The David Davies Railway Collection encompasses all facets of railway history specifically in the province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory. The collection consists of research material accumulated over the course of more than fifty years, and includes monographs, periodicals, articles, clippings, railway timetables, photographs, maps and plans, and excerpts. Material covers public, tourist, and private (industrial) railways, including: CPR, KVR, E&N; CNR, CNoR, GTPR; and PGER, BCR. The collection excludes material regarding streetcar systems and rapid transit, but includes long distance electric interurbans.
Series consists of graphic material depicting railways in British Columbia. Includes prints, negatives, and postcards.
Subseries consists of prints and negatives depicting railways in British Columbia separated from the textual records of the David Davies Railway Collection.
Subseries consists of prints and negatives depicting railways in British Columbia, as well as a small selection of other subjects such as historical ships, buildings, vehicles, and bridges. All photographs created by David Davies.
Subseries consists of printed and photograph postcards depicting railways, buildings, ships, and other transportation in British Columbia.
Series consists of research material relating to steam and diesel locomotives that were used on British Columbia railways. Includes information about the steam to diesel transition period, details about specific locomotives, locomotive manufacturers, and self-propelled coaches.
Series consists of employee timetables for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canadian National Railway, the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, BC Rail, the Great Northern Railway, the Great Northern Railway, the Burlington Northern Railway, the BC Electric Railway, and the BC Harbours Board Railway. Also known as “working timetables”, these are a valuable research tool that include timings at every station or other significant location along the train's journey, the train's reporting number, its maximum speed, and any other information relevant to the operation of the train.
Series consists of general histories, statistics, and sources for railway subjects, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions and clippings from periodicals. Most documents are Canada-wide in scope.
Map depicts Canadian railways in operation at 2011.
Series consists of articles, clippings, and other research material related to rolling stock used on British Columbia railways. Although the term “rolling stock” encompasses all vehicles that move on a railway, some material regarding rolling stock is filed separately, such as locomotives (see series 2013.6.11). Includes information about passenger cars, freight cars, and non-revenue cars (cabooses, cranes, service cars, etc.).
Series consists of large format maps and plans relating to railways in British Columbia and Canada. Also includes oversize documents.
File contains records created or collected by Bill Stowell over the course of his employment with Tolko Industries Ltd. as a log trader (1994-2010). Includes correspondence, memoranda, company budgets, reports, and periodical clippings.
Fonds consists of ledgers recording accounts and maintenance notes of the S. B. Trick Lumber Co. and one photograph of the Ambrose Trick Sawmill.
S. B. Trick Lumber Co.Series consists of two ledgers and two journals. The two ledgers consist of logging accounts including lumber shipments and sales as well as payroll and expenditures. The two journals include handwritten maintenance notes and loose papers of diagrams of equipment.
File contains records created or collected by Bill Stowell over the course of his career in the forestry industry. Includes material regarding Balco Industries Ltd., Weldwood of Canada Ltd., Babine Forest Products Company, West Fraser Timber Ltd., 100 Mile Lumber & Chasm Sawmills, Slocan Forest Products Ltd., Riverside Forest Products Ltd., Dunkley Lumber Ltd., Lignum Ltd., and Weyerhaeuser Canada. Includes a 100 Mile Lumber & Chasm Sawmills log truck safety manual from 2008. Also includes a promotional brochure from Dunkley Lumber Ltd. circa 1980s.
File consists of two journals both in binding marked Daily Journal 1974. One journal has "Strapper" written across the cover and is mostly empty but contains handwritten strapper maintenance notes and loose paper with diagrams; dates range from 1978-2008. The other journal includes handwritten maintenance notes and loose pages with diagrams, no dates are included.
File contains ephemeral material collected by Bill Stowell over the course of his career in the BC forestry industry. Includes:
- "Hug a Logger" bumper sticker
- Forestry business cards
- Bucking specification cards for various forestry companies
- Purden Ski Village ski run map [undated]
- Photocopied Harken Towing Co. Ltd. map of Greater Vancouver log towing locations along the Fraser River between Sea Island and Nicomen Island
File contains:
- B.C. Forest Service, "Site Index: A Growing Issue" pamphlet, 1986
- The Working Forest Project, "Clearcuts don't stay cleared... End of argument." pamphlet, 1994
- Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada, "Handbook for Ground Skidding and Road Building in the Kootenay Area of British Columbia", 1976
- Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, "From Watershed to Watermark: The pulp and paper industry of Canada", 1987
- Forest Productivity Councils of British Columbia, "Forest Growth and Yield in British Columbia - Vision" pamphlet
- Prepared for BC Ministry of Forests and Range by Laszlo Orbay and Derek Goudie or Forintek Canada Corp., "Values and Volumes of Lumber Recovered from Mountain Pine Beetle Killed Wood", 2006
File contains photographs of The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. Includes other northern BC forestry industry images, including Number 5 Timber Ltd. CP625 Block 101, bridge construction, and heavy machinery. Also includes a graphic postcard of Prince George circa 1970s.
