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This collection offers an expansive view of the experiences of Chinese immigrants to Canada, particularly in the Prairie Provinces. While many narratives of Chinese immigration to Canada focus on the construction of the CPR, the emphasis here is on the numerous and diverse roles that Chinese immigrants played in Canada's history. This collection explores the Chinese experience through immigration, entrepreneurship, schooling, and other elements of daily life. Among other things, it is made up of photographs, scrapbooks, business documents, personal correspondence, immigration records, magazines, books, phonograph records, and event programs. A great deal of credit is due to Helen Kwan Yee Cheung, who encouraged donations from the local Chinese community thus helping to build a uniquely community-based collection.

The collection consists of postcards, postcard packages, souvenir booklets, photographs, greeting cards, and books. The materials span three eras of Byron Harmon and his successors’ photography and publishing business. The first part of the collection is of Byron Harmon’s work (ca. 1905 to ca. 1942) that was published under his name. The second part includes the publications created when Byron Harmon’s son Don Harmon took over the company and changed the name to Byron Harmon Photos (ca. 1946 to 1979). The final iteration of the company was Altitude Publishing (ca. 1979 to 2008), which was run by Don Harmon’s daughter Carole Harmon and Stephen Hutchings. In 1991 Carole Harmon left the company and Hutchings moved the business from Banff to Canmore, Alberta, where he continued operations until the company closed in 2008.

The early Byron Harmon series features photography mostly by Byron Harmon. As the company developed and became Byron Harmon Photos other family members and photographers are credited. The Harmon family members who are credited throughout the Byron Harmon Photos and Altitude Publishing eras are Aileen Harmon, Don Harmon, Carole Harmon, and Stephen Hutchings. The photographs are mostly of the Rocky Mountain and Columbia Mountain regions in Alberta and British Columbia and include sights in Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, and the Yoho Valley. While Harmon and his successors specialized in nature photography, the collection has some groups of non-nature photographic postcards taken by Byron Harmon. These postcards feature urban views of Vancouver and Calgary, agricultural scenes, and scenes and portraits of Indigenous Peoples. There are also photographs of interior and exterior views of tourist destinations such as the Chateau Lake Louise and the Banff Springs Hotel.

The last series of the collection includes published books that span from 1978 to 1992. Two are from the Byron Harmon Photos era (published by Oxford University Press) and two are published by Altitude Publishing.

This archival collection is composed of textual and graphic materials related to the Hudson's Bay Company, the fur trade in Canada, and early European settlement in Canada. The collection includes correspondence between high-ranking employees at Hudson's Bay Company fur trade posts, personal correspondence between settlers or Hudson's Bay Company employees and their families, and Hudson's Bay Company reports, proclamations, contracts, and others records. The involvement of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian fur trade is also described throughout this collection. With a few exceptions, most items within the collection were created during the early- to mid-1800s.

This archival collection contains a variety of documents pertaining to the fur trade and other political events in Canada between the years 1676 and 1933. Specifically, it contains printed material regarding the formation of the colony of British Columbia and its incorporation into Canada, as well as manuscripts that describe agreements and treaties made between the governments of the United States and Britain. The archive includes a wide range of business documents, including promissory notes, warrants, and other legal documents relating to payments and goods. It also contains a selection of Voyageur Contracts and documents pertaining to the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company.

The Life, Events, and Players in the North-West is comprised of several smaller collections within Bruce Peel Special Collections that contain materials related to the history and culture of the north-west of what would become Canada.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: Anne Alsop, London

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 4pp

Delivery: Sent to Missionary House, 14 Salisbury Sq., Fleet Street, London

Notes: The letter talks about the events, situations, and friends they know in England.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: Duncan Finlayson

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 2pp

Notes: A brief letter where Finlayson discusses financial matters.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: Alexander Christie, Lower Fort Garry

To: Mrs. Jeny Hickenburger ; Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 2pp

Notes: A pair of letters both written on the same day concerning the same matter. The first is written to "Mrs. Jenny Hickenburger" and the other to Reverend Smithurst regarding the death of Jenny Hickenburger's father. The letter requests that she attends Christie's office to sign the necessary paperwork for her to inherit her father's money. The letter to Smithurst requests his assistance in ensuring that his cousin does not redeem her HBC stock and instead accepts £9 per year as income.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: Robert James, Grand Rapids

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 2pp

Notes: A brief letter from James before the arrival of the Bishop (aka his Lordship).

