Sample A: An Inventory for a Corporate Fonds - Fonds-level only
Title:
Tugaske Oil and Gas Survey Company fonds
Administrative History: Established in 1940 as Tugaske Surveys Ltd, it was originally involved in
contract surveying for roadways in various southwestern Saskatchewan municipalities. In 1943 it
expanded its operations into the field of mineral exploration with the purchase of the assets of Miller
and Sons, a small geological exploration company based in Moose Jaw. Following a merger with the
oil and gas exploration firm of Smith Brothers in 1972 the company entered the field of petroleum
exploration, renaming itself the Tugaske Oil and Gas Survey Company. Except for some minor
speculation in mineral rights holdings, it concentrated primarily on providing exploration and survey
services under contract to out-of-province drilling firms. Its activities continue to be concentrated in
southwestern Saskatchewan and parts of southern Alberta. Organized as a family business, most of
its employees were members of the James MacKay family of Tugaske. No formal administrative
divisions existed within the company although there was a tendency for staff to specialize according
to their backgrounds roughly into two areas: field services (the geologists and surveyors) and
administration (mostly sales, staff support, etc.). In 1980 it opened an office in Lethbridge, Alberta,
which closed in 1983. Although registered as the Tugaske Oil and Gas Survey Company, it was
known colloquially as Tugaske Surveys. James MacKay, Sr., founded the company and was chief
executive officer until his death in 1982, when he was succeeded by his eldest son, James Jr.
Custodial History: Records were maintained on-site until 1982 when the first group of records was donated to the Tugaske Community College Archives. Further accessions occurred in 1987 and 1992. Correspondence and aerial photographs originally belonging to Miller and Sons and taken
between [ca.1920] - 1930 were lost prior to 1943 and not discovered until 1992 when they were found in the basement of the late Mrs. Edda Smith, a long-time Tugaske resident. How they came to be in her possession is not known.
Scope and Content:
Fonds consists of correspondence, survey data and reports, maps, aerial
photographs, and other records relating to the firm's survey and exploration activities, as well as
correspondence, legal documents and other records relating to the ownership of property and
mineral resources, and records - including photographs - relating to day-to-day administration of the
company. Fonds consists of the following series:
Source of supplied title: Title based on provenance of the records.
Immediate Source of Acquisition: Records donated by Sarah Jones, grand-daughter of Mrs.
Edda Smith, June 2, 1992. Relationship of donor to material is unknown.
Arrangement: Records belonging to Miller and Sons and Smith Bros. were integrated into the
fonds as part of the mergers of those companies. At some point in their custodial history an attempt
was made to disassemble these records. Original order was reconstituted by archivists and the
"missing" Miller and Sons records interfiled according to the original arrangement.
Restrictions on access: See series level descriptions.
Accruals: Accruals occur at irregular intervals. Further accruals are expected.
Related records in other fonds: Related records may be found in the James McKay Family
fonds.
Finding Aid: File list available
(The following is a series-level description from the Sample A fonds. Note "linking" element.)
Fonds:
Tugaske Oil and Gas Survey Co.
[note: this is the linking element used in Canadian RAD]
Custodial History: Records created by field officers were maintained in the central office in
Tugaske as part of the company's normal record-keeping regimen. Records created at the
Lethbridge office were transferred to Tugaske after it closed in 1982.
Scope and content:
Series consists of case files relating to survey and exploration operations
including photos, maps, correspondence between the company and its customers, field operative
correspondence, survey data and reports, contracts and other financial records specific to each
project. Records are filed alphabetically by project title.
(Note that in this case no administrative history was required at the series-level).
[Note that records of individuals or families are described in the same way as corporate records with the exception that the Biographical Sketch is used instead of the Administrative History]
Title: The John Smith fonds
Biographical Sketch:
Born in 1861, John Joseph Smith emigrated from Suffolk, England with his parents Robert and Marian (nee Jones) in 1871. The family homesteaded near what is now Hamilton, Ontario before moving west to the Red River settlement in 1878. In 1881 Smith left home and began a lifetime of drifting across western and northern Canada [received no formal education after age 14 but showed artistic talent at an early age. He worked at various times as a buffalo hunter, trapper, farm labourer and construction worker, supplementing his income by selling pencil sketches to newspapers in western Canada and as far away as Ontario. In 1914 he settled in The Pas, Manitoba, where he began to draw in earnest. In 1919 his material caught the attention of Wilfred Drew, an art fancier and gallery owner in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who became his agent. Smith's first exhibition was in 1923 but it was not until after his death in 1928 that his work gained widespread public recognition.
Custodial History: After Smith's death, custody of the fonds passed to his agent, Wilfred Drew. In 1934 the Drew Gallery was purchased by Abramson and Associates, with custody of the fonds passing to them. In 1952 Smith's nephew, Theodore Jenkins, successfully sued Abramson for the original records. After his death in 1966 custody was transferred to his son and heir, Robert, who donated them to the Archives in 1967.
Scope and Content: Fonds consists primarily of original sketches, watercolours and line drawings depicting scenes from Smith's travels, particularly among native peoples in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Fonds includes a some rougher pencil sketches done while travelling but is principally composed of more sophisticated work dating from the 1914-1928 period. Textual records include correspondence with Wilfred Drew (1919-1928), financial records relating to gallery sales (1923-1927), clippings from newspapers in which his early work was published and personal correspondence with a variety of family members and others.
[Please note that this is a limited and incomplete sample. Just as in Sample A, this inventory of personal papers would also have to incorporate more fonds-level elements (source of supplied title; arrangement; restrictions; accruals, etc) as well as series-level descriptions.]
Dates: 1905-1985 ; predominant 1945-1985.
Extent: 10 m of textual records. -- ca. 500 photographs : b&w and col. ; 40 x 50 cm or smaller. --
250 maps : col., some mss. ; 100 cm x 90 cm. or smaller.
Series: Survey and exploration case files
Dates: 1915 - 1985 ; predominant 1945-1985
Extent:
6 m. of textual records. -- ca. 450 photographs : b&w and col. ; 40 x 50 cm and 20 x 25
cm. -- 250 maps : col., most mss. ; 100 cm x 90 cm. or smaller.
Sample B: An Inventory for a Personal Fonds - Fonds-level only (Courtesy of Saskatchewan Council of Archives, this inventory is 'fictitious')
Dates: [ca. 1868] - 1928.
Extent: 2 m. of textual records. -- ca. 450 drawings.
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