Fonds consists of textual records and photographs by and about Aileen Harmon, as well as collected items. Textual records include: letter from Harmon to the Director of Alberta's provincial parks re addition of Yamnuska area to Bow Valley Provincial Park, 1973; brief, from Harvie Heights and Bow Va…
26.5 cm of textual records. -- 33 photographs (26 prints : b&w and col. ; 20.5 x 30 cm or smaller -- 6 negatives : b&w nitrate negatives ; 12.5 x 10 cm -- 1 transparency : col. slide ; 35 mm)
History / Biographical
Aileen Harmon (1912 - 2015), daughter of Byron Harmon, worked as a government naturalist at Banff, Alberta, Canada and was involved in local natural history groups and activities. Aileen was a founding member, alongside Bruce Gordon, of the Bow Valley Naturalists, and was also on the Board of The Canadian Wildlife Federation and The Society of Alberta Naturalists. Aileen moved to Mill Bay on Vancouver Island, B.C. in 1981 following the end of a lengthy career with Parks Canada. During her retirement years, Aileen travelled extensively, reaching all seven continents. She also authored an autobiographical book, titled "Tales of My Mountain Life", in 2004. Aileen passed away on January 9, 2015 at the age of 102.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of textual records and photographs by and about Aileen Harmon, as well as collected items. Textual records include: letter from Harmon to the Director of Alberta's provincial parks re addition of Yamnuska area to Bow Valley Provincial Park, 1973; brief, from Harvie Heights and Bow Valley subdivision residents to public hearings on land use and resource development in the eastern slopes, 1973; letter re James Hector, 1979; notes on career, 2003; notes on Catharine Whyte for CBC recording, 2004; Christmas cards and collected articles, ca.1960. Photographs, made by and collected by Aileen Harmon, pertain to Aileen Harmon and friends, skiing, Skoki area, Mount Yamnuska, Banff Indian Days. Includes photographs by Byron Harmon.
Added content from accession 2016.8596 : ca. 25 cm of textual records including personal correspondence, guest book, original writing and notes by Aileen Harmon, personal travel journals from a 1931 packing trip and 1933 ski trip to Skoki, drafts of autobiographical book "Tales of My Mountain Life", articles pertaining to or written by Aileen Harmon, Christmas cards, and letters of condolence to Carole Harmon following Aileen's passing. Also 26 print photographs, 6 negative photographs from a 1937 hiking trip, and one transparency.
Fonds consists of one series :
Series I - Personal records
Fonds consists of three sous-fonds: M573 / V797 / S60.
M573 consists of three series, 26 cm of textual records, 1924-2005. Series I: Personal Papers, 19 cm, ca.1930-2005 (including notebooks and drafts of various talks that Jean delivered and records related to her participation in the Trail Rider…
26 cm of textual records.-- 109 photographs (42 prints, 67 lantern slides). -- 2 sound recordings.
History / Biographical
Jean Alexandra Hembroff was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on April 5, 1908 to Walter B. Hembroff (d. 1945) and Sarah Jane Hembroff (d.1952). Jean was accepted to the MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Art at the University of Minnesota, from which she graduated in 1927. She returned to Winnipeg to begin teaching courses in speech arts and drama. To establish herself, she first volunteered as the "story lady" at the Williams Avenue Public Library and quickly became known as an excellent speaker sought by many different organizations. She taught at St. Mary's Academy and the Evening Institute at the University of Manitoba, as well as offered private sessions. Many of her students used the skills they learned from Jean as they entered radio, television, politics, and business. Jean was also very active in organizing and adjucating Speech Arts festivals in Manitoba, often going to inaccessible places to give workshops. Her teaching, broadcasting, adjucating, coaching, and speaking career spanned more than 50 years.
