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Collection
- Bulkley Valley District Hospital fonds 1
- Bulkley Valley Museum fonds 2
- Canadian National Railways fonds 1
- Cronin Family fonds 1
- Joseph Allen L'Orsa map and photograph collection 1
- Smithers 1994 B.C. Winter Games Society fonds 1
- Smithers Community Services Association fonds 1
- Town of Smithers fonds 2
Bulkley Valley District Hospital fonds
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions5559
- Date Range
- 1920-2001
- Collection
- Bulkley Valley District Hospital fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- architectural drawing
- technical drawing
- textual record
- graphic material
- Scope and Content
- Fonds is organized into seven series:
- Collection
- Bulkley Valley District Hospital fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Fonds No.
- GF5
- Accession No.
- 1986.7
- 1992.9
- 1997.51
- 2004.20
- 2007.3
- 2017.25
- 2017.36
- 2017.53
- 2020.36
- Physical Description
- 21 cm of textual records
- 6 architectural drawings
- 1 technical drawing
- 3 photogarphs
- Date Range
- 1920-2001
- History / Biographical
- The Bulkley Valley District Hospital was first established in 1920 and occupied a pre-existing building on the corner of Second Avenue and King Street. It housed 13 beds, an operating room, an office, a kitchen and a dining area. The hospital continued to expand throughout the decade until 1933, when its ownership was transferred from the Hospital Board to the Sisters of St. Anne, and a new building was constructed. A 30-bed wing with an emergency operating room was added in 1955. By 1968, this building was ruled obsolete and work began on a new modern facility, to be run by the province after the Sisters relinquished control. The new Bulkley Valley District Hospital was opened in 1969. A major renovation project was launched in 1973 and the original 1934 building was demolished. The formation of the Bulkley Lodge Society through the Smithers Society of Concerned Citizens in 1982 replaced the need for extended care beds in the BV District Hospital. Today, the Hospital acts as an acute care facility with 25 beds, servicing communities from Houston to Hazelton, B.C. For more detailed information on the history and development of the Hospital, see finding aid.
- Custodial History
- Records that were created both by the original Board of Directors (1920 – 1934) and Sisters of St. Ann (1933-1969) were passed on and kept by management until their donation to the Archives. Records in this collection from the Ladies’ Auxiliary were kept by Jean Maskiewich whose sister-in-law, Jean Kilpatrick, was the former Treasurer of the Auxiliary. Maskiewich then donated these records to the Archives.Three photographs (P7894-P7896) were found in collections in October 2020, having been submitted to the Interior News prior to 2003 and transferred to the museum at an unknown date.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds is organized into seven series:
- 1. Administrative
- 2. Board of Trustees
- 3. Sisters of St. Ann
- 4. Bulkley Valley District Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary
- 5. Bulkley Valley District Hospital Society
- 6. Construction and engineering records
- 7. Legal records
- Other records not organized under these series include a reports and orders ledger, a physicians journal and day book, donations for the Hospital’s first x-ray machine, x-ray reports, event programs, a photograph, and donations for a L.B. Warner memorial.
- Subject Access
- Bulkley Valley District Hospital
- Sisters of St. Ann
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Notes
- Many photographs of the BV District Hospital can also be found in the BVM Visual Records Collection.
- Reproduction Restrictions
- Some restrictions may be in place for certain records to protect fromer patients.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Documents
Bulkley Valley Museum fonds
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions8942
- Date Range
- 1961-2017
- Collection
- Bulkley Valley Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- moving image
- architectural drawing
- sound recording
- Scope and Content
- This fonds contains material created and used by the Bulkley Valley Museum during the course of its day-to-day activities, from the time of its inception as a historical society in the early 1960s up to and including the present. These are primarily textual records such as meeting minutes, staff re…
Bulkley Valley Museum fonds
Fonds No. OF1
Accession No.: 2010.5, 2017.22, 2017.63, 2017.71, 2017.72, 2017.128, 2018.15, 2020.8, 2020.27,
2020.35, 2020.36, 2021.1, 2021.3, 2021.15
Physical Description: 13 boxes of textual and graphic material; 1 box photographs; [] architectural plans;
2
- Collection
- Bulkley Valley Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Creator
- Bulkley Valley Museum
- Fonds No.
- OF1
- Accession No.
