Fonds consists of materials pertaining to Ben Gadd's personal life and career as an environmental researcher, educator, interpretive guide, publisher, public speaker and author, ca.1956-2018. Fonds includes maps, research materials, publication notes/drafts, correspondence, contracts, photographs, …
ca. 7.9 metres of textual records -- ca. 274 maps -- 29 VHS tapes -- ca.15 discs with digital files -- 21 cassettes -- photographs -- oversized materials -- USB stick with 15 sldeshows
History / Biographical
Ben Gadd (1946-) is a retired naturalist, guide, geologist, instructor, freelance writer and award-winning author based in the Canadian Rockies.
Ben was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1946. He met his wife, Cia (Langdon) Gadd at Colorado College in 1965, and the couple married four weeks later. Ben and Cia had two sons, Will and Toby. Ben and his family relocated to Jasper in the late 1960s. Ben later attended the University of Lethbridge and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Earth Science in 1972.
Between 1976 and 1980, Ben taught classes at Mount Royal College and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology; he later taught additional classes at Grant MacEwan College and Lakeland College. From 1981, Ben also worked as a seasonal naturalist/guide for Parks Canada. Ben left Parks Canada in 1985 to start an independent naturalist guiding business with Cia based in Jasper and other parts of the Canadian Rockies, which the couple continued to operate for over two decades.
Ben published his best-known work, "Handbook of the Canadian Rockies", through his publishing company Corax Press in 1986. The second edition of "Handbook of the Canadian Rockies" received multiple awards after its release in 1995. Ben's fiction book, "Raven's End" won the title of Best Canadian Rockies Book at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in 2001 and became a Canadian bestseller. Overall, Ben has authored or co-authored 11 books and received nearly one dozen awards for his achievements as a writer, researcher and guide.
Ben continued to lead guided hikes and school programs until his retirement in 2016.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of materials pertaining to Ben Gadd's personal life and career as an environmental researcher, educator, interpretive guide, publisher, public speaker and author, ca.1956-2018. Fonds includes maps, research materials, publication notes/drafts, correspondence, contracts, photographs, video and sound recordings, and other related material. Materials donated in 2024 include one USB stick containing
Notes
Ben Gadd fonds arrangement:
Series I : Personal records
- Subseries A : Travel guides and maps
- Subseries B : Education and early writings
- Subseries C : Personal interest files
- Subseries D : Other personal and collected
Series II : Research and publication records
- Subseries A : Handbook of the Canadian Rockies
- Subseries B : Other publications
Series III : Professional records
- Subseries A : Parks Canada Records
- Subseries B : Interpretive guiding
- Subseries C : Teaching records
- Subseries D : Other contracts and projects
Series IV : Legal and financial records
- Subseries A : Legal records
- Subseries B : Financial records
Fonds consists of interviews, research notes,manuscripts, printed and digital photographs, and other materials produced and collected by Chic Scott between 1982 and 2021. Content pertains to Chic's various publications and research projects, the Canadian Himalayan Foundation, the Canadian '82 Evere…
Sound recordings: 224 audio tape cassettes, 7 audio tape reels. -- 78 CD-ROM. with digital files -- Moving images: 148 videocassettes: 133 Hi8, 15 VHS. ; 149 DVDs -- 4.2 m textual records
History / Biographical
Charles (Chic) C. Scott, b.1945, is a mountaineer, mountain guide and writer based in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Scott climbed extensively in the western Canada and the Himalayas until the mid-1970s. He guided extensively in the European Alps for five seasons, ca.1970, and worked as a climber for "The Eiger Sanction," a Hollywood movie starring Clint Eastwood. Scott resumed climbing in 1988, after a period working at the University of Calgary. His publications include "Alpinism," editor, "Ski Trails in the Canadian Rockies," "The History of the Calgary Mountain Club", "Summits and Icefields", "Pushing the Limits: the Story of Canadian Mountaineering", "Powder Pioneers : Ski Stories from the Canadian Rockies and Columbia Mountains", and "Deep Powder and Steep Rock : the Life of Mountain Guide Hans Gmoser".
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of interviews, research notes,manuscripts, printed and digital photographs, and other materials produced and collected by Chic Scott between 1982 and 2021. Content pertains to Chic's various publications and research projects, the Canadian Himalayan Foundation, the Canadian '82 Everest Expedition, and collected and personal materials. Items in fonds are arranged mostly by individual projects/areas of research.