Jean was hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway's promotions manager to give presentations and broadcast interviews across Canada and the United States. In 1937, Jean joined the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and participated in their summer trail ride in the same year. For that year's issue of the Trail Rider's Bulletin Jean wrote an article - and became the first woman to ever do so. In 1938, during her lecture titled "Trail Riding in the Rockies" on January 18, 1938 at the Royal Alexandra Hotel, Jean met John David (Jack) MacDonald. Jack and Jean were married on June 18, 1938, and the couple had one son, Bruce Walter James MacDonald (August 28, 1946-August 25, 2016).
Jean participated in several trail rides with the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Trail, and produced articles reflecting her experiences. Jean loved to travel and visited places all around Canada and the United States, Borneo, Tangier, Montevideo, Stockholm, New Delhi, and Tonga. At the age of 102, Jean passed away on February 2, 2011 and is buried in Winnipeg.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of three sous-fonds: M573 / V797 / S60.
M573 consists of three series, 26 cm of textual records, 1924-2005. Series I: Personal Papers, 19 cm, ca.1930-2005 (including notebooks and drafts of various talks that Jean delivered and records related to her participation in the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, particularly 1937-1939). Series II: Correspondence and Newspaper Clippings, 4 cm, 1924-2000 (including correspondence with John Murray Gibbon, former students, and attendees at various talks, as well as newspaper articles that Jean wrote about various subjects and articles of her achievements). Series III: Collected Materials and Ephemera, 3 cm, ca.1930-1950 (including a variety of collected poems and ephemera, as well as a copy of The Beaver Magazine from 1940, for which Jean wrote an article titled "On the Trail of Sir George").
V797 consists of two series, 24.5 cm of visual records, ca.1928-1939. Series I: Photograph Prints, 3 cm, ca.1928-1939 (includes personal photographs of Jean and her family and friends as well as photographs of Jean and Jack's visit to Lake Louise in 1939). Series II: Lantern Slides, 21.5 cm, ca.1937-1939 (Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies official ride of 1937 to Mt. Assiniboine; Sky Line Hikers of the Canadian Rockies official ride of 1939 to Ptarmigan Valley and Skoki; collection of trail ride songs).
S60 consists of two sound recordings, 1 cm, 2004 and 2007 (Winnipeg at Christmas, narrated by Jean, broadcasted on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
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 transparency slides, maps, handwritten notes and club records, song books, and scrapbooks pertaining to Margaret Ruth Oliver and the Tuesday Hikers club.
28 photographs : col. slides -- 1.5 m of textual records (3 binders -- 1 record book -- 10 song books -- maps, annotated -- 11 scrapbooks)
History / Biographical
Margaret Ruth Oliver was born on December 19, 1927 to parents Edgar and Gladys (Brazier) Hammett in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Margaret's siblings include Dorothy (1922), Muriel "Miv" (1923), John (1929), and Jean (1933). Margaret graduated from United College (Winnipeg) in 1949 with a B.Sc. degree, and worked as an Assistant Librarian at the University of Manitoba afterwards. Margaret later enrolled in a Laboratory Technician program at the University of Manitoba Medical College. Margaret married Thomas Albert Oliver, a fellow University of Manitoba alumnus, on September 25, 1954. The couple moved to Calgary for work (Thomas taught at the University of Calgary, and Margaret worked for a geophysical company). Margaret travelled extensively following the death of her husband in 1997, visiting places such as Nepal, Cambodia, Russia, Egypt and Greenland.
In 1971, Margaret formed a hiking group within the University Faculty Women's Club (F.W.C.) through the University of Calgary. In 1976, this group became a private club called the Tuesday Hikers, which no longer held any affiliation to the F.W.C. Trips included weekly hikes and/or ski trips, as well as longer backpacking excursions.The club is still active as of 2022.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of transparency slides, maps, handwritten notes and club records, song books, and scrapbooks pertaining to Margaret Ruth Oliver and the Tuesday Hikers club.