- 2010.5
- 2017.22
- 2017.63
- 2017.71
- 2017.72
- 2017.128
- 2018.15
- 2020.8
- 2020.27
- 2020.35
- 2020.36
- 2021.1
- 2021.3
- 2021.15
- Physical Description
- 13 boxes of textual and graphic material; 1 box photographs; [] architectural plans; 2 videocassettes, 1 CD, [] digital records
- Date Range
- 1961-2017
- History / Biographical
- The Bulkley Valley Museum (BVM) was founded in large part by Ernest Hann, an early pioneer who amassed a large collection of documents, photographs and artifacts representing local settler history. This became the core collection upon which the Museum was built. The first public displays of artifacts opened in 1967 in the newly-constructed Smithers Public Library. However, it was not until 1971 that the Bulkley Valley Historical & Museum Society was officially incorporated. With space becoming limited in the Library, the Museum was moved in 1974 to the historic Central Park Building, which had once served as Smithers' government building, courthouse, and jail. The Museum first shared a room with the Smithers Art Gallery before receiving its own space. Today the BVM collects, preserves and presents items of historical and cultural significance from Smithers and the Bulkley Valley and is enjoyed by over 5000 people per year.
- Custodial History
- All items in this fonds were retained by the Museum as internal records following their initial creation and use, and were accessioned and entered into the OF1 fonds upon being found in collections.
- Scope and Content
- This fonds contains material created and used by the Bulkley Valley Museum during the course of its day-to-day activities, from the time of its inception as a historical society in the early 1960s up to and including the present. These are primarily textual records such as meeting minutes, staff reports, exhibit plans, correspondence, policies, financial documents, curator diaries, guest books, scrapbooks, and membership lists. The fonds also includes photographs, pamphlets, posters, floor plans, 1 CD of oral history recordings, and 2 videocassettes. Furthermore, there is an increasing amount of born-digital material (Word docs, PDFs, images) which have yet to be fully processed into the fonds.
- Arrangement
- This fonds was first arranged around 2018 by Manda Haligowski and was rearranged in spring 2021 by Holly Peterson. In its current form, the OF1 fonds is divided into nine series: - S1) Office of the Curator - S2) Board of Directors - S3) events and promotions - S4) Old Church - S5) guest books/lists - S6) scrapbooks - S7) maps and plans - S8) photographs - S9) audiovisual materials. Series 1, 2, 3, and 4 have been further subdivided into subseries and/or files; see their Arrangement fields for more details.
- Subject Access
- Bulkley Valley Museum
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Documents
Canadian National Railways fonds
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions7092
- Date Range
- 1920-1979
- Collection
- Canadian National Railways fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- architectural drawing
- cartographic material
- Scope and Content
- Records within this fonds relate to the functions of the Canadian National Railways’ operation in Smithers, B.C. Records include directories, blueprints, forms, timetables, maps, booklets, and Amateur Athletic Association treasurer records.
- Collection
- Canadian National Railways fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Fonds No.
- GF2
- Accession No.
- 1981.61
- 1983.6
- 1987.16
- 1992.9
- 2004.63
- 2009.67
- 2009.69
- 2010.2
- 2010.9
- 2016.26
- 2017.6
- 2018.2
- 2018.89
- 2020.35
- Physical Description
- 7 cm of textual records
- 20 photographs
- 6 maps and architectural drawings
- Date Range
- 1920-1979
- History / Biographical
- The Canadian National Railways was created by the Canadian government in 1918. The company amalgamated several Canadian railways that had become bankrupt, including the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway which Smithers was established on. The Smithers station transferred over to the Canadian National Railways after 1922.
- Scope and Content
- Records within this fonds relate to the functions of the Canadian National Railways’ operation in Smithers, B.C. Records include directories, blueprints, forms, timetables, maps, booklets, and Amateur Athletic Association treasurer records.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Documents
Joseph Allen L'Orsa map and photograph collection
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions9528
- Date Range
- 1915-[1998?]
- Collection
- Joseph Allen L'Orsa map and photograph collection
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- graphic material
- textual record
- cartographic material
- architectural drawing
- Scope and Content
- Records reflect Joe L’Orsa’s interest in mining, environmentalism, and local history. Records consist of maps (including Axel Elmsted’s hand drawn maps), architectural drawings, photographs, a report entitled “The Social Effects of Rapid Growth: A Northern Sickness,” and a written history of the Ba…
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Creator
- Joseph L'Orsa
- Fonds No.
- C7
- Accession No.
- 2018.24
- 2000.45
- Physical Description
- 66+ photographs, 49 maps, 4 architectural drawings, 5 cm textual records
- Date Range
- 1915-[1998?]
