This fonds consists of materials created or collected by Gisela Mendel throughout her time in British Columbia, particularly during her tenure as the Museum's first curator (1969-1981). It is divided into three series:
Series 1: Photographs - approx. 330 photographs, negatives, and slides taken by Gisela Mendel, showing the local area, flora and fauna, Museum displays, Kitamaat Village and its residents, traditional Haisla cultural activities, etc.
Series 2: Kitimat Flora Collection - 12 boxes of pressed and dried flora from the local area, with associated information.
Series 3: Logbooks and scrapbooks - logbooks from Clague and Squirrel Mountains (1957-1969), accounts of Mendel family outings (1963-1968), scrapbook/photo album from Stikine road trip (1999), textual material and photos on regional hiking rails from binder on assembled by Gisela.
Series 4: Maps - 23 regional maps collected and annotated by Gisela.
ca. 10.5 cm textual material (logbooks, scrapbooks)
23 maps
History / Biographical
Gisela Heimbach Mendel was the first curator of the Kitimat Museum and Archives (then known as the Kitimat Centennial Museum). She was born in Germany in 1922 and worked as a pharmacist in East Prussia when the Russians invaded. She fled the Russians and immigrated to Canada in 1952 with her husband, Hans, and their children. Unhappy with the geography of Southern Ontario - in her words, she was a "mountain woman" - she chose Kitimat as her home.
In her earliest years in Kitimat (beginning 1956), Gisela collected botanical specimens for the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. She served as the first curator of the Kitimat Centennial Museum from the building's opening in 1969 until her retirement in 1981, when she and Hans moved to Smithers. Gisela was responsible for not only showcasing local art and history, but building a strong and varied permanent collection of artifacts and archival items upon which future curators could build.
As she was working in a relatively young community, town history was not considered a priority so much as regional history, natural history and Haisla First Nations cultural traditions, which Gisela documented with great intensity. One of her projects was creating an ethno-botanical dictionary with the help of Haisla elders, identifying the Haisla names and traditional uses for various plants. In 1972, the Northern Sentinel reported that each weekend Gisela made the rounds of her secret botanical hunting grounds to replace the display of floral specimens in her exhibits. She was a tremendous record-keeper and journalist, had a great life of the outdoors, and developed many close friendships in Kitimat and Kitamaat Village. Her thirst for information was incredible, and the Museum and the community benefitted immensely from her passion for gathering and recording knowledge. In the 1990s she received the Award of Merit from the BC Museums Association in recognition of her work. She passed away in 2008.
Custodial History
Materials in this fonds were created by Gisela Mendel during her time as Museum Curator, or donated by her, her family members, or other community members following her retirement.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of materials created or collected by Gisela Mendel throughout her time in British Columbia, particularly during her tenure as the Museum's first curator (1969-1981). It is divided into three series:
Series 1: Photographs - approx. 330 photographs, negatives, and slides taken by Gisela Mendel, showing the local area, flora and fauna, Museum displays, Kitamaat Village and its residents, traditional Haisla cultural activities, etc.
Series 2: Kitimat Flora Collection - 12 boxes of pressed and dried flora from the local area, with associated information.
Series 3: Logbooks and scrapbooks - logbooks from Clague and Squirrel Mountains (1957-1969), accounts of Mendel family outings (1963-1968), scrapbook/photo album from Stikine road trip (1999), textual material and photos on regional hiking rails from binder on assembled by Gisela.
Series 4: Maps - 23 regional maps collected and annotated by Gisela.
The fonds consists of minutes, financial records, correspondence, constitutions, and files pertaining to the Arts and Crafts Fairs, the creation of K.O.A.T.A. and a Juried Art Show. Also includes 4 rubber stamps, and an album containing clippings, pamphlets and photos, gallary forms, Kitimat Community Arts Council logo, and a guest book.
Founded in 1970, incorporated in 1971, the role of the Kitimat Community Arts Council was to increase and broaden the opportunities for Kitimat citizens to enjoy and to participate in cultural and creative arts activities. Some of these activities include Arts and Crafts Fairs, sponsoring cultural performances and lobbying for funding for the Mount Elizabeth Theatre building. The council also sponsored K.A.O.T.A., a store selling local arts and crafts. The council disbanded in 1994.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of minutes, financial records, correspondence, constitutions, and files pertaining to the Arts and Crafts Fairs, the creation of K.O.A.T.A. and a Juried Art Show. Also includes 4 rubber stamps, and an album containing clippings, pamphlets and photos, gallary forms, Kitimat Community Arts Council logo, and a guest book.
Notes
Title based on the contents of the fonds. 2 boxes + guest book.
The Prince Rupert Daily News is a community oriented newspaper that has been in continuous print for nearly one hundred years. With a proud tradition as the paper of record for Prince Rupert, BC since 1911, the Daily News is still going strong today. The newspaper provides their community and others with the latest information on local news, sports, and cultural activities around the area and important issues concerning Prince Rupert and the North Coast.
Custodial History
Stored at the Prince Rupert Daily News until the collection was transfered, as part of a larger collection, to the Prince Rupert City & Regional Archives. The part of the collection pertaining to Kitimat/Kemano was transfered to the Kitimat Museum & Archives in January of 2010.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of photographs of the Alcan Smelter casting in Kitimat, power operations and residential areas in Kemano.
Malcolm Baxter died in 2020. His father Basil, was very instrumental in the organization of Kitimat in the early years. Basil was married to Cathy Baxter and they had two sons - Malcolm and Michael.
Custodial History
Part of items collected by Malcolm Baxter, former editer of NSP. Brought into the museum by Judith Cullington, Malcolm's sister-in-law.
Scope and Content
Folder containing correspondence letters from Basil and Malcolm Baxter.
Planning documents for Kitimat/Alcan's 40th Anniversary in 1994, including meeting minutes, correspondence, and draft itineraries.
- July 1st week celebrations - Canada 125 letter, 14 June 1993
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee meeting minutes, 2 June 1994
- Inter-office memo from Dennis Affleck to Anne Berrisford, 9 June 1994
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee meeting minutes, 9 June 1994
- Letter to Anne Berrisford form Gail Guise, 14 June 1994
- Letter to Les & Beth Holroyd from Allan C. Hewitson, 14 June 1994
- Memo from Tudor Williams to Anne Berrisford, 16 June 1994
- Memo to Anne Berrisford from Art Pugh, 17 June 1994
- Letter to Anne Berrisford from Martin Gould, 17 June 1994
- Letter to Eric S. Sykes from J. Michael Roberts, 21 June 1994
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee Meeting, 16 June 1994
- Letter to Mr. Hewitson from Joe Iannarelli (x2), 22 June 1994
- Message from Anne Berrisford to Wayne L, 22 June 1994
- Messages from Eric Sykes to multiple recipients, 22 June 1994
- Letter to Hon. and Mrs. Michael Harcourt from Eric Sykes, 24 (13?) June 1994
- Letter to Mr. Eric S. Sykes from Bill Rich, 24 June 1994
- Letter to Eric Sykes from David G. Mortimer, 26 June 1994
- Letter to Anne Berrisford from David Dunsmuir, 13 July 1994
- July 14, 1994 Ad #3 for insertion Wed/Sat, 20/23 July (2 similar documents)
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee Meeting, 21 July 1994
- Kitimat 40th Anniversary, Commemorative Ingot Pouring schedule, 28 July 1994
- Pioneer's Memorial schedule, 5 Aug 1994
- Friday Aug 5th, 1994 bus schedules
- Saturday Aug 6th, 1994 bus schedules
- Sunday Aug 7th, 1994 + Monday, August 8th bus schedules
- Alcan's 40th Anniversary itinerary, 6 Aug 1994
- Bus schedules/itineraries, Wed. August 3rd - Tues. August 9th
- 4 floor plans for Alcan Anniversary Party
- Kitimat 40th Anniversary Pioneer Memorial Ceremony script, 5 August 1994
- Kitimat 40th Anniversary Chamber of Commerce Lunch script, 5 August 1994
- Proposed itinerary - Kitimat 40th Anniversary Guests - Wed. 3 August - Sun, 7 Aug - prepared by Elizabeth Hardy, July 28, 1994
Planning documents for Kitimat/Alcan's 40th Anniversary in 1994, including meeting minutes, correspondence, and draft itineraries.