Notes
Materials are unprocessed and stored in three boxes:
Box 1: 1 envelope "T. Hikers' Slides" - 28 film transparencies and printed notes; various maps with handwritten notes
Box 2: 1 record book "T.H. Record Book" - handwritten lists and statistics of trips, attendance, miles; 2 binders with handwritten notes, titled "National Parks - Banff and Assiniboine" and "Nat'l Parks - Glacier + Jasper"
Box 3: 1 binder titled "Tues. Hikers- Past Members and Guests"; 10 song books; trail, park and road maps; 11 scrapbooks, 1971-2010
Fonds consists of papers, photographs and sound recordings of Peter and Catharine Whyte and the papers and photographs of their respective families. Consists of three sous-fonds: V683, S37 and M36. M36 and S37 consists of three series. Series I: Peter and Catharine Whyte, Series II: Robb and Morse …
25 m of textual records. -- ca.46,000 photographs : prints, albums, postcards, cased photographs, transparencies, negatives. -- 178 sound recordings : audio tape reels, audio tape cassettes. -- 6 motion pictures (and film strips)
History / Biographical
Peter and Catharine Whyte were artists, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, travelers, philanthropists and cultural workers at Banff, Alberta, Canada. Peter Whyte, 1905-1966, was born at Banff in 1905 to pioneer merchant Dave White and Annie (Curren) White. He was an accomplished skier and ski jumper and one of the region's first native-born painters with an intimate knowledge of the mountains and was an active photographer from ca.1920 until the 1950s. Peter Whyte studied art at the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, 1923-1924, and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925, where he met Catharine Robb. Catharine Robb Whyte, 1906-1979, was born in 1906 at Concord, Massachusetts and grew up amongst the wealth and creativity of the Robb and Morse families. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925-1929.
Following their marriage in 1930, the Whytes pursued a life of painting, photography, hiking, skiing and travelling. Their log home and studio in Banff became a focal point for their artist friends, Stoney Indians and local pioneers. Catharine shared Pete's involvement in skiing and hiking organizations and together they managed Skoki Lodge from 1932-1934. In following years, the Whytes travelled extensively. During the Second World War, Peter served in the reserve army, with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a photographer and, briefly, as an official war artist. Catharine continued to paint and maintain their home and, when possible, accompanied Pete to his military postings. In civilian life, Pete resumed his art career, explored new photographic techniques and sculpted.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Whytes formulated plans for a foundation to preserve the art and history of the Canadian Rockies. Plans for a building to house an archives, public library and gallery were in preparation when Pete died in 1966. The Peter Whyte Foundation was named in his honour. Catharine immersed herself in the development of what is now the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, in the cultural community, painting, outdoor activity, travel and work with the Stoney First Nations. She became a more active photographer, recording her travels and outdoor pursuits. She served in an official capacity with numerous cultural and charitable organizations, was a patron to individuals studying art and music, and supported numerous causes relating to the Stoney First Nations. Catharine also supported causes related to multiculturalism, regional culture and recreation, and cancer research. Despite her modesty and often anonymous patronage of causes, Catharine was recognized with numerous awards and honours, including the Order of Canada in 1978. She died in Banff in 1979.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of papers, photographs and sound recordings of Peter and Catharine Whyte and the papers and photographs of their respective families. Consists of three sous-fonds: V683, S37 and M36. M36 and S37 consists of three series. Series I: Peter and Catharine Whyte, Series II: Robb and Morse families, Series III: White and Curren families. Within Series I, there are four Sub-series: Series: A. Catharine Robb Whyte papers; B. Peter Whyte papers; C. Peter and Catharine Whyte papers accessioned after 2017; D. Peter and Catharine Whyte sound recordings.
Fonds consists of organizational records including photographs, brochures, correspondence and other documents which are divided into five series [see Content Details]. Content pertains to the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies, including the organization's history, members and staff, trail rides …
ca.340 cm of textual records -- 1191 photographs (691 prints, 312 transparencies, 188 negatives) -- 11 photograph albums -- 4 motion pictures -- 7 discs (1,214 digital images, 1 slideshow)
History / Biographical
The Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies is a trail riding organization based in Calgary, Alberta. The organization was established in 1923 with the support of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The first ride was held in 1924, and annual summer trail rides and pow-wows attracted fifteen hundred members by 1929. Many notable residents of the Bow Valley, including members of the Brewster and Moore families, Catherine Robb and Peter Whyte, and Carl Rungius have participated in trail rides. Support from the Canadian Pacific Railway ended in 1961. As of 2020, the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies remains an active organization.