Notes
Fonds consists of 15 series:
Series I : Pushing the Limits
Series II : Mountain Romantics
Series III : Summits and Icefields
Series IV : Powder Pioneers
Series V : Deep Powder and Steep Rock
Series VI : Ski Trails of the Canadian Rockies
Series VII : Hans Gmoser Film Collection
Series VIII : The Canadian Himalayan Foundation
Series IX : The Book of Mortimer
Series X : Tommy and Lawrence
Series XI : The Yam
Series XII :Calgary Mountain Club
Series XIII : Young at Heart
Series XIV : Chic Scott personal records
Series XV : A LIFE IN THE WILD: The Story of Mountain Explorer John Baldwin
Access to interviews limited to VHS reference compilations.
Fonds consists of two sous-fonds: M521 and V75.
M521 consists of four series, 154 cm, ca.1870-2002. Series I: Dorothy Wardle Personal Papers, 69.5 cm, ca.1870-2002 (includes Dorothy's written work and research and notes related to Banff). Series II: Wardle Family, 32.5 cm, 1872-1998 (including cor…
154 cm of textual records. -- 1304 photographs (1190 prints, 95 negatives, 19 transparencies). -- 6 photograph albums.
History / Biographical
The Wardle family was comprised of husband and wife, James Morey Wardle (June 26,1888 - May 18,1971) and Maud Leette (Roney) Wardle (May 24,1889 - December 1,1969), and their one child, Dorothy Hope Wardle (May 23,1919 - July 20,2003).
James Wardle, born in Chiliwack, British Columbia, was a civil engineer and public servant. He was the Superintendent of Banff National Park from 1918-1921, Chief Engineer for Parks Canada from 1921-1935, and Deputy Minister of the Interior from 1935-1936. He is primarily known as a highway design engineer, particularly for building the Banff-Windermere, Banff-Lake Louise, and Banff-Jasper highways. He was a councillor for the Municipality of Rockcliffe Park in Ontario and he was the President of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies in Banff from 1925-1929. Mount Wardle in Vermillion was named after him in 1921. James married Leette on November 4, 1913, with whom he had one child, Dorothy.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Dorothy (also known as Dot and Dorie) grew up in Banff, Alberta and Ottawa, Ontario, due to her father's position with the federal government. She was educated at the Mountain School in Banff and at the Elmwood School in Ottawa. All three family members were graduates of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. James graduated in 1912 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Leette graduated with a Bachelor's degree, and in 1942, Dorothy also earned a Bachelor's degree. Dorothy was prominent in student life and active in athletics. In 1941, Dorothy became the first woman elected as President of the Alma Mater Society and during her academic career, Dorothy was a member of the Levana Intercollegiate Debative, University Centenary Committee, and Queen’s War Aid Commission.
Dorothy spent her career as a freelance writer however, upon graduation she served as the first Secretary-In-Charge of Records at Carleton College (now Carleton University) from 1942-1944 in Ottawa and in the mid-1950s worked as a secretary for the Glenbow Foundation in Calgary. Dorothy pursued a lifelong interest in traveling, art, and antiques. Although she was fiercely proud and protective of Banff and the Park, and remained a volunteer and patron of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Dorothy eventually settled in Sidney, British Columbia and shared an apartment with Sheila Iris Ritchie, with whom Dorothy travelled extensively. After her death in 2003, Dorothy, "Dorie," was laid to rest alongside her parents in the Old Banff Cemetery.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of two sous-fonds: M521 and V75.
M521 consists of four series, 154 cm, ca.1870-2002. Series I: Dorothy Wardle Personal Papers, 69.5 cm, ca.1870-2002 (includes Dorothy's written work and research and notes related to Banff). Series II: Wardle Family, 32.5 cm, 1872-1998 (including correspondence with Carl Rungius and Mrs. Helen Brett, and Christmas and other greeting cards from Peter and Catharine Whyte). Series III: Queen's University, 7.5 cm, 1911-1980 (including graduation certificates for each family member and records pertaining to Dorothy's participation on the Alma Mater Society). Series IV: Travel, 44.5 cm, ca.1950-1988 (includes hand-written notebooks meticulously detailing their travels).
V75 consists of two series, 79.5 cm, ca. 1912-2001. Series I: Wardle Family, ca. 1912-1971, 6 albums, 31 cm of photograph prints and negatives (including family trips, trail rides in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and family gatherings). Series II: Dorothy Wardle, 1972-2001, 34 cm of photograph prints, negatives, and transparencies (including Dorothy's travels in Alberta and British Columbia, overseas, and various outings with friends).
