The Archives of Harza Engineering Company: A Guide
Collection Number: MS-4-253Collection processed and finding aid written by Cathy MacDonald and Diana Snyder, April 2003
Finding aid edited and electronic version prepared by Kathryn Harvey, June 2003
Collection Level Description
Title: Harza Engineering Company fonds
Dates: 1955-1976, predominant 1960-1976
Extent: 1.1 m of textual records; 12 photographs
The Harza Engineering Company was founded by Leroy F. Harza in 1920 with its main office in Chicago, Illinois. An independent engineering and consulting firm, it specialized in the development and use of water, power, and land resources. Among its areas of expertise were regional planning, specifically water control, power, irrigation flood control, agricultural production, and transportation. It worked extensively in both the energy and environmental sectors of the engineering industry, and the company is perhaps best known for its work on hydroelectric power development.
During the period covered by the records in this collection, Calvin V. Davis served as the chairman of the company. E. Montford Fucik became the President of Harza and Arthur P. Gauss the Executive Vice President in 1963. Charles MacLennan, donor of these papers, served as a Vice President as well. From the 1950s to 1970s Harza employed over 400 people, most of whom were graduate engineers, scientists, and registered professional engineers.
On October 6, 2000, Harza Engineering and Montgomery Watson announced their intent to merge. The company is now called MWH, and based in Pasadena, California.
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The collection was originally maintained by Charles MacLennan and donated by Chesley Haliburton on September 14, 1981.
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The records in this collection deal primarily with the energy sector, and, more specifically, hydroelectric power. Many records detail the company's attempts to start a hydroelectric project on the Bay of Fundy. Some records pertain to projects in the rest of Canada and generally to Harza itself.
Correspondence / 1955-1976, predominant 1966-1968
Harza Administrative Records / 1955-1976, predominant 1960-1976
HARCAN / 1965-1974
Tidal Power Consultants / 1965-1976
Atlantic Provinces / 1966-1976
Bay of Fundy / 1962-1975
Letters to the Editor / 1970-1971
During processing, the Archives imposed thematic and chronological order on the records, whose original order was not consistent.
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[Identification of item], Harza Engineering Company fonds, MS-4-253, Box [box number], Folder [folder number], Dalhousie University Archives and Special Collections, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Combined Series and File Level Descriptions
Date:1955-1976, predominant 1966-1968
Extent: 17 cm of textual records
Scope and Content:
This series contains general correspondence between Harza employees and between Harza and government officials, as well as correspondence to and from other engineering companies.
Arrangement:
The files ordered by date are maintained in the order in which they arrived. The other files are organized by the individual or company with which the correspondence took place.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 1.1-3
1966
Folder - 1.1
A-L
Folder - 1.2
M-N
Folder - 1.3
O-Z
Folder - 1.4-6
1967-1968
Folder - 1.4
A-L
Folder - 1.5
M-N
Folder - 1.6
O-Z
Folder - 1.7
Haliburton, E. D. - 1963-1967
Folder - 1.8
New England - 1963-1967
Folder - 2.1
North-East Utilities - 1963-1965
Folder - 2.2
Tidal Power, Government Officials - 1964-1967
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Date:1955-1976, predominant 1960-1976
Extent: 9 cm of textual records; 1 photograph
Scope and Content:
This series contains administrative records, including a considerable amount of internal correspondence and memos the majority of which pertain to Charles MacLennan's activities with Harza. The specific project files in this series are valuable for their insight into the administration of various Harza projects. These records serve as examples as to how the company was organized and maintained.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 2.3
Personnel related materials and organizational chart - 1968-1974
Folder - 2.4
Correspondence - 1971-1974
Folder - 2.5
Personnel records and organizational charts - 1972-1973
Folder - 2.6
Financial Consultants - 1965-1966
Folder - 2.7
Bank of Montreal - 1964-1965
Folder - 2.8
Merrimac Pumped Storage Records and photograph - 1965
Folder - 2.9
Belville Project Estimates - 1964
Folder - 2.10
English Electric - 1965-1971
Folder - 2.11
Canada (General) - 1964-1970
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Date:1965-1974
Extent: 8 cm of textual records
Scope and Content:
This series deals with the Canadian corporation created by Harza, referred to as both HARCAN and Harza of Canada. The records mainly detail the creation of the Canadian company, as well as the development of policies and procedures. Information about HARCAN's fate is difficult to find, although records in the collection hint that it was an unsuccessful venture.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 2.12
Proposed Canadian Corporation - 1965-1969
Folder - 2.13
HARCAN - Letters, patent shareholders, directors meetings - 1965-1968
Folder - 2.14
Regularizing HARCAN and Office Procedures - 1968-1969
Folder - 2.15
Future of HARCAN - 1968-1969
Folder - 3.1
Canadian Office, HARCAN - 1968
Folder - 3.2
HARCAN - 1969
Folder - 3.3
HARCAN - 1970
Folder - 3.4
HARCAN - 1971-1974
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Date:1965-1976
Extent: 46 cm of textual records; 7 photographs
Scope and Content:
Tidal Power Consultants Limited was a corporation created to carry out studies concerning the Bay of Fundy Tidal Power Project for the Atlantic Tidal Power Engineering and Management Committee as necessary. Four sponsoring firms all have abundant experience in the utilization of electrical power and water resources: Montreal Engineering Company Limited, The Shawnigan Engineering Company Limited, Harza of Canada Limited, and Balfour Beatty Power Consultants Canada Limited. Dr. E. L. Wilson from Sheffield University is a special consultant to the group, since he has done extensive studies on tidal power projects in Britain.
