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The series consists of indexes to correspondence files relating to the administration of Crown lands and natural resources. The records were created in 1980 from a computer print-out of various departmental indexes and includes references to files created by various branches of the Dept. of Lands and Works (1872-1908), the Dept. of Lands (1908-1945), the Dept. of Lands and Forests (1945-1962), the Dept. of Lands, Forest and Water Resources (1962-1975) and the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing. It provides access to active, microfilmed and obsolete O series files and pre-1918 files.

The records consist of one subject index and two lists which can be used to identify and locate Lands Correspondence files. They are not comprehensive, as they do not cover all the correspondence files created between 1871 and 1986.

The index and lists may be used to locate a file number for a subject area of interest, or to determine the subject of a file when only the number of the file is known.

Note that a listing in these documents does not necessarily mean that the file is held at the BC Archives. Many active files remain with the Crown Land Registry.

This series includes correspondence files relating to the administration, management, conservation and development of Crown lands and natural resources. Series 1: early chronological series (files created, 1877-1911). Series 2: 1912 series (files created, 1912-1917). Includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, plans, 1877-1980.

The series consists of the business records, 1877-1977, of the office of the Kamloops Government Agent, including the records of several additional positions usually held by the same individual: Gold Commissioner, Mining Recorder, and Land Commissioner for the Kamloops Land District. The series also includes records of the Canadian Department of the Interior; most created and received by the Dominion Lands Agent at Kamloops as part of the administration of the Railway Belt.

Record types and subject matter include, but are not limited to the following: land alienation through pre-emption or purchase from the provincial government and homesteading or purchase from the federal government; a variety of leases of Crown land; other more general types of records; and records regarding Indigenous peoples and Indian Reserves.

Records related to land alienation include: applications for pre-emption records; land classification reports; forms completed by land inspectors of the Department of Lands Inspection Branch; declarations of occupation and permanent improvement on pre-emption claims; applications for homestead entry, cancellation, and abandonment; homestead Inspector’s reports; affidavits in support of an Application for Entry for a homestead, pre-emption or purchased homestead; land sales records including applications to purchase and certificates of purchase.

Records related to a variety of leases and other uses of Crown lands include: grazing leases; foreshore leases; dredging leases; indentures to reassign leases; special use permits; timber permits; water records including conditional water licenses, and permanent water licenses; applications for irrigation schemes; petroleum and natural gas leases; quarry leases; bar leases; coal leases; mining leases regarding surface and subsurface rights; applications for lease of crown-granted mineral claims; applications for placer leases under the Placer-Mining Act; and the lapse of a lease or forfeiture of a mineral claim to the Crown.

Other more general types of records include: correspondence regarding Crown grants; inquiries about land availability; surveyor’s reports; preliminary plans and correspondence for the surveys of townships; Soldier Settlement Board records including forms, correspondence and records of soldier land grants; attestation papers and discharge certificates; naturalization papers; personal correspondence; correspondence files on specific topics such as hay permit regulations or precipitation measurements; records regarding taxes; and business records of the office, including inter-department correspondence, circulars, and memorandum related to matters of land administration.

Files also exist for specific Indian Reserves, and can include correspondence; water records; surveys; and inspection reports created in the process of allotting new, and canceling existing Indian Reserves. Some files document instances of overlapping land use and conflict between settlers and Indigenous peoples on specific parcels of land.

Files are generally either correspondence files on a particular subject, or a variety of records related to a particular piece of land. Many files cover a wide time period and may be associated with multiple individuals or companies as land rights were often transferred to others or cancelled and reapplied for. Only the name of the first and last individual listed on the file is included in the file list. This means there may be additional names associated with files not included on the file list. The file list may also only include part of the legal description of land in cases where the description was exceptionally long, or included many different pieces of land. Single individuals may also have multiple files for each piece of land they are associated with.

Cartographic materials, consisting of blueprints and hand-drawn maps or plans, indicating the parcels of land relevant to the file, are commonly found throughout the records.

No file list or indexes were transferred with these records from the Kamloops Government Agent. Most files only included numbers with no clear names, so titles were created by the archives based on the contents of the files or by transcribing information on relevant file backs.

A fire on 17 September 1893 at the Dominion Lands Office in Kamloops destroyed some files. The contents for these files are marked [empty]. Files marked as [file back only] were likely destroyed in the fire, but then had their titles and some additional information transcribed by Lands employees onto file backs from letter books or other surviving records which were not transferred with these records.

This series contains acknowledgements of moneys received by the Lands Department pursuant to the pre-emption or sale of crown land. These certificates of purchase include district, legal description of land, acreage, date and terms of payment, name of payer, pre-emption record number, certificate of improvement number, crown grant number and departmental file numbers. The certificates are divided into four series.

SERIES 1. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE BY LAND DISTRICT, 1859-1913. Volumes have alphabetical indexes.
SERIES 2. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE, 1874-1890. TOWN LOTS AND MISCELLANEOUS DISTRICT CERTIFICATES. Volumes have alphabetical indexes.
SERIES 3. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE, SERIES 4. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE, 1907-1944. Vancouver Island certificate books.

