The collection contains records related to Oscar Orr’s career in law, his professional and political affiliations, and records relating to his role as a prominent resident in the province of British Columbia. There are also historical records that Orr gathered as part of his collection. The collection consists of five series: British Columbia records; American records; Canadian provinces and politics records; Britain and Europe; and Books and miscellaneous records. The series contain correspondence, autographed clippings and notes, invitations and miscellaneous documents of prominent political individuals, businessmen, and royalty.
The series British Columbia records contains Orr’s correspondence with prominent and political members in British Columbia in the early to late 1900s. The series includes the autographs of BC political members as well as prominent BC court officials. Also includes a letter from Dan Cranmer of Alert Bay regarding a possible potlatch. The series American records contains documents and autographs of prominent US political, literary, and war figures. Records in this series date back to the 18th century and were part of the collection Orr gathered as part of his interest in history. The series Canadian provinces and politics records include early 19th century documents relating to the Canadian political landscape as well as Orr’s own correspondence with Canadian politicians and court officials. The series Britain and Europe contains records and autographs of British and European political, literary, and military figures, dating back to 1698. Books and miscellaneous records include books, newspapers, photographs and other records from Orr’s collection that relate to his interest in history.