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Archival description
Only top-level descriptions New Westminster (B.C.) Mental health facilities--British Columbia
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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

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

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

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

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

Woodlands record books

  • GR-3729
  • Series
  • 1908-1974

The series consists of a variety of record books created at Woodlands School (later known simply as Woodlands) between 1908 and 1974, with the majority of the records dating from the late 1930s to the 1950s. The records relate to both staff and residents, although the majority of the records pertain to residents. Staff records include “position vacant” cards, lists of staff and the dates they joined and left Woodlands, and ledgers detailing absences and sick time for both male and female staff members. The staff lists are not comprehensive and frequently appear to provide a snapshot in time.

Records relating to patients provide evidence of the day-to-day functioning of the institution, including one- or two-sentence long hourly reports by nursing staff. Researchers should note that while specific individuals are named in the records, the records do not include case files. Some “propensity” ledgers provide alphabetical listings of patients, their admission dates and patient number, a brief one- or two-word description of why they were admitted, information about clothing, religion, and whether they left Woodlands. However, these registers do not cover the entire period of time that Woodlands operated and should not be seen as admissions registers.

The series includes a set of record books with daily shift reports that list disturbances, illnesses, numbers of residents employed in certain tasks, outings to movies and concerts, and any other noteworthy occurrences. The series contains ledgers relating to residents’ health, and other books related to their day-to-day lives. Records related to health care include those detailing medicine dosages, notes on blood pressure, and ‘doctors’ orders’ books. Records relating to daily life include notes on clothing and shoes sent to be cleaned, repaired, or discarded, numbers of residents sent to the ‘airing court’ for recreation, and records relating to the sewing and knitting done by residents. In some cases, ledgers provide assessments of the knitting skill of residents, and it appears that patients did sewing for both themselves and for staff. Records relating to shoes and clothing appear to be carbon copies of receipts issued when items were sent for repair or cleaning, and many are difficult to read. The series also includes general ward counts and statistics as well as a ward inventory listing everything from brooms to medical equipment. Some ledgers provide information on residents who were transferred to or from institutions at Essondale, Tranquille, and Colquitz.

There appear to have been three staff shifts in Woodlands, and records are often annotated with the time of the shift. Shifts ran from 7 am to 3 pm, 3 pm to 11 pm, and 11 pm to 7 am. It is common to see annotations such as 3-11 next to a report.

Many of the ledgers were not labelled and do not have original titles on them. Titles in square brackets were supplied by the Archivist on the basis of the file list that accompanied the records when they were transferred to Archives custody. Where the assigned title does not appear adequate, a further explanatory note has been included. Explanatory notes have also been included in square brackets when the title on the ledger book was vague or potentially misleading.

Within the ledgers, the bulk of the records are organized chronologically. Some books contain indexes or are arranged alphabetically by surname, although due to the nature of the records it is more common to see chronological progressions.

Records in this series were selected for retention by staff working with the Records Management Branch in the early 1990s.

British Columbia. Dept. of Human Resources