MSS 162 (A.02-03)

Title: Kathleen Rice fonds

Dates: 1883-1964 [predominant 1927-1940, 1991]

Extent: 12.5 cm of textual records

Biographical Sketch: Kathleen Rice was born in St. Marys, Ontario, in 1883, to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lincoln Rice. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 1906 and began a career as a math teacher. She taught in Belleville, Ontario before moving to Western Canada. Once in the West, she taught mathematics in Alberta and Yorkton, Saskatchewan. In 1913, Kathleen and her brother, Lincoln, decided to stake a homestead near The Pas, Manitoba. Shortly thereafter, war broke out and Lincoln, who later became a Lieutenant Colonel, joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Kathleen decided to stay on the homestead alone. After teaching herself about geology and prospecting, she headed to the Herb Lake area north of The Pas. She claimed an island - later called Rice Island - in Weksusko Lake, which turned out to be very rich in copper and nickel.

While it is rumoured that Rice and her business partner, Richard (Dick) Woosey, turned down $250,000 for their property, she eventually sold it to International Nickel (INCO) for approximately $20,000. Kathleen Rice occasionally returned to Ontario to visit her family, but the majority of her adult life was spent in Northern Manitoba. She died in Brandon in 1964. Some of this information for the biographical sketch came from the website http://www.snowlake.com/krice.htm.

Custodial History: Mrs. Geraldine Rice donated the fonds to Archives & Special Collections in 2003. The acquisition was assisted by Bjarne Tokerud.

Scope and Content: The fonds consists of four series. The first series consists of newspaper clippings about Kathleen Rice. Because of the poor condition of these clippings, they have been photocopied. The second series consists of an excerpt of a chapter about Rice from a book about female adventurers. The chapter is incomplete. The third series consists of manuscripts written by Rice. The fourth series consists of two drawings that may possibly be attributed to Rice are nature scenes.

Source of Supplied Title: Title based on contents of the records

Restrictions: No restrictions apply, but researchers should consult the photocopies of the newspaper clippings due to the poor condition of the originals.

Accruals: No further accruals to this fonds are expected.

Finding Aid: A printed finding aid is available in the Archives reading room and an electronic finding aid is available at the link below:

MSS 162 (A.02-03)