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Riverview Hospital historical collection

  • Collection
  • 1872-2008

This series consists of a variety of records created by various provincial mental health institutions from 1872 to 2008. Records relate to the administration and operation of Riverview Hospital and related mental health facilities at the Essondale site in Coquitlam, as well as other facilities across the province. These mental health institutions include: Victoria Asylum, New Westminster Provincial Asylum (later Public Hospital for the Insane or Provincial Hospital for the Insane), Home for the Aged Coquitlam (later Valleyview), Home for the Aged Terrace (later Skeenaview), Home for the Aged Vernon (later Dellview), Crease Clinic, Colony Farm, Colquitz, Woodlands School, Tranquille and other medical facilities.

The names and administrative structure of these institutions changed over time. Mental health functions were originally part of the Provincial Secretary’s mandate; they were transferred to Mental Health Services when it was created in 1950.

These government records were collected by the Riverview Historical Society and include a wide variety of subject matter and media. This includes subjects such as: early development of the Essondale lands and Colony Farm; the construction and expansion of the facility; admissions, transfers, and discharges of patients; administration of patient care; administration of therapy programs; patient and staff recreation; staff and nurse training; operation of the audiovisual department; library services; research into new medical and therapeutic practices; research by staff regarding mental health practices at Riverview and further afield; community involvement; volunteer activity; policy development; the redevelopment of the Riverview lands; general administration; and, administration of other services at the site such as postal, food, laundry, banking, transportation and safety services.

The collection has been arranged into the following series based on record types:

GR-3924 - record books
GR-3925 - operational records
GR-3926 - newsletters
GR-3927 - photographs and other graphic material
GR-3928 - films and videos

Classified as 20000-20 in Operational Records Classification System (ORCS) schedule 144007.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Mental Health Services minutes of meetings and other material

  • GR-0264
  • Series
  • 1938-1966

The series consists of records created by the Mental Health Services between 1938 and 1966.

Box 1 (880340-1654): Minutes of meetings of the Council of Psychiatric Nurses (1951-1958), including lists of licensed nurses and nurses whose licenses were cancelled.

Box 2 (002235-0001): correspondence, report, and brief regarding an investigation of certain conditions at Essondale (Bloomfield 1947); report by a special committee on operations of the Provincial Mental Hospital (1948); report by the Inspector of Hospitals on some phases of the operations of the Provincial Mental Hospital of B.C. (Percy Ward Report, 1943); a survey of the Mental Hospitals of British Columbia (Hamilton Report, 1938); report on the Provincial Mental Hospital of British Columbia made by the central inspection board of the American Psychiatric Association (1951); Mental Hospital Survey Report (1966).

Photographs (accession 197909-040) include ca. 350 b&w and colour images of provincial mental hospitals including Essondale, Jericho, Kamloops; Marpole, Allco Infirmary, Homes for Aged, Tranquille, Willow Chest Clinic, Burnaby-residential treatment unit, Woodlands and Colquitz mental home closing, January 1964

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Mental Health Services patient case files

  • GR-2880
  • Series
  • 1872-1987

The series consists of patient case files for persons admitted to any of the facilities of the Mental Health Services between 1872 and 1987, including Essondale (later Riverview), Valleyview, Dellview, Skeenaview, Crease Clinic and Colquitz Provincial Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane (Victoria).

The earliest files are slim, usually including only the doctor's certificates of commitment. The early files include persons who were admitted to the lunatic asylum as soon as it opened in Victoria, having previously been confined in the gaol.

A patient case file may include: a photograph or multiple photographs of the patient; certificate of examination of a patient's clothing and person on admission; admission details including diagnosis; medical reports and certificates; application for an order for admission of a patient or of a "lunatic" wandering at large; laboratory report; sleep and weight chart; clinical chart including observation of patient; clinical record; permission for therapy and treatment; correspondence; ward notes; records of family history, personal history, present illness, mental status and physical examination; visitor register; propensity slip; admission information to the Inspector of Municipalities; doctor's reports; statements and letters written by the patient; list of personal property; psychopathic history record (form filled in by next of kin); special discharge on probation; neuropsychiatric cases on release from hospital; Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment medical history of an invalid form; Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment medical report for engagement on re-treatment; certificate of registration of death; report of death to Provincial Secretary; notice of registration of death; autopsy; news clippings about the patient and a published obituary.

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Staff and patient photographs

  • GR-3421
  • Series
  • 1950-1967

The series consists of approximately 1005 black and white photographs taken by Mental Health Services between 1950 and 1967. The photographs consist of black and white prints and 4 x 5 acetate negatives.

The photographs are of Mental Health Services staff based at Essondale, Crease Clinic and Woodlands School. Some patient photographs are included. Some of the photographs show staff at work and were used for annual reports and other publications and some are "passport" style portraits. Most of the people in the photographs are identified and many include photograph classification numbers.

