Series I includes 34 letters written to Bessie Frank (later Anathan) between 1905 and 1910. Letters written from Winnipeg offer Jacobs's positive impressions of the city and detail daily life (including employment in the book department of Eaton's, prior to work on the railroad). The majority of letters are written from Edmonton and various camps in the field. They provide details about camp life and the hardships faced by the surveyors: extreme cold, snowblindness, and lack of food. Two 1910 letters are posted from London; Jacobs finds the city crowded and unfriendly, and expresses pleasure at his anticipated return to Pittsburgh. The 28-page "Diary of a Tenderfoot," probably written in 1906, describes rail travel to Toronto, impressions of Winnipeg, and work in the field.

Series II includes a number of photographs, most organized in two photobooks. The majority of the photographs were taken in the field and depict various aspects of camp life and the Canadian landscape. There are also numerous images of First Peoples: portraits, family groups, camps, and means of transport.