Print preview Close

Showing 131 results

Archival description
Only top-level descriptions Land settlement--British Columbia
Print preview View:

3 results with digital objects Show results with digital objects

Crown lands records

  • GR-0039
  • Series
  • 1874-1944

The series consists of records relating to the pre-emption, sale, and registration of land in New Westminster, Sayward, and Coast (Range 1-5) Land Districts, created by the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works and Vancouver District Land Commissioners, pursuant to the Land Act.

The records include pre-emption applications, 1887-1911 (11 vols.); certificates of pre-emption, 1884-1938 (57 vols.); certificates of purchase, 1874-1944 (95 vols.); registers of sales of unsurveyed lands, 1884-1911 (4 vols.); lot register, City of Vancouver, 1886-1892 (3 vols.) and a register of lot owners, Town of Granville, 1874-1884.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

Disposal of Crown Lands to Sons of Freedom

  • GR-0073
  • Series
  • 1959-1975

The series consists of files created by Judge William Evans dealing with disposal of crown lands to members of the Sons of Freedom sect of Doukhobors. The records cover the period 1959 to 1975 and contain correspondence, maps, registers, and accounting material. The maps were transferred to the Archives Map Division (see photocopy of map accession slips attached to print finding aid).

British Columbia. Lands Branch

Applications to purchase Crown Lands

  • GR-0084
  • Series
  • 1905-1970

The series consists of 25 volumes of applications to purchase crown land created by the Lands Dept. between 1905 and 1970. The applications are arranged chronologically from application number 1681 to 46249 and include notices from the British Columbia Gazette, number of letter inward, application number, location and result. Each volumes contains a nominal index. Volumes 1 and 2 are missing.

British Columbia. Lands Service

Crown land pre-emption records

  • GR-0112
  • Series
  • 1859-1971

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.

British Columbia. Lands Branch

Certificates of Improvement

  • GR-0211
  • Series
  • 1869-1932

The series consists of certificates of improvement [13 vols.] for diverse land recording districts created by the Lands Branch between 1869 and 1932. They generally include declarations by pre-emptors concerning the nature and valuation of improvements. Volume 14 contains unused, tripartite certificate of improvement forms.

Volumes 1-3 and 6-13 contain an index to names. Volume 4 is missing.

British Columbia. Lands Branch

Pre-emption applications

  • GR-0214
  • Series
  • 1900-1916

The series consists of 12 volumes created by the Lands Branch, of pre-emption applications for the Osoyoos, Similkameen, and Yale land districts from 1900 to 1916. The records are arranged numerically by application number. Volumes 6, 7, 8 and 9 include an index to names.

Records usually include a sketch map of the pre-emption applied for and declarations as required by the Land Act.

British Columbia. Lands Branch

Sumas land application declarations

  • GR-0312
  • Series
  • 1887-1888

This series consists of declarations in support of applications for land formerly within the limits reserved for purposes of the "Sumas Dyking Act, 1878", for the years 1887-1888. Each declaration is related to one individual. Declarations would have been submitted as part of the process of applying to pre-empt land in the Sumas area.

British Columbia. Lands Branch

Lands correspondence

  • GR-0360
  • Series
  • 1896-1936

This series consists of selected correspondence files from the several branches of the Department of Lands and works, and its successor the Department of Lands: Lands, Surveys, Water Rights, and Forests. Records include requests for information concerning the availability of land in British Columbia, Water Rights Branch correspondence concerning various power projects and irrigation, forest fire reports, and files on Forest Branch launches. Note: "WRB" refers to Water Rights Branch.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Land records related to leases

  • GR-0385
  • Series
  • 1865-1955

This series consists of records of the Department of Lands and Forests, Lands Service, primarily relating to leases of Crown land for various purposes. Records include cancelled or expired leases for oyster beds (including leases by the Government of Canada), hay meadow, summer resort, stone quarry, mill, coal mining, grazing, agriculture, cattle ranching, and pastoral purposes. This series also includes final agreements for sale and purchase under Soldier's Better Housing Scheme for City of Victoria lots (includes rebate applications and discharge certificates) and licences of occupation.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Forests. Lands Service

Land settlement records for Railway Belt and Peace River Block

  • GR-0436
  • Series
  • 1885-1949

This series consists of correspondence, applications for homestead entry, application for patents, and registers relating to land settlement in the Railway Belt and the Peace River Block.