Fonds consists of research materials, publications, ephemera, and other materials collected by Jon Whelan. Fonds includes three Canadian Pacific bell boy log books, 1970-1980; five bound scrapbooks with collected newspaper clippings, ca.1880-1890; and collected advertisements and articles pertainin…
Jon Whelan (1952-2022) was a researcher, historian, and collector based in Banff, Alberta. Jon had a special interest in topics related to Banff National Park and Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Jon conducted independent research, as well as research for various authors and historians, from the 1980s onwards. Jon was also an active participant in municipal politics in Banff.
"For most of Jon’s life, he was engaged in community affairs and fearless in voicing an opinion. He was successful in raising public awareness and his tenacity achieved a personal goal, which was to initiate the use of video for regular Town of Banff council meetings. He dedicated himself to the concerns of Banff residents."
-Barry Kelly, Rocky Mountain Outlook, July 30, 2022
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of research materials, publications, ephemera, and other materials collected by Jon Whelan. Fonds includes three Canadian Pacific bell boy log books, 1970-1980; five bound scrapbooks with collected newspaper clippings, ca.1880-1890; and collected advertisements and articles pertaining to Canadian Pacific, Banff, travel and tourism within Canada, and related subjects.
Fonds consists of textual and visual records pertaining to Malcolm Geddes, as well as his immediate family: wife Jennie (Waters) Geddes, and children Alvin and Enid Geddes; and extended family members. Fonds includes records related to Malcolm's work as a poet and author (including original drafts …
Some views are by Malcolm Geddes; many were obtained through other sources
Date Range
[1896-2013]
Physical Description
444 photographs: 385 b&w and col. transparencies, 59 b&w prints -- 1 album (28 b&w prints) -- 11 cm of textual records
History / Biographical
Malcolm Daniel Geddes, 1866-1927, was a journalist, publisher and mountaineer at Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Geddes was one of the founders of the "Farmers and Ranch Review" in 1904, and served as vice-president and editor until his death. He joined the Alpine Club of Canada in 1917, was active in ACC summer camps and served as Honorary Secretary from 1924 to 1926. Geddes was killed in a mountaineering accident on Mount Lefroy in 1927.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of textual and visual records pertaining to Malcolm Geddes, as well as his immediate family: wife Jennie (Waters) Geddes, and children Alvin and Enid Geddes; and extended family members. Fonds includes records related to Malcolm's work as a poet and author (including original drafts and publications), Malcolm's career in real estate, family letters, financial records, records of mountain ascents and hikes with the Alpine Club of Canada, family trees and genealogical research, and other related materials.
Notes
Fonds consists of three series:
Series I : Professional records
I / A : Published materials
I / B : Manuscripts and notes
I / C : Professional correspondence
Series II : Financial records
Series III : Personal and family records
III / A : Travel and mountain expeditions
III / B : Genealogy and research
III / C : Other personal and family records
Arrangement of fonds was redone by Processing Archivist Kate Skelton between December 2020 and March 2021 to accommodate unprocessed materials from accessions 7846, 2014.8306 and 2015.8558
Fonds consists of materials collected by, and pertaining to, Maryalice Harvey Stewart. Content includes daybooks, notebooks, correspondence and various notes collected by Maryalice during her time working as Director of the Archives of the Canadian Rockies (now the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rock…
49 photographs: prints, negatives. -- 1 m textual records. -- 60 sound recordings: 52 audio cassettes, 8 reels
History / Biographical
Maryalice Harvey Stewart, 1923-2001, was Director of the Archives of the Canadian Rockies (now Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies) at Banff, Alberta, Canada from 1965 to 1976. She continued to do historical projects and was known for her knowledge of Banff and Rocky Mountain history.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of materials collected by, and pertaining to, Maryalice Harvey Stewart. Content includes daybooks, notebooks, correspondence and various notes collected by Maryalice during her time working as Director of the Archives of the Canadian Rockies (now the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies Archives and Special Collections); research materials pertaining to the town of Banff, the Brewster family and other local subjects; personal interest materials, including cassette recordings of documentaries and lectures; personal materials, including correspondence, photographs, Maryalice's birth certificate, certifications and awards, and sheet music; and other related materials.