Place: Red River Settlement

From: James Hunter, Norway House

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 3pp

Notes: Hunter goes into detail about the visit of the Bishop of Prince Rupert’s Land. 
He also writes of matters of business regarding food supplies for the winter, the price of freight from Red River to Norway House and the construction of the Church.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: David Anderson

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 1pp

Notes: Probably delivered by hand.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: Duncan Finlayson, Hudson's Bay House, Lachine

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 2pp

Notes: In the letter, Duncan Finlayson advises John Smithurst of the subscription cost of two papers and the possible cost even if Smithurst thought he stopped the subscription.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: Reverend Abraham Cowley, Partridge Crop

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 3pp

Notes: Partridge Crop was a missionary outpost on the northern reaches of Lake Manitoba, and was later renamed Fairford in 1851 by Bishop Anderson.

The outpost was on the left bank of the Partridge Crop River and was established by McNap for Winter trading with the Indigenous people. The lengthy letter from Cowley mentions topics such as the recent arrival of the bishop, his meeting of confirmation candidates and inspecting the school.

This letter would have travelled by canoe down Lake Winnipeg to the Red River.

Place: Red River Settlement

From: K. G. Smith, Hudson's Bay House, London

To: Reverend John Smithurst

Details: 1pp

Notes: Smith mentions seven enclosed invoices and the amount and balance of a shipment.

Place: Salisbury Street, Ireland

From: John Chapman, Missionary at Middle Church

To: Reverend John Smithurst, 18 Salisbury Street, Ireland

Details: 2pp

Notes: Chapman thanks Smithurst for newspapers and of his letter detailing his route to New York. He also discusses the status of the congregation and the building of a new church.

The RCMP Book Collection of S/Sgt. Al Lund is comprised of books, comics, magazines, and print ephemera that document the history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Over the course of fifty years, distinguished Staff Sergeant (retired) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Alert Henry (Al) Lund amassed the largest ever collection of Mountie books and serials. His collection was donated to the University of Alberta Libraries in tranches beginning in 2008, and all of the rare materials are now housed at Bruce Peel Special Collections. An exhibition catalogue showing highlights from the Lund Collection was published by the University of Alberta Libraries in 2017. Mounties on the Cover is a visually stunning catalogue that offers a sample of the thousands of cover illus­trations of Mounties that were published. The catalogue for this exhibition can be purchased through University of Alberta Press or Indigo or in person in the Peel library for $25 (cash only).

The Roger Pocock Archive comprises of records created by or about Roger Pocock. Records created and collected by Pocock were done so over the course of his life and reflect his travels, occupations, and correspondence. These records include his scrapbooks, diaries, letters, contracts, clippings, published materials, photographs, and postcards. Records about Pocock were mostly created posthumously and include biographies and documents about the Legion of Frontiersmen. The archive is arranged into three series: Personal Papers, Published/Printed Materials, and Photographs and Postcards.

The Prairie Ephemera collection consists of a wide range of photographic and manuscript materials related to the social, economic, and cultural development of the Prairie Provinces. The photographic collection – which consists of both individual images and albums – is highly varied. Scenes of farm and urban life are both well represented. The textual materials are equally diverse, including letters, diaries, meeting minutes, political campaign materials, song books, stock certificates, performance programs and advertisements, among other things. These materials include first hand accounts from homesteaders and visitors to the region discussing the nature of Prairie life in the pioneer period and through the 20th Century.

The Frontiersmen Collection is organized by country—Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, and India—and includes correspondence, financial and legal records, meeting minutes, newsletters, and a variety of military forms, as well as photographs, maps, banners, and medals. It is home to the official Charter Certificate for the founding of the Legion of Frontiersmen Canadian Division, whose headquarters are located in Edmonton. The highlight of the collection is a group of nine field diaries penned by Roger Pocock dated 1905-1917. This collection is closely related to several others housed in Bruce Peel Special Collections, specifically the Sir Samuel Benfield Steele Family Archive and the Roger Pocock Archive. It continues to grow thanks to ongoing donations.

