RECORDED: [location unknown], 1979-11-15 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: A.L. Robinson discusses his experiences railroading: running from Prince Rupert to Prince George and then back to Prince Rupert (22.5 hours on shift alone) -- bad track, sore feet, once was off track for 1000 yards before anyone noticed, very frequent trips between these two towns; describes what he would do on a shift; places on the Grand Trunk; picking up and sorting the mail; never received overtime pay; incident when he was stuck in the woods for three days with no food due to a washout or a slide; the Island line is considered the best run in Canada; employed by the post office department, not the railway; 8 to 10 cars on a train on the Grand Trunk line; working on the Island meant shorter days than working in northern B.C.; postal service was much better in those days; salary of about $50 a month plus mileage; describes routes he traveled; mail service changed when it began to use trucks; letters with cancellations; incident at South Wellington where the track had been washed out. TRACK 2: Mr. Robinson discusses: incident in Chemainus when engineer lost a piston; celebrating the 93rd anniversary of the first train arrival in Nanaimo- only 3 people went; helping a young kid who was 'riding the rails' in the Depression. (End of interview)

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-14 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Allan Davidson talks about life in the Westbank area from 1892 to 1908. He discusses how his family came to the Okanagan from the Fraser Valley and settled north of Shannon Lake in 1893. He describes his first cabin; his father's background; a story about an Indian coming to the cabin; his new house; how his father was a 'square peg in a round hole'; the family farm; his relationship with his father; logging from the farm; a vivid description of the Nez Perce Indians en route to the hop fields at Coldstream; the trail along the east side of the lake; Indians and Alec McClennan. TRACK 2: Mr. Davidson continues with more on McClennan; development in the area; the mail service; the founding of the village of Westbank; land development; more on the mail service; the ferry and; Leonard Hayman who was the operator; a story about "Wild Goose Bill" at the ferry landing; more on Hayman and the ferry; Kelowna at that time; D.E. Gellatly and the family; an anecdote about fighting; a forest fire in 1905.

The series consists of 8 balance sheets covering the period May to December 1867 for the post office at Quesnelmouth, later known as Quesnel. The forms were signed by Frank Trevor, the local postmaster, and were forwarded for examination to A.T. Bushby, who was at that time acting postmaster in New Westminster. The forms show a variety of post office expenses, including stamps, registered letters, and newspapers.

The records were originally found in an accession of assorted colonial-era Cariboo records, including pre-emptions, gold commissioner files, partnership agreements and voters lists. The records were removed from this accession and later re-accessioned.

Book comprising certificates of post office registrations for mail, 1948. Retained for artifact value.

This series contains correspondence between Messrs. Wm. Cochrane, H.M. Ball, W.R. Spalding, John Bowron, and Acting Postmaster General A.T. Bushby, concerning the establishment and operation of postal services between New Westminster and the Cariboo. The series also contains mail contracts drawn up between Bushby and Peter O'Toole and Stipendiary Magistrate Chartres Brew and H.R.H. Adamson.

The series contains correspondence between Pigott and Sir Richard McBride concerning assessment and taxation of land in the Comox district, 1910-1911 (6 letters, enclosures, and envelopes). Correspondence inward from William Templeman concerning the establishment of a post office at Lazo, B.C. (2 letters and envelope), 1909.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-06 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Donald New describes how his family moved to BC from England in about 1913; worked on a Mayne Island farm; his sister taught at a school on Mayne; worked for the Heck family; description; of the hotel at Miners Bay; Point Comfort Hotel; adaptation to BC life; how he worked in Victoria and was in the military in Nanaimo; did not go overseas in WWI; labour programs in Nanaimo; worked for a short time at Stave Falls; family moved to Galiano in 1915; selection of property on Galiano; agricultural possibilities described and pioneer families. TRACK 2: Three humorous anecdotes; Galiano postmasters; Mr. New as a postmaster until 1960; Englishness and "false Englishness" of early settlers; life of women and the relative lack of isolation.