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1961 - Bar & Snackbar
2000.1.1.3.19.031 · Item · 1961
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts long wood building believed to be the bar and snackbar at Cassiar B.C. Two men can be seen standing on one of three porches to building. Pole, car, and trees in foreground; unknown buildings and mountain base in background. Handwritten annotation on verso of photograph: "1961".

1961 - Community Centre
2000.1.1.3.19.030 · Item · 1961
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts long wood building speculated to be the Community Centre at Cassiar, B.C. Sports net stands in right foreground. Flag pole, barrel, and stand of trees can be seen in front of building. Mountains in background. Handwritten annotation on verso of photograph: "1961".

1961 - Movie Projectors
2000.1.1.3.19.029 · Item · 1961
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts man seated on stool between two carbon arc Horton movie projectors. These were 16 mm French projectors, and were located at the Cassiar Recreational Center. They were used before the new movie theater was built in the late 1970s. Handwritten annotation on verso of photograph: "1961".

2000.1.1.3.19.053 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts men's ball game in foreground, spectators and cars visible behind backstop net. Bar and snackbar building in right midground, trees and mountain base in background. See item 2000.1.1.3.19.52 for information regarding bar and snackbar building.

1965 - Bar & Snackbar
2000.1.1.3.19.052 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts building containing Cassiar's bar and snackbar, visible across ball field. This building originally housed school classrooms, movie theater, barber shop, and rec centre with three pool tables. Private liquor store originally located in far right of building. Liquor store was known to be the only legal bootleg liquor business in the province at the time, before it was transferred to Cassiar's government liquor store and replaced with a Sear's office. Catholic church and other buildings are visible behind trees in right midground. Road and field in foreground, valley and mountains in background. Community Centre located behind photographer, out of frame, curling rink on photographer's right.

2000.1.1.3.19.068 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts Hilde Voss in left foreground, kitchen supplies on either side. Unknown man sits across counter on right. Other individuals seated in background in front of door and windows. Handwritten annotations on recto of photograph: "WAITRESS - HIELDA[sic?] VOSS".

2000.1.1.3.19.067 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts Hilde Voss (see item 2000.1.1.3.19.68) wearing white shirt, with unknown woman in snackbar. Counter and other individuals on left, cooking supplies in foreground. Interior window in background connected snackbar to poolroom. Eventually this snackbar was moved to poolroom, and liquor store located in original snackbar.

2000.1.1.3.19.044 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts man, women, and young child in store, some pushing carts. Man believed to be Jack Nitti stands behind counter in right midground (see item 2000.1.1.3.19.40). Store appears to be stocked with groceries and general supplies. Handwritten annotation on recto of photograph: "RIGHT JACK NITTI".

2000.1.1.3.19.041 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts woman in right foreground with shopping cart, selecting an item from shelf. Unidentified men, women and child can be seen in background. Store appears to be stocked with groceries and general supplies. Handwritten annotation on recto of photograph: "RIGHT MARG MCKENZIE".

2000.1.1.3.19.070 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts unknown men entering back of bus, second bus on left. Old Mine Dry Change House in right background; power lines, vehicles, and trees in left background. These buses transported workers from the plant to the mine. Small pickup trucks called "crummies" with cabin mounted in box were used when traveling on the steeper road to the South Peak.

2000.1.1.3.19.069 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts Mrs. Navin (wife of Dr. Navin - see item 2000.1.1.3.19.47) standing across unknown woman seated at librarian's table covered with books. Bookshelves in background, unknown couple sitting at table in left midground. Handwritten annotations on recto of photograph: "RIGHT / MRS NAVIN".

2000.1.1.3.19.060 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts woman holding infant, sitting next to man on couch. Ornamented coffee table in foreground; lamp, ornamented side tables, curtains, and painting in background. Handwritten annotation on recto of photograph: "LEN SKAKUN / CAROL / BABY".

2000.1.1.3.19.061 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts woman holding infant, sitting next to man on couch. Ornamented coffee table in foreground; lamp, ornamented side tables, curtains, and painting in background. Handwritten annotation on recto of similar photograph: "LEN SKAKUN / CAROL / BABY".

