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Board of Directors
2000.1.1.4.3 · File · ca. 1951 - ca. 1960
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

File contains photographs featuring members of the Board of Directors of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd., which was formed on the 17th of May, 1951. Cassiar's forerunner was a company named Conwest, formed in 1534, a consolidation of two companies owned by Fred Martin Connell and his brother W. Harold Connell. The first board of directors included the Connell brothers, George Armstrong, John E. Kennedy, Charles & Arthur Mortimer, and Charles Rainforth Elliot (chartered accountant and secretary-treasurer of Conwest & Cassiar). Directors depicted in this file include F.M Connell, Harold Connell, Charles Elliot, John E. Kennedy, George Armstrong, Ken A. Creery, John Drybrough, Tam Zimmermann, George Washington Smith (president of Bell Asbestos Mines), Nick Gritzuk, Jack Christian (general manager, president, and CEO). Other individuals depicted include Fred Murry, Andre Beguin, Plato Malozemoff from Newmont Mining (co-founder of Cassiar with F.M. Connell), Alfred Lloyd Penhale (founder and CEO of Asbestos Corporation of Canada Ltd.), C.B. Brown, Pierre Marcotte, Francis Parker Smith (brother of George Smith), Bill Oughtred, Bill Johnson, and a Mr. Janitsch. File also includes a portrait of an unidentified director of Cassiar from Turner and Newall in England, taken at the corporate club in Toronto. Group portraits were taken at the Cassiar Valley, the office building, "House 130," fishing outings, and at formal events in unidentified locations.

Box Inventory
2000.1.4 · Series · 1950-1998
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

The Cassiar Asbestos Corporation and townsite records encompass a massive archival holding of approximately 1,600 bankers boxes. A box level inventory was created by student employees of the archives over a 15-year period. This inventory is provided here for access purposes only and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

In 1952 the Cassiar Asbestos Mining Corporation constructed an asbestos open-pit mine and mill and created a town site for its workers that became the town of Cassiar, British Columbia, 50 miles south of the Yukon border, and 80 miles north of Dease Lake. For 40 years Cassiar was a thriving asbestos mining town with a population at its peak of about 2500, with production statistics for 1989, recording over 60 million tonnes of ore mined, producing a billion dollars of new wealth. In 1989 Cassiar added an underground mine to the site, and despite attempts to run it profitably, in 1992 the entire mine closed partially due to the global market decline in the demand for asbestos, resulting in the closure of the town, and the move of its workers and families out of Cassiar. An auction was held to sell off all the mining equipment, townsite infrastructure, its buildings, people’s residences and the site was bull-dozed, with many houses burned to the ground. Today little remains in this remote area of Northern British Columbia to mark Cassiar’s industrial, economic or social history.

In 1992 the University of Northern British Columbia acquired the holdings of CAMC and the Cassiar townsite recognizing its potential for academic research, as the records could provide insight into natural resource industry extraction operations in Northern BC from mid to late 20th century, illustrative of ‘boom & bust’ industries, and to provide context to the development of the Cassiar Asbestos Mining Corporation and the history of the ‘life’ of a one-industry company town. The holdings document mining operations by CAMC and of the town site of Cassiar, originally consisting of the equivalent of 1800+ bankers’ boxes, including records on construction, engineering, operations, administration of CAMC, tallies of extractions, labour and union activities, corporate events and visits by dignitaries (including Prime Minister Trudeau who visited CAMC’s northern operations unit in Clinton Creek in 1968 and M.P. Iona Campagnolo in 1978). As CAMC was owner of both the mine and the Cassiar town, the company provided municipal services (i.e. sewer, water, and electricity) for its workers and their families. The archived municipal records document townsite construction, including the creation of health, education and community services such as Cassiar’s private hospital, school, library, community centre, hockey arena, and retail store. The holdings also include extensive visual documentation of natural and man-man landscapes within this remote and scenic area of Northern British Columbia. The formats of the archival holdings are diverse consisting of textual, photographic, cartographic materials, electronic records, films, promotional video-recordings, and a near complete run of the Cassiar community’s print newspaper.

