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The series consists of films (original footage, printing elements and composite prints) which document Cominco operations in British Columbia and other Canadian provinces and territories from approximately the 1920s to the 1970s. Topics include: Cominco power plants, including the Waneta plant; mining and metallurgical operations; sulphuric acid plants; the Kootenay Lake power transmission cable; construction footage at Fording Coal Limited; and Trail diamond jubilee footage. One film, "Challenge in the Rock," presents an overview of the mining industry in British Columbia and the Yukon; another, “The March of Power," documents some of Morrison Knudsen's construction activities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

The series consists of four distinct parts.

The first part is records of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited, dating from 1884 to 1967. Textual records (in boxes 1 to 12) include but are not limited to correspondence, journals, ledgers, indentures, lab reports, records on union-management relations, wage scale information, account books, and general business records. Eleven scrapbooks are contained in boxes 13 to 23; these include newspaper clippings, ca. 1909-1967, and include two on the Doukhobors.

The second part of the series (boxes 24 and 25) consists of correspondence and other business records of Samuel Stewart Fowler, a key figure in the mining industry in the Kootenays in the early 20th century, and at the Bluebell mine in particular, where he worked before it became the property of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company. The records date from 1908-1941 and consist of Fowler's correspondence, inward and outward, with various firms and individuals. Precise reasons for these records forming part of the Cominco fonds are not known. It is conjecture that the records were inherited by the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Ltd. when they acquired the Bluebell mine property.

The third part of the series (boxes 26 - 27), consists of 20 cm of records of the West Kootenay Power and Light Company Ltd., dating from 1906-1947. The records consist of miscellaneous correspondence and business records, and includes papers of predecessor and subsidiary companies, including the Rossland Power and Light Company, the East Kootenay Power Company, and South Kootenay Power Company. These records include correspondence with the company from A.D. Fredericks of Waneta, B.C., who regularly reported on the river, climatic conditions, the water level of local creeks and rivers, and general social conditions in the Waneta area.

The fourth part of the series (boxes 28 - 29) consists of 20 cm of correspondence and other records of the Canadian North-eastern Railway Company, including some records created under the company’s original name, the Portland Canal Short Line Railway Company. The records consist of correspondence, and some legal agreements and survey plans, arranged chronologically from 1909 to 1930.

The series consists of photographs which document Cominco’s industrial activities in British Columbia, across Canada, and internationally. It also documents the social and cultural life of the communities where the company was active, and the staff who worked for the company.

Predominant subjects of the records include the following: industrial operations and town scenes at locations including Trail, Kimberley, Riondel (Bluebell mine), Yellowknife (Con mine), Pinchi Lake, Salmo (HB mine), New Brunswick (Wedge mine), and Saskatchewan (Box mine); early exploration in the north; research and development on products; fertilizer, ammonia and potash production; personnel, particularly senior staff and directors, with biographies; company housing; U.S. and overseas industrial operations; hydro-electric power production and plants; Project 9 (Heavy Water or No. 9 Project or P-9 Project). As this list is not exhaustive, the file list should be consulted for details on subject matter of the records.

The approximate date range of the photographs is 1900 to 1980. However, few records exist prior to the 1920s; and, with a few exceptions, those that pre-date the 1920s are inferior copies of photographic prints.

The series consists primarily of black and white prints but also includes negatives, transparencies, (black and white and colour), and a small number of glass lantern slides. The series also consists of a small amount of textual material, including correspondence, press releases, descriptive information on index cards, and biographical writing on senior staff, company directors and other personnel records.

Many of the photographs were used by Cominco’s public relations and advertising staff. The company produced a periodical which had numerous name changes, including “Cominco Magazine” and “the Orbit.” The photographs were used in the production of the magazine, and for press releases, newsletters, and information booklets and brochures about Cominco.

Most of the records appear to have been maintained by Cominco in a photo library and they are marked with the creator’s classification codes and numbers. For the most part the meanings of these codes are uncertain; meanings can sometimes be inferred. Sometimes meanings are made explicit; for example, “MMP” for Miscellaneous Mines and Projects.

MS-2500 is an extensive collection of records selected by Cominco, from its offices in Vancouver, Trail, and elsewhere, for transfer to the Provincial Archives. The records include: annual reports, early correspondence, financial and legal records, research and development department records, records of metallurgical, smoke, chemical and fertilizer operations, diverse records of Cominco's various mines, subsidiaries, and affiliates, smoke control records, public relations department records, histories of Cominco, and personnel records.