2000.1.1.3.19.040 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts women, men, and children standing in store, some pushing grocery carts. Two women stand near till, one wearing long white professional jacket. Young man named Lobbes stands behind counter on far right, wearing white shirt. Store appears to be stocked with groceries and general supplies. Handwritten annotation on recto of photograph: "RIGHT TOMMY LOBBES".

2000.1.1.3.19.043 · Item · 1965
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts two men purchasing items in foreground, facing away from photographer. Unknown woman stands at till behind counter in midground, wearing long white professional jacket. Stocked shelves on wall in background. Store appears to be stocked with groceries and general supplies.

1970 Labour Strike
2000.1.1.3.22 · File · 1970
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

File contains photographs depicting individuals at Cassiar on strike in the winter time, marching down roads, holding picket signs, carrying small children who hold signs, and driving cars covered with strike slogans. Many of the signs read "U.S.W.A. LOCAL 6536" (United Steel Workers of America).

  • Two photographs depict a man with a video recorder. Some photos feature plant buildings, two were taken at night. One photograph depicts a note that reads: "THERE WILL BE NO AFTERNOON SHIFT THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5th 1970."
  • Many photos depict areas in the mine showing snow impacts, fissures in the mountain, asbestos evidence and other environmental activity. The picket signs contain protests regarding contracts, safety, environment, and ethics.
  • Handwritten annotation on original envelope containing photographs: "Pictures 1970 Strike."
  • Integrated into file are fourteen photos from file marked "Mr. B. Pewsey" that depict an area where a large rock fell, measuring tape, and protest sign.
1971 - Director's Lodge
2000.1.1.3.19.088 · Item · 15 June 1971
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts two unidentified men on front deck of building behind trees. Road and car in foreground, mountains visible in background. Handwritten annotation on verso of photograph: "Directors Lodge Cassiar June 15 71". Building also known as "House 130".

2000.1.1.3.19.089 · Item · 15 June 1971
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts two lawn chairs in front of building with front deck. Trees visible in foreground and background. Handwritten annotation on verso of photograph: "Directors Lodge Cassiar June 15 71". Building also known as "House 130".

1971 - Summer Bunkhouses
2000.1.1.3.19.084 · Item · 15 June 1971
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts long bunkhouse buildings located between the Cassiar plant and townsite. They were originally used seasonally by university students, or by new employees on waiting lists for the more accommodating panabode "Winter Bunkhouses" (see item 2000.1.1.3.19.113). These buildings are speculated to be bunkhouses number 86, 87, and 88. Trees cross midground; new mill building, tailings pile, and mountains visible in background. Handwritten annotation on verso of photograph: "Cassiar June 15 71".

1971 - Unknown Residence
2000.1.1.3.19.090 · Item · 15 June 1971
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

Photograph depicts brown and white building similar to the "Director's Lodge" at Cassiar, B.C. (see items 2000.1.1.3.19.88 and 2000.1.1.3.19.89). Station wagon parked in driveway behind short fence in foreground. Trees in foreground, forest and mountains visible in background. Handwritten annotation on verso of photograph: "Cassiar June 15 71".

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.

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 Courier
2000.1.3.2 · Subseries · 1976-1991
Part of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. fonds

On March 7, 1956 the Cassiar Reporters Guild published one issue of an untitled newspaper simply titled "The Cassiar?" (vol.1, no.1) along with a "name that newspaper" contest call out to the local community. It is believed that no other issue of this first volume was published until December 7, 1957 when The Asbestos Sheet (vol.2, no.1) was published. The Asbestos Sheet, was generally published twice a month and ran from December 1957 to September 1976; after which time both its name and its format changed: the 8-1/2 x 10" news bulletin changing to an 11 x 17" newspaper; and The Asbestos Sheet becoming the Cassiar Courier. The Courier was published monthly from fall 1976 until February 1991 when it stopped circulation shortly before the closure of both the mine and the company town.