Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1858-[ca. 1945] (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
16 cm of textual records. -- 10 posters
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Statham Baddeley, 1890?-1968, was born in England and emigrated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1909. He worked in the carnival show business in western Canada, eventually establishing the Baddeley Bros. 3 Ring Wild Animal Circus in 1939. He also produced a travelling “ghost town” wild west show. Around 1961 he retired to Calgary, Alberta, where he was associated with the Glenbow Foundation and Heritage Park. He married Elizabeth Melroy, d. 1966, and was survived by one son, Leveson George “Leve” Baddeley, 1921?-1995. Leve worked with his father’s carnival ventures, and later worked for the Glenbow Foundation, Allied Arts Centre, Riveredge Foundation, Turbo Resources, and Trans Canada Car Wash.
Repository
Archival history
Most of the material seems to have been salvaged by William Baddeley from ghost towns in British Columbia.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Gift of William Baddeley, 1962-1967, and transferred from the Riveredge Foundation, 1979.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The collection consists of James G. Bain’s notebook and papers concerning his work with the British Columbia Provincial Police and gold mining ventures in Quesnel Forks, B.C. (1892-1899); correspondence, receipt books, and insurance policy of the Sandon Miners’ Union, affiliated with the Western Federation of Miners (1901-1915); journal and payroll sheets of mining operations in Sandon; waybills, share certificates, and mining lease agreement from Quesnel Forks; personal correspondence of James P. Delahunty of Barkerville, B.C.; will of James Francis Ford of 150 Mile House, B.C.; diaries of C. Walverson, western USA; time book of the Whit Grouse Co. (timber company of Quesnel Forks?, 1874); Elizabeth Ann Palmer’s food ration book from the Second World War, Waldo, B.C.; letterbook of the Provincial Police constable, Arrowhead, B.C. (1908-1916); facsimile of the signatures on the Treaty of 1831 which established the independence of Belgium; posters for the Baddeley Bros. 3 Ring Wild Animal Circus; and fragments of circus posters.
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
Existence and location of copies
Digital content is available for most of the posters and some photos.
Related units of description
William Baddeley’s collection of artifacts is held in the Glenbow Cultural History collection.
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents of records.
Note
Includes file 423 from M-4843 Riveredge collection