Bucket Being Lifted by Crane
2000.1.1.2.2.16 · Item · 1963
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts a round bucket attached to the main hook line of a crane and suspended over building framework in crusher construction site (crane not visible in image). Men stand around the bucket on high level of crusher building. A dirt road and long building believed to be housing conveyor "B" can be seen in background.

Bucket Being Lifted by Crane
2000.1.1.2.2.14 · Item · 1963
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts a round bucket attached to the main hook line of a crane (crane not visible in image) suspended over building framework in crusher construction site. Four construction workers stand around the bucket. Two men can be seen on roof of long building in background believed to be the section of the crusher building which housed conveyor B. Dirt road crosses midground.

Cassiar Aerial Photographs
2000.1.1.3.13 · File · 1950 - 1992
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photographs depict aerial views of the Cassiar townsite, plantsite, tailings pile, mine road, bench and pit mine, mine buildings (tramline loading station, crusher, shop, and garage), and surrounding mountain range. Here "aerial" refers to photos depicting a large area and taken from the air or from a high point of elevation.

2000.1 · Fonds · 3 April 1952 - 15 March 1993

Fonds consists of textual, photographic, cartographic, electronic and promotional films/video recordings related to the mining operations of Cassiar Asbestos Mining Corporation (CAMC) and creation of Cassiar townsite. CAMC records primarily consist of records related to mining operations including construction, engineering, daily mining operations, administration of CAMC, tallies of extractions, labour and union activities, corporate events and visits by dignitaries. Townsite records are primarily visual representations of townsite construction, including the creation of health, education and community services including Cassiar's private hospital, school, library, as well as townsite images. Photographs include documentation of natural and man-made landscapes within the Cassiar region of Northern BC. Other holdings include a near complete run of Cassiar's community newspaper.

Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd.
Cassiar Land
2000.1.1.3.25 · File · 1979 - 1983
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

This file contains images of a land dispute around Cassiar. The photographs depict a cabin on a lot, a destroyed cabin, and outhouses. The accompanied documents in the original file refer to the subjects of "Claims, Leases, and Land lots," and it is implied that there were issues of squatters, illegal occupation, and mineral claims.

Cassiar Staff
2000.1.1.3.28 · File · 1990
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photographs of various Cassiar Staff at work. There is extensive annotations on the back of each photo explaining who is depicted and where they are working.

2000.1.1.3.13.04 · Item · [before 1970]
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts the Cassiar townsite behind shadow in foreground. Plantsite can be seen including the mill, dry rock storage building, tailings pile, and many other buildings. Mountains in background. Handwritten annotation on recto: "<- 13 1/2" ->". (This photograph was made into a promotional poster.)

2000.1.1.3.19.175 · Item · [ca. 1980]
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts interior of church believed to be the All Saints Anglican Community Church at Cassiar, B.C. Table and pulpit in foreground, pews and door in background. Stained glass windows line both sides of the building.

Community Album - Fire Hall
2000.1.1.3.19.120 · Item · [ca. 1980]
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts two fire trucks semi-visible in garage with the sign "FIRE HALL". House and snowmobile can be seen in left midground, truck and power pole in right foreground. Mountains in background. Warning visible on front of trucks: "KEEP BACK 500m".

2000.1.1.3.19.147 · Item · [ca. 1980]
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts Joseph wearing safety gear while standing at testing equipment on raised sampling station. Sign below Joseph reads "DO NOT DISTURB / SAMPLING IN PROGRESS / PROPERTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL DEPT. / CASSIAR ASBESTOS LTD." Helen Joseph took air quality tests in the working areas and town (see item 2000.1.1.3.19.135). Power lines, unidentified building, and mountain base visible in background. Photo was taken during winter.

2000.1.1.3.19.123 · Item · [ca. 1980]
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts unidentified young man at clothes dryers. Wall of cubby compartments in background; washing machines and piles of laundry in foreground. Clothes in pile appear to be all coveralls or denim, possibly work clothes.

2000.1.1.3.19.122 · Item · [ca. 1980]
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts two-story main office building in right midground behind sign reading "CASSIAR ASBESTOS CORPORATION Ltd / CASSIAR MINE / MAIN OFFICE". Building believed to be warehouse can be seen behind raised Canadian flag on pole in left midground. New mill building and tailings pile visible behind warehouse and office, mountains in background.