- History / Biographical
- Joseph (Joe) Allen L’Orsa (born March 4, 1939) was a prominent figure in the Bulkley Valley, best known for his environmental activism. He is credited with starting the area’s first environmental group, “Citizens Against Pollution,” which later became known as SPEC (Society for Pollution and Environmental Control). L’Orsa was instrumental in establishing Babine Mountains Provincial Park, and recorded both settler and Witsuwit'en (Wet’suwet’en) histories of the mountain range. He was also active in the Farmer’s Institute, the Hospital Society, and the Smithers Community Services Association, and ran for a seat on the School Board in 1978. Every Christmas he organized and local Christmas musical event which eventually became known as the Joe L’Orsa Coffeehouse, or simply ‘The Joe.’ In his later years L’Orsa worked as a constituency assistant, first for Bill Goodacre and then for former MLA Jackie Pement. He passed away on April 20, 1999 in Smithers, B.C. The Joe L'Orsa Cabin in Babine Mountains Provincial Park was named after him. For more detailed information, see finding aid.
- Custodial History
- Maps and photographs were collected and created by Joe L’Orsa and eventually passed down to his daughter, Nicole L’Orsa. She donated them to the Bulkley Valley Museum in 2018.
- Scope and Content
- Records reflect Joe L’Orsa’s interest in mining, environmentalism, and local history. Records consist of maps (including Axel Elmsted’s hand drawn maps), architectural drawings, photographs, a report entitled “The Social Effects of Rapid Growth: A Northern Sickness,” and a written history of the Babine Mountains recreation area. They have been arranged in three series: Maps and architectural drawings (S1), textual records (S2), and Photographs (S3).
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Bulkley Valley
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Documents
Old Church records
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions8943
- Date Range
- 2003-2014
- Collection
- Bulkley Valley Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- architectural drawing
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of meeting minutes, financial records, reports, correspondence, promotional material, concept art, architectural and technical drawings, and a photo album relating to the renovation, reopening, and usage of the Old Church and its Garden in the early 2000s.
- Collection
- Bulkley Valley Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- Fonds No.
- OF1
- Series No.
- S4
- Accession No.
- 2018.15
- 2020.8
- 2021.15
- Date Range
- 2003-2014
- History / Biographical
- St. James’ Anglican Church was constructed in 1913 and served as a spiritual and community center for the town of Smithers for over 60 years. It fell into disrepair after the parish of St. James moved to a new building on Princess Street in 1975. Beginning in the early 2000s, a dedicated and dynamic group of volunteers worked to renovate and reopen the Old Church as a community hall. This vision was realized in 2005, with a public garden opening beside the Church the following year. Administered and maintained by the Bulkley Valley Museum, the revitalized Old Church remains a popular venue for weddings, lectures, parties, meetings, concerts, and performances.
- Custodial History
- All items were transferred from the Bulkley Valley Museum's internal files into the OF1 fonds, except for the card from 2021.15, which was donated with BV Community Arts Council records in May 2021 and then transferred to this fonds.
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of meeting minutes, financial records, reports, correspondence, promotional material, concept art, architectural and technical drawings, and a photo album relating to the renovation, reopening, and usage of the Old Church and its Garden in the early 2000s.
- Arrangement
- The Series is divided into seven Files: - F1) Bulkley Valley Museum-related material (meeting minutes, correspondence, etc.) - F2) Financials - F3) Reports - F4) Promotional Material - F5) Drawings - F6) Old Church garden - F7) Photographs
- Subject Access
- St. James Anglican Church
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Rose Cronin Andersen
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions5377
- Date Range
- [1911-1932]
- Collection
- Cronin Family fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- object
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of correspondence, essays, a home study course in letter writing, one unidentified photograph and two Roman Catholic pendants given to Rose from the Monastery of St Clare in Omaha. Correspondence primarily depicts the sale of land left to Annie Cronin, Rose’s mother, after her fathe…
- Collection
- Cronin Family fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- Creator
- Rose Cronin Andersen
- Fonds No.
- PF11
- Series No.
- S4
- Accession No.
- 2017.4
- Physical Description
- 7.5 cm of textual records
- 1 b&w photograph
- 2 artifacts
- Date Range
- [1911-1932]
- History / Biographical
- Rose Cronin Andersen was born in 1892 in Washington. In 1923, she married Niels Andersen in Spokane, Washington and together they had three children: Cronin Andersen, Rosemarie Andersen (Hoss) and John Andersen. After the passing of her father, James Cronin, Rose took a very active role on the Board of Directors of the Babine Bonanza Mining and Milling Co. as Treasurer, as well as taking care of all her father’s assets on behalf of her mother (to whom all assets were left to).
- Custodial History
- Found in collection in January 2017.
