Many of the photographs appear to have been taken in conjunction with visits of medical teams to First Nations communities in Saskatchewan. These teams were working to diagnose and treat cases of tuberculosis - a disease that was extremely prevalent among the Indigenous peoples of western Canada during this period. This association is not made explicit in the album's captions, but there are a number of photographs of the Fort Qu'Appelle Sanatorium. Moreover, at least two of the individuals identified in the album may have been associated with the anti-tuberculosis campaign in Saskatchewan. Dr. R.G. Ferguson - Director of the Fort Qu'Appelle Sanatorium from 1917 to 1948 - was the province's leading tuberculosis researcher and administrator. Dr. Austin Simes, a collaborator of Ferguson, was appointed medical superintendent of the Qu'Appelle Indian Health Unit in 1929.
The R.S. Connell identified on the album’s first page may have worked with these men. C. Stuart Houston's biography of Ferguson mentions the significant contribution to the anti-tuberculosis programme made by Robert S. Connell and his brother, James. Houston writes that "[t]he story begins in early 1923, when Robert S. Connell was on staff as 'assistant technician, x-ray'…. Later, Robert's brother James was also hired.… The two Connell brothers had a natural talent for radiography. Robert pioneered the makeshift methods for taking a portable generator and x-ray machine to the File Hills Indian Reserve and to Indian schools for Dr. A.B. Simes." (R.G. Ferguson: Crusader against tuberculosis, Toronto: Hannah Institute, 1991, p. 103).
This generator may be captured in one of the images. Mr. Connell certainly appears to have travelled to the two places most prominently featured in the album: Lac la Ronge and Beauval. Houston notes on page 98 of his book that Dr. Simes and Mr. Connell flew to these communities in 1937.
The album also contains photographs from other Saskatchewan communities, including Ile-a-la-Crosse, Lebret, Onion Lake, Montreal Lake, Piapot Reserve, Little Pines Reserve, and Red Pheasant Reserve. Also present are a number of postcards and other reproductions capturing scenes from Fort Walsh and the North-west Rebellion of 1885.