These photographs were taken by an unknown photographer from Department of National Deference Public Relations (Pacific Command) during the 1945 Polar Bear Exercise. This exercise was held in northern British Columbia in February and March 1945, using some 1,150 soldiers of the 6th Division. The intent of the exercise was to test the effects of "wet cold" conditions on military men and material. The scenario for the Polar Bear Exercise was that: "Action will be based on reports of a Japanese force having been landed at Bella Coola from submarines, having rendered useless RCAF installations at Bella Bella, and giving positive indication that this force is composed in great part of construction personnel with a comparatively small protective element; the assumption being that it will try to construct a useable road from Bella Coola to permit movement inland of a larger fighting force to follow at some later date". The exercise itself was conducted in three overlapping phases. Between 12 February and 5 March the force moved from Prince George to Anahim Lake, chiefly using an array of motor transport but with some pack horses. The second phase ran from 4 March to early April. This was a series of marches from Anahim Lake to Bella Coola and return; a secondary force of 19 men split off from the main body and, travelling by snowmobile and snowshoe, traversed the Rainbow Mountains to Bella Coola; on the return march this detachment was increased to 120 men and dubbed "Y" Force. The third phase was removal of all troops by vehicle from Anahim Lake to Williams Lake. These photographs are believed to document the return from Bella Coola.
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.
Excerpts describing the Freer Diaries from "Kechika Chronicler: Willard Freer's Northern BC & Yukon Diaries, 1942-1975" by Jay Sherwood (2023), pages 14-17:
In a letter that [Willard Freer] wrote in 1935, he stated that he had started keeping a diary when he left home. Unfortunately, his early diaries have been lost. In the summer of 1939, while Freer was away working, the BC Provincial Police investigated his neighbour Frank "Shorty" Weber as a suspect in a local murder. The police seized Freer's diaries from his trapping cabin as potential evidence. Freer wrote to the police requesting the return of his diaries, but he never received them. Fortunately, Freer had made copies of his diaries for the summers of 1932 and 1934. His diary for 1934 is particularly important because he was a member of the Bedaux Expedition.
Freer's existing diaries begin in the spring of 1942, when he was still living in the Ingenika River valley, and continue until 1975. The notebook for 1950 and 1951 is missing, and the January to September 1961 section has been removed. ...
Throughout his adult life, Freer wrote a daily journal. The entries are usually brief and direct, with minimal philosophizing. They are often repetitive, describing daily routines. However, the cumulative narrative of Freer's diaries provides a rare look into the history of one of British Columbia's most remote areas.
The pantheon of people recorded in Freer's diaries include many notable individuals who lived and worked in the Kechika River valley and along the Alaska Highway. Willard's journals provide details about specific events in the lives of these people. There are many references to the famous bush pilots Stan Bridcut and George Dalziel. He notes several prospectors who are well-known in northern BC and Yukon.
Willard's work involved extensive travel through northern BC and Yukon. His diaries provide details about the locations he visited. In particular, Freer kept an important record of travel on the Davie Trail between Fort Ware and Lower Post. For every overnight trip he made, Freer recorded the campsite he used, and the amount of time he spent travelling each day.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the Kaska and Kwadacha Tsek'ene still followed their traditional yearly rounds in the Kechika drainage. Freer's diaries detail the lives and routines of numerous Indigenous people over many years. Some of them are mentioned over a hundred times in Freer's diaries. By all accounts, Willard had good relationships with the Indigenous people. In the remote northern BC and Yukon region, where there were few people, working co-operatively was important.
Willard lived and worked at Skook Davidson's Diamond J Ranch during most of the 1940s and at intervals in the 1950s, so his journals provide considerable information about Skook and life at the ranch.
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Freer's diaries contain considerable information about daily life in the lodges along the Alaska Highway.
