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The series consists of registers of land sales in the districts of Cariboo, Cayoosh, Douglas, Hope, Langley, Lillooet, Lytton, New Westminster, Osooyos, Queensborough, Yale. The series includes records of lands sold or auctioned. The lot and section number, name of grantee, number of acres, payee, and dates of payment are recorded. The series also includes an index to land sales in Langley (1859).

The series consists of surveying observations made by Royal Engineers of the districts of New Westminster and Queensborough. The series includes notebooks of observation by Parish and a notebook identified with P.J. Leech, Royal Engineers, Fort Langley.

GR-1372 is an artificial series, created by the Provincial Archives of British Columbia in the 1920s and 1930s from records of the governments of the Colony of Vancouver Island (1849-1866), the Colony of British Columbia (1858-1866) and the United Colony of British Columbia (1866-1871). The records, consisting of correspondence inward to and among officials and departments, were originally organized more or less chronologically as records of the department or agency to which they were sent, e.g. Colonial Secretary, Attorney-General, Commissioner of Land and Works, etc. Letters when received were logged into a register and assigned sequential numbers with the last two numbers of the year appended, creating the file number, e.g. 105/62. Some of these registers still exist, e.g. GR-0625. The correspondence was often accompanied by enclosures such as reports, sketches and maps which were considered part of the file.

Sometime during the 1920s and 1930s, Archives staff undertook to re-organize these records into a single alphabetical series organized primarily by the name of the originating office or sender (road tolls and petitions are notable exceptions). Formerly separate records were intermingled and the original order was lost. The records were indexed using new file numbers assigned for that purpose. These are the F numbers written in red crayon on the records. Starting with the number 1, each folder of records in the new alphabetical sequence was assigned a number as well as the individual files (items) within that folder, e.g. F33/1.

It appears that later insertions into the alpha sequence, after the initial assignment of numbers, were dealt with by using letters (e.g. F85a, F85b), or a number in parentheses (e.g. F79(1), F80a(1)). When an F file required more than one folder, either letters were added to subsequent folders, (e.g. F102, F102a, F102b) or numbers in parentheses were used (e.g. F142b(1), F142b(2)). The F numbers on the documents, however, were not affected by the change in numbering as they formed one continuous sequence (e.g. F102, files 1-9; F102a, files 10-22; F102b, files 23-30b).

Some of the correspondence was transcribed by Archives staff. These typed transcripts are either in the file folders together with the originals or in a separate file folder following the file folder with the originals. Most of the transcripts were not microfilmed and consequently do not appear on the microfilm reels. The records were microfilmed 1978-1980.

See attached finding aid for more information about the history, contents, and indexing of this collection.

Draft letter from the Colony of British Columbia Dept. of Lands and Works to the Governor regarding the appointment of Will Franklyn to auction land at Hope, Douglas and Yale.

This series consists of land records from the Colony of British Columbia Lands and Works Department, 1858-1863. Most records are related to the sale of town lots at Langley, 1858-1859, and New Westminster, 1860-1862, including records of exchanges of lots at Langley for lots at New Westminster. The series also include various other land records related to New Westminster, Douglas, Hope, Yale, Lytton and Lillooet, including pre-emptions, lot registers, accounts for sales of town and suburban lots, and lists of deeds issued.

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 record of land claims and government reservations, by William George Cox, Esq., Magistrate, Rock Creek, B.C., 1860-1862. Cox was the magistrate and Gold Commissioner for this area at the time. The volume includes descriptions of land claimed by settlers, as well as general government reserves and Indian Reserves. The back of the volume was used as a Sheriff's book for the County of Cariboo, and a police charge book, 1861.

The series consists of registers of certificates of claim and scrip issued and received. The series includes registers for the District of New Westminster and for rural and country land in other districts of the Colony.

The series consists of books of receipts for sales of land in British Columbia. The series includes, but is not limited to, receipts for land purchased in the districts of Langley, Cariboo, Douglas, Hope, Lytton, New Westminster, Pitt River, Queensborough, Queen Charlotte Islands, Quesnelmouth.

Photographic copy of lithographed map which was issued in H.S. Palmer's Report of a journey of survey, from Victoria to Fort Alexander, via North Bentinck Arm. New Westminster, 1863.
"Prepared by the Royal Engineers at the Office of Lands and Works, New Westminster, by order of Col. R.C. Moody, R.E., &c. &c., Feby. 1863" "To accompany report of 24th November 1862"
Inset: Sketch of head of North Bentinck Arm. Scale [1:31 680].

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.

The series consists of pre-emption records created by the Lands Branch and its predecessor bodies between 1859 and 1971. The Chief Commissioner of Lands was responsible for the administration of Crown lands under successive governments (Colony of Vancouver Island, Colony of British Columbia, Province of British Columbia) until 1911. In 1929 the Minister delegated authority for Crown lands to the Lands Branch, headed by the Superintendent of Lands.