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of correspondence, essays, a home study course in letter writing, one unidentified photograph and two Roman Catholic pendants given to Rose from the Monastery of St Clare in Omaha. Correspondence primarily depicts the sale of land left to Annie Cronin, Rose’s mother, after her father’s death, as well as personal correspondence.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Scrapbooks
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions6563
- Date Range
- 1994
- Collection
- Smithers 1994 B.C. Winter Games Society fonds
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- object
- Scope and Content
- File contains a large brown scrapbook with attached scrapbook pages outlining the highlights of the Winter Games in Smithers. Scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, photographs, pins, a medal, and Winter Games pamphlets.
- Description Level
- File
- Fonds No.
- AF11
- File No.
- File 1
- Accession No.
- 1995.15
- Physical Description
- 133 colour photographs
- 15 b/w photographs
- 2 pins
- 1 medal
- Date Range
- 1994
- Scope and Content
- File contains a large brown scrapbook with attached scrapbook pages outlining the highlights of the Winter Games in Smithers. Scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, photographs, pins, a medal, and Winter Games pamphlets.
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Smithers Community Services Association fonds
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions10056
- Date Range
- 1976-1977, 1997-[1999], 2004
- Collection
- Smithers Community Services Association fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- architectural drawing
- Scope and Content
- This fonds contains material created by or relating to the Smithers Community Services Association and its various programs, including the Northern Training Centre. These include: an invitation, agenda, and letter regarding the restoration of the Smithers CN Station Building by the SCSA in 1997; 3 …
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Fonds No.
- AF24
- Accession No.
- 2012.12
- 2020.11
- 2020.35
- 2020.36
- 2021.12
- Physical Description
- 0.5 cm of textual records, 15 architectural drawings, 7 photographs
- Date Range
- 1976-1977, 1997-[1999], 2004
- History / Biographical
- The Smithers Community Services Association (SCSA) is a local non-profit organization which provides a number of community services, including youth programs, parenting courses, English language training, public transit systems, Christmas hampers, a Lifeline service, assistance for people with developmental disabilities, and low-income housing sponsored by BC Housing. It was incorporated on October 25th 1973. The first programs operated by the SCSA included the Northern Training Center, a residential and vocational institute for developmentally-disabled youth; and the Drop-In Center for adolescents. Several programs offered by the SCSA eventually grew into their own separate societies, such as the Northern Society for Domestic Peace, the Smithers Receiving Home Society, and the Smithers Home Support Society. As of 2020, the Smithers Community Services Association provides over 20 programs to the residents of Smithers and its surrounding area. For more detailed information, see Finding Aid.
- Custodial History
- Items with 2020.12 accession numbers were part of a large anonymous donation of architectural and cartographic materials in March 2012. The items from accession 2020.35 may originally have been from this donation as well. Items with 2020.11 and 2020.35 accession numbers were found in collections in May and August 2020, respectively, and initially added to the Discrete Item collection. Items with 2020.36 accession numbers were found in collections in October 2020, after which a separate Smithers Community Services Association fonds was created and all aforementioned records added to it. Items from 2021.12 were transferred from the Bulkley Valley Museum fonds (OF1) on May 5, 2021.
- Scope and Content
- This fonds contains material created by or relating to the Smithers Community Services Association and its various programs, including the Northern Training Centre. These include: an invitation, agenda, and letter regarding the restoration of the Smithers CN Station Building by the SCSA in 1997; 3 photographs of SCSA members planting the railway garden at Smithers Station; a proposal by the SCSA to purchase and operate a double-decker bus as a Mobile Youth Centre, circa 1999; records relating to the 2004 Christmas hamper program; and 15 architectural plans for a new dining building at the Northern Training Centre, 1976-1977.
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Documents
Town of Smithers
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions9623
- Date Range
- 1967-2020
- Collection
- Town of Smithers fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- cartographic material
- architectural drawing
- Scope and Content
- This series contains documents created by, or for, the Town of Smithers since its incorporation in 1967. These include flyers/pamphlets, newsletters, correspondence, a program for the inaugural meeting of Smithers Town Council, items from Smithers’ 60th and 75th anniversaries (program, letters, gue…
- Collection
- Town of Smithers fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- Creator
- Town of Smithers
- Fonds No.
- GF4
- Series No.
- S2
- Item No.
- P7723-P7733
- Accession No.