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Freer was involved in many important projects in northern BC and Yukon. He was a member of the famous 1934 Bedaux Expedition. Freer was a packer for BC and federal government survey crews for several summers; worked on the British Columbia-Yukon Boundary Survey for four years; was employed on Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) crews for several years; and spent three field seasons on the BC government's Forest Inventory program. Willard also packed for a couple of large mining exploration companies and was a hunting guide for Robin Dalziel and other guide outfitters.
Freer's diaries can also be used to monitor events like the weather and snowfall. In the winter, when he lived at Skook's ranch or at his cabin, he recorded the temperature in the morning, at midday, and in the evening. He also noted snowfalls. Willard recorded the date that the Kechika froze over in the fall, and when the ice melted off the river in the spring. He also noted his first observations of birds in the spring.
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The diaries of Willard Freer, which chronicle over thirty years of life in northern BC, are a unique account, providing a gateway to many of the people who lived there and some of the important events that occurred.
Fonds consists of textual records, 24 photographs, 6 video recordings, 4 microcassettes, and 1 floppy disc from the 27-28 March 1998 We're All Here to Stay Delgamuukw forum.
Collection consists of digitized home videos created by the Viksten family. The videos include scenes of Horsefly Lake and the Williams Lake Stampede.
The Upper Fraser Historical Geography Project was conducted by UNBC faculty and a team of researchers between 1999 and 2002. The lead researchers were Aileen Espritiu, Gail Fondahl, Greg Halseth, Debra Straussfogel, and Tracy Summerville. The project resulted in the creation of 93 oral history records and their transcripts. Participants included regional forest industry executives, politicians (including former MLA Ray Williston, local mayors and Fraser Fort George Regional District representatives), forest industry workers, and former and contemporary Upper Fraser community residents. The oral histories document the rise, consolidation and demise of the forestry-based settlements along the Upper Fraser River between 1915 and 2000.
Growing collection of strike ephemera from students, CUPE staff, and faculty members at UNBC. Collection includes picketing signs, strike buttons, photographs, art, and videos from pickets and UNBC Faculty Association events during the 2015 and 2019 strikes, as well as posters and other ephemera from the UNBC Occupiers group.
Collection consists textual material, objects, and ephemera related to the history of the University of Northern British Columbia.
University of Northern British ColumbiaFonds consists of 4 audio recordings of interviews related to the opening of the University of Northern British Columbia, including Jean Forsythe, Russ Clinton, John Chapman, and Charlie Lasser. All were interviewed by T. Cattell.
Collection includes approximately 940 slides taken during the construction of the Tumbler Ridge Electric Railway during the early 1980s. Locations include the Anzac siding, the BC Rail Stuart subdivision, the Chetwynd subdivision, the Parsnip River area, Quintette, the Table River area, railway pipeline crossings, and the Wolverine River area, among others.
Includes an audiocassette and a CD copy of an interview conducted by Kent Sedgwick with Trelle Morrow on the history of architectural design in Prince George.
Morrow, TrelleThis 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. In 1952, Eagle Lake Sawmill used both machinery and horses in their operations.
Sasaki, TorajiroSubject areas identified in this collection include: church and hospital buildings (including nurses quarters); group photos featuring doctors, nurses, and hospital workers; grave markers; landscapes; processing of oolichan fish; and various church-related events such as weddings and church openings.
Thomas Crosby Mission ShipsThis Collection consists of photographs documenting early development of the Central Interior including such subjects as: homesteading, railway construction, packing & freighting, modes and routes of transportation, schools, mercantile development, leisurely activities, sports, natural resource development and exploitation, political movements, town-site development and policing. This collection also provides a look at history of the Taylor-Baxter Family - a long time pioneering family of this region, including: A.K. & Lillian Bourchier; Hugh & Hermina "Minnie" (nee Wessel) Taylor and family; Herbert & Sarah (nee Wessel) Glassey; and Bob & Violet (nee Taylor) Baxter and family.