The legal department series of documents are organized according to the Cominco assigned identifying number, the first two digits of which group the document by subject. For example, numbers beginning with .02 and .03 refer to legal documents re Rossland.

The public relations and advertising series of records were removed from their original filing sequences by Cominco staff for transfer to the Provincial Archives. In that process, evidence of their original order was lost and the series have been reconstructed by Archives’ staff on the basis of physical similarity. In cases where there was no evidence that files have previously existed as a series a note "put into series by Public Archives of British Columbia" has been put beside the series description. The public relations and advertising series contain files relating to the production and management of press releases, brochures on various Cominco operations, employee newsletters, information brochures for employees, shareholder information, some training manuals, files on donations made by Cominco to various community and recreational groups, and information prepared for submission to various regulatory and legislative bodies.

The history files series contains original records selected by Cominco officials because they were thought to be of historical interest. Records include: published and unpublished articles; notes on reference questions answered by the Cominco Library; correspondence, research notes, and draft manuscripts connected with the preparation of company histories; and notes, correspondence, lists of people interviewed, and transcripts connected with Cominco oral history project.

The old Rossland employment history cards series includes the following data on the cards: record card number, name, occupation, age, marital status, height, dependents, weight, nationality, birth, citizenship, last employer, length of employment, date leaving, signature, dates of employment, day rate and bonus earnings, clock number, department, division, classification of work, and reason for quitting, transferring or being laid off. Based on a sampling of recorded occupations, the cards appear to cover employment in the Trail operations as well as at the Rossland mines; specific place of employment is not stated on the cards.

In the insurance history cards in alphabetical order series, each individual represented in the file is documented by two cards. Card 1 contains the following information: name, man number, record of share certificates received, and occupation/job. Card 2 contains: date of birth, gender, marital status, nationality, date entering service, clock numbers, date of severance, reason, beneficiaries, certificate no. plan "A" group assurance c/w dates, certificate no. plan "B" group assurance c/w amount and monthly premiums, payroll deduction authorization c/w signature in full, man number and name.

The general payroll index 1898-1915, found in the IRD (industrial relations division) pay office records, Trail, records series, contains the following information: record of shifts worked, earnings per month, workplace, name, date of birth, nationality, married or single, pay period, clock no., balance, and pick-up balance. In 1916, a new format was introduced along with the existing format and additional information was captured, including: name, department, earning by month and shift, and total bi-monthly. In 1922, the format was changed to a bi-monthly debit-credit sheet with name, date of birth, nationality, marital status, period, ledger page reference, doctor, credit, balance and pick-up balance. In 1927 a “bonus” element was added. In 1932, there was another change in format and the following information was captured: clock no. name, workplace and/or job title, month, man number, month and hours worked, gross, tax, total, and bonus share.

The textual records include annual reports, correspondence, financial and legal records, research and development department records, records of metallurgical, smoke, chemical and fertilizer operations, smoke control records, public relations department records, histories of Cominco, and labour relations and personnel records.

The series consists of taped interviews and radio broadcasts, all relating to Cominco. The original recordings include audio cassettes, 3", 5", 7" and 10" reels and 8 track tapes.

T3135 to T3147 consists of thirteen oral history interviews with retired Cominco employees, recorded by students employed under the Young Canada Works Program in the summer of 1977.

Items T4217:1-2 consist of the proceedings of the annual general meetings for Cominco, 1978 and 1980.

T4245 consist of oral history history interviews, recorded from [197-] to 1982. Archives staff transcribed many of the interviews or kept content notes. Three of the interviews consist of notes or memoirs only, no taped recording. If a transcript of an oral history interview exists, it is noted in the file list. Documentation files containing notes on interviews are also indicated on the file list.

T4350 consists of oral history interviews with retired Cominco employees (1-42), recorded between 1977 and 1981, mainly by Dr. Joanne Pepper. It also contains recordings (43-88) of radio broadcasts and audio tracks for slide presentations, social events and pension rallies, all recorded between the 1950s and 1983. No transcripts exist for these recordings however some content notes exist in the accession file.

The series consists of one 20-page document, entitled “Historic Summary of Cominco,” which presents a chronological timeline of the history of the company from 1890 to 1974. Dated 21 May 1975, it appears under Cominco letterhead, and with the added information “Supervisor, Information research, Cominco.”

Series consists of awards received between 1955 and 1968 for operations at the Bluebell Mine for workplace safety.