Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Photo-topographical images
General material designation
- graphic material
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the series.
Level of description
Series
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)
-
1901-1976 (Creation)
- Creator
- British Columbia. Surveys Branch
Physical description area
Physical description
41.5 m. of graphic material (ca. 100,000 photographs) ; 26 x 35 cm
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
Biographical history
The Surveys and Mapping Branch was the successor office to the Surveys and Mapping Service and the Surveys Branch. The branch was responsible for surveying Crown lands; collecting data from surveys of Crown lands done by private surveyors in support of applications for land pre-emptions, timber, mining, and water rights licenses and/or leases; compiling various types of reference maps for the use of the department; and, providing public access to maps created by the branch.
In 1982 the name of the Branch was changed to Surveys and Resource Mapping Branch.
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Topographic Division was created as a unit of the Surveys Branch of the Dept. of Lands in 1929. The Division’s primary responsibility was topographic surveying and providing data used for the creation of topographic maps. The Topographic Division was eliminated in 1973 during a reorganization of the Surveys and Mapping Branch. At that time, the newly created Field Operations Division was given responsibility for topographic surveying activities.
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Surveys Branch was created as a unit of the Department of Lands in 1911. The branch took over surveying functions previously the responsibility of the Surveys Branch of the Department of Lands and Works (1871-1908). The branch was known as the Surveyor-General’s Department between 1911 and 1914, as the Surveys Branch between 1914 and 1949, as the Surveys and Mapping Service between 1949 and 1951, and as the Surveys and Mapping Branch between 1951 and 1975.
The branch was responsible for surveying Crown lands; collecting data from surveys of Crown lands done by private surveyors in support of applications for land pre-emptions, timber, mining, and water rights licenses and/or leases; compiling various types of reference maps for the use of the Department of Lands; and, providing public access to maps created by the branch.
The Surveys and Mapping Branch’s divisions were as follows:
1912-1919
Geographic Branch (though it was called a branch, this was a subordinate unit)
1919-1929
Surveys Division
Geographic Division
General Staff
1929-1949
Surveys Division
Geographic Division
Topographic Division
1949-1973
Legal Surveys Division
Geographic Division
Topographic Division
Air Surveys Division
Administration
1973-1975
Legal Surveys
Field Operations
Map Production Division
Administration
Chief Officers of the Surveys and Mapping Branch:
1908-1912 E.B. McKay
1912-1917 G.H. Dawson
1917-1930 J.E. Umbach
1930-1946 F.C. Green
1946-1950 N.C. Stewart
1950-1951 F.O. Morris
1951-1968 G.S. Andrews
1968-1975 A.H. Ralfs
Custodial history
Scope and content
The series consists of photographic prints generated by surveying parties operating in various parts of British Columbia between 1901 and 1976. The photographs were usually taken from the summits of hills and mountains and depict surrounding landscape. These survey parties used photographs as a means of collecting data for topographical mapping and, in many cases, for vertical control of aerial survey photographs. The topographical mapping was done by the Surveys Branch, Topographic Division and Surveys and Mapping Branch.
The series is arranged chronologically, by survey party and geographical area. There is a photo index for each survey party, located alongside the photographs of each survey that lists the survey stations where the photographs were taken. The photographs are stored in numbered files that correspond with the survey station number from the index.
The photographs often have various notations, most of which list the survey station, altitude, and the negative number. These negative numbers consists of three parts, or in some cases four parts. These include the following combinations: number/box/year or number/box/surveyor’s initials/year.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Base Mapping Cadastre, a successor agency to the Surveys Branch, transferred the photographs to the BC Archives in 2016.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Conservation restriction: when available, use digital copy. No other restrictions apply.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Copyright belongs to the Government of British Columbia.
Finding aids
Box list is available. http://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Document/Finding_Aids_AtoM/GR-3001_to_GR-3500/gr-3478.pdf
Selected images representing a sample of the 1914-1949 survey parties were scanned from the negatives. The scanned images and descriptions are available as part of GR-3427 and GR-3428. In order to find a negative, search for the survey description that is found in a subseries. Once this is located then search the “photo-topographical survey records series descriptions project” finding aid in the archives reference room. This finding aid lists the location of the subseries and negative box numbers.
Associated materials
GR-3427 and GR-3428 contain glass plate negatives for the years 1914-1949. These negatives were used by the ministry to create the prints in this series.
GR-3750 contains map indexes and registers to this series. A folio of maps, many containing annotations to indicate where photographs were taken, is available in container 932492-0001.
Detailed descriptions of each survey, as well as maps of survey locations, are contained in the annual reports of the Lands and Survey Branches catalogued at the BC Archives as NW 333.1 B862r.
See also GR-0370 and GR-1558 for additional records related to the surveys.
See also the Surveys and Mapping Branch records at Library and Archives Canada for additional records and images of the BC Alberta boundary surveys.
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- British Columbia. Surveys Branch (Subject)
- British Columbia. Surveys and Mapping Branch (Subject)
- British Columbia. Topographic Division (Subject)