Series MS-0001 - Bruce A. McKelvie papers

Correspondence, notes, diaries, typescripts of speeches and articles, scrapbooks and historical manuscripts relating to British Columbia history and politics. Born in Vancouver in 1889, Bruce Alistair McKelvie was a historian and newspaperman. He wrote countless articles for a variety of newspapers, including the Colonist (of which he became managing editor in 1930), the Sun, and the Province. McKelvie joined the Province in May 1913, after brief stints with smaller newspapers on Vancouver Island. He worked as a police reporter, then covered Vancouver city hall affairs and eventually a variety of community activities. From 1929 to 1930 he served as Director of the Bureau of Provincial Information. In 1931 he was part of the BC delegation to Honolulu to negotiate a trade pact with New Zealand and in the following year represented BC at an Imperial Trade Conference in Ottawa. While manager of the Vancouver Board of Trade Manufacturers' Bureau, he launched a successful "Buy B.C. Products" campaign. McKelvie also held executive posts with the BC Historical Association and Native Sons of BC. McKelvie twice tried to represent Victoria, first in the provincial election of 1 June 1937 and in a federal byelection of 29 November 1937 but was unsuccessful on both occasions. As a young boy he was made an honorary chief of the Sliamon Indian tribe for saving the life of an Indian girl from drowning, and thereafter maintained a keen interest in the affairs of the Indians of the province. In addition to the numerous pamphlets and articles McKelvie published, he also wrote the following books: The black canyon: a story of '58, Early history of British Columbia, Fort Langley, H.B.C. in B.C., Huldowget, Magic Murder and mystery, Maquinna the magnificent, Pageant of B.C., Pelts and power, and Tales of Conflict. He died on 17 April 1960. The records consist of correspondence, scrapbooks, notebooks and diaries, typescripts of speeches and articles, historical and political notes. It also contains a number of manuscripts, both transcripts and originals, by people other than McKelvie. Series include transcripts of books, articles and speeches; correspondence; notebooks and diaries; miscellaneous notes and material; scrapbooks; copies of nineteenth century manuscripts; and typescripts by persons other than McKelvie. Photographs (box 11) transferred to Visual Records, accession 197909-046. Maps transferred to Map Division, accession M856033. Most published books, pamphlets and articles transferred to Library. See box 10, file i for list of catalogued maps and library material. Related records in MS-1115, MS-1170, G/B77/M19 and G/C73/Sm5M. The Bruce Alistair McKelvie Papers were purchased by the Provincial Government and presented to the Archives in 1961. Boxes 19-50 contain miscellaneous, unsorted material. Source: MS Finding Aids Purchased from Mrs. B.A. McKelvie, 1961. Finding aid to series 1 (v.1-18); series 2 (v.19-50) not sorted.