- 1983.12
- 1988.8
- 1999.239
- 2012.16
- 2012.17
- 2017.22
- 2017.41
- 2017.71
- 2018.2
- 2018.19
- 2020.9
- 2021.12
- Physical Description
- 5.5 cm of textual records, 43 maps/plans, 34 colour photographs
- Date Range
- 1967-2020
- History / Biographical
- Smithers was officially incorporated as a town in 1967, having been designated as a village since 1921. It remains town status as of 2020. The Town of Smithers is governed by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Town Council, and is made up of several departments including: the Department of Recreation, Parks, and culture, the Fire Department and Emergency Services, the Prevention and Community Safety Department, the Administration and Human Resources Department, the Works and Operations Department, the Development Services Department, the Finance Department, and the Bylaw Enforcement and Animal Control Department.
- Custodial History
- This series was created by Holly Peterson in July 2020 as a complement to the pre-existing Corporation of the Village of Smithers fonds, created by Manda Haligowski circa 2016-2018.
- Scope and Content
- This series contains documents created by, or for, the Town of Smithers since its incorporation in 1967. These include flyers/pamphlets, newsletters, correspondence, a program for the inaugural meeting of Smithers Town Council, items from Smithers’ 60th and 75th anniversaries (program, letters, guestbooks, photographs), Smithers land plots, Central Park Building renovation and Central Park redevelopment plans, and cemetery maps.
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Notes
- Of the photographs, 11 have been assigned P numbers and scanned as a representative sample of the collection, while the remaining 23 have been deliberately left unnumbered and unscanned. They are still available upon request for those interested.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Town of Smithers fonds
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions9621
- Date Range
- 1922-2020
- Collection
- Town of Smithers fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- cartographic material
- architectural drawing
- sound recording
- Scope and Content
- This fonds contains records created by or relating to the municipal governing body of the Town, formerly Village, of Smithers. These include documents such as financial reports, assessment rolls, a scavenging ledger, land lot tax assessments, a voters’ list, bylaws, programs, pamphlets, newsletters…
- Collection
- Town of Smithers fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Creator
- Town of Smithers
- Village of Smithers
- Fonds No.
- GF4
- Item No.
- P7723-P7733
- Accession No.
- 1975.107
- 1981.6
- 1983.10
- 1983.12
- 1983.14
- 1988.1
- 1988.5
- 1988.6
- 1988.8
- 1988.9
- 1988.10
- 1988.12
- 1990.172
- 1999.239
- 2007.3
- 2009.50
- 2012.16
- 2012.17
- 2017.22
- 2017.36
- 2017.41
- 2017.71
- 2018.2
- 2018.19
- 2020.9
- 2021.12
- Physical Description
- 27.5 cm of textual records, 72 cartographic and architectural records, 34 colour photographs
- Date Range
- 1922-2020
- History / Biographical
- The town of Smithers was established in 1913. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP) selected the swampy, flat area at the base of Hudson Bay Mountain as the divisional point for the railroad and the development of the town followed. Smithers grew very quickly and by 1914, it boasted two newspapers, banks, hotels, businesses, many residences, and a main street running six blocks north of the railroad tracks. In 1921 it was incorporated as British Columbia’s first village. Over the following decades, the small community continued to grow and expand, receiving town status in 1967. Today it serves as the regional center for the Bulkley Valley. The population as of 2016 was 5,351.
- Custodial History
- Series 1 was created circa 2016-2020 by Manda Haligowski. Arrangement of the fonds was completed by Holly Peterson in July 2020.
- Scope and Content
- This fonds contains records created by or relating to the municipal governing body of the Town, formerly Village, of Smithers. These include documents such as financial reports, assessment rolls, a scavenging ledger, land lot tax assessments, a voters’ list, bylaws, programs, pamphlets, newsletters, building specifications, and records from special events such as Smithers’ anniversaries. There are also many cartographic and architectural records, such as maps of Smithers and its Cemetery; blueprints, fire protection plans, and proposed renovations for Central Park Building; and plans for projects such as a new sewage system and the redevelopment of Central Park.
- Arrangement
- This fonds has been arranged into two series, reflecting two stages in the development of Smithers as a municipality: S1, Corporation of the Village of Smithers, which contains items dating from the village’s incorporation in 1921 until 1966; and S2, Town of Smithers, which contains items dating from after the town’s incorporation in 1967. In addition, 14 maps and plans (1988.1.1, 1988.6.1, 1988.13.1, 2017.41.15, 2017.41.17, 2017.41.18, 2017.41.19, 2017.41.21, 2017.41.22, 2017.41.23, 2017.41.25, 2017.41.30, 2017.41.33, and 2017.41.34) were undated and as such have not been sorted into any series, instead remaining as loose items within the fonds. These are primarily cemetery plans, with some land plot maps and one set of proposed plans for the Smithers courtyard front porch.
- Geographic Access
- Smithers, B.C.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description