The R.C. Harris fonds was accessioned into the UBC Rare Books and Special Collections in 2000; over the next five years, the collection was expanded and distributed among many archives in British Columbia, including the Maritime Museum of BC and the Historical Map Society of British Columbia. In addition, 250 books from his personal library can now be found in the reference section of the West Vancouver Memorial Library. See The R.C. Harris Fonds for an overview of the accession process at UBC Rare Books. Relevant articles from BC Outdoors, BC Historical News, and the VNHS journal Discovery can be accessed at Vancouver Public Library. See Publications for more information.
There are two important things to note about the R.C. Harris fonds: first, the fonds contain copies of almost every map of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest to have ever been produced. The R.C. Harris fonds is also a repository of early histories, correspondence, surveys and photographs which pertain to early British Columbia history; particular research interests include The Hudson's Bay Company and The Royal Engineers.
Second, R.C. Harris was known for his historical maps of BC; he used his research to write seventy-five articles for BC Outdoors, and to organize many trips with both the Vancouver Natural History Society and Federation of BC Naturalists. See A Historical Atlas for more information.
This project features two of the R.C. Harris maps: The 1848 HBSC Trail from Alexandra Lodge and The Hope Trail, North of the Skagit River. These trails can both be found in Bob Harris's published work, Best of BC’s Hiking Trails: Twenty Great Hikes (MacLean Hunter, 1986) and epitomize the combination of field work and research that went into every trip report and article authored by R.C. Harris. For more information on R.C. Harris and his work, see R.C. Harris: A Biographical Sketch.
To view a full PDF of the Finding Aid for the R.C. Harris Fonds at UBC Rare Books & Special Collections, simply click on the above front page image.