- July 1st week celebrations - Canada 125 letter, 14 June 1993
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee meeting minutes, 2 June 1994
- Inter-office memo from Dennis Affleck to Anne Berrisford, 9 June 1994
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee meeting minutes, 9 June 1994
- Letter to Anne Berrisford form Gail Guise, 14 June 1994
- Letter to Les & Beth Holroyd from Allan C. Hewitson, 14 June 1994
- Memo from Tudor Williams to Anne Berrisford, 16 June 1994
- Memo to Anne Berrisford from Art Pugh, 17 June 1994
- Letter to Anne Berrisford from Martin Gould, 17 June 1994
- Letter to Eric S. Sykes from J. Michael Roberts, 21 June 1994
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee Meeting, 16 June 1994
- Letter to Mr. Hewitson from Joe Iannarelli (x2), 22 June 1994
- Message from Anne Berrisford to Wayne L, 22 June 1994
- Messages from Eric Sykes to multiple recipients, 22 June 1994
- Letter to Hon. and Mrs. Michael Harcourt from Eric Sykes, 24 (13?) June 1994
- Letter to Mr. Eric S. Sykes from Bill Rich, 24 June 1994
- Letter to Eric Sykes from David G. Mortimer, 26 June 1994
- Letter to Anne Berrisford from David Dunsmuir, 13 July 1994
- July 14, 1994 Ad #3 for insertion Wed/Sat, 20/23 July (2 similar documents)
- Alcan 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee Meeting, 21 July 1994
- Kitimat 40th Anniversary, Commemorative Ingot Pouring schedule, 28 July 1994
- Pioneer's Memorial schedule, 5 Aug 1994
- Friday Aug 5th, 1994 bus schedules
- Saturday Aug 6th, 1994 bus schedules
- Sunday Aug 7th, 1994 + Monday, August 8th bus schedules
- Alcan's 40th Anniversary itinerary, 6 Aug 1994
- Bus schedules/itineraries, Wed. August 3rd - Tues. August 9th
- 4 floor plans for Alcan Anniversary Party
- Kitimat 40th Anniversary Pioneer Memorial Ceremony script, 5 August 1994
- Kitimat 40th Anniversary Chamber of Commerce Lunch script, 5 August 1994
- Proposed itinerary - Kitimat 40th Anniversary Guests - Wed. 3 August - Sun, 7 Aug - prepared by Elizabeth Hardy, July 28, 1994
Photographs of a tent being set up in the Riverlodge parking lot for Kitimat/Alcan's 40th Anniversary Celebrations. Includes both interior and exterior views.
Photographs of a tent being set up in the Riverlodge parking lot for Kitimat/Alcan's 40th Anniversary Celebrations. Includes both interior and exterior views.
Folder containing to Team Canada Hockey 1995.
- BC Cup 95 Canada vs Germany ticket (green)
- BC Cup 95 Germany vs USA ticket (yellow)
- BC Cup 95 Canada vs USA ticket (blue)
- BC Cup 95 Final ticket (teal)
- BC Cup 95 USA vs Germany Guest Pass - VIP Room x 2 (green)
- BC Cup 95 Canada vs USA Guest Pass - VIP Room (blue)
- BC Cup 95 Championships Final Guest Pass - VIP Room (red)
- BC Cup Was A Sports and Economic Success write-up (3 pages)
- BC Cup '95 Organizing Committee Meeting Agenda March 9, 1994 (12 pages)
- Event Committee Team Canada Invitational '95 Agenda February 8, 1995 (15 pages)
- BC Cup '95 Organizing Committee Meeting March 9, 1995 (2 pages)
- BC Cup 95 Attendance
Folder containing to Team Canada Hockey 1995.