The series includes 216 volumes of certificates of pre-emption and 33 volumes of pre-emption registers. Some volumes contain certificates of Improvement and certificates of purchase.

Most of the volumes of certificates are arranged by district and then numerically by pre-emption number although there are many cases where individual documents from files are spread out throughout an entire volume. There are also some pre-emption numbers that are missing from volumes. One or more volumes cover the pre-emption registrations for each land district, and volumes 86-90 and 246-248 relate to railway lands on Vancouver Island, particularly in Cowichan and Nanaimo Districts (1884-1887). Pre-emptions were generally numbered sequentially based on the Land Act enforced at the time. Sequences can be found in the collection based on the Land Acts of 1860, 1870, 1874, 1875 and 1884. The New Westminster land district also includes a sequence based on rural or country land pre-emptions. Some land districts maintained the same numbering sequence throughout the entire time period. If no date is mentioned in the description, the sequence is based on the 1884 Act.

The pre-emption registers (volumes 213-245; microfilm reels B13858-B13860) summarize the information from the certificates. Each volume covers the pre-emption registrations for a district. The pre-emption registers are arranged in Lands Branch volume number order, volumes 1-27 (including three a volumes where two volumes are required for a district), followed by three unnumbered volumes that cover Fort St. John and Victoria. Each register lists pre-emptions in registration number order, with an alphabetical index of pre-emptors' names at the back. The following information is recorded: registration number, date of registration, pre-emptors name, lot number (not always recorded), acreage (for ca. 1915 on), certificate of improvement number (if issued), file number (sometimes), and remarks (either a code number, possibly accompanied by a date, or a phrase: cancelled, abandoned, or no application or declaration received). This information is hand-written in columns with printed headings.

The series consists of a volume containing copies of deeds, indentures and leases created by the Colonial Lands and Works Department between 1864 and 1871. There is an index on the front inside cover and many of the files have maps attached.

The series consists of correspondence and applications made to the Colonial Dept. of Lands and Works between 1862-1871, and its successor agency, the Provincial Dept. of Lands and Works between 1871-1873 regarding land pre-emptions in the Cariboo district. Some of the correspondence regarding mining interests originated with William Cox, the Gold Commissioner for the Cariboo district.

This series consists of a ledger and general record book, 1859-1871. The creator of the volume is not clear, but was likely the Government Agent who worked in or around Lytton. The volume was used for several purposes overtime. It includes the following types of information: list of pre-emptions for Lytton City; mining licences, free miner's certificates, liquor licences, trading licences, garden plots and ground rentals from the Lytton area (Fraser Canyon to Kamloops); records of miners and storekeepers occupying Crown land as garden plots and residences throughout the Fraser Canyon area; copies of bridge toll agreements and ferry operation contracts for places on the Fraser River, Thompson River, Nicola River, Savonna's ferry, Anderson River and Bridge River.

This series consists of two volumes of indexes recording correspondence inward to the Colony of British Columbia Department of Lands and Works. The indexes were used to track the receipt of incoming correspondence and reports.

Volume 1 is titled "Index to letters received" and covers the years 1858 to 1864. The index is arranged by the sender, then chronologically. This includes sections for miscellaneous correspondence and reports and correspondence from Boards of Survey, Courts of Enquiry, the Governor, the Attorney-General, the Assistant Commissioners of Lands and Works, Gold Commissioners, and to letters from the Royal Engineers or Military. Some sections are missing: Military (p. 26-33), Captain J.M. Grant R.E. (p. 37-44), Captain R.M. Parsons (p. 45-50), Boards of Survey (p. 51-52), and Courts of Enquiry (p. 52-54).

Volume 2 indexes letters received by the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and covers 1858-1863. Items in this volume are also arranged by sender, then chronologically. However they only include sections for: the Governor; Captain Gosset of the Royal Engineers; Treasurer; Chartres Brew, Acting Treasurer; and HPP Crease, Attorney General. Most of the entries in volume 2 duplicate the contents of volume 1. Thus, this partial volume may have been used as a reference copy.

The series consists of registers of pre-emption claims to land in the Colony of British Columbia including the districts of Douglas, Hope, Lytton, New Westminster, Similkameen, and Yale. The series also includes pre-emption registers for other districts of the Colony.

The series consists of correspondence inward with drafts of replies from the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and Surveyor General. The series includes registers of letters received (1865-1870) and a rough index to letters received (1866-1867).

The series consists of copybooks of correspondence outward for Lands and Works Dept. containing letters from R.C. Moody and Robert Burnaby. The series includes letter books B, C, and D for the District of Queensborough, 1859 and are mainly concerned with public works and land matters.

The series consists of hand-written applications to pre-empt land in the District of New Westminster.

This series contains the correspondence inward to the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, Colonel R.C. Moody. The records consists largely of letters from Governor James Douglas and the Colonial Secretary pertaining to town lots, other lands, trails and roads, and other public works in the vicinity of New Westminster. The series includes letters on the Harrison River road and pack trail.