This collection contains an eclectic assortment of material – primarily images –relating to the history of Southwestern Ontario and its surrounding areas. The collection has been arranged into series that reflect the types of material received for digitization by SWODA. Series I contains photographs, including a number depicting the work and premises of a Windsor-area construction company, ca. 1920s-1970s; a 1943 group photo from a Windsor factory doing war production; and a Windsor elementary school class photo, ca. 1918; and mausoleums in Windsor Grove Cemetery, 1987-2021. Series II contains several hundred historic postcards in various styles (ca. 1900-2001) depicting landscapes, buildings, attractions, infrastructure, and modes of transportation primarily in Southwestern Ontario (especially Windsor and Essex County) and Detroit, Michigan. Five 1946 postcards depicting other places are all addressed to Miss F. “Rose” Perjul of Windsor, Ontario, mostly from newly demobilized soldier “Frank.” One postcard commemorates a 1959 royal visit. Further series will be added as applicable. Any known details about a specific item are included in the finding aid.

The fonds contains original typescripts of 1 letter and 5 poems (2 of which are poem cycles) authored by Raymond Knister. The 2 poem cycles, “Seven Poems,” and “A Row of Stalls” were published during his lifetime, in 1922 and 1925 respectively. The rest were published posthumously with “March Wind” in 1983, and “To One Lost” and “Still Young,” under the title “Until, Still Young,” in 2003. The poems are largely about relationships and emotions, with “A Row of Stalls” covering rural life which Knister is known for. The letter was written in 1931 to a regular correspondent known only as E.F. and covers topics including writing, specifically commenting on the Canadian writing scene, his father’s death, and his family life.

This fonds consists primarily of historic postcards depicting landscapes, buildings, attractions, infrastructure, and vehicles in the region of Southwestern Ontario, with a particular focus on Windsor and Essex County. Many of the postcards are undated, but formats include hand-tinted Early Twentieth Century (ca. 1900-1914) and White Border (ca.1914-1932) styles, as well as Linen (ca.1933-early 1950s), Standard/Chrome (ca. mid-1950s-1970s), and Continental/Modern (ca. 1970s - present) styles. Also included are a small number of photographs and ephemera items including arrest warrants, tokens, medallions, patches, maps, brochures, tickets, and advertisements, all relating to local people, businesses, events, or locations.

The years 1900 to 1914 were a so-called Golden Age for postcards in North America, thanks to the popularity of photography and mass production techniques that made them an affordable collectible item. Views of all kinds were produced, including residential neighbourhoods, churches and civic buildings, commercial districts, industrial plants, bridges, and landscapes. From 1900 into the 1930s, many postcards were black-and-white photographs with colour added. In subsequent decades glossy colour photographs became the norm, and a narrower range of views were produced (often depicting popular tourist sites, where they were sold as souvenirs). By the 1970s most North American postcards shifted from the traditional small size (8.5 x 14cm) to the larger European (“Continental”) size (10 x 15.5cm) and continued to feature a small range of local tourist attractions. All of these trends are reflected in the postcards contained in this fonds.

The J. Clark Keith papers contain a record of activities pursued by one of Windsor’s most eminent engineers during his career with the Essex Border Utilities Commission (1920-1935) and the subsequent Windsor Utilities Commission (1935-1957), largely in the form of personal correspondence and scrapbooks. Also included are numerous reports, subject files, a small number of engineering specifications, blueprints, contracts, and excerpts from Keith’s book The Windsor Utilities Commission and Its Antecedent Commissions, covering nearly seventy years of urban history in the Border Cities. The fonds provides detailed insight into projects such as the Wyandotte Street extension and construction of a filtration plant at Ford City, as well as broader issues of city planning and legislation. Hospitals and parks are also dealt with, thanks to the EBUC’s broad mandate. Collectively, the records provide an excellent survey of the diverse responsibilities shouldered by the utilities commission in Windsor’s development, and the central role J. Clark Keith played at its helm.

The fonds is arranged into seven sub-series: Sub-series A contains subject files; Sub-series B contains annual reports; Sub-series C contains other reports; Sub-series D contains financial reports; Sub-series E contains contracts; Sub-series F contains a diary; and Sub-series G contains scrapbooks.

This fonds presents highlights from the working life of Delos Rogest Davis, one of Canada’s first Black lawyers. Series I contains a variety of certificates that recognize his professional qualifications (1871-1912), as well as a program from his funeral in 1915 and accounts of his life and accomplishments in newspaper clippings and the Delos Rogest Davis, K.C. Memorial Fund pamphlet. Series II contains correspondence with legal colleagues regarding his recent appointment as King’s Counsel, from November 1910.