During the war, he travelled throughout Saskatchewan, teaching university extension classes to rural communities.
It was during these travels that he became aware of the urgent need to acquire and preserve Saskatchewan's documentary heritage.
Efforts were made by a number of professors at the University of Saskatchewan to develop an archival program.
He pushed for an archives Act to create a public records policy for the province.
The archival holdings document the lives of all residents of Saskatchewan – from the political, social and economic elite to the ordinary citizen.
While genealogists comprise nearly half of the users of the archives, students, professors, historians, lawyers, journalists, artists and government organizations also utilize the facilities.