Harley Hatfield Cascade Wilderness Fond S
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Harley Hatfield Cascade Wilderness fond s An inventory in Rare Books and Special Collections University of British Columbia Library Prepared by: Joanne Boucher Jennifer Smith April 2002 FONDS LEVEL DESCRIPTIO N Harley Hatfield Cascade Wilderness fonds [textual records and other material] . – 1804 – 1997, predominant 1970 – 1990 . -1 .48 linear m of textual records and other material . Biographical Sketch : Harley Robert Hatfield was born on February 28, 1905 in Saint John, New Brunswick . The son o f Arthur Seaman Hatfield and Roberta (Christie), he moved to British Columbia with his family i n the summer of 1907 . The family first settled on the edge of Shuswap Lake, but moved quickly t o Summerland that fall . In 1909, the Hatfield family relocated to Kaleden, one of the earlies t families to settle in that community . Some time between 1910-1920, the family moved onc e again to Penticton . After his graduation from Penticton High School in 1923, Harley Hatfiel d moved to Vancouver to begin studies at the University of British Columbia in 1924 . Following hi s marriage to Edith White Tisdall, known as 'Toddy', in 1932, the couple moved their family t o Vaseaux Lake. Two sons were born to them, John, in 1934, and Peter, in 1936 . (Two othe r children, Chris and Alyson, were born a decade later, following World War II .) The Hatfield family re-located to Penticton in the late 1930's, where they remained until Edith's death in 1984 . Harley Hatfield stayed on at the family home until 1994, moved to a retirement home in Penticto n between 1994 and 1998, and finally moved to Vancouver in 1998, where he lived until his death , on February 14, 2000. While studying at UBC, Hatfield began a career in construction to help pay for his studies . In the late 1920's, he graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Arts in History, and, returning home t o Penticton, he and his father established the family business, Interior Contracting Company Ltd ., in 1930. The Company built many roads, bridges, and damns throughout the British Columbia . interior. Hatfield enlisted in the military at or near the beginning of World War II and first served with the Royal Canadian Air Force . He later transferred to the Royal Canadian Engineers , attaining the rank of Captain. He never had the opportunity to serve overseas during wartime . I n 1945, his unit was demobilized and he returned to his family and to Interior Contracting i n Penticton . The family business was sold in the mid-late 1950's . It was in the 1950's that Hatfield became one of the founding members of the Okanaga n Similkameen Parks Society (OSPS) . He was also a director, writer, and, eventually, Honorary Life Member of the Okanagan Historical Society, and an active member of the Wildernes s Advisory Committee. His son, Peter, would eventually take up his father's interest in the OSP S and the Wilderness Advisory Committee and in his efforts to protect the Cascade Wildernes s area. Harley Hatfield's efforts to restore both the Hudson's Bay Company and Okanagan Brigad e Trails were rewarded with the naming of Mount Hatfield, located near the Hudson's Bay Compan y Trail, in his honour in the late 1960's, and with a Heritage Canada Foundation Award in 1981 . Although his work to preserve the Cascade Wilderness and related trails claimed the bulk of hi s attention, Harley Hatfield also served as a director of the Engineering Institute of Canada fro m 1961 to 1971, as an Alderman for the City of Penticton between 1965 and 1968, as an Executiv e Member of the Similkameen Regional District from 1965 to 1969, as a member of the Penticto n Board of Trade, and in various capacities with the Boy Scouts . Scope and Contents : The fonds consists predominantly of textual, graphic, and cartographic materials documenting the efforts of Harley Hatfield, in conjunction with the Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society, the Wilderness Advisory Committee, and the Okanagan Historical Society, to establis h the Cascade Wilderness area and the Hudson's Bay Company and Okanagan Brigade Trails as protected areas in the interior of British Columbia . The fonds also includes textual record s illustrating Mr. Hatfield's research into the old fur trading routes in the area, and the prominen t persons connected with breaking those trails; additional materials document facets of Mr. Hatfield's personal life and other interests . Notes : Title based on contents of the fonds and on direction of the institution . Title does not accurately reflect the contents of the records . Approximately 50% of the materia l was generated by Peter Hatfield, Harley Hatfield's son . The majority of the material dated prior to 1960 is research material accumulated by Harle y Hatfield from archives and other sources . Two boxes containing this material (#7 and #9) have not been arranged or described . Includes 152 maps, 148 photographs (some contained within a photo album), 395 slides, 1 film, 1 audio cassette tape, and 1 VHS video tape. Transferred from Peter Hatfield, February 20, 2001 . In large part, the original order of the creator has been lost . In many cases, materials pertaining to specific series are distributed throughout the fonds . For example, materials from differen t series may be found within the same folder. Box list available . SERIES DESCRIPTION S 1 . Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society Records. – [19-? -19-?] . – [?] m of textual records. Scope and Contents : Little can be determined about the history of the Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society, othe r than the fact that Harold King was President of the Society in 1982 and 1983 . The series consists of correspondence, published material, and minutes relating to the Society' s involvement in the Cascade Wilderness project . The series has been divided into the followin g sub-series: 1) correspondence 2) newsletters / brochures / booklets 3) reports and survey s 4) minutes Notes: Little is known at this point about the nature of Harley and Peter Hatfield's involvement with th e Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society, other than that Harley may have been a foundin g member . It is also unclear in the records to what extent the Society was involved in the Cascad e Wilderness project, and whether the Society was established solely as part of the effort to get th e Cascade Wilderness area set aside, or was established separately and was also involved wit h other activities . From the records, it appears that the Society was involved with many differen t activities . This series forms part of the Harley Hatfield Cascade Wilderness fonds . 2. Committees Records. – [ca. 1970 – 1992] . – [?] m of textual records. Scope and Contents : The series consists of correspondence, minutes, newsletters and other textual material relating t o several committees that were involved in the Cascade Wilderness project, including : the Cascade Advisory Committee, the Wilderness Advisory Committee, the Cascade Wilderness Advisor y Committee, the Cascade Wilderness Committee, the Okanagan Historical Society, and others . The Cascade Advisory Committee was established by the B . C. Ministry of Forests in 1983 to advise the Ministry in ongoing discussions regarding the Cascade Wilderness Area . It was comprised of representatives from several organizations with an interest in forestry issues . The records contain little information regarding the administrative histories of the other committees . The series has been divided into the following sub-series : 1) correspondence 2) newsletters/ booklets/ brochure s 3) reports and survey s 4) minutes Notes: It is very difficult to determine from the records what the relationships were between thes e committees, or their respective roles in the Cascade Wilderness project . The name s of the Wilderness Advisory Committee, the Cascade Wilderness Advisory Committee, and th e Cascade Wilderness Committee seem to have been used interchangeably, and it is possible tha t they are all the same organization . There is no explicit evidence within the records to indicate on e way or the other. It is also unclear whether these committees were subsidiary bodies to th e Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society or were independent entities. This series forms part of the Harley Hatfield Cascade Wilderness fonds . 3. Cascade Wilderness Area Trails Records . -1972 – 1993. – [?] m textual records and othe r materials. Scope and Contents: Contains correspondence, newsletters, slides, photographs, clippings, and other material s documenting the efforts of Harley and Peter Hatfield in protecting and maintaining historic trail s within the Cascade Wilderness area . Sub-series include: 1) Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trai l 2) Okanagan Brigade Trail 3) Blackeyes Trail 4) Whatcom Trail 5) Hope Trail 6) Dewdney Trail 7) Other Trail s Limited information on other trails in the area is also included . The series forms part of the Harley Hatfield Cascade Wilderness fonds . 4. Government-related Records . – [ca. 1970 -19-?] . – [?] m of textual records. Scope and Contents : The series consists of correspondence between various government agencies and officials at th e federal and provincial levels, and various individuals, including Harley and Peter Hatfield, an d copies of reports and surveys issued by various government agencies . This series forms part of the Harley Hatfield Cascade Wilderness fonds . 5. Presentations . – [198-? -198-?] . – [?] m of textual records and graphic materials. Scope and Contents: The series consists of textual material and slides used to make presentations to various groups , including the B.C. Ministry of Forests and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Development , about the proposed Cascade Wilderness area . It is difficult to identify from the material which person or group was making each presentation . It is equally difficult to distinguish which slides may have been used with which presentations ; it is possible that some groups of slides may have been used in more than one presentation .