This small research collection of printed ephemera documents some of the Ku Klux Klan’s activities to disseminate its beliefs and biases in favour of the white supremacy movement.

The collection consists of a sampling of dime novels from ten novel series. Two series (the Deadwood Dick Library and Beadle's Frontier Series) are complete runs. A few issues have multiple copies. The detective story is the predominant genre in this collection, represented by significant holdings of issues from the Old Sleuth Library, the Nick Carter Library and the Secret Service series. Western adventure and romance stories are also well-represented in Beadle's Frontier Series. Despite the age and acidic paper of the dime novels, their condition ranges from Fair to Very Good, with the covers of only a few copies ripped, torn, or missing altogether. Novels are stored individually in 9 x 12 inch envelopes.

Fonds consist of David McKnight’s Canadian Little Magazine and Small Press archive, reflecting his interest in documenting the history of this genre of Canadian publishing, and include the pioneering work in the field done by Wynne Francis whose research files form part of the fonds. Through both of their collecting, the David McKnight fonds consists of materials which cover the history of Canadian small press publishing from 1923-2010.

The designation of the series was arrived at after considering the ordering of the material as it was received at Bruce Peel Special Collections. It was clear that there was an original ordering of the files, often according to an alphabetical or chronological scheme, and the files had titles. David McKnight separated his files broadly into those associated with his mentor and advisor, Wynne Francis, and his own research/collection files, and as much as possible, this structure is maintained. Series titles were arrived at after considering the collection in its entirety, and the apparent order implied by McKnight’s file listings and comments. The material was received in two shipments, but was intended as one donation, so some assignment of series and file titles, combining the material in the two shipments, was necessary. The records are almost all textual, although there are three microfilm reels, two cassette tapes, and two photographs.

Taking into consideration both the information provided by David McKnight in a letter to the Head of Bruce Peel Special Collections, and the contents of the records received, six series and several sub-series were established to better facilitate access to the collection.

The archives reflect Dorothy Livesay's earlier work as a poet and consist of poetry manuscripts and typescripts, business correspondence, and typescript drafts of several publications. These records span from 1919 to 1974 and are arranged into four series: Poems: Typescripts and Manuscripts; Poems: Notebooks; Correspondence with Ryerson Press; and Publication Drafts and Author's Prints.

The collection contains correspondence, field notes, and receipts that pertain to Robert Bell. This collection is organized into two series. The correspondence in Series 1 are arranged by name of correspondent. Most correspondence are incoming letters to Dr Bell sent to the Geological survey headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, from locations across Canada. The field notes in Series 2 are arranged chronologically.

Fonds consists of illustrations by Ian Sheldon of various insects including butterflies, moths, beetles, and true bugs. Many of these illustrations were done for various projects and publications. Also included in the fonds are copies of publications in which Sheldon contributed such as Butterflies of British Columbia and Bugs of Alberta.

The collection consists of fishing-related ephemeral material such as brochures, maps, photographs, two photo albums, magazine clippings, catalogues, typed speeches, menus, and anglers' ticket books. The majority of the items are from various locations in Canada or the United States of America. Non-North American items include four brochures from New Zealand, and several miscellaneous items from the United Kingdom. Most of the ephemera are from the mid-twentieth century, but the dates are as early as 1909 and as late as 2000. Many of the items in this collection also cover outdoor recreational activities popular at their time of creation.

Includes photographs, as well as correspondence and miscellaneous materials from Dickins' professional and military career, plus personal memorabilia.

This collection is in development and currently consists of over 500 first-edition Harlequin paperback books including their first publication in 1949. Fiction genres include adventure, western, mystery, detective, thriller, romance, and science fiction. There are also non-fiction publications such as a twenty-fifth anniversary book listing Harlequin publications from 1949 to 1974, a cookbook, and information guides relating to knitting, cars, curling, physical fitness, and etiquette. The collection includes works by notable authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. This collection has significant research potential in Canadian prairie publishing, genre publishing history, vintage pulp fiction, and the history of the romance genre.