Collection consists of 1 document on lichens entitled "Common Lichen of the Prince George Area and Their Importance to Caribou," prepared by Susan Stevenson for Northwood Pulp and Timber Limited, British Columbia Fish and Wildlife Branch.
Stevenson, SusanCollection consists of textual records related to Stuart S. Holland, Associate Engineer, Department of Mines.
Holland, Stuart S.Collection consists of one photograph album containing 28 photographs featuring images of landscapes and water views; fishing scenes; structures; automobiles; persons; Hudson's Bay Company posts; First Nations and wildlife in and about the Stuart Lake area.
Fonds consists of Royal Bank of Canada records from branches across Northern British Columbia and the Yukon.
Royal Bank of CanadaCollection consists of 1 video recording (VHS) entitled "Uncorrupted : The Story of Rose Prince." The documentary, originally shown on EWTN, asks "Will Rose Prince be British Columbia's First Saint?" Director/Producer Ken Frith travels across British Columbia, Canada on twelve occasions to interview people about Rose Prince. Each journey is recorded as a short travel log showing the environment in which the interviewee lives. In addition, the film records the events taking place at the annual July pilgrimage to her gravesite at Lejac and the fact that miracles are being associated with the use of dirt from Rose's grave.
Collection consists of the typescript of "Excellence in Teaching," by Robert Bernoff.
Bernoff, RobertCollection consists of 2 taxidermied polar bear pelts (1 adult & 1 cub) intended for educational display.
Kitchen, RipFonds consists of 2 boxes of audio recordings and 1 binder related to the Oral History Programme Project conducted by Rhys Pugh in the summer of 1999.
Collection consists of 1 publication entitled "Retain 2000: Conference Proceedings: Retention in Education Today."
Collection consists of 17 oral histories, and transcripts generated for the Living Landscapes Red Rock Community History Project and copies of photographs. Recordings by Lorita Doudiet; Doris Holzworth; Torben Lindstrom; John Marcoll; Kate Marcoll; Eric Patterson; Bill and Mary Payne; Tom Payne; John Ryser; Mabel Rutherford; Margaret Shatzko; Krystyna Simpson and Marge Slater.
Northern BC Archives & Special CollectionsThe collection consists of 9 photographs and copies of photographs showing scenes of Prince Rupert and area, groups of townspeople, a stone totem pole at Metlakatla, and a man poling a dug-out canoe probably on the Skeena River. It includes two newspaper clippings, one from the BC Saturday Sunset dated September 14, 1912 and another from The Globe dated Saturday March 23, 1907. The bound volumes of the Prince Rupert Empire newspaper were transferred to Special Collections. See accompanying note.
Prince Rupert Daily NewsThe Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum Society Collection consists primarily of textual, photographic, and cartographic records related to the regional developments of the railway industry in Northern BC. A predominant portion of the collection is made up of material from the Canadian National Railway; other railways represented include the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, the British Columbia Railway (BC Rail), the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the Grand Trunk Railway, the Intercolonial Railway, and the Okanagan Express. Significant geographical areas covered include Prince George, the Peace River Region, Terrace, Bulkley Valley, Hazelton and Prince Rupert.
The forestry industry is represented in the collection with operational and financial records from Fyfe Lake Sawmill Ltd., which operated southwest of Prince George in the 1950s.
The collection has been organized into series according to creator, each of which also has been arranged to subseries, file and item level, where applicable. This collection consists of eight series, as follows:
1) Canadian National Railway
2) Grand Trunk Railway
3) Pacific Great Eastern Railway
4) British Columbia Railway (BC Rail)
5) Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
6) Intercolonial Railway
7) Fyfe Lake Sawmill ltd.
8) PGRFM
9) Photographs
Collection consists of oral histories gathered as part of Dr. Mike Evan's oral history project with the Prince George Metis Elders Society. Includes consent forms, transcripts, and the recorded oral histories on their original cassette tapes.