The photographs are arranged alphabetically by last name. The prints are in container 890935-0012 and the negatives are in container 890935-0010.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Photographs of institutions operated by the Mental Health Services

  • GR-3419
  • Series
  • 1948-1967

The series consists of approximately 5250 black and white photographic negatives taken by Mental Health Services between 1948 and 1967. The negatives are acetate and are mostly in a 4 x 5 format with some 35 mm. There are 62 black and white prints interfiled with the negatives.

The photographs are of various British Columbia mental health institutions including the Boys Industrial School, Colony Farm, Colquitz Mental Home (Saanich), the Home for the Aged in Vernon and in Terrace, Woodlands School, Essondale (Coquitlam) and the Crease Clinic.

The photographs depict the grounds and buildings (both internal and external views) of the mental health institutions as well as photographs of construction and equipment. There are photographs of staff and patients involved in a variety of activities including medical treatments, events, ceremonies, leisure activities and other programs.

The negative files are arranged numerically in seven boxes: 1-657, 658-1004, 1005-1135, 1136-1242, 1245-1325, 1326-1409 and 1410-1499.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Pathological master file photographs

  • GR-3420
  • Series
  • 1946-1967

The series, called the pathological master file, consists of ca. 1483 photographs and their card index file created by the Mental Health Services between 1946 and 1967. The photographs consist mostly of black and white prints and 4 x 5 acetate negatives. There are also a few colour negatives and transparencies and 2 glass negatives.

The photographs are of the patients at Crease Clinic, Essondale and Woodlands School and document adults and children with various conditions, both physical and mental. There are whole body shots as well as close up's of specific conditions and injuries. In addition there are numerous photographs of brain samples to illustrate the pathology. The photographs have been numbered and the prints are filed within the card index, which is arranged alphabetically by condition. There is a card for each file which identifies the patient, date the photograph(s) were taken and the condition. The negatives are arranged separately by file number. There are also some unnumbered and unidentified photographs. The negatives are in containers 890935-0008 and 0009 and the prints and card file are in containers 890935-0011 and 0012.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Boys' Industrial School Inquiry records

  • GR-1424
  • Series
  • 1930-1944

This series contains records from the Boys Industrial School Inquiry. Commissioners C.W. Topping and Eric Pepler were appointed January 12, 1934 to investigate and report upon the administration of the Provincial Industrial School for Boys. The records include the original letters of complaint from the staff, the proceedings, evidence and exhibits presented at the proceedings, and correspondence of the commissioners and the Provincial Secretary regarding the inquiry. The records also include a file regarding an investigation at the Colony Farm (Essondale) in the same year and a report of the Superintendent of the Provincial Industrial School for Boys in 1944.

British Columbia. Boys' Industrial School Inquiry (1934)

Mental Health Services Director's administrative records

  • GR-0542
  • Series
  • 1907-1961

The series consists of the administrative files of the Director of Mental Health Services. The bulk of the records are general correspondence, monthly reports (i.e. statistical summaries) and project files relating to the administration of the province's mental health care facilities.

Most of the files consist of Dr. Crease's general administrative files, however, many of the files predate Dr. Crease's administration (1926-1950) and some extend as far back as 1907. General correspondence is filed chronologically, while project files are maintained by subject. Included in the subject files is a series of correspondence from the C.C.F. leader Ernest Winch (MLA for Burnaby) who took a special interest in the provision of Mental Health Services.

Also included in this series are "monthly reports" - statistical summaries - pertaining to the operations of provincial mental health facilities and three architectural drawings (re-accessioned as M889129).

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Provincial mental hospital registers

  • GR-3019
  • Series
  • 1934-1971

The series consists of admission registers for the provincial mental hospitals (1947-1971) and Crease Clinic (1951-1971), registers of persons denied admission to the mental hospitals (1952-1964), probation, discharge and death registers, supervisor daily report volumes (daily ward census, lists of persons admitted, discharged, transferred) (1953-1954; 1960-1967) and a record of operations and patients seen in consultation (for non-psychiatric conditions) (1951-1957).
The series also includes alphabetical indexes of various kinds which cover the period 1934-1966. These appear to have been created as indexes to current residents at various times. As the patients were discharged they were crossed off the lists in some cases

Riverview Hospital, Essondale

Certificates

  • GR-2854
  • Series
  • 1928-1959

The series consists of certificates from the American Hospital Association, the American College of Surgeons and the American Psychiatric Association Hospital Service to the Provincial Mental Hospital and Crease Clinic of Psychological Medicine.

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Photograph album : Mental Health Services

  • GR-3673
  • Series
  • [ca. 1920-1940]

The series consists of a photograph album created by the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary sometime between 1920 and 1940. The album contains 215 black and white prints of varying sizes showing the buildings, grounds and patients at the Public Hospital for the Insane at New Westminster, Essondale and Colony Farm. The photographs are captioned but not dated.

Several of the exterior shots of the buildings and grounds were taken by professional photographers and have been connected together to show panoramas. There are also exterior photos of farm activities and labour performed by patients. The majority of the photographs are of the patients themselves. These photographs illustrate various pathological types that were treated at the hospitals. They include men, women and children; shown as individuals and in groups.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary