel took a job with Government Telegraphs on Main Street as a telephone operator. She married Wilfred Abel (originally from Saskatchewan) in 1939, shortly after he joined the B.C. Provincial Police Force. The couple moved to Alert Bay, B.C., where their daughter Winona was born. They later returned to Smithers, and Wilfred joined the Canadian National Railways (CNR). Their son, Wylie, was born in Smithers in 1944. In 1954, the family moved to Kamloops, B.C., with the CNR. Upon retirement, Wana and Wilfred settled in Osoyoos, B.C. Wana Florrie Abel passed away March 4, 2007, in Summerland, B.C. Her husband had predeceased her in 1995.
Custodial History
The album and other postcards (1992.92) were collected by Wana Hann Abel during her lifetime. These were eventually given to her sister Pat (Hann) McCammon.
Scope and Content
Fonds currently contains an album of 145 postcards and 10 photographs, as well as 50 additional postcards outside of the album. Most postcards are addressed to her paternal aunt Florrie Hann.
Arrangement
Some of the postcards that are separate from the album may have been originally held in the album. However, original order has been lost and the postcards will be stored outside of the album in the Archives.
Fonds consists primarily of photos taken or collected by Louis Schibli, including two pocket albums made in Saskatchewan. The photos date mainly from the 1940s and 1950s and depict people, places, buildings, and events in Smithers and the surrounding area. Fonds also contains a written document by …
Alois “Louis” Schibli was born in Busslingen, Switzerland on December 23, 1919, to parents John Schibli and Anna Schifferli. In 1937, he immigrated to Canada with his father, mother and siblings (John and Agnes). They arrived in Smithers, B.C., on April 10, 1937 and remained there until 1949, when the family sold their farm and moved to Langley, B.C. In Langley, Louis met his wife, Gertrud (Trudi) Herzig. They married in Langley on September 5, 1950, and moved to Smithers in September, 1951. At this time, Schibli mainly worked in construction for his brother-in-law, George Adomeit. In 1958, he took a job in the newly formed School District No. 54 as a maintenance man, eventually being promoted to Maintenance Supervisor. The couple had seven children, including George, Margareth (Piccioni), Irene (Vanderark), Mary Jane (Warren), John, Andrew and Robert. Schibli also had a photography side-business called “Louis Studio”, photographing events such as weddings to school pictures. Schibli passed away on January 5, 2015, in Surrey, B.C. See finding aid for more information.
Custodial History
Records have been donated by various different individuals over the years and added to the Louis Schibli collection. Not all accessions have accession forms available. Items donated by Louis Schibli himself include 1988.3 (1988), 1990.7 (January 8th 1990), 1990.210 (November 1990), 1991.219 (November 8th 1991), 1995.7 (February 13th 1995), and 2017.53 (donated October 23rd 2005 but not given an accession number until July 2017). Item 2017.82 was donated by Melanie Morin of the Witsuwit’en Language and Cultural Society on August 25th 2017.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists primarily of photos taken or collected by Louis Schibli, including two pocket albums made in Saskatchewan. The photos date mainly from the 1940s and 1950s and depict people, places, buildings, and events in Smithers and the surrounding area. Fonds also contains a written document by Louis Schibli and Tony L’Orsa entitled “A Brief Review of Swiss Settlement in the Bulkley Valley.”
Arrangement
This is an artificially-created fonds made by staff members to house items related to Louis Schibli and his family. No original order has been retained. The fonds structure consists of the photograph (P) series and one additional item (“A Brief Review of Swiss Settlement…” by Schibli and Tony L’Orsa).
Fonds consists primarily of photos taken or collected by Louis Schibli, including two pocket albums made in Saskatchewan. The photos date mainly from the 1940s and 1950s and depict people, places, buildings, and events in Smithers and the surrounding area. Fonds also contains a written document by Louis Schibli and Tony L’Orsa entitled “A Brief Review of Swiss Settlement in the Bulkley Valley.”
