Fonds consists of textual records including correspondence, diaries and manuscripts relating to the Klondike Gold Rush, Captain J.E. Bernier's Arctic Expeditions in 1924 to 1925 and the Arctic patrol in 1937 and the J.L. Burwash Arctic Expedition to King William Island for which Finnie served as filmmaker in 1930 to 1931. His papers document his films in the 1930's of mineral resources and Indian and Inuit peoples in the Mackenzie Valley region. His papers reflect his employment for Bechtel Engineering and Construction Ltd. from 1942 to 1968 and document the construction of the Alaska Highway and Canadian pipelines such as the Canol pipeline 1942 to 1945, the TransCanada gas pipeline and the Interprovincial oil pipeline in the 1950's as well as projects such as the development of Labrador iron ore in the 1960's. Also included in this fonds is a selection of documents which includes correspondence with or relating to Richard Finnie, his work as a writer, a film maker and explorer in northern Canada; manuscripts and articles by Richard Finnie on northern Canada; biographical notes on Finnie; as well as personal papers, clippings and other material relating to Finnie and or his interests.
Fonds also contains photographs which document the life and career of Finnie, particularly in northern Canada; as well as photographs of events, individuals, and subjects related to Finnie, 1898-1980.
Also included in fonds are moving images that document Richard Finnie's position as explorer, writer, lecturer, photographer, and pioneer motion picture producer. Included are documentaries on the natural resources of Canada's Northland, with special emphasis on oil, oil sands, pipelines, and minerals. Other subjects include the Canadian Arctic Expeditions of 1928 and 1929, folk art, the study of the Copper Inuit, the Dogrib Indian Land Treaty, the development of Northern Canada, Quebec traditions, Paris, Kampuchea, World War Two, Alaska Highway and CANOL, his extensive productions for the Bechtel Corporation, and interviews.
Also included are sound recordings documenting lectures, interviews, research and background material relating to Finnie's work on the history and the development of Northern Canada. Included are interviews with Finnie by Claude Minotto about the 1924 East Arctic Expedition, 1975; an interview with Richard Finnie, Maurice Haycock and Walter Kupsch about their experiences in the Canadian Arctic, 1980; a dedication of the first shipment of ore from the Puerto Ordaz mine in Venezuela, 1954; and the official opening of the western terminus of the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Burnaby, British Columbia, 1953.
The fonds also contains maps of the Klondike Goldfields, city of Dawson, and transportation facilities in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, 1943-1972, as well as 2 plans for the CANOL project at Norman Wells, Northwest Territories.
