Carleton P. Browning

Dates active:

1826-1941

Gender:

Male

Profession:

Mine manager

Biographical Notes:

Carleton P. Browning managed the Britannia Mine at Britannia Beach, a company town on the BC coast north of Vancouver. Due to the town's relative isolation (it was accessible only by boat and steamship), Browning's amateur films provide a unique window into the life of a self-contained mining community during the Depression. His footage mainly documents community life in and around the town, including May Day and Dominion Day celebrations, picnics, skating parties, and other recreational activities. A reel entitled “[Industrial Britannia]” (ca. 1926) depicts various aspects of the mine operation. Another reel, “PGE Quesnel Cariboo Mines” (1933) shows various mining operations and communities in the Cariboo Region.

Bibliographic Resources:

"PR-1776, Browning family fonds," BC Archives: http://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/browning-family-fonds