Fonds consists of the following series and sub-series:
Series I : Professional records
Series I has two sub-series:
I / A : Archives of the Canadian Rockies records (includes cataloguing cards, notes and other materials pertaining to Maryalice's role as Archivist/Director at the Archives of the Canadian Rockies between 1965-1976)
I / B : Research and other professional records (includes Brewster family research notes, materials from various committees and organizations which Maryalice was involved in, documents related to an oral history project completed in 2000, professional correspondence, and related materials)
Series II: Personal records (includes collected materials, personal interest materials, cassette recordings of documentaries and other subjects, sheet music, and various certificates and awards given to Maryalice).
File consists of author's copies of multiple editions of Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Editions in file are annotated with notes and corrections by the author.
File consists of author's copies of multiple editions of Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Editions in file are annotated with notes and corrections by the author.
Series consists of notes, research materials, correspondence, newspaper clippings and other personal records collected by Chic Scott. Content pertains to publication projects, biographies, Chic Scott and Kathy Madill's wedding, and the 1982 Everest Expedition.
Series consists of notes, research materials, correspondence, newspaper clippings and other personal records collected by Chic Scott. Content pertains to publication projects, biographies, Chic Scott and Kathy Madill's wedding, and the 1982 Everest Expedition.
File consists of correspondence, newspaper articles and handwritten notes pertaining to an exhibit about geologist Dr. Eric Mountjoy which was put on display at Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives. File also includes a 2008-2010 business plan summary for the museum and archives.
File consists of correspondence, newspaper articles and handwritten notes pertaining to an exhibit about geologist Dr. Eric Mountjoy which was put on display at Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives. File also includes a 2008-2010 business plan summary for the museum and archives.
Notes
Handwritten notes in file possibly produced by Ben Gadd.
File consists of email correspondence, printed records and newspaper clippings pertaining to the Geddes family home in Calgary and its designation as a heritage site.
File consists of email correspondence, printed records and newspaper clippings pertaining to the Geddes family home in Calgary and its designation as a heritage site.
File consists of various scientific journal articles which were collected and used as research materials by Ben Gadd during the creation of his book "Geology Road Tours". Articles pertain to Canadian and North American geological history, and related subjects.
File consists of various scientific journal articles which were collected and used as research materials by Ben Gadd during the creation of his book "Geology Road Tours". Articles pertain to Canadian and North American geological history, and related subjects.
File consists of published research material collected by Ben Gadd pertaining to the study of Geomorphology and the Pleistocene Epoch. File includes one photograph print sent to Ben Gadd depicting a boulder [in file M590/II/A/32].
12 cm of textual records -- 1 photograph : col. print
Scope & Content
File consists of published research material collected by Ben Gadd pertaining to the study of Geomorphology and the Pleistocene Epoch. File includes one photograph print sent to Ben Gadd depicting a boulder [in file M590/II/A/32].
Storage Range
Materials stored in two file boxes: M590/II/A/26 to 32 and M590/II/A/33 to 38
File consists of hydrometric data for various rivers in the Canadian Rockies which was compiled as part of the Water Survey of Canada in 2008. Includes annotations by Ben Gadd pertaining to data which he used to update information in his book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies.
File consists of hydrometric data for various rivers in the Canadian Rockies which was compiled as part of the Water Survey of Canada in 2008. Includes annotations by Ben Gadd pertaining to data which he used to update information in his book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies.
File consists of newspaper articles, notes and published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to the provenance of place names, the history of human settlement and regional populations in the Canadian Rockies.
File consists of newspaper articles, notes and published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to the provenance of place names, the history of human settlement and regional populations in the Canadian Rockies.
File consists of published research material collected by Ben Gadd pertaining to stratigraphy and fossils. File includes one print photograph depicting a fossil found near Mt. Stephen, British Columbia [in folder M590/II/A/27] and one print depicting a geological feature in Jasper National Park.
Photographs produced by Christian W. Gronau of Whaletown, B.C. and Ron Kratochvil
Date Range
[1980-2012]
Physical Description
10 cm of textual records -- 2 photographs : col. prints ; 10 x 15 cm
Scope & Content
File consists of published research material collected by Ben Gadd pertaining to stratigraphy and fossils. File includes one print photograph depicting a fossil found near Mt. Stephen, British Columbia [in folder M590/II/A/27] and one print depicting a geological feature in Jasper National Park.
Notes
Some items in file are annotated by Ben Gadd
Material Details
Photographs stored in file with textual records to maintain original order