Showing 52 results

The series consists of mining leases filed at Victoria and arranged by mining district. The records were created by the Chief Gold Commissioner between 1876 and 1930.

This series consists of records related to the administration, management and alienation of land in the New Westminster land district from 1882-1978. The records were primarily created by the provincial Government Agent and the Dominion Land Agent stationed in New Westminster. The majority of these records are homestead files created by the dominion government. These files contain information about homesteaders, their applications and the process of obtaining title to land.

Record types and subject matter include, but are not limited to: 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 general subject files; and records regarding Indigenous Peoples or Indian Reserves.

Records related to land alienation include: applications for pre-emption, purchase or lease; 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; land sales records; correspondence with settlers and other government officials; patents; Crown Grants; certificates; forms; maps and plans; financial records including receipts and cheques; court records, such as probates; survey records; notices of sale or cancellation; and sale agreements.

Records related to leases and other uses of Crown land include: grazing leases; foreshore leases; dredging leases; special use permits; timber permits; timber berths; water licenses; applications for dyking schemes; campsite leases; oyster bed leases; right-of-ways (ROWs) through land for railways, roads, powerlines or pipelines; petroleum and natural gas leases; quarry leases; bar leases; coal leases; mining leases; and mineral claims. Other uses include government reserves, the establishment of parks, and the reservation of land for school sites or other public uses.

Other more general subject files include: inquiries about land availability; preliminary plans and correspondence for the survey and sale of townsites; Soldier Settlement Board records including forms, correspondence and records of soldier land grants; correspondence files on specific topics such as canal construction, the reclamation of Hatzic Lake, the draining of Sumas Lake and the establishment of fish culture and fish hatcheries; 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 or amending 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 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.

The series also includes some files related to land in the Yale Division and Kamloops Division of the Yale Land District; as well as the Lillooet Land District. These records were created in the offices of the Kamloops and Clinton Government Agents, but at some point became intermingled with the New Westminster records.

Maps, plans and sketches indicating the parcels of land relevant to the file are commonly found throughout the records.

This series consists of a variety of bound volumes related to the administration, management and alienation of land in the New Westminster land district from 1858-1980. The records were primarily created by the provincial Government Agent and the Dominion Land Agent stationed in New Westminster. The records have been arranged into the following subseries:

1. Indexes and maps.

The indexes cover many of the homestead files in GR-4121, by file number and alphabetically by name of the homesteader or licensee. There are two volumes of reference maps for various municipalities, sub-divisions, right-of-ways and townships.

2. BC government land registers : district lot system

Variations of this system of surveying land were used from 1859 onwards. All of these volumes appear to have been created and maintained by the BC government. The registers list the lots in numerical order and record the alienation of land from the Crown by purchase, pre-emption, lease, mineral claims, timber use, 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 files and field books. There is an alphabetical name index in most volumes. The registers cover range 1 Coast District, range 4 Coast District, Yale Division Yale District (YDYD) country lands, Texada Island District, Point Grey townsite, Powell River townsite, Hastings townsite, and New Westminster District group 1, group 2 and 3 group 3.

3. BC government land registers : township system

Variations of this survey system were used from 1873 to approximately 1912. All of these volumes appear to have been created and maintained by the BC government. The land entered in the majority of the volumes was surveyed and made available for settlement in 1873 and 1874. The registers list land in numerical order by Sections within Townships and record the alienation of land from the Crown by purchase, pre-emption, lease, 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 files and field books. There is an alphabetical name index in most volumes. The registers cover New Westminster District townships 1 to 50 with some townships missing.

4. Dominion government : general land registers

These volumes were likely created by the Dominion Land Agent. It appears that at least some records were copied from provincial records to determine what land had been alienated before the transfer of the Railway Belt and what Crown land still needed to be managed by the dominion government. The registers, arranged by legal description, indicate the nature of the grant, the number, date of entry, file number, patent approval date, and name of grantee. The registers cover various townships in the New Westminster District and various lots throughout the Hope district, Yale district, Kamloops district, town of Hope, town of Yale, and Boston Bar.

5. Lease registers

These volumes were created in the New Westminster government agent's office. They record leases for a variety of purposes including: quarry, campsite, booming ground, agriculture, foreshore, forestry, and grazing. Many volumes are indexed and may include file numbers linking to GR-4121.

6. Pre-emption records

These records were created by the BC government. Pre-emption was a system of obtaining title to unsurveyed land (similar to the Dominion "homesteading" system) which occurred until 1970. Individuals could purchase land which had not been fully surveyed. However, grants to these lands were not issued until the applicant had made specified improvements, passed inspections, satisfied residency requirements, and had the lands fully surveyed. Records include certificates of improvement for the Vancouver Divisions of the New Westminster District and Coast District; certificates of pre-emption for the New Westminster District and Vancouver Division; and registers of pre-emption records.

7. Land purchase records

These records were created by the BC government. Once land was surveyed, it could be purchased outright instead of being pre-empted. These records include certificates of purchase for the New Westminster District.

8. Mining records

The majority of these records were created by BC Government Agents, Gold Commissioners or Mining Recorders. Records include mineral claim minute books, records of conveyances, bills of sale, applications for mineral lands and petroleum and natural gas leases, and coal applications. Records are from the New Westminster District, Hope and Yale. Most volumes include an alphabetical index and some may include references to file numbers in GR-4121.

9. Range and timber records

These records were created by the dominion and BC governments. Records include range leases, grazing leases and information on timber berths.