LISTING OF TRAIL RIDE LOCATIONS:
1924 : Yoho Valley
1925 : Marble Canyon, Wolverine Plateau, Goodsir Plateau, Lake O'Hara, Lake Wapta, Sun Dance Lodge
1926 : Baker Lake, Shaki, Molar Peak, Bow Lake, Mosquito Creek, Ptarmigan Valley
1927 : Mountain Assiniboine, Brewster Creek, Magag Lake, Sunshine Camp, Simpson Pass; Jasper, Portal Creek, Maccarib Pass, Tonquin Valley, Meadow Creek, Calendone River
1928 : Lake of Hanging Glaciers; Horse Thief Creek, Windermere
1929 : Egypt Lake, Shadow Lake, Twin Lake; Lake Louise, Columbia Icefields
1930 : Red Earth Creek, Hawk Creek, Floe Lake, Wolverine Pass, Marble Canyon
1931 : Bankhead, Cascade River, Stewart Canyon, Stoney Creek, Baker Creek, Sawback Lake
1932 : Mount Assiniboine and Banff Springs Hotel terrace (Pow-wow)
1933 : Mosquito Creek, Bow Lake, Isabella Lake, Pipestone River, Lake Louise
1934 : Leanchoil, Shining Beauty camp, Goodsir mountain, Wolverine Plateau, Marble Canyon
1935 : Windy Camp, Snow Creek Pass, Scotch Cabin, Baker Lake, Ptarmigan Valley, Lake Louise Station (pow-wow)
1936 : Johnston Canyon, Pulsatilla Mountain, Badger Pass, Forty Mile Creek, Hillsdale Meadows
1937 : Mount Assiniboine, Lake Magog, Valley of the Rocks, Simpson Pass, Healy Creek
1938 : Carrot Creek, Lake Minnewanka, Middle Lake, Devil Gap, Ghost River, Mount Aylmer, Aylmer Pass
1939 : Healy Creek, Egypt Lake, Scarab Lake, Shadow Lakes, Twin Lakes, Taylor Lake, Moraine Lake
1940 : Marble Canyon, Helmet Creek, Ottertail River, Lake McArthur, Chateau Lake Louise
1941 : Mount Assiniboine, Canmore, spray Lakes, Valley of Rocks, Simpson Summit, Rock Isle Lake, Healy Creek
1942 : Larix Lake, Egypt Lake, Twin Lakes, Storm Mountain
1943 : Healy Creek warden's cabin, Brewater Creek, Fatigue Pass, Quartz hill, Simpson Summit, Sunshine Lodge, Eohippus lake, Mount Assiniboine
1944 : Healy Creek, Brewster Creek, Quartz Hill, Lake Eohippus, Red Earth Creek
1945 : Baker Lake
1946 : Panther River (Windy Camp), Snow Creek, Harrison Lake, Panther Falls
1947 : Monard Mountain, Healy Creek, Redearth Creek
1948 : Sunshine and Simpson River
1949 : Molar Mountain area
1950 : Palliser Pass
1951 : Goodsirs
1952 : Harvey Pass, Healy Creek, Egypt Lake
1953 : Baker Lakes
1954 : Mount Assiniboine, Magog Lake
1955 : Pulsatilla Pass area
1956 : Pipestone area
1957 : Panther River, Windy Camp, Dormer Pass, Snow Creek
1958 : Mount Assiniboine
1959 : Palliser Pass area [Bunny Robinson paints new teepee designs]
1960 : Pipestone area, north of Lake Louise
1961 : Goodsirs Mountains, McArthur Creek, Wolverine Pass [Volume 102, CPR publication last issue - CPR pulls sponsorship of association]
1962 : Pipestone and Skoki Valley areas
1963 : Simpson Summit, Healy Creek, Harvey Pass, Egypt Lake
1964 : Bryant Creek Meadows, Mount Assiniboine
1965 : Palliser Pass
1966 : Ptarmigan Valley, north of Lake Louise
1967 : Palliser Pass
1968 : Bryant Creek Meadows, Mount Assiniboine
1969 : Pulsatilla Pass
1970 : Egypt Lake area
1971 : Pipestone region
1972 : Shadow Lakes
1973 : Palliser Pass [50th anniversary]
1974 : Pulsatilla Pass area, Johnson Creek Meadows
1975 : Pipestone River area : Molar Glacier, Skoki Lakes, Merlin Lakes, hector Plateau, Fish Lakes
1976 : Cascade Valley region : Elk Lake summit, Stoney Creek, Dormer Pass
1977 : Mount Assiniboine
1978 : Palliser Pass area : Upper Spray River
