BOOK YOUR RESEARCH SESSION
The Archives acquires, stores and preserves the memory of our community. Our records of Bowen Island’s people and organizations include the following: photographs, letters, minutes and memoranda, maps and architectural plans, audio and visual tapes, and small artworks. These are available for your research.
Come to the Museum and Archives to learn more about your community and the people in it. There is no charge for most services, though donations are always welcome. A few services, such as copies of photos, have small fees attached.
We welcome you to come in and browse:
- The Photograph Collection
- The Biographical Database
- The Maps Database
- The Artifact Database
- The Family and Organizational Fonds
- The Bowen Island Books
To book a session please fill out the form below.
If our regular hours do not work for you, please contact us to discuss other options.
VISIT OUR ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHIC DATABASE
We are excited to announce that we have over 10,000 images online.
Below is a sample of the diverse collection of images found in the archives.
RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
The Bowen Island Archives has many textual, photographic and media documents available for use. Please book a research time.
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Our archives contain information regarding various neighbourhoods around Bowen Island, organized and searchable by name. Documents may include maps, land claims, personal accounts, and artifacts.
FONDS / TEXTUAL RECORDS
A fond is an archival term describing a collection of papers from the same source. Each fond is an aggregation of files and documents we have been gifted. These include manuscripts, letters, diaries and memoirs from persons and organizations, all of which document the history and development of Bowen Island.
NEWSPAPERS
Our current records date as far back as 1976, and include copies of local Bowen Island newspapers (The Undercurrent, Bowen Breeze, B.I.T.E., The Beacon) and short-run papers. These archived newspapers track the island’s obituaries over the years, and contain valuable information regarding Bowen Island’s development over time.
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
Biographical indexes contain extensive information on individuals who have been a part of Bowen’s history. These indexes include such things as date of birth, lineages, occupations, and ownership.
AUDIO INTERVIEWS
We have conducted interviews with individuals from Bowen Island on subjects such as early settlement, mining history, commercial ventures, and the Union Steamships. These holdings are included in both digitized audio and transcribed documents.
SUBJECT FILES
The subject file index provides a list of significant subjects associated with our collections.
OUR COLLECTIONS
Fonds / Textual Records
Families, businesses, and organizations have contributed to our collections, which include documents, maps, video, and audio as well as artifacts.
DONATE YOUR RECORDS
Would you like to donate your personal, business and organizational records to the Bowen archives?
We welcome all records that relate to Bowen Island. This includes business records, organizational records and personal records. They can be as large as the lifetime records of a business or as small as a single photograph.
We welcome your personal papers, diaries, photographs, oral histories, films, and similar unpublished records.
Listed below are types of materials in personal, family, community or organizational records that are often valuable to a researcher.
- Memoirs/reminiscences
- Letters/emails
- Diaries/blogs
- Scrapbooks/photo albums
- Professional papers
- Genealogical information
- Speeches/lectures
- Articles/essays
- Subject files
- Legal documents
- Minutes/reports
- Brochures and fliers
- Awards/certificates
- Photographs (with subjects and locations identified)
- Films/videos/audio tapes (including identifying information)