- BC Cup 95 Canada vs Germany ticket (green)
- BC Cup 95 Germany vs USA ticket (yellow)
- BC Cup 95 Canada vs USA ticket (blue)
- BC Cup 95 Final ticket (teal)
- BC Cup 95 USA vs Germany Guest Pass - VIP Room x 2 (green)
- BC Cup 95 Canada vs USA Guest Pass - VIP Room (blue)
- BC Cup 95 Championships Final Guest Pass - VIP Room (red)
- BC Cup Was A Sports and Economic Success write-up (3 pages)
- BC Cup '95 Organizing Committee Meeting Agenda March 9, 1994 (12 pages)
- Event Committee Team Canada Invitational '95 Agenda February 8, 1995 (15 pages)
- BC Cup '95 Organizing Committee Meeting March 9, 1995 (2 pages)
- BC Cup 95 Attendance
A guest book with names of new canadian citizens and the countries they came from along with the newpaper clippings and photographs they have appeared in.
1 Guest Book
3 Photographs : 2 b&w ; 13.5 cm x 8.5 cm : color ; 9.5 x 7 cm
22 Newspaper Clippings : b&w ; various sizes
Custodial History
Simpson, Pat
Scope and Content
A guest book with names of new canadian citizens and the countries they came from along with the newpaper clippings and photographs they have appeared in.
VHS Cassettes collected or created by the Kitimat Centennial Museum (Kitimat Museum & Archives):
Launching of Canoe 'Haisla Nation'
Kitimat Port Facts
Fluoride
Totem - The Return of G'psgolox Pole
Alcan Historical Films - 1958-1965 - Generator No. 4, Port to the World, Man with a Thousand Hands
Alcan Historical Films - 1979-1991 - Kitimat: A New Generation, Kitimat/Kemano: Aluminum Legends
Kitimat/Kemano: New Dimensions
Kitimat Centennial Museum presents: An Evening with Roger Willcox (3 copies)
Riobamba
1990 Exhibits - Elem. School Art; Out of Shade; Museum (Mixed Filming); Oak Winter Scenes
Child Art - Elementary School, Out of Shade, Tour of Museum, Quilts Part I
Quilts Part II
Golden Mountain - Produced by RBCM
Lion's Dance, W.M. Pang
Golden Dragon Acrobats, Overture Concerts, Vancouver, BC
Design & Production Group, Shane Lunny Productions
B.C. Environment - Green Team, Here's The Dirt, Garbage is Resourceful
Oolichan Rushes, March 1992, Haisla Band, Interview with Cecil Paul, Variations on a Word, Victoria, BC
VHS Cassettes collected or created by the Kitimat Centennial Museum (Kitimat Museum & Archives):
Launching of Canoe 'Haisla Nation'
Kitimat Port Facts
Fluoride
Totem - The Return of G'psgolox Pole
Alcan Historical Films - 1958-1965 - Generator No. 4, Port to the World, Man with a Thousand Hands
Alcan Historical Films - 1979-1991 - Kitimat: A New Generation, Kitimat/Kemano: Aluminum Legends
Kitimat/Kemano: New Dimensions
Kitimat Centennial Museum presents: An Evening with Roger Willcox (3 copies)
Riobamba
1990 Exhibits - Elem. School Art; Out of Shade; Museum (Mixed Filming); Oak Winter Scenes
Child Art - Elementary School, Out of Shade, Tour of Museum, Quilts Part I
Quilts Part II
Golden Mountain - Produced by RBCM
Lion's Dance, W.M. Pang
Golden Dragon Acrobats, Overture Concerts, Vancouver, BC
Design & Production Group, Shane Lunny Productions
B.C. Environment - Green Team, Here's The Dirt, Garbage is Resourceful
Oolichan Rushes, March 1992, Haisla Band, Interview with Cecil Paul, Variations on a Word, Victoria, BC
Notes
There were three tapes in set of Alcan Historical Films. One was destroyed by the VHS Machine.
It contained:
Nechako Survey
Prelude to Kitimat
Powerline to Kitimat
Fonds consists of two files of materials collected and produced by the Kitimat Valley Naturalists:
F1) Contents of the secretary-treasurer's duotang, 1996-1998. Includes meeting minutes, correspondence, receipts, financial documents, mailing lists, 1997 annual report, photocopied map, events schedule, Federation of BC Naturalists membership info, sign-up sheet for Douglas Channel boat trip, correspondence from Creston Valley Wildlife Area, materials re: Gisela Mendel Native Plant Garden, draft write-up for Iron Oxbow Wildlife Viewing Area along the Kitimat River, and ephemera from the inside front cover of the duotang (receipt from Fed. of BC Naturalists, business cards for Aurora Charters and Reid Crowther Consulting Engineers).
