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This fonds consists of approximately 51 meters of textual records, approximately 116 photographs, and 31 maps created and accumulated by the Northern Administration Branch and its various predecessors, from 1920 to 1978. The material was generated by the Federal government's activities in administering the Northwest Territories. Most of the records (over 34 m of textual records) are composed of files transferred from Ottawa to Yellowknife beginning in 1967, and include administrative and operational files. The majority of these files date between 1949 and 1967 and incorporate: correspondence, reports, vital statistic information, financial data, minutes, and a wide variety of reference material kept by the department. The files were classified via a numerical block system. The block system consisted of primary, secondary and tertiary levels such that a composite file number (for example 311-105-93) would represent a progression from general subject matter to a specific subject and/or location. The following primary blocks arrange the files:

100 - Administration;
200 - Economic and Industrial Development;
300 - Engineering Projects;
400 - Forests and Game;
500 - Public Service;
600 - Education;
1000 - General files on settlements, associations, companies, provinces, foreign countries, Inuit affairs, and resources;
20 - Individual case files;
3 - Personnel and organizational files.

None of the 700, 800 or 900 block files were forwarded to the NWT Archives. Moreover, at the time of transfer from Ottawa, it appears that other records from the file blocks brought to Yellowknife were culled in Ottawa. In addition, not all government functions were transferred in 1967, and some files contain records generated after 1967 from the continued administration of a function either by the federal government or from the use of the files by the new Territorial Government. A small number of photographs were located in the files during processing, however, these images have been left in their original files.

Additional accruals to this fonds make up another 10 meters of textual records and include the Northern Administration Branch records from the Fort Churchill district office dating from 1960 to 1970, and Western Arctic education records from 1964 to 1969. Another accrual of 7 meters of textual records documents the administration of trapping and hunting in the Northwest Territories, including correspondence, Superintendent of Game daily journals, game officer daily diaries and monthly reports, meeting minutes and materials, wildlife publications and reports, procedures, registered trapping area files, licence applications and licences, hunting and trapping returns, and fur export tax returns.

Other records of this fonds consist of: four ledgers kept between 1920 and 1967 documenting fur trapping and fur trading activities, four ledgers documenting fur and game take and value on registered trap lines, various licensing, and scientific research work; budget papers including estimates, expenditure statements and capital substantiation reports for 1966 to 1969; 2 supplementary readers, "Nuna" and "The Story of Papik an Eskimo Boy" compiled by the Curriculum Section of the Education Division from the journals of young Inuit children; and a 1954 report produced by C.C. Johnson, a Resident Engineer from Fort Smith. This report, entitled "Preliminary Report, Mackenzie Highway - Mills Lake Road" includes 31 corner mounted photographic prints and 16 black and white negatives. The report discusses plans to build a road to Mills Landing. In addition, there are copies of the Eskimo Bulletin dated from 1953-1959. The Eskimo Bulletin was produced by the Northern Administration and Land Branch in order to teach Inuit the English language.

This fonds consists of 71 photographs, 47 colour slides, one photocopy of a map showing the settlement of Hay River in 1945, 6 original sketch maps of various other communities also from 1945, and one report entitled "Report on Physical Geography Study of the Western Arctic, 1947." The photographs show various communities across the north including, Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Fort Providence, Pine Point, Tulita, Inuvik, Aklavik, Port Radium, Rankin Inlet and Yellowknife. The photographs of Hay River show dwellings and tents; however, there are also images of the meteorological station, airfield and Hudson's Bay Company. The images of Yellowknife are primarily aerial images of the town, images of Old Town, residential areas and places of business. There are also photographs of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) barracks, Con Mine, Gordon Lake Mine, Negus Mine and commercial gardens. The photographs of Port Radium show the Eldorado uranium mine. Other photographs show pipeline activity at Inuvik. The slides are also mainly aerial images, and document communities throughout the NWT and Nunavut, including Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Fort Good Hope, Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Hay River and the Mackenzie river. Nunavut locations documented on slides include Cambridge Bay, Baffin Island, Mansel Island, Prince Charles Island, Boothia Peninsula and Arctic Bay. One colour slide is a picture of Tom Doornbos of Yellowknife, carrying his water pails. The report was generated from personal observations by Robinson during a visit to the western arctic in August of 1947. The majority of the report focuses on observations about Victoria Island, Prince of Wales Island, Somerset Island and the Boothia Peninsula; however, there are also notations concerning the topography from Yellowknife to Bathurst Inlet. The report includes a diary of the trip and contains discussions of the topography, mapping, geology, ice conditions, vegetation and animal life. The report was originally produced for the Federal Government, Lands and Development Services Branch, Northwest Territories and Yukon Services.