The letters were donated to the university on opening day, September 9, 1965, by Donald Fraser, a great-grandson of Simon Fraser. However, the documents were misplaced and were found in 1988 in the desk belonging to a history professor. At this time, the University Archivist arranged to have a handwriting expert to analyze the documents and determine their authorship.
Series consists of original letters written by Simon Fraser and supporting documentation. Series includes correspondence with Don Brown who was hired in 1988 to authenticate the letters, copies of other documents written by Simon Fraser from the National Archives of Canada that were used during the authentication process, and publicity regarding the identification of the letters. Records include correspondence, working papers, reports, and newspaper clippings.