F2) Materials related to Pine Creek Protective Covenant, 2003-2014. This covenant was established by Rio Tinto Alcan, the Haisla Nation, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, to protect the Pine Creek hiking trail and its watercourse near Minette Bay. Folder includes correspondence, signage text, Land Title Act forms, maps, and a Master Watercourse Crossing List from Coastal GasLink.
The Kitimat Valley Naturalists are a non-profit organization with the goal of learning about and enjoying the natural history of the Kitimat Valley. They were founded in 1996 and are still active as of 2023. Their projects include an annual Christmas bird count, construction of bat condos, monitoring amphibian numbers, and mapping eelgrass beds in the Douglas Channel.
Custodial History
Items were donated by Susan and Walter Thorne, longtime members of the Kitimat Valley Naturalists, on February 16th 2023. The fonds was arranged and described by Museum staff in April 2023.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of two files of materials collected and produced by the Kitimat Valley Naturalists:
F1) Contents of the secretary-treasurer's duotang, 1996-1998. Includes meeting minutes, correspondence, receipts, financial documents, mailing lists, 1997 annual report, photocopied map, events schedule, Federation of BC Naturalists membership info, sign-up sheet for Douglas Channel boat trip, correspondence from Creston Valley Wildlife Area, materials re: Gisela Mendel Native Plant Garden, draft write-up for Iron Oxbow Wildlife Viewing Area along the Kitimat River, and ephemera from the inside front cover of the duotang (receipt from Fed. of BC Naturalists, business cards for Aurora Charters and Reid Crowther Consulting Engineers).
F2) Materials related to Pine Creek Protective Covenant, 2003-2014. This covenant was established by Rio Tinto Alcan, the Haisla Nation, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, to protect the Pine Creek hiking trail and its watercourse near Minette Bay. Folder includes correspondence, signage text, Land Title Act forms, maps, and a Master Watercourse Crossing List from Coastal GasLink.
Notes
Three reports collected by the KVN - "An Assessment of the Kitimat Iron Oxbow Proposed Wildlife Viewing Area," "Blue Carbon - The Case for the Conservation and Enhancement of Estuarine Processes and Sediments in BC," and "Coastal Wetlands Habitat Assessment and Classification for Northwestern British Columbia" - have been added to the Museum's Reference Library.
Conservation
Removed from original duotang/folders. Staples removed.
Storage Location
Box 29
Arrangement
F1) has been left in original order, apart from ephemera which was removed from the inside cover of the duotang.
F2) has been arranged in roughly chronological order.
Fonds contains documents, photographs, photocopies, and maps collected by Arvid Hardin throughout his ten years in Kitimat. Areas of focus include high school life, the Kitimat Army Cadets, and the creation of Hirsch Creek Park, the Kitimat Community Centre, and the Kitimat trail system.
Arvid Hardin (born c. 1941) lived in Kitimat from 1953 to 1963. He graduated from Mount Elizabeth Secondary School in 1959, served as an active member of the Kitimat Army Cadet Corps, and was involved with the creation of Hirsch Creek Provincial Park. Around 2008, he collaborated with E.E. 'Bill' Duyvewaardt and other former Kitimat Cadets to write a 'historical profile' of the Cadets and their activities.
Custodial History
Materials from accession 2009.15 were donated by Arvid Hardin to the Museum on June 10th, 2009.
Materials from accession 2022.18 were donated by Arvid Hardin on May 10th, 2022.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains documents, photographs, photocopies, and maps collected by Arvid Hardin throughout his ten years in Kitimat. Areas of focus include high school life, the Kitimat Army Cadets, and the creation of Hirsch Creek Park, the Kitimat Community Centre, and the Kitimat trail system.
Conservation
Many pages old and yellowing. Staples, paper clips, and other metal fasteners removed from all papers in March & May 2022.
Storage Location
Box 39
Photo storage
Related Material
Artifacts donated by Arvid Hardin include a proclamation (2009.15.6), gazette (2009.15.7), and high school certificate (2009.15.11).
