New! Digitized and Available Online!

John Hopp Mining Property - Barkerville, Cariboo, BC (2024.05)

Item is a document created by the John Hopps Mining Property documenting various aspects of their mining operations. The document contains descriptions detailing the history of the discovery of gold in the Cariboo and the founding of John Hopp Mining Property.

"It's Still Winter" eJournal Collection (2024.2)

This collection encompasses the records of the eJournal "It's Still Winter: A Web Journal of Contemporary Canadian Poetry and Poetics", which was co-published online by College of New Caledonia and UNBC between 1997 and 2002. The editors of the journal were Don Precosky and Barry McKinnon. The journal published the work of poets from across Canada, but the majority were from northern British Columbia.

Torajiro Sasaki Collection (2023.10)

This 16mm film of Eagle Lake Sawmills was produced by Torajiro Sasaki in July 1952, likely commissioned or with permission from the sawmill owners, the Spurs. The film depicts logging and sawmilling operations at the Eagle Lake Sawmill, as well as shots of the bunkhouses, exterior shots of the mill, and the beehive burner. Employees of the mill are shown at work.

Willard Freer Diary Digital Collection (2023.8)

Willard Freer, a packer and guide in remote northern BC, kept a daily diary from 1942 to 1975 that provides a detailed record of life in northern BC and southern Yukon Territory. This collection consists of digital replicas of Willard Freer's diaries from 1942 to 1975, along with accompanying transcripts created by Jay Sherwood, who authored a book about Freer's life.

UNBC School of Planning and Sustainability fonds (2023.5)

Fonds consists of maps, plans, and drawings collected by faculty in the UNBC School of Planning and Sustainability. The majority of these maps reflect the planning history of the City of Prince George and include large format, hand-drawn plans created by the City Planning Department from the 1970s and 1980s.

Dr. Paul Sanborn fonds (2023.2)

Fonds consists of the research records of Dr. Paul Sanborn, a University of Northern British Columbia faculty member in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

Stowell Forestry Collection (2022.03)

Collection consists of records created and collected by Robert "Bob" Stowell (1922-2018) and his son Bill Stowell over the course of their careers in the British Columbia forestry industry, including records from The Pas Lumber Co. (B.C.) Ltd. in Prince George, BC.

Emil Bronlund Photograph Collection (2021.06)

Emil Bronlund was in 1927 hired by Consolidated Mining and Smelting Ltd. (later known as Cominco) to take on the company's mining exploration in northern British Columbia, a position he held for almost 25 years. Bronlund had a Leica camera and took photographs during his exploratory trips.

Northern BC Archival Replica Access Collection (2012.11)

Collection consists of reproduced archival material collected from other heritage institutions in order to facilitate regional access to records.

Knox McCusker Collection (2008.27)

The Knox McCusker Collection consists primarily of photocopies of publications written by Mary Henry (1931-1935); annual reports; articles and papers written about Knox McCusker (1935-1997) as well as research materials pertaining to his life; articles and speeched written by Knox McCusker and general correspondence regarding surveying. 

Norah Banbery Doherty fonds (2000.12)

Fonds consists of an unpublished manuscript entitled "A Man's Country" written by Norah Banbery Doherty, accompanied by photographs and related photocopied articles and correspondence written or received by Doherty.

Now at Northern BC Archives, findable through our database! (Not available to view online)

Hagwilget Bridge Restoration Collection (2025.01)

Collection consists of photographs of restoration work on Hagwilget Bridge near Hazelton performed by Buckland & Taylor Ltd., a structural engineering company.

Central Interior Radio interview with John Backhouse (2014.9)

Prince George's Central Interior Radio station CJCI interviewed Mayor John Backhouse about his 25 year career in Prince George at the end of his mayoral term. The interview covers his early career in England, his job at the Prince George Public Library as Chief Librarian, and his activity in Prince George municipal politics.

Cariboo-Chilcotin Regional Planning Collection (2013.15)

Collection consists of various originals, drafts, and photocopies of development planning reports for the Cariboo-Chilcotin region of British Columbia. Many of the reports were authored by the Cariboo Economic Action Forum.

Howard Foot collection (2013.04)

This collection consists of a scrapbook entitled "My Two Year Term on the Teen Town Council", which was created by Howard Foot to document his involvement in the Prince George Teen Town Council in 1958-1959.

West Fraser Timber Company Ltd. (2009.23)

Collection includes a 50th anniversary video about the history of the West Fraser Timber Company Ltd.

Audrey Smedley L'Heureux fonds (2000.23)

This fonds encompasses the journalism, writing, and research of Audrey Ruth Smedley L'Heureux. L'Heureux's research interests focussed on northern and central British Columbia, beginning with pioneer settlement through to community life in the 2000s.

Chander Suri fonds (1996.8)

This fonds encompasses the planning career of Chander Suri. The head planner for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George from 1969 to 1977, Chander Suri embarked on numerous community plan projects in the Prince George area. Suri also worked as an independent planning consultant for local businesses and organizations. Chander Suri's records encompass numerous urban and rural projects facilitating population and industry growth within the RDFFG that spanned beyond Suri's career.

In 1927, Emil Bronlund was hired by Consolidated Mining and Smelting Ltd. (later known as Cominco) to take on the company's mining exploration in northern British Columbia. Bronlund had a Leica camera and took photographs during his exploratory trips. The Emil Bronlund Photograph Collection consists of an album of Bronlund's photographic negatives from his 1930-1932 exploratory trips in the Omineca region. This feature photograph depicts Bronlund's and Frank Swannell's crews at Thutade Lake narrows in 1931 (2021.06.055).

The 1952 Torajiro Sasaki film of Eagle Lake Sawmills is now available on the Northern BC Archives YouTube channel. This 16mm film was produced by Torajiro Sasaki in July 1952, approximately 6 years after Sasaki's release from Canadian Japanese internment. After his internment, Sasaki moved to Giscome, BC for work at the many sawmills along the Upper Fraser River, such as Eagle Lake Sawmills. The film was likely commissioned or filmed with permission by the Eagle Lake sawmill owners. The film depicts logging and sawmilling operations at the Eagle Lake Sawmill, as well as shots of the bunkhouses, multicultural workers, exterior shots of the mill, and the beehive burner.

As the first general manager of the province's Land Commission, Runka played a pivotal role in developing the Agricultural Land Reserve. After two years of archival processing, Runka’s extensive work in the field of land use planning and natural resource management is now available to researchers at the Northern BC Archives and Special Collections. After serving as Chair of the Agricultural Land Commission from 1975 to 1979, Runka went on to establish his own consulting firm. Over the next 33 years, GG Runka Land Sense Ltd. served over 681 clients, including governments, universities, corporations, community groups, businesses and private individuals. However, Runka never wavered from his support for the ALR. At his untimely death in 2013, he was working in opposition to the Site C dam project due to the loss of over 5,000 hectares of high capability agricultural land. All of this work is now available to researchers through Northern BC Archives and Special Collections, including documents and materials spanning three library bays, a massive photographic slide collection and more than 500 maps.

Read our full feature article about the G. Gary Runka fonds in UNBC Stories.

Kent Sedgwick was an author, professor, urban planner, and prominent local historian of Prince George, British Columbia. The J. Kent Sedgwick fonds documents Sedgwick’s research interests in the history and geography of the Central Interior of British Columbia. It also reflects his work as a Prince George Senior City Planner, his involvement in local community organizations, and his teaching at the College of New Caledonia and the University of Northern British Columbia. Northern BC Archives is pleased to announce that this archival material is now easily accessible to researchers. The fonds spans 5 metres of textual records and includes over 8,000 photographs and 137 maps.