Evans, Michael JohnCollection contains photographs depicting community life in Prince George, B.C. Images depict holiday events, sports teams, government buildings, businesses (hotels, banks, retail, newspaper office), riverboats, railroad construction, fishing, a cemetery, street scenes, aerials, and landscapes. Also includes photos taken outside of the Prince George vicinity including Prairie Creek, Thomas Creek and Barkerville, B.C.
The photographs depict the geographic areas of Stewart, BC, Boundary Pass, Nelson River, Bitter Creek Glacier, Portland Canal, Red Cliff and Bear Creek; as well as the ships “Camosun” and “S.S. Prince George.” Types of subjects identified in this collection include: community life, surveying, mining and transportation (i.e. dog-sledding, horse and buggy, and the Portland Canal Short Line Railway “P.C.S.L. Rlwy”).
Consists of two photograph albums that illustrate Parker Bonney's early years as a Forest Engineer. Includes photographs of the expedition to the Nass Valley undertaken by Parker Bonney, Sam Brown, and others. May also include photographs of later surveying expeditions.
Bonney, ParkerThis collection consists of photographs and "real photo" postcards that depict the construction and operation of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway line, communities nearby the railway line, and regional geography of areas adjacent to the PGE line.
Collection consists of three original color film reels that compile footage clips from various dates. Subjects include the following:
Premier W.A.C. Bennett on the PGE Railway:
- Vancouver to Prince George Trip with Premier Bennett, 1958
- Fort St. James Opening of Line with Premier Bennett, 1 August 1968
- Opening of Squamish Car Shop with Premier Bennett, 1970
- Fort Nelson Opening of Line with Premier Bennett, September 1971
- First Revenue Train South from Fort Nelson with Premier Bennett, 1971
PGE Track Inspection and New Construction:
- V-8 PGE Track Inspection
- V-10 PGE Track Inspection
- V-10 Track Inspection
- Fort Nelson South to Fort St. John, October 1971
- Cariboo, Williams Lake Stampede, and PGE Track Inspection
Seton Lake:
- Seton Portage Steam Train Wreck Recovery, 1 April 1954
- Open Air Passenger Cars riding along Seton and Anderson Lake
- Budd Car from Shalath and Seton Lake to Kelly Lake
- Budd Car running along Seton Lake
This collection consists a nearly complete collection of issues of the UNBC student newspaper "Over the Edge" dating from its first newsletter type issue from 1993 onwards. This includes the first volume of the bi-monthly complimentary arts magazine "Edge".
Issues contain articles, photographs, letters, and editorials dealing with university life, politics on campus and university events, entertainment and news. As well, local Prince George events and some national and international events pertaining to student life are also included.
Missing issues: v.2 i.5 (Nov. 1995); v.5 i.11 (Feb. 1999); v.9 i.11 (Feb. 2003); v.9 i.12 (Mar. 2003)
Collection consists of reports on fish and fish habitat inventories in watersheds in Northern BC published on computer disks in 1996 through 1998.
The collection consists of an assortment of cartographic materials concerning Northern B.C. Included are topographic maps, pre-emptor’s and preliminary maps, physiographic maps, and resource (geological, game, etc.) maps.
The Northern BC Archives Historical Photograph Collection consists of images representing a variety of subjects areas including but not limited to Transportation and Utilities; Industries; Geographic Features; Military; First Nations; and Exploration, Discovery and Travel. The geographic focus of this collection stretches from Williams Lake to the Yukon border, and from the Alberta border to Haida Gwaii.
Collection consists of reproduced archival material collected from other heritage institutions in order to facilitate regional access to records.
A collection of postcard photographs of Port Essington BC, Port Simpson BC, Atlin, Quesnel, McBride, Hagwilget Village, Giscome, Likely, Kitwanga, Smithers, Prince Rupert BC, Prince (Fort) George BC Images depict street scenes, water scenes, community events, businesses, buildings, and aerials of the towns. Collection also depicts a number of Northern BC paddle wheelers.