This series consists of pre-emption records for Vancouver Island, including Alberni, Barclay, Clayoquot, Nootka, and Rupert Districts. Consists of Certificate of Pre-emption Books (20 vols.), arranged numerically with nominal indexes. Includes name of pre-emptors date and location of pre-emption, disposition and further transactions, with some sketches.

This series contains lists of Vancouver Island settlers who made Crown grant applications under provisions of the Vancouver Island Settlers' Rights Act, 1904, and subsequent amendments. Information includes name, acreage, and legal description of lands.

This series includes registers relating to Crown Grants, Similkameen Division and Osoyoos Division, Yale District (2 vols.) Volume 1 is a register of Crown Grant applications forwarded to Victoria and includes date and disposition of application, name and address of applicant, legal description of land, Crown Grant number. Volume 2 is a register of Crown Grants and includes date of notice, number of grant, legal description of land, payment schedule, disposition and Grown Grant number. The registers are arranged chronologically.

Contains land records file relating to the Vancouver Island Settlers' Rights Acts, 1903 and 1904. Includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, legal briefs and sketches pertaining to land disputes between settlers and the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Company. File 145321/12, 1912 Series.

This series consists of letterpress copies of letters outward from the Deputy Minister of Lands, Deputy Commissioner of Lands, Surveyor-General, Deputy Commissioner of Lands and Water, and Chief Commissioner of Lands & Works, and associated registers. Volumes 1-241 are accessed through separate registers (series II, vols. 1-22); volumes 242-314 contain their own registers.

This series consists of one register documenting applications to purchase unsurveyed Crown land. Information includes the date a notice was posted in the government gazette, the name of the applicant, the amount of acreage applied for, the district, location of the acreage, and a remarks column documenting whether or not the application was successful and any Dept. of Lands correspondence numbers relevant to the application. The register covers all areas of the province. There is an applicant name index in each register. Note that the volume also includes cancelled or disallowed entries.

This item is volume 2 and covers 1910-1913. Volume 1 is item GR-1069.II.136 and covers 1906-1910.

This series contains records relating to pre-emptions, subdivisions, Crown Grants, and town sites in Similkameen District. Consists of five registers, including Register of Town Lots, Tulameen, B.C.

This series consists of registers documenting applications to purchase unsurveyed Crown land. Information includes the date a notice was posted in the government gazette, the name of the applicant, the amount of acreage applied for, the district, location of the acreage, and a remarks column documenting whether or not the application was successful and any Dept. of Lands correspondence numbers relevant to the application. The registers cover all areas of the province, unless otherwise noted. There is an applicant name index in each register. The series includes the following volumes:

GR-1069.II.133 - Applications to purchase unsurveyed lands. Kamloops, Nicola, & Osoyoos-Yale, 1874-1906
GR-1069.II.113 - Application to purchase under Amendment Act, 1891-1992
GR-1069.II.134 - Notices of applications to purchase unsurveyed lands, 1896
GR-1069.II.135 - Notices of application to purchase unsurveyed lands, 1899-1904
GR-1069.II.136 - Allowed applications to purchase unsurveyed lands, volume 1 [also includes cancelled applications], 1906-1910
GR-4265 - Allowed applications to purchase unsurveyed lands, volume 2 [also includes disallowed applications], 1910-1913

This series contains papers relating to the South African War Land Grant Act. It includes statutes with notations, published nominal rolls of Canadian contingents for special service in the field in South Africa, and lists of applicants for land pursuant to the Act.

This series consists of letterpress copies of "official" correspondence outward from the Assistant to the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, Jan. 17, 1901 to May 26, 1903. The volumes contain nominal indexes of correspondents.

This series contains a specialized volume that pertains only to correspondence relating to applications for Burnaby lots (folio 12), the Vancouver Island Settlers' Rights Act, 1903 (folio 138), and the South African War Land Grant Act, 1901 (folio 158). They includes name of correspondent and letter or file number.

This series consists of 11 volumes of records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Cariboo District, 1863-1893. Records include certificates of pre-emption, certificates of improvement, lot register of Group 1, Cariboo District, sale of town lots of Richfield, Barkerville, Cameronton, and Quesnellemouth, and certificates of purchase. Also contains water rights recorded for irrigation purposes and an accounts book.

Records related to land disputes arising from conflicting claims and applications for the purchase of unsurveyed lands and pastoral lands in the vicinity of Port Simpson, Coast Land District. Includes correspondence, applications, sketches, and a copy of a report of the Executive Council dated 13 May 1891.

This series consists of the records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Yale District, 1859-1886. Records include 5 volumes of pre-emption records and one volume of certificates of improvement.

Volume 1, nos. 1-392 (1859-1872)
Volume 2, nos. 275-312 and 1-24 (1870-1871)
Volume 3, nos. 25-279 (1871-1884)
Volume 4, certificates of record of unsurveyed land, nos. 250-294 (1874-1885)
Volume 5, certificates of record of unsurveyed land, nos. 292-295 (1883-1886)
Volume 6, certificates of improvement, nos. 1-27 (1870-1873)

Volumes 1 and 4 have nominal indexes. Note that these volume number have been added by the BC Archives; they are not the original volume numbers applied by the creator.