1979 : Pulsatilla Pass area : Indian Paint Pots, Johnston Creek Meadows
1980 : Panther River region
1981 : Red Deer River region : Divide Creek, Tyrell Creek, Horseshoe Lake, Panther Ridge
1982 : Bryant Creek, Og Pass, Owl and Marvel Lakes, Allenby Pass, Assiniboine Pass, Lake Magog
1983 : Upper Pipestone River region: Red Deer Lake, Skoki Lakes, Hector Plateau, Singing Meadows [60th Anniversary]
1984 : Panther River region
1985 : Palliser Pass : Goat Ridge, Tumble Creek Falls, Spray Lakes, Birdwood Mountain, Leman Lake, White Man Pass
1986 : Johnston Creek, Badger Pass and Pulsatilla Pass; Safari expeditions: Kananaskis Country, Pipestone River , Front Range, Clearwater, Kootenay Plains
1987 : Red Deer River
1988 : Pipestone River
1989 : Panther River
1990 : Palliser Pass
1991 : Red Deer River
1992 : Bryant Creek
1993 : Pipestone River
1994 : Johnston Creek
1995 : Palliser Pass
1996 : Red Deer River
1997 : Bryant Creek
1998 : Panther River
1999 : Pipestone River
2000 : Johnston Creek
2001 : Palliser Pass
2002 : Yamnuska and Ghost Mountain
2003 : Bryant Creek
2004 : Cascade Valley and Mystic Lake
2005 : Sundance and Halfway Lodge
2006 : Waterton Park
2007 : Clearwater River
2008 : Kananaskis
2009 : Johnston Creek
2010 : Stoney Creek and Flint's Valley
2011 : Rock Lake and Solomon Creek
2012 : Kananaskis
2013 : Bryant Creek
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of organizational records including photographs, brochures, correspondence and other documents which are divided into five series [see Content Details]. Content pertains to the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies, including the organization's history, members and staff, trail rides and other events, publications and advertising, finances, and administration.
Notes
Fonds has been reorganized by Processing Archivist Kate Skelton and content from all accessions prior to 2019 has been integrated into new series. Content from accessions 5757 and 5939 have been renumbered; storage of files adjusted to accommodate most recent donations [accn. 8235 & accn. 2014.8277]
Some files contain personal contact information including full names, home addresses, email addresses and phone numbers [see file-level entries under M545/V635 for specific contents and restrictions]
Series I - Events and Activities: Records include ride notes and summaries [1968-2009], songs and poems performed during trail rides, documents and images pertaining to the Townsend Trophy photograph competition, and materials related to other events including trail ride anniversary events and round-ups.
Series II - Members, Staff, Personal Content : Records include lists of trail ride participants, documents from camp coordinators and other trail ride staff, personal photographs, committee notes, personal correspondence and trail ride surveys from 1958-2009
Series III - Published Records : Records include newsletters, brochures, promotional material, news articles and other published content
Series IV - Financial Records : Records include tax records, income statements, expense notes, receipts, payment information for members, budgets, price lists and funding applications
Series V - Administrative Records : Records include administrative notes, inventories and checklists, meeting minutes and agendas, legal and administrative forms, and agreements with outfitting and supply companies