| | LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION: | Fonds | | No.: | PR2212 | | TITLE: | Robert C. Fitzsimmons fonds | | CREATOR: | Robert C. Fitzsimmons | | DATE RANGE: | 1911 - 1971 | | EXTENT: | 7.62 m of textual records and other material.
The fonds also includes 49 maps, 1 sketch, 6 technical drawings, 48 photographs, 11 negatives, and 1 collage. | | ADMINISTRATIVE | | HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Robert Cosmas Fitzsimmons was born in 1881 in Prince Edward Island. As a young man, he traveled to Manitoba, Alberta, then to Ephrata, Washington, but settled in the Spokane area. He farmed for a while, but eventually turned to the real estate in ca. 1914. While working on a real estate venture, he traveled to the Athabasca region of Alberta, and became interested in tar sands development. In 1922, he purchased a 1,920 acre lease in the Athabasca area through the company Union/Unique Investment.
In 1927, he established the International Bitumen Company. The company extracted bitumen from a tar sands plant at Bitumount, Alberta, on the Athabasca River near Fort McMurray.
Fitzsimmons also created, and operated Tar Sand Products Limited and the TarSands Paint and Roofing Company to market the by-products of the tar sands plant. Fitzsimmons ran these companies in Edmonton throughout the 1930's and the 1940's.
In the 1950's Fitzsimmons sold his interest in the International Bitumen Company to Oil Sands Ltd, and returned to the real estate business. He then formed three companies: Fitzsimmons Real Estate, Central Rental Bureau and Fitzsimmons Property Management.
Fitzsimmons operated his real estate companies until his death. He also pursued litigation regarding the sale of the International Bitumen Company, in an effort to regain his shares in Oil Sands Limited.
Fitzsimmons married Wilhelmina Rutgers in 1925. They divorced in 1929. He later married Viola Fitzsimmons. Robert Fitzsimmons had six children: Gordon, Jack, William, Jean, Irene, and Helen. Robert Fitzsimmons died in 1971.
| | SCOPE AND CONTENT: | The fonds consists of records related to Robert Fitzsimmons' professional interests including the International Bitumen Company, Tar Sand Products Limited, the Tar Sands Paint and Roofing Company, and his real estate business including correspondence, bylaws, legal notices, memorandum, research notes, technical drawings, blueprints, statistical information, photographs, statements, residential listings, receipts, ledgers, cheques, debt slips, license fees, notices, clippings, and maps. In particular these records illustrate Robert Fitzsimmons' lengthy legal battle regarding the sale of the International Bitumen Company to Oil Sands Ltd.
The fonds also contains some records relating to the Robert Fitzsimmons' personal life including clippings, postcards, pamphlets, greeting cards, booklets, magazines, certificates, commemoratory material and correspondence.
The fonds dates from 1911 - 1971.
| | ASSOCIATED MATERIAL: | For more material on Robert Fitzsimmons' professional activities, please see the Karl Clark fonds at the University of Alberta archives. | | RELATED RECORDS: | For more material on Robert Fitzsimmons' professional activities please see the International Bitumen Co. fonds, the Born Engineering fonds, and the Karl Clark fonds at the Provincial Archives of Alberta
For more material on the Fitzsimmons' family, please see the John Edward Fitzsimmons fonds at the Provincial Archives of Alberta.
| | GENERAL NOTE: | Information for the administrative history/biographical sketch sourced from the accession file at the Provincial Archives of Alberta.
The images can be located in the A file of the Provincial Archives of Alberta reference prints under the numbers A3430 through A3361.
| | RELATED FILES: | Display FileList | | RELATED ITEMS: | A3357 (Portrait of Robert C. Fitzsimmons)
A3358 (Portrait of Robert C. Fitzsimmons)
A3359 (Portrait of Robert C. Fitzsimmons)
A3360 (Portrait of Robert C. Fitzsimmons)
A3362a (Fort McMurray, Alberta)
A3362b (Fort McMurray, Alberta)
A3363 (Fort McMurray, Alberta)
A3364 (Tar Sand Company Building, Edmonton, Alberta)
A3365 (Air Mail Service Begins in Fort McMurray, Alberta)
A3366 (Fort McMurray, Alberta)
A3367 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3368 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3369 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3370 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3371 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3372 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3373 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3374 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3375 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3376 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3377 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3378 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3379 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3380 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3381 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3382 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3383 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3384 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3385 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3386 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3387 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3388 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3389 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3390 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3391 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3392 (Horses and Sleigh)
A3393 (Horse Teams)
A3394 (Horses Drawn Sleighs)
A3395 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3396 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3397 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3398 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3399 (International Bitumen Company Limited)
A3400 (Roofing)
A3401 (Roofing)
A3402 (Roofing)
A3403 (Roofing)
A3404 (Portable Sawmill)
A3405 (Portable Sawmill)
A3406 (Portable Sawmill)
A3407 (Fort McMurray, Alberta)
A3408 (Log Cabin)
A3409 (Log Cabins)
A3410 (Boat)
A3411 (Corduroy Road)
A3412 (Pow Wow)
A3413 (Train Derailment)
A3414 (Harness Racing)
A3415 (Snowmobile)
A3416 (Snowmobiles)
A3417 (Tennis Player)
A3418 (Winter Activites)
A3419 (Soccer Game)
A3430 (Northern Transportation Company Limited)
A3431 (High Level Bridge, Edmonton, Alberta)
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