Series GR-3478 - Photo-topographical images

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

GR-3478

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

(1949-1982)

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

(1929-1973)

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

(1911-1949)

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.

Related materials

Accruals

No further accruals expected.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Accession area