File contains newspaper and periodical clippings collected by Bill Stowell over the course of his career in the BC forestry industry. Includes the following full issues:
- Canadian Sustainable Forestry Certification Coalition "Bulletin", Vol. 5, No. 2, August 1999
- Forest Alliance of British Columbia, "Choices: Issues and Options for B.C. Forests", Vol. 8, No. 1, [2000?]
- Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd., "The Log", October 1981
- MacMillan Bloedel Limited, "MB Journal", Vol. 10, No. 6, June 1990
- "Forests Forever: Northern Interior" special B.C. forest industry newspaper supplement [to the Prince George Citizen], March 1989
Collection consists of a 50th anniversary video about the history of the West Fraser Timber Company Ltd.
This West Fraser Timber Company Ltd. 50th anniversary video covers the history of the company through interviews, narration, and historical images.
Image depicts a sawmill in the Danson Industrial Park in Prince George, B.C.
Image depicts the Carter Industrial Area in Prince George, B.C.
Image depicts a the Danson Industrial Park in Prince George, B.C.
File consists of an audio recording of an interview with Ralph Spoklie. Includes one original recorded audio cassette and two copies.
File consists of a transcript of an oral history interview with Ralph Spoklie.
Fonds consists of photographs, scrapbooks of newspaper clippings and memorabilia, correspondence, reports and other textual material. The photographs relate to Mr. Williston’s life from childhood to the late 1990s, the scrapbooks document Mr. Williston’s years in political office, and the textual materials relate to both Mr. Williston’s public life and private interests.
Williston, Ray GillisImage depicts Prince George from University Way, with the P.G.I pulp mill in the distance.
File contains records created or collected by Bob Stowell over the course of his employment with The Pas Lumber Company (B.C.) Ltd. (1965-1991):
- Handwritten notes from Westward Timber regarding Table River C.P. 814, March 1990
- Photocopied "Freight Transportation Agreement" between BC Rail Ltd. and Takla Track and Timber Ltd., 1990
- Letter from The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. to all contractors and employers regarding the company's zero tolerance policy regarding leaving garbage in the forest environment, 1990
- Correspondence regarding controversial New Yorker Magazine article "The Ancient Forest" by Catherine Caulfield, 1990
- The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. September 1990 newsletter featuring news pieces on the new planer facility, economic problems, and employee changes
- The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. October 1990 newsletter featuring news that the sawmill and planermill will have downtime
- The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. January 1991 newsletter featuring news pieces on the new planer, lumber market prices, and stumpage.
- Photocopied letter from The Pas Lumber Company to the Ministry of Forests regarding harvesting contract regulations, 1991
- Photocopied log quality and bucking specifications of The Pas Lumber Company Ltd, 1991
- The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. April 1991 newsletter featuring news pieces on lumber and log production, lumber markets, Vanderhoof Pulp & Paper Ltd., the B.C. Forest Alliance, and employee changes
- Letter from Don Gould to Bob Stowell regarding The Pas Lumber Company's economic problems, 1991
- Photocopied September 1991 "Forestry Bulletin" from David & Company Barristers and Solicitors
- Financial performance quarterly reports for the British Columbia forest industry, 1991-1992
- The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. planting summary 1973-1992
- The Pas Lumber Company Ltd., Prince George, employee listing and telephone directory, 1992
- Letter to employees of The Pas Lumber Company Ltd. announcing the retirement of Don Gould, 2001
Image depicts Prince George from University Way, with the P.G.I. Pulp Mill in the distance.
Image depicts Prince George from University Way, with the P.G.I. Pulp Mill in the distance.
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.
Bob Stowell spent the majority of his 50+ year forestry career with The Pas Lumber Co. (B.C.) Ltd. in Prince George, BC as their Woodlands Manager between 1965-1991. Bob Stowell's records from The Pas Lumber Co. (B.C.) Ltd. include photographs, company histories, speeches, memoranda, correspondence, reports, and news clippings.
Bill Stowell worked for numerous forestry companies across British Columbia over the course of his forestry career (1977-2018). His collected material predominantly consists of forestry-related clippings from newspapers and periodicals, along with forestry-related publications like pamphlets, booklets, and reports. Represented among Bill Stowell's records are correspondence, memoranda, reports, and ephemera from Tolko Industries Ltd. and other various forestry companies.
Stowell, RobertImage depicts Prince George from University Way, with the P.G.I. Pulp Mill in the distance.
