PRIVATELY
DONATED RECORDS
These records contain a wide range of information about people, places and events
important to the history of the region. They include substantial holdings on
agriculture, the performing and visual arts, coal mining, community clubs and
societies, and regional planning among many others.
GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT AGENCY RECORDS
The Archives maintains holdings of historical records of the City of Lethbridge.
At present, these include early tax rolls, City Council minutes, Fire and Police
Department records, and cemetery records. Also in the Archives' holdings are
early records of the City Manager.
The City of Lethbridge also maintains a records centre under the direction of
a Records Manager. Inquiries regarding municipal records can also be directed
there. The telephone number is (403) 320-7383. E-mail can be sent to kwolansky@city.lethbridge.ab.ca.
In addition to City of Lethbridge records, the Archives have the early records
of the Town of Magrath, and the records of the Oldman River Regional Planning
Commission.
FILMS,
NEGATIVES, PHOTOGRAPHS, SLIDES AND VIDEOS
The Archives have over 250,000 still and moving images in its holdings. These
images record almost every aspect of the history of Lethbridge and southwestern
Alberta since photography was introduced here. Collections of note include The
Lethbridge Herald, de Jourdan Studio, Terry Bland Photography and a portion
of the work of A.E. Cross Studio.
AUDIO RECORDINGS
Approximately 400 audio recordings are deposited with the Archives. These interviews
centre on the lives of residents of the region, and contain a wealth of historical
information based on personal experiences. The Archives also have small holdings
of broadcast and popular music recordings.
MAPS AND TECHNICAL DRAWINGS
The holdings in this area include topographical sheets, a limited number of
architectural drawings of commercial and public buildings, fire insurance maps
for Lethbridge, a small number of land ownership maps, and a considerable number
of technical drawings dealing with various aspects of urban and rural planning
and delivery of services.
LIBRARY
The Archives' library contains approximately 1,000 books and other publications.
These include community histories, topical histories (for example irrigation,
Native people, the Mounted Police and coal mining), and numerous other secondary
sources.
The library also contains publications considered to be primary sources: school
textbooks, technical manuals, medical texts, and reports by early explorers
and travelers such as Palliser, G.M. Dawson and John Macoun.
NEWSPAPERS AND CLIPPINGS FILES
The Archives have hard copies of all of the special editions of The Lethbridge
Herald newspaper. Microfilm of the following newspapers is also available
for researchers: The Lethbridge News (1885-1906), The Lethbridge Herald
(1905-1928), Lethbridge Telegram (1914-1918), Fort Benton Record
(1875-1884), and the Raymond newspapers (collectively 1907-1956).