Series MS-2881 - Western Canadian Ranching Company records

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Western Canadian Ranching Company records

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  • textual record

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MS-2881

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  • 1884-1952 (Creation)
    Creator
    Western Canadian Ranching Company

Physical description area

Physical description

Originals, 3.17 m of textual records, 1 photograph and 3 maps

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Administrative history

The Western Canadian Ranching Company was incorporated to acquire, develop and manage ranches throughout British Columbia, Canada, and the United States. Several of the ranches under its management included the Harper's Ranch, near Kamloops, the Gang Ranch, at Williams Lake, and the Perry Ranch. Throughout its existence, the Company maintained a head office in England with a branch office in Victoria, B.C.

Custodial history

Provenance: The fonds was donated to the City of Victoria Archives in September 1976 by the British Columbia Land and Investment Agency as part of accession 97609-01. It was held by the City of Victoria Archives as PR 2 until March, 2000, when it was transferred to the British Columbia Archives. Accession 97609-01 included the following related material which was also transferred to the British Columbia Archives in March, 2000: MS-2880, British Columbia Land and Investment Agency fonds (1858-1963); MS-2882, British Columbia Cattle Company fonds (1900-1905); MS-2883, London and Canadian Fire Insurance Company fonds (1890-1900); MS-2884, Nestegg and Firefly Gold Mining Company fonds (1896-1900); MS-2885, Canadian Pacific Land and Mortgage Company fonds (1888-1896); MS-2886, Mara Estate Limited fonds (1920-1955); and MS-2887, British Columbia Market Company fonds (1894-1910).

Scope and content

The Western Canadian Ranching Company (WCRC) was incorporated in England to acquire, develop and manage ranches throughout the Province of British Columbia, Canada, and the United States. The WCRC was registered in British Columbia as an extra-provincial company on Jan. 3, 1898. Ranches under its management included the Harper Ranch near Kamloops, the Gang Ranch and the Perry Ranch, near Ashcroft. Throughout its existence, the company maintained its head office in England with a branch office in Victoria. The British Columbia Land and Investment Agency served as its financial agent. The WCRC wound up its business in the 1950s. Fonds consists of correspondence and miscellaneous bills, photographs, maps and the transcript of a court case. The correspondence documents operations of the ranches and the administrative and financial relationships between the head office, the Victoria office and the various operational centres. Series 6 documents the background to the acquisition of the Harper Ranch. Series 9 consists of City of Victoria Archives accession 98401-22: research notes and copies made by City of Victoria Archives staff and volunteers.

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Finding aid: Series descriptions and file list available at Reference Desk.

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General note

Accession number(s): 93-5638

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