Al Elsey compiled this commercial video using footage he filmed in 1964 and 1965 in the Bella Coola area. The video provides a compilation of film footage shot by Elsey and is narrated by him describing the activities related to the Grease Trail. Description verso of VHS commercial box reads:
"Al Elsey's friendship with Margaret Siwallace with other people of the Nuxalk Nation dates back over fifty years. This, his premier documentary, produced from vintage 16 mm movie film taken in the Bella Coola Valley in 1963, invites us to witness their tradition of making Ooligan Grease. The process, followed for centuries by the Nuxalk and other coastal First Nations people, was of such importance that their trading routes from the Coast to the Interior of British Columbia were called Grease Trails. The Ooligan were netted by the ton each year, returning from the ocean to spawn in early spring. The destruction of the Ooligan runs in the Bella Coola and other coast rivers of Southern B.C. probably resulted from over-fishing by shrimp trawl draggers during the late 1990s. GREASE shows catching the Ooligan with conical nets and dugout canoes, rotting them in "stink boxes," then rendering and purifying the Grease. Elsey's captivating narrative and brilliant footage transport us back to another time on the shores of the Bella Coola River."
Al Elsey compiled his original footage from 1965 to produce this commercial film that deals with trapping beaver, the Anahim Lake Stampede and Caribou migration. The video provides a compilation of film footage shot by Elsey and is narrated by him describing the activities documented in the footage
File contains material collected by Bill Stowell over the course of his career in the BC forestry industry relating to the conflicts and partnerships between Indigenous peoples and the forestry industry. Primarily consists of clippings and photocopies from newspapers and periodicals. Also includes papers, meeting minutes of the COFI Native Claims Task Force, notes, and seminar materials. Contains the following papers:
- Council of Forest Industries of British Columbia, "Native Indian Land Claims in British Columbia: A Background Paper", 1986
- Lillooet Tribal Council, "The Hala'w Initiative", 2000
Fonds consists of textual records, photographic items and published reports related to professional life and career of Bob Harkins, broadcaster, local historian, and former city councilor. Includes textual and photographic items related to development and history of city of Prince George and the Central Interior of BC region history and development in late 20th century. Items includes an unpublished manuscript on the life of Ray Williston by Eileen Williston, an unpublished paper on the history of technological change in logging industry; an unpublished paper on the history of radio and television in Prince George; a report related to the creation of a university for Northern British Columbia (1989) and proofs of the publication "Wild Liard Waters: Canoeing Canada's Historic Liard River" by Ferdi Wenger, c.1998. Also includes photographic files including CKPG Radio Studio photographic items c.1953; and photographs and correspondence regarding guide outfitter Skook Davidson c.1975.
Harkins, BobImage depicts the Northwood Pulpmill in Prince George, B.C. taken from above the Nechako River looking east. Map coordinates 53°56'00.0"N 122°44'29.7"W
Image depicts a sawmill in Prince George, B.C.
Al Elsey compiled his original footage from 1965 to produce this commercial film that deals with fly-fishing for Steelhead Salmon on the Dean River and Bella Coola River. The video provides a compilation of film footage shot by Elsey and is narrated by him describing the activities documented in the footage.
Image depicts Prince George Sawmill taken from across the Nechako River looking southwest. Map coordinates 53°56'00.0"N 122°44'29.7"W
Fonds consists of original, silent 16mm reels that portray the natural, social and land use history of the Bella Coola and Chilcotin regions named the "Natural and Guiding History of the Bella Coola and Chilcotin Regions".
Possible locations that Al Elsey filmed include: Bella Coola, Bella Bella, Anahim Lake, Alert Bay, Nimpo Lake, Bulkey Valley, the Rainbow Mountains, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, Dean River, Bella Coola River, Tchaha Lake, the Chilcotin region, the Ulkatcho Mountains, Lassard Lake, Fenton Lake, Atnarko River, Wells Gray Park, and Holt Homestead.
Image depicts Prince George Sawmill taken from across the Nechako River looking southwest. Map coordinates 53°56'00.0"N 122°44'29.7"W
Image depicts the Giscome mill site in Giscome, B.C. The bunkhouse is the large building with many windows. A train and railroad tracks are in the foreground. Map coordinates 54°04'17.6"N 122°22'06.1"W
File consists of an audio recording of an interview with Arne and Carrie Mellows. Includes two original recorded audio cassettes and two copies.
File consists of a transcript of an oral history interview with Arne and Carrie Mellows.
File consists of a transcript of an oral history interview with Ray Williston.
File consists of an audio recording of an interview with Ray Williston. Includes three original recorded audio cassettes and three copies.
File consists of a transcript of an oral history interview with Tony Broslaw.