Fonds contains photographs of Smithers during the first four years of its existence as a settlement (1913-1917), taken by Gilbert Clarke Killam. Subjects include people, buildings, street and town views, landscapes/scenery, industry, and special events (plays, concerts, the Fall Fair, etc.)
Gilbert Clarke Killam was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, on March 6, 1863 to John Killam and Lucy Anne Harris. He married Jennie Mary Sanderson (born in St. Petersberg, Prince Edward Island) in 1891 and together they had three sons: Arthur Sanderson, Gilbert Wallace, and Thomas Harold. The family lived in Pasadena, California for a number of years. Killam listed his trade as “architect.” In 1898, the Killam family moved to Dawson City, Yukon, where Gilbert worked as a Customs Agent while continuing to do some architectural work. From the Yukon, the Killams moved to Vancouver, BC, in 1911 and then to Smithers, BC, when it was first founded in 1913. Killam was active in the Smithers community affairs and served as treasurer of the Smithers Citizens’ Association. He also drafted plans in 1914 for a two-storey building on Main Street for the Gray Jewelry Co., and a home for R.G. Barnett on Second Avenue.
Killam lived in Smithers from 1913 to 1917, photographing Smithers in its infancy. Killam used glass plate negatives, most commonly 5 x 7 and 8 x 10 inches in size, printing “Killam” or “G.C.K” on the negative to indicate authorship.
In 1917, Killam enlisted in the Canadian Army while his wife, Jennie, remained in Seattle, Washington. He served in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force. Killam was demobilized in 1921, and not much is known about Killam after this time. He appears in the 1921 census in Victoria, BC, without his family, and by 1935, Killam was living in Palm Springs, California. Gilbert Clarke Killam passed away on October 27, 1945.
Custodial History
The original glass plate negatives “disappeared” for a number of years until 1954, when they were discovered in a building used as the post office. They were later given to Smithers' main photographer, Louis Schibli, who donated them to the museum in the 1980s.
Various photos taken by Gilbert Clarke Killam were accessioned into the collection and added to this fonds over the years. In July 2020, all photos and albums in the database with Killam listed as the creator were transferred to this fonds. Most of these had previously been in the BVM visual records collection, although the souvenir photo albums (2004.61, containing photos P4534-P4569) had been part of the discrete items collection.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains photographs of Smithers during the first four years of its existence as a settlement (1913-1917), taken by Gilbert Clarke Killam. Subjects include people, buildings, street and town views, landscapes/scenery, industry, and special events (plays, concerts, the Fall Fair, etc.)
Arrangement
This fonds does not have a specific arrangement; photos are listed at item-level and ordered by their P numbers. The two photograph albums (2004.61 and 1992.34) have file-level descriptions, but all of their photos have been removed and listed as individual items.
Note that there may still be unidentified Killam photos in the collection that have not yet been made part of this fonds (likely due to not having Killam listed as a creator on the database).
This collection contains scrapbooks compiled by Marjorie Then during her involvement with the Smithers Art Gallery Association, Central Park Building, and her time writing for the Interior News.
Both Marjorie and her husband were interested in the Arts and began organizing events in the community. The couple first collaborated with the Swiss Club to present a 2-day Midsummer Night Festival in 1955. The event was held on the Thens’ farm, and ran for 3 years. Subsequently, in 1959, Marjorie and Tadek, along with others interested in acting, formed The Bulkley Valley Players. While Marjorie performed in many of the plays, she also worked as a producer.
In 2001, Marjorie moved to White Rock, B.C.
Marjorie also took an active role on the Library Board, and the Arts and Recreation Commission. Further, she, along with her husband, Jo and Gerry Brinkman, Jack and Gladis Burry, George Zuckerman, and Don and Hilda Bedows, formed the Concert Association. In 1972, Marjorie worked with a group to form the Smithers Art Gallery Association and open a gallery space. As well, she wrote a weekly column called “Downtown” for the Interior News, which highlighted local Arts, and had a 21-year run in the paper. In 1973, Marjorie petitioned to save the Central Park Building, which the Town of Smithers wished to demolish, so as to repurpose it as an arts and culture space.