The series contains notes, correspondence, and clippings concerning Tidal Power Consultants (TPC). There are some administrative records of the organization itself, but the majority concern records about various projects that TPC were involved in or were researching.
Arrangement:
The records are in their original chronological rather than thematic order.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 3.5
1965, September - December
Folder - 3.6
1968, January - June
Folder - 3.7
1968, July - October
Folder - 3.8
1968, September - December
Folder - 4.1
1969, January - April
Folder - 4.2
1969, May - December
Folder - 4.3
1970, January - April
Folder - 4.4
1970, April - June
Folder - 4.5
1970, July - September
Folder - 4.6
1970, September - December
Folder - 4.7
1973, January - March
Folder - 4.8
1973, March - June
Folder - 4.9
1973, July - September
Folder - 4.10
1973, September - December
Folder - 5.1
1974, January - February
Folder - 5.2
1974, February - April
Folder - 5.3
1974, April - June
Folder - 5.4
1974, July - 1975, January
Folder - 5.5
1975-1976
Folder - 5.6
Administrative Records - 1967
Folder - 5.7
Administrative Records - 1967-1968
Folder - 5.8
Proposal for Consulting Engineering Services to the Atlantic Tidal Power Programming Board - 1967
Folder - 5.9
Technical Opinion on the Development of Tidal Power on the Bay of Fundy - 1972
Folder - 5.10
Inter-company Agreement - 1967
Folder - 6.1
Miscellaneous Tidal Power Schemes - 1964-1967
Folder - 6.2-3
Minas Basin Project - 1967
Folder - 6.4
Tidal Power Consultants Limited - [1967]
Folder - 6.5
Memorandum on Tidal Power in the Bay of Fundy - 1970
Folder - 6.6
Cape Split - 1968
Folder - 6.7
Minas Area Schemes - Preliminary Assessment - 1967
Folder - 6.8-9
Miscellaneous Data - 1963-1967
Folder - 6.10
Information File RE Jan. 31 Bay of Fundy Meeting - 1966-1967
Folder - 6.11
Bay of Fundy Tidal power, Minas Area, Phase 'A' Study - 1967
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Date:1966-1976
Extent: 4 cm of textual records; 4 photos
Scope and Content:
These are general records relating to miscellaneous projects in the Atlantic Provinces.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 6.12
Soil Conservation for the Atlantic Provinces - 1968
Folder - 7.1
Agricultural Engineering Services - 1968-1970
Folder - 7.2
Atlantic Provinces Energy Seminar, 1975-1976
Folder - 7.3
Department of Forestry and Rural Development - 1967-1968
Folder - 7.4
Labrador - Gull Island - 1974
Folder - 7.5
Musquodoboit Valley Reclamation (includes photographs) - 1966
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Date:1962-1975
Extent: 19 cm of textual records
Scope and Content:
These are general records relating to tidal power in the Bay of Fundy and attempts to gain approval and funding for the project.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 7.6-9
Fundy, Articles and Miscellaneous - 1966-1974
Folder - 7.10
An Electrical Analogue for Investigating Phenomena in a Tidal System - 1973
Folder - 7.11
Appraisal of Tidal Power in the Bay of Fundy - 1962
Folder - 7.12
Power Market - North East and Fundy - 1971-1973
Folder - 7.13
Integral Can.-U.S. Power Supply Schemes - 1966
Folder - 7.14
Coordinated Power Development of Eastern Canada - 1967
Folder - 7.15-16
Project Meeting Notes - 1965-1967
Folder - 7.17
Salt and Coal Mining, Energy Storage in Fundy - 1971-1972
Folder - 8.1-2
Aid Memoir - The Fundy Study I - 1965-1973
Folder - 8.3
Aid Memoir - Fundy Study - 1971
Folder - 8.4
Notes on Meetings re: Fundy - July 1971
Folder - 8.5
Atlantic Canada Activities - 1973-1974
Folder - 8.6
Winds - Bay of Fundy - 1967
Folder - 8.7
Russian Comments on Bay of Fundy - 1966
Folder - 8.8
Chignecto Canal - 1960-1969
Folder - 8.9
Cape Split - 1968-1972
Folder - 8.10
Feasibility of Fundy Development in Light of the 1970 International Tidal power Committee - 1971
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Date:1970-1971
Extent: 3 cm of textual records
Scope and Content:
This series contains letters by Charles MacLennan to the editors of the
Chronicle Herald
and the
Atlantic Advocate
, with regard to Fundy Tidal Power Development. There is also a small amount of correspondence about these letters.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 8.11-12
1970-1971
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