Fonds consists of correspondence; manuscripts of short stories, novels, stage plays, memoirs, filmscript, articles, essays and speeches; reviews; teaching material; material relating to conferences, writers' festivals and workshops, readings and consulting; photographs; sound recordings; moving images; works about W. Choy; awards including The Order of Canada; works by others; and published works.

*The fonds consists of general correspondence, invoices and receipts; account books (1891-1896); legal and business correspondence (1865-1930); appeal books (1893-1932); and Masonic Lodge bylaws, regulations and correspondence (1898-1930). Also includes Bown's extensive collection of vintage First Nations and pioneer photographs from the Ernest Brown Studio in Edmonton.

The fonds consists of Orr's diaries (1849-1887, 1893-1897), indexed letterbooks (1888-1897), certificates, and account books; and family correspondence, autograph albums, family photographs, newspaper clippings and scrapbook.

The fonds consists of colonization files (including those of Department of Natural Resources, Department of Colonization and Development, Canadian Colonization Association, and various colonization boards) (1886-1940); Advisory Committee minutes and reports (1916-1958); Executive Branch files (1911-1952); P.L. Naismith and S.G. Porter correspondence (1912-1957); coal files (1904-1911); and British Columbia Land Department files (1896-1926) as well as land sale maps, building plans, plans and drawings of railway structures & equipment from the CPR Mechanical Department.

The fonds consists of estate, property and defence papers. Includes some personal papers of Joseph T. Shaw (1921-1946) and Frederick Mayhood (1922-1937).

The fonds consists of photocopies of: William's correspondence (1863-1893), HBC records (1886-1892), land documents, financial records (1864-1912) and reminiscences (1911); Harriet's diaries (1889-1893); and Walter's correspondence (1866-1914). Includes two recorded interviews with Mary Traill (1970s) and extensive family photographs.