Marjorie Then immigrated to Halifax from England in 1948 with her husband, Tadek, and children Vanda and Olza. They eventually moved to Smithers, B.C., to farm, and had four additional children: Carol, Jan, Gavin, and Alec.
Scope and Content
This collection contains scrapbooks compiled by Marjorie Then during her involvement with the Smithers Art Gallery Association, Central Park Building, and her time writing for the Interior News.
The Smithers Public School eventually became Muheim Memorial Elementary School. The cover of this yearbook has incorrectly been identified as a yearbook for the Smithers High School.
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 …
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.
The fonds reflects the radio scripts that were used by the CFBV radio in 1965 and 1966. The fonds are arranged into a single series: Radio scripts. Records primarily consist of radio scripts regarding the Town of Smithers, recreation, and provincial activity updates.
CFBV (C F Bulkley Valley) began broadcasting in 1963 under the ownership of CFBV Ltd. The radio station was located on the corner of Queen Street and Highway 16 in Smithers, B.C., moving to the former School Board offices on Queen Street several years later. The radio’s main mission since it first broadcasted has been to relay local news, weather, sports, entertainment, and information of community interest.
The station opened a rebroadcaster, CFLD, in the Tweedsmuir Hotel in Burns Lake in November 1965, and added another rebroadcaster, CKBV, in Hazelton, and CHLD in Granisle, in 1974. In 1985, CFBV Ltd. eventually changed its corporate name to Cariboo Central Interior Radio Inc. CFBV and CFLD began operating a common brand: BV/LD (Bulkley Valley Lakes District) Radio. In 1991.
Cariboo Central Interior Radio was purchased by 1126144 Alberta Ltd. (a company affiliated with Vista) on September 1, 2005. In 2006, BV/LD branding was changed to The Peak. In January 2016, the station branding was chanted to The Moose.
Custodial History
These records were collected and created by CFBV Radio. Ownership of these records after 1985 is unknown.
Scope and Content
The fonds reflects the radio scripts that were used by the CFBV radio in 1965 and 1966. The fonds are arranged into a single series: Radio scripts. Records primarily consist of radio scripts regarding the Town of Smithers, recreation, and provincial activity updates.
Arrangement
The fonds is artificially arranged by news subject by Sharon Kerr in March 2002. In May 2018, the files were further arranged alphabetically by subject, with one additional file labelled Misc. news items.
The fonds consists of various Winter Games promotional pamphlets, flyers, and pins, a Games information sheet, a list of volunteer jobs, an audio cassette, a guest book, and scrapbook containing various clippings from the 1994 event in Smithers.
The B.C. Winter Games is an annual event held for athletes at a provincial level to compete in a variety of sports. These include archery, badminton, biathlon, boxing, curling, figure skating, gymnastics, hockey, judo, karate, netball, ringette, skiing, and speed skating. For the purposes of selection of athletes, the province is divided into eight zones. In 1994, Smithers was the venue for the Winter Game, and was overseen by the Smithers 1994 B.C. Winter Games Society. Carole Young, the mayor of Smithers at the time, acted as President.
Custodial History
Records marked 1995.15 were donated to the Bulkley Valley Museum by Carol Morgentaler on August 1, 1995. Records marked 2020.34 were kept in the museum’s reference files for an unknown period of time until being removed and accessioned into this fonds in August 2020.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of various Winter Games promotional pamphlets, flyers, and pins, a Games information sheet, a list of volunteer jobs, an audio cassette, a guest book, and scrapbook containing various clippings from the 1994 event in Smithers.
Arrangement
The fonds is artificially arranged into 4 files: scrapbooks, promotional materials, address books, and audio cassettes.
Book originally belonged to chief engineer for the GTP railway in the Northern interior
Custodial History
This item originally belonged to Bob Davidson, a chief engineer for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Eventually the book was given to Joseph F. MacDonald, the donor's father.
Scope and Content
Item is a book containing advertising and photographs for the GTP in the Northern Interior.
