Fonds F0299 - Robert Randolph Bruce fonds

Original Digital object not accessible

Identity area

Reference code

CA ACU GBA F0299

Title

Robert Randolph Bruce fonds

Date(s)

  • 1884-1942, 2004 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

20 cm of textual records. -- 10 microfilm reels. -- 141 photographs. -- 1 computer disk

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Robert Randolph Bruce, 1863-1942, was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, and received a bachelor of science degree at Glasgow University in 1886. He worked as a civil engineer and then came to Canada via New York in 1887. He became a surveyor on the Canadian Pacific Railway's (CPR) Crowsnest Pass route. He then went to McGill University for a degree in mineralogy and established himself in mining. In 1897 he moved to Lake Windermere where he bought land and formed the Columbia Valley Irrigation Fruit Lands, Ltd. In 1900 he became CPR land agent for the Windermere district. For a time he was assistant engineer at the Horse Thief Mine, after which he bought and developed the Paradise Mine, a silver-lead mine near the town of Invermere, which he had founded. From 1926-1931 he was lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, and from 1936-1938 he was Canada's Minister to Tokyo. He was married twice, to Lady Elizabeth Northcote, ?-1916, in 1915, and to Edith Molson in 1932. He died in Montreal. For further information see Thomas C. Meredith's article "Boosting in British Columbia : The Creation and Rise of Invermere" in Urban History Review. - vol. 16, no. 3 (February, 1988); and Georgeen Barrass' article "Western Caricatures" in Glenbow [magazine]. -- vol. 4, no.1 (February 1971), p. 4-7.

Archival history

The caricatures came into the possession of Randolph Bruce's secretary, Howard Cleland, who gave them to George Bureau in 1946. Mrs. G. Bureau donated them to the Glenbow.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Gifts of Mrs. G. Bureau, Bud Cleland, O.A. McGuinness, Helen Keefer and Madge Skinner, 1961-2005.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The fonds consists of personal and business correspondence (1900-1908 [microfilm]); personal correspondence inward (1884-1916, transcriptions), diaries, notebooks, cashbooks and garden records (1888-1925 [microfilm]); and letterbooks (1897-1904 [photocopies]). Also consists of his caricatures of Calgary area personalities (1890s); and photographs of CPR officials and bridges in British Columbia (1892-1894), the Crowsnest-Kootenay Landing survey (1894-1895), R.R. Bruce and the Lake Windermere area (1900s-1930s), Columbia Valley Irrigation Fruit Lands Ltd. canals (1911), Columbia Lake mines (1911), Kootenay Central Railroad construction (1911), and the Glacier Hotel (1893). Includes background information on persons and places mentioned in the letters, compiled by Madge Skinner.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

No restrictions on access.

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

    Script of material

      Language and script notes

      The material is in English.

      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      Finding aids

      No finding aid

      Allied materials area

      Existence and location of originals

      The originals of the microfilmed and photocopied records are in the possession of Bud Cleland. The originals of the transcribed personal correspondence are held by a relative of Madge Skinner.

      Existence and location of copies

      Digital content is available: https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/Package/2R3BF1S3E2XHG

      Reference prints from the original negatives are also available.

      Related units of description

      Related descriptions

      Notes area

      Note

      Title based on contents of records.

      Note

      Letterbooks and correspondence copied in 1976-1977.

      Note

      NA 2240 are copied from M 151.

      Note

      Personal correspondence transcribed in 2004-2005.

      Note

      Microfilm-Bruce

      Alternative identifier(s)

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      Description control area

      Description identifier

      Institution identifier

      Rules and/or conventions used

      Status

      Level of detail

      Dates of creation revision deletion

      Monday, August 20, 2018

      Language(s)

        Script(s)

          Sources

          Digital object (Master) rights area

          Digital object (Reference) rights area

          Digital object (Thumbnail) rights area

          Accession area