This series consists of pre-emption records for west coast land relating largely to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The records consist of pre-emption registrations, certificates of pre-emption, pre-emption sketches, certificates that certain lands are unoccupied and open for settlement, some certificates of improvement, and correspondence.

West Coast land districts and areas these records relate to include:

Alberni District, Cedar District, Chemainus District, Comiaken District, Comox District, Cowichan District, Cranberry District, Darcy Island, Denman Island, Departure Bay, Descanos Island, Discovery Island, Englishman River, Esquimalt District, Fanny Bay, Fort Rupert, Galiano Island, Hedley Islets, Highland District, Hornby Island, James Island, Jedidiah Island, Kennedy District, Koksaila River, Kuper Island, Lake District, Lake Matheson, Lasqueti Island, Mayne Island, Metchosin District, Moresby Island, Mountain District, Mousquito Island, Mudge Island, Nanaimo District, Nanoose District, Nootka Sound, Otter District, Oyster Bay, Pender Island, Piers Island, Point Home, Portland Island, Prevost Island, Qualicum, Quamichan District, Rocky Point, Saanich Districts, Saltspring District, Samuel Island, San Juan Island, Saturna Island, Shawnigan District, Sister Bay, Somas River, Alberni, Somenos District, Sooke District, Stikeen, Stuart Island, Stubb's Island, Thetis Island, Ucluelet Arm, Victoria District, Village Point, Wellington District.

Includes pre-emption records for Cassiar, Stikine, and Queen Charlotte Islands, 1873-1874, arranged numerically. Contains one pre-emption from Osoyoos District, 1884.

This series consists of a Comiaken Land District land register for Range 1, Section 1 to Range 3, Section 19 on Vancouver Island. The volume date 1859-1885.

The register is arranged numerically by Range and Section and records the alienation of land from the Crown (by purchase, pre-emption, etc.). Information may include the name of the purchaser, dates and numbers of certificates issued (including Crown Grants), dates and amounts of payments and reference numbers to correspondence and field books. The volume includes an alphabetical name index.

This series consists of correspondence inward received by the land registry office from January to December 1885. The correspondence may be written by members of the public interested in purchasing or pre-empting land, or other government employees, particularly Government Agents located around the province. The majority of the correspondence is administrative in nature, regarding the filing of records at the land registry office or the transmittal of payments related to land applications. Records are arranged by their chronological file number from 1/1885 to 291/1885.

This series consists of letters inward to the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, 1871-1883. Letters are arranged by file number. These letters were selected for transfer to the archives in 1937 and therefore do not appear on the microfilms of Lands letters inward that were made later.

This series consists of certificates of improvement nos. 1-276, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Missing certificates are listed.

Certificates from before 1868 are created by the Colony of Vancouver Island Office of the Surveyor General.
Certificate from 1869-1871 are created by the Colony of British Columbia Department of Lands and Works. Certificates created after 1871 are created by the Province of British Columbia Department of Lands and Works.

This series consists of a Cameron Land District land register for Section 1, Lot 3-4, 8-10 on Vancouver Island. The volume was superseded in 1875 (i.e. no further entries were made after 1875). The register contains one pre-emption entry and some notes. Information may include the name of purchaser dates and numbers of certificates issued., (including Crown Grants), along with cross references to other registers.

Series consists of applications for pre-emption. The documents consist of handwritten applications often accompanied by a sketch map of the property. Each application is given a number by the Dept. of Lands and Works. The series includes the number 1 to 442.

The majority of the applications relate to properties on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands though some of the properties are also located on the Stikine River.

The series consists of certificates of purchase for land in various districts of the mainland Colony and Vancouver Island. Each form documents the name of the purchasor, the district and lot of the property and the price paid. A name index is at the front of the first volume.

This series consists of records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Lillooet District. Records include four volumes of pre-emption records. Volume 1, Records of Pre-empted Lands in the Lillooet District, nos. 1-330 (1860-1869); includes notices of water records nos. 1-114 (1865-1869) and later notices of cancellations and Crown grants. Volume 2, pre-emption claim certificates, nos. 331-418 (1870-1874, 1881). Volume 3, pre-emption claims, nos. 89-128 (1862-1863) consisting of sketches pasted into ledger of cash collected for road tolls, 1862-1865. Volume 4, preemption claims, nos. 20-88 (1861-1862), no. 120 (1863) and nos. 187-200 (1865-1866), including sketches.

This series consist of miscellaneous papers referring to pre-emptions on Vancouver Island (mainly letters inward), 1861-1873.

This series consists of a letterbook from the Department of Lands and Works. The book includes copies of letters signed by the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and the Surveyor General, January 5 - August 1, 1872.

This series consists of Department of Lands financial returns and accounts. Includes financial register of land transactions and land fees, values of property registered and office and miscellaneous expenditures.