Fonds consists of the personal records of Nedra (Ginty) Jane Paul [b. ca.1920-d. 1990]. Personal records include the 1938 Lord Byng High School Annual, 2 teaching certificates, and 1 photograph. Paul worked as a teacher in the Chilcotin and Bella Coola regions of BC and the primary items of the collection are 8 recordings generated by her with members of First Nations Communities at Alkali, Red Stone, Kleena Kleene and Bella Coola from 1964-1971. There are 8 original audio reel to reel recordings (and 2 tapes which are copies of the recordings later created by P.J. Thomas, who accompanied Paul on the interviews). Recordings include stories and songs.
Paul, Nedra JaneFonds consists of records to the Nechako Watershed Council. These records were created and/or accumulated by Dr. Richard Krehbiel, who was a Nechako Watershed Council member.
Collection consists of accumulated material relating to Northern and Central British Columbia. This material includes documents, subject files, unpublished grey literature, discrete textual records with limited provenance, and other ephemeral items.
The Mabel Rutherford Photograph Collection consists of 8 photographs depicting images of Red Rock and region: family, road and rail construction, landscape, farming equipment.
Rutherford, MabelCollection consists of records related to the Alcan/Kemano project on the Nechako River circa 1980-2000 from the Nechako Neyenk'ut Society, the Rivers Defense Coalition, and the Smelter Study Group.
Burgener, LouiseThese historically important aerial photographs depict Williston Lake soon after its creation in 1968 with the building of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River. Also depicted are the rivers and tributaries that empty into the Williston Reservoir, such as the Finlay River, the Ospika River, and the Omineca River.
These remote-sensing aerial photographs were taken by Lockwood Survey Corporation Ltd. under contract for the B.C. Forest Service. Some photographs are annotated to show logging activity; clearcuts, slash piles, log booms, and tree debris on the water are also visible in some of the images. No detailed location information or index accompanies the photographs.
Lockwood Survey Corporation Ltd.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. Aside from these photocopies are some original records; namely: original correspondence between McCusker and G.G. Aitken (1934-1938); photographs (ca. 1930-1950); McCuskers 1909 certificate enabling him to be an Articled Pupil with the Dominion Land Surveyors; and an interview with McCusker conducted by J. Frank Willis (CBC, 1954).
McCusker, KnoxCollection consists of records regarding the Kemano Completion Project collected by four scientists that were involved in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans review of Alcan’s project. The majority of the material consists of copies of publications related to the scientists’ research and activities, many of which were written or annotated by them, such as reprints of journal articles, draft scientific reports, government publications, and newspaper clippings. Original scientific research records comprise raw data, field notes, memoranda, and draft reports. Includes correspondence regarding the Nechako River court action between DFO, Alcan, and the province and scientific reports that were created in anticipation of the case. Also includes significant material emanating from the British Columbia Utilities Commission Kemano Completion Project Public Review, such as correspondence, BCUC newsletters and news releases, exhibits and evidence submitted to the review panel, documents produced for the hearings, and final reports. In addition, includes records and publications relating to various other groups affected by the Kemano Completion Project or arising because of it, such as the Cheslatta Carrier Nation, the Rivers Defense Coalition, the Nechako Fisheries Conservation Program, the Nechako Watershed Council, the Nechako Environmental Enhancement Fund, and the Nechako River Alliance.
Alderdice, DonCollection consists of 73 photographs featuring the construction of the John Hart Highway in Prince George, BC from 1945-1946. Images depict construction, machinery, workers, bunkhouses, persons, wildlife, and buildings all associated with this construction project around the Summit Lake region of the city.
John Hart HighwayCollection consists of a travel scrapbook created by Jill Singleton documenting a trip to Alaska, Yukon, Haida Gwaii, and northern BC. Includes photographs, ephemera, handwritten notes, pamphlets, issues of local newspapers, and maps.