The fonds consists of a photograph album assembled by Arthur Malcolm Mushlian, featuring his own photography, primarily of the 1920s and 1930s. The photographs depict a wide variety of subjects and locations, but with a particular focus on aviation and mine development in Northwestern Ontario.

Arthur Malcolm Mushlian (1902-1961) was born in England, and married Mary Ruby Austen on 22 December 1924, in Kenora, Ontario. He would later serve with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.

Consists of a memoir written by Horace Hunter "Holly" Parsons, an aerial timber sketcher whose career spanned over 50 years. This memoir contains information about the contracts he fulfilled for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, formerly the Department of Forests and Lands, and various logging, pulp, and paper corporations. Some contracts also involved mapping out the borders of areas where forest fires had occurred. These contracts spanned across Ontario and parts of Quebec, with a focus on the areas surrounding the District of Thunder Bay. Included in the memoir are personal anecdotes, descriptions of his trips, crew members he worked with over the years, and photographs taken by or given to "Holly" Parsons.

Dates of the memoir and accompanying photographs range 1922-1976.

Horace Hunter "Holly" Parsons (1902-1990) was born in Owen Sound, Ontario and lived in Etobicoke, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1925 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry.

Records relating to Daniel John "Jack" Coghlan (1934-2018), early professional diver born in Fort William. He began his career in the Thunder Bay region and later worked around the world, living in California, Australia, Alaska, and Hawaii.

The collection consists of digital copies of photographs, news articles, and documents, as well as written stories contributed by family and friends. Articles relate to Coghlan's career as a salvage diver (Superior Diving & Salvaging Co.) including attempts to salvage the Gunilda and other shipwrecks. Through this era, he was frequently referred to as a "frog man" in news articles. In later years he worked supporting offshore oil development.

The collection was assembled by Sam Coghlan, Jack's brother.