10. Water licence applications

These records are water licence applications created by the BC government.

11. Cancellation records

Cancellation registers created by the BC and Dominion governments. Some volumes include alphabetical indexes and have file numbers related to GR-4121.

12. Financial records

Various financial records created by the Dominion government and BC Government Agents. Records include Dominion crown timber financial statements; form J (cash books) created by Government Agents documenting their expenses and fee collection, such as the sale of marriage licences; and a land revenue return of payments from the central Victoria land office.

13. Other land administration records

Includes dominion created applications for patents and homestead inspectors instructions, as well as BC Government Agent books recording lands resumed under Soldier’s Homestead Act, Crown granted mineral claims which have reverted to the Crown for non-payment of taxes, and surveyed lands open for use.

This series contains records relating to pre-emptions in the Cariboo, Lillooet, Lytton and Kootenay Districts recorded by various Gold Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners of Lands and Works. The records consist of correspondence, notices of claim, sketches and affidavits and pertains largely to records in the vicinities of Quesnel, Alexandria, Williams Lake, Lytton and Cache Creek. The series also includes a detailed account of town lot sales at Quesnellemouth held on 13 October 1863 as well as an application for wages due, correspondence on various land disputes, several water records, and proposed leases of government reserves.

The series is a Provincial Police Court Record book from Yale. It shows name of prosecutor, name of defendant, nature of gaol or lockup, order or conviction, amount of fine, name of presiding magistrate or justice and "remarks".

This series consists of various records transferred from the Vernon Government Agent's office. Many of the records were created by predecessor Government Agents who worked in Yale, Osoyoos or other parts of the Okanagan District before an Agent was stationed in Vernon. The majority of the records are tax assessment rolls for the Okanagan District from 1880-1884. Other records include applications for the sale of unsurveyed land and pre-emption records; reference material likely from the sessional papers, including bills; cofferdam contract; and a statement of collectors of revenue; and an indexed register of collected taxes.

This series consists of the records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Yale District, 1859-1886. Records include five volumes of pre-emption records. 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). Volumes 1 and 4 have nominal indexes.

The series consists of Forest Branch records created between 1912 and 1914. The series contains timber cruiser reports by W.J. Kelly on diverse tracts, including holdings of the Lillooet and Cariboo Land Company, Ltd. Reports include numerous photographs and maps.

Track inspector's diary, Yale-Lytton section, C.N.R. [Canadian National Railways], March 1 - September 15, 1915, kept by Charles Ellison and one or two others.

Correspondence, memoranda, reports and diverse material connected with Mr. Hartley's activities as M.L.A. (Yale-Lillooet) and Minister of Public Works.

William L. Hartley was born in 1916. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly and held the position of Minister of Public Works.

Records include correspondence, memoranda, reports and diverse material connected with Mr. Hartley's activities as MLA (Yale-Lillooet) and Minister of Public Works.

The series consists of records created by the Government Agents at Yale and Lytton between 1858 and 1889. It includes correspondence inward and outward; mining, court and water records, and accounts.

Cash book. Includes County Court Suitors' Fund, 1899-1970; and Small Debts Court, 1966.

This series consists of a plaint and procedure book for Yale County Court cases heard at Rock Creek, Osoyoos, Midway, Fairview and Keremeos (including mining jurisdictions), Jun 1890 - Oct. 1896; registrar's records book, July 1892 - June 1903; and miscellaneous loose correspondence and orders, ca. 1896-1909.

Record book and supporting documents for Licensing Court for Yale District held at Osoyoos, 1894-1898. These records document applications and decisions for liquor licenses. The volume includes three loose pages covering licenses and petitions from 1897 to 1899.

This series consists of three volumes of records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Yale District, relating to water rights. Volume 1 contains Irrigation Water Records for Yale and Ashcroft Water Districts, 1873-1885, Book No. 4. Volume 2 is an index to Water Records, 1859 to 1900, Books 1, 2, 3, 4. Volume 3 is a list of Water Records, Yale District, 1857-1906.

This series consists of a Yale Division of Yale Land District lot register for lots 1-728. Earliest entries date to 1860 and the volume was superseded by 1947 (i.e. no further entries were made after 1947). The register lists lots in numerical order and records the alienation of land from the Crown (by purchase, pre-emption, lease, 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 files and field books. The volume contains an alphabetical name index.

Receiving and delivery book of merchant supplying Cariboo Road contractors between Yale and Boston Bar.

This series consists of crime reports and subject files related to the “C” division of the Provincial Police Department primarily from 1931-1950. The records may have been created by the Ashcroft office of the Yale District within the larger “C” division, as the majority of the records relate to the Ashcroft area. There are also some records that relate to locations in the Kamloops, Lillooet and Vernon Police Districts.

The majority of the records are reports recording details particular crimes reported to police. These records may be arranged alphabetically by the correspondent, under the name of the related legislation (ex. Juvenile Delinquents Act, Motor Vehicle Act, Indian Act, etc.), or by the type of crime (ex. Theft, murder, fraud, etc.). Other types of records include administrative files, personnel files, correspondence files, court records, crime statistics, evidence such as photographs and other subject files.

Indexes to crime reports for the years 1932 and 1945-1947 are located in container 913432-0890.

The fonds consists of records created by the Yale School District as required by the Public Schools Act. The records include a minute book of the Board of School Trustees (1887-1929), which also includes correspondence and accounts.