GR-0436 is arranged into three series:
Series 1, BC Lands Files
Series 2, Index Maps and Township General Registers
Series 3, Homestead Grant Registers

Canada. Department of the Interior

Land surveys relating to the Railway Belt and Peace River Block

  • GR-0437
  • Series
  • 1885-1930

This series consists of correspondence files relating to surveys in British Columbia including:
68 boxes of files, mostly numbered chronologically, which contain branch correspondence with a particular surveyor for a season;
27 boxes of files relating to surveys of quarter sections in the Railway Belt and the Peace River Block. These files are arranged in order of their township, range, and meridian numbers, working from east to west. Peace River Block files are placed at the end of the series (boxes 24-27); and
6 boxes of Dominion Land Surveyors' diaries (146 volumes). Most of these diaries cover surveys along the CPR mainline.

Canada. Department of the Interior

Lands Department executive records

  • GR-0440
  • Series
  • 1872-1918

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands. Deputy Minister

Kamloops Government Agent land records

  • GR-0522
  • Series
  • 1877-1977

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.

British Columbia. Government Agent (Kamloops)

Pre-emption certificates and other material

  • GR-0718
  • Series
  • 1913-1947

This series consists of pre-emption records, including, Fernie district: certificates of purchase, nos. 1-307, 1913-1944 (4 v.); certificates of improvement, nos. 1-7, 1936-1947 and nos. 1-99, 1913-1927; and certificates of pre-emption nos. 1-99, 1914-1942.

British Columbia. Lands Branch

Letterbook

  • GR-0763
  • Series
  • 1872

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Certificates of improvement

  • GR-0765
  • Series
  • 1863-1878

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Pre-emption records for west coast land

  • GR-0766
  • Series
  • 1861-1886

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Lands records

  • GR-0767
  • Series
  • 1858-1863

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.

British Columbia (Colony). Lands and Works Dept.

Records with regard to Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway belt lands

  • GR-0791
  • Series
  • 1916

This series consists of the records of the Commission of Inquiry Into Certain Claims Respecting Lands Situated Within the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Land Belt, 1916. This commission was also known as Settlers' Rights Commission. Commission records include correspondence, claims submitted by settlers to the Commission and other miscellaneous records. No report has been found.

British Columbia. Commission of Inquiry Into Certain Claims Respecting Lands Situated Within the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Land Belt [1916]

Records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Cariboo District

  • GR-0824
  • Series
  • 1863-1893

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Similkameen Division

  • GR-0825
  • Series
  • 1905-1920

This series consists of records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands, Similkameen Division, Yale District, 1905-1920. Records include two volumes of declarations for Certificates of Improvement, nos. 1-182 and 183-561. The declarations give a description of improvements made on preempted lands. Some certificates are from Osoyoos Division, Yale District. There is an index at the back of each volume. Some records may relate to Vernon and Fairview as well.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

Records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Yale District

  • GR-0826
  • Series
  • 1859-1886

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works, Lillooet District

  • GR-0827
  • Series
  • 1860-1874

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works correspondence inward

  • GR-0868
  • Series
  • 1871-1883

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.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works

Correspondence, memoranda and reports of the Chairman

  • GR-0900
  • Series
  • 1942-1943

This series consists of the records of the Inter-Departmental Advisory Committee on Agriculture Land Settlement, 1942-1943. Records include correspondence, memoranda and reports of the Chairman of the Land Settlement Board, William Turnbull, relating to his activities as chairman of the Interdepartmental Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Land Settlement established by the Post-War Rehabilitation Council. The Council had the task of planning civil employment and vocational training of veterans of World War II.

British Columbia. Inter-Departmental Advisory Committee on Agriculture Land Settlement

Dominion regulations

  • GR-0937
  • Series
  • 1887-1930

This series consists of Dominion regulations regarding land, water, forests mineral resources, public roads and soldier settlement in the Railway Belt and Peace River Block of British Columbia. Consists of Dominion Orders-in-Council , 1887-1927, arranged chronologically (Box 1) and copies of legislation, published regulations and handbooks, 1922-1930 (Box 2).

Canada. Dominion Lands Branch

Results 1 to 30 of 131