Summary information
| Repository: | South Peace Regional Archives |
| Title: | Beaverlodge Research Farm fonds |
| Reference code: | 0721 |
| Date: | 1971-05-03 – 2003-08-13 (date of creation) |
| Physical description: | ca. 220 botanical specimens : mounted on paper
4.5cm of textual records |
| Dates of creation, revision and deletion: | Arrangement and description of material from 2024.023 completed by Luke Harasen on 2025-10-10. |
Administrative history / Biographical sketch
The Beaverlodge Research Farm began in 1914 when W.D. Albright offered to conduct agricultural tests on his farm, for which he was given grants in 1915 and 1916. The Beaverlodge Experimental Sub-station became official in 1917 when Albright leased a portion of his land to the government and started receiving a part-time salary to collect agricultural data. In 1940, the Canadian government purchased the farm from Albright, allowing him to remain as its superintendent, and upgraded it to the status of a full experimental station. By 1951, major construction projects were underway to modernize the farm and expand its capabilities. An apiary would be constructed for the farm in 1960. As well as updates to its facilities and technology, the experimental farm underwent numerous name changes of the course of its operation, including being renamed to the Northern Agriculture Research Centre in 1994. Plans for further expansion and renovation began in the 1970s and would eventually be constructed between the late 1990s and 2002.
The experimental farm specialized in researching agriculture with respect to improving agriculture in the region and northern Canada more broadly. Examples of research areas studied by the farm include crop varieties and their suitability to the region, weather and climate, tilling techniques, agricultural technology, beekeeping, and pollination. The Beaverlodge Research Farm would also host field day events at its own farm and others to share their projects and research with farmers of the Peace River Country. The experimental farm has also hosted conferences and tours for agricultural experts from across Canada and the world.
Custodial history
The material for this fonds was kept at the home of George Henn, a beekeeper and technician at Beaverlodge Research Farm who contributed to the pollen tracing project these records were used in. The records would remain at Henn’s home after his passing in 2016 until they were transferred by his widow and donated in 2024.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records collected through research projects conducted at the Beaverlodge Research Farm. Records include plant specimens, correspondence, and research notes for a study of bee pollination.
Notes
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the current name of the organization.
Arrangement
Fonds is arranged into series based on research projects and was done with the consideration that future accruals are possible.
Access points
- Textual record (documentary form)
- Object (documentary form)
Series descriptions
| Series 0721.01: Pollen research
Date: 1971-05-03 – 2003-08-13 (date of creation) Scope and content: Series consists of textual records and plant specimens accumulated by Don Nelson, George Henn, and Jack Warren for the purpose of research into pollen tracing. Textual records include correspondence, botanical reference material, and plant identification records. Physical description: ca. 220 botanical specimens : mounted on paper 4.5cm of textual records Access points: • Textual record (documentary form) • Object (documentary form) Arrangement: Arrangement is based on the material’s original order and its organization by record type. Publication status: Published |
|||
| File / item list | |||
| Reference code | Title | Dates | Physical description |
| 0721.01.01 | File – Plant collection information | 1973-01-08 – 1978-03-10 | 1cm of textual records |
| Scope and content:
File consists of correspondence, botanical reference material, identification reports, and identification notes. Correspondence from the Plant Research Institute and Biosystematics Research Institute in Ottawa is accompanied by their identification reports, while correspondence with the Provincial Museum of Alberta and British Columbia’s Curator of Botany are accompanied by botanical reference material specific to the Peace River Country. |
|||
| 0721.01.02 | File – Specimen identification cards | 1971-05-03 – 2003-08-13 | 3.5cm of textual records (5 notepads, circa. 220 identification cards) |
| Scope and content:
Files consists of notepads containing specimen identification cards corresponding to the botanical specimens in file 0721.03 and loose identification cards recording the same kind of information. Specimen cards include information about the collector, date, habitat, location, specimen description, and plant type if they have been identified. |
|||
| 0721.01.03 | File – Plant specimens | 1971-05-03 – 2003-08-13 | ca. 220 botanical specimens : mounted on paper |
| Scope and content:
File consists of plant specimens collected starting in 1971 and potentially as late as 2003. Specimens are affixed to pieces of paper that fold over to cover the plant material. Many of the specimens are accompanied by cards on their pages identifying the plants, others have only their identifying numbers written on their paper, and some have no identifying information. |
|||