Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Textual record
- Graphic material
- Architectural drawing
- Technical drawing
- Cartographic material
Parallel title
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Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
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Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
3 April 1952 - 15 March 1993 (Creation)
- Creator
- Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd.
- Place
- Cassiar, BC
Physical description area
Physical description
1625+ bankers boxes textual records ; 7000 photographic items (6100+ photographs, 900 slides) ; 1500+ cartographic items ; electronic holdings, sound and moving image holdings.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Limited (CAC) was established in 1951 by the parent company Conwest Exploration Company Limited. CAC opened an asbestos mine and mill in 1952 in northern BC and constructed a townsite for its workers. Because Cassiar was unincorporated, CAC provided municipal services (sewer, water, electricity, medical, educational, community and retail.) Cassiar town holdings include administrative, housing, school, hospital, and retail store records. For 40 years Cassiar was a thriving one-industry town of 1200+ people. In the late 1950s, CAC began active efforts to find and acquire another asbestos deposit for the company. In 1957 such a deposit was discovered in the Yukon Territory, and acquired by CAC. By 1967 CAC had begun construction of a second mine, plant, and town in what became known as Clinton Creek. For most of its history the Cassiar operation was an open-pit mine, but in 1988 it began construction of an underground mine which became operational in 1990. The unprofitability of this underground operation contributed to the corporation’s bankruptcy in 1992. Most employees were laid off and in September the entire town, mine, and mill infrastructure was auctioned off by Maynard Industries, Vancouver.
Custodial history
With the complete closure and dismantling of both the Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Ltd. and the company township of Cassiar, B.C., all records generated from 1952-1992 were boxed and shipped to the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, B.C. soon after its final closure on 15 March 1993. In 19--, these 3,000 bankers boxes were moved from the University campus to off-site storage for # years, until the establishment of UNBCs Northern B.C. Archives and Special Collections in 2000. At this time, the boxes were returned to the University campus and housed in the Archives archival storage facility.
Scope and content
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.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Access to the Cassiar Asbestos Corporation fonds is currently unavailable. Contact archives@unbc.ca with inquiries.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Personal or academic use of materials is welcomed under the standard fair dealing and educational use clauses of Canadian Copyright Law. Commercial use is, however, forbidden without the express permission of the copyright holder. For information on obtaining written permission from the copyright holder, please contact the Northern B.C. Archives and Special Collections.
Finding aids
An in-house inventory of textual records also exists, funded partially by an anonymous private foundation.
Generated finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
Alternative identifier(s)
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Control area
Sources
Leblanc, Suzanne "Cassiar: A Jewel in the Wilderness" Caitlin Press: Prince George, BC (2003). ; The Cassiar Asbestos Corporation, Ltd. ; and former members of the Cassiar, BC Community via the Cassiar Photo ID Facebook Project.