Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Roy Ells fonds
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on contents of fonds.
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
0.70 m of textual records and other material
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Roy Burke Ells was born May 15, 1914 in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, the son of Roy Charles and Viola Marie (Burke) Ells. The family moved to Alberta in the summer of 1920, homesteading east of Rimbey where Roy was educated. In 1937 Roy joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and served as an officer and dog handler until 1949. On December 29, 1944 Roy married Verna Marion Stafford; they had four children: Sharon, Barbara, Shirley and Roy. In 1949, Roy became partner and manager of the Spaulding Hotel in High Prairie, Alberta. While in High Prairie, he was member and president of the High Prairie Chamber of Commerce, a founding member of the Optimist Club and fire chief of the High Prairie Fire Department. From 1950 until 1956, he served on High Prairie's Town Council. Roy had joined the Social Credit Party in 1935 and on June 18, 1959 he was elected as a Member of the Legislature Assembly for the Social Credit Party for the constituency of Grouard. He was reelected June 17, 1963 and May 23, 1967 and retired from politics in 1971. While in office, he was chairman of the Legislative Committee on Automobile Insurance, and was a member of the Commercial Fishing Commission and the selection committee for the first ombudsman. The family moved to High Level, Alberta after Roy's retirement; he had built the High Level Hotel in High Level in 1964. In 1976, Roy and Verna moved to Fort Vermilion, Alberta where they ran the Sheridan Lawrence Motor Inn, which they had built in 1974. Roy was on the Board of Trade in Fort Vermilion. After selling their hotels, Roy and Verna lived in Peace River, Alberta. Roy died February 22, 1979.
Custodial history
Verna Ells, Roy Ells' wife, deposited the records in the Provincial Archives of Alberta in 1982.
Scope and content
The fonds consists primarily of Roy Ells' constituency records from his time as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Grouard, as well as records from his time as chairman of the Legislative Committee on Automobile Insurance; these includes correspondence, certificates, reports and minutes, pamphlets and newsletters, invitations and programs, newspaper clippings, financial statements, speeches and copies of bills. The fonds also holds some personal papers of Roy Ells, including minutes, reports, correspondence, programs and pamphlets relating to his membership in the Alberta Hotel Association, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Alberta Social Credit League and the Grouard Constituency Association; a photograph of High Prairie's first town council and other photographs featuring Rimbey, High Prairie, Fort Vermilion, Swan Hills, and other constituency locations, and includes the 1948 High Prairie flood, the High Prairie Fire Department, the Spaulding Hotel, the High Level Hotel, ribbon cutting ceremonies, and Legislature tour groups; and audio recordings of speeches by Roy Ells, interviews conducted by Roy Ells of Mr. Leesrud and Sid (Bud) Brown, the Social Credit Grassroots theme song and the opening of the High Level Hotel.
Notes area
Physical condition
Includes 158 photographs, 8 audio reels, 6 maps, 6 negatives, and 2 photographic postcards.
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- The material is in English.
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Access Conditions: Listening copies of the audio recording are available. Use Conditions: Permission for use required. Subject to the Copyright Act.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
An inventory is available.
Associated materials
Accruals
Further accruals are not expected.
General note
Information for the biographical sketch is from the records and the <em>Canadian Parliamentary Guide</em>, which is available in the Provincial Archives of Alberta, 328.71 C1601. Some photographs can be located in the A file of the Provincial Archives of Alberta reference prints under the numbers A.12,011 to A.12,026. Included in the accession, in the first file, is a discrete item, a biography of Roy Ells written after his death by his daughters, Sharon and Shirley Ells. The fonds was deposited at the same time and in the same accession as the High Prairie Fire Department fonds<br><br>Record No. Fonds consists of the following accessions: PR1982.0285<br><br>
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Ells, Roy (Subject)