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 constitutes the principal resource for the study of the history of Canadian mountaineering. It provides a wealth of information on individual alpinists, expeditions, mountains, national parks, conservation, climbing, alpine organizations, publications, guiding, scientific study and the Alpin…
ca.42 m of textual records. -- ca.12,500 photographs: prints, stereographic prints, transparencies, slides, negatives, postcards. -- 85 photograph albums. -- 8 motion pictures: films, video recordings. -- 3 sound recordings
History / Biographical
The Alpine Club of Canada, the national mountaineering club, was co-founded in 1906 by A. O. Wheeler and Elizabeth Parker, and other like-minded climbers. The club espoused scientific study and exploration, cultivation of art, public education, acquisition of climbing skills, and preservation of natural areas within the mountainous regions of Canada. Through a national executive, local sections and volunteer committees, the club provided climbing camps, clubhouse, huts, and publications, including the Canadian Alpine Journal. ACC expeditions and projects resulted in pioneer exploration, first ascents, and included mountain warfare training during the Second World War. In recent years, the club's membership has increased dramatically with the popularity of climbing and its programs have evolved to serve the needs of unguided climbers using sophisticated technical aids.
Scope & Content
Fonds constitutes the principal resource for the study of the history of Canadian mountaineering. It provides a wealth of information on individual alpinists, expeditions, mountains, national parks, conservation, climbing, alpine organizations, publications, guiding, scientific study and the Alpine Club itself.
The fonds consists of four Sous-fonds: I. Alpine Club of Canada records; II. Mount Everest Expedition (1982) records; III. Personal papers and photographs; IV. Other material. Club administration records (series I.A.) pertain to executive positions; head office; finance; camps, climbing and treks; expeditions; huts and properties; clubhouses; library; publications; photography; other committees; other activities; and other. Other club records include section records (series I.B.), hut registers and summit records (series I.C.).
Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and S…
6 m of textual records and printed material. -- ca.6100 photographs : prints, negatives, transparencies. -- 1 photograph album (49 prints). -- 29 motion pictures. -- 5 sound recordings
History / Biographical
Andy Russell, 1915-2005, was a trapper, guide and outfitter, writer, photographer, cinematographer, lecturer and environmental advocate in the Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada.
Russell was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and spent his childhood on a ranch in the foothills near Pincher Creek. He became a skilled horseman, hunter, fisherman and trapper, and, in 1936, was employed by Bert Riggall, a pioneer guide and outfitter of wilderness pack trips in the southern Rockies since 1907. He became Riggall's partner in 1939 and took over the business when Riggall retired in 1946. Andy Russell and Kathleen (Kay) Riggall married in 1938 and raised five children at their ranch bordering Waterton Lakes National Park, where family businesses included guiding, saddlehorses and ranching. Children are: Richard "Dick" H. (b.1938); Andrew Charles "Charlie" (b.1941); Harold John "John" (b.1944); Hugh Gordon Riggall "Gordon" (b.1947); Lorenda Anne "Anne" (b.1952).
Russell continued as a renowned guide and outfitter with a wealthy repeat clientele until he was forced out of guiding by 1960 with the advance of the oil industry concerns upon wilderness areas in southern Alberta and British Columbia. Russell began to write nature articles in 1945 and after 1960 concentrated upon writing, photography, film making, lecturing and ranching. He wrote for numerous magazines and newspapers, produced radio broadcasts, and, using colour motion picture photography, developed programs on wildlife and wilderness habitat research for live public performances. Russell's films launched his career as an author of popular wildlife and mountain culture books, which included Grizzly Country. In later years, he was an active writer, consultant and advocate of wilderness and environmental management and received numerous awards and honours, including Member of the Order of Canada.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and Sons, royalties and lecturing); III. Writing, broadcasting and public appearances series, 1908-1990 (papers and photographs pertaining to writing, book projects, columns, broadcasts, reviews, advertising, promotion and other); IV. Photography and cinematography series, 1909-1990 (details below); V. Wildlife study and conservation activities series, 1945-[198-]; VI. Other activities series, 1931-[199-] (politics, interviews, information files); VII. Russell family series, [1867]-1983.
Photography and cinematography series consists of: Riggall/Russell guiding activity photographs, 1909-1962, ca.280 items; Andy Russell and Sons Production Ltd / Andy Russell professional photographs and films, ca.1940- ca.1990, ca.4200 photographs (mainly transparencies), 28 motion pictures, accompanied by some textual and printed items; personal and family photographs, 1916-1989, ca.1550 items; collected photographs, ca.1940-197-, ca.75 items. Professional photography and cinematography primarily arose from field work by Andy, Dick and Charlie Russell and pertains mainly to flora, fauna and landscape of the Canadian Rockies in continental divide region, British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska.
Motion pictures, ca.1950-1974, include original film "Grizzly Country" by Dick, Charlie and Andy Russell, produced by Evan J. Anton, ca.1969, copy print of same; also unedited wildlife and landscape footage of Waterton area, Yukon and British Columbia.
Sound recordings are interviews with Andy Russell, [ca.1970]-1988.
Fonds consists of records pertaining to the official Millenium events of the Town of Banff and include 1st Night, Banff Winter Festival, Artventure, Stories of Our Lives, TransCanada relay, Millenium quilts, art sculptures, and other official Millenium celebrations. Records include photographs by …
The Banff Community Celebrations Society coordinated the official Millenium events of the Town of Banff which included such Millenium celebrations as 1st Night, Banff Winter Festival, and Artventure.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of records pertaining to the official Millenium events of the Town of Banff and include 1st Night, Banff Winter Festival, Artventure, Stories of Our Lives, TransCanada relay, Millenium quilts, art sculptures, and other official Millenium celebrations. Records include photographs by Debbie Senger, black & white prints by Gavin Young, sound recordings relating to Stories of Our Lives, and a DVD recording titled Canada 2000 / Government of Canada, Millenium Bureau of Canada, 2001.
Notes
Stories of Our Lives audio cassettes- need transcriptions, copyright etc.
Fonds consists of records in the form of drafts, columns, notes, press releases and photographs in numbered and dated files. Also includes photographic prints pertaining to town and national park events, including the Banff National Park Centennial in 1985, acquired separately from above records.
ca.40 cm of textual records. -- ca. 84,528 photographs: ca.10,528 prints, ca.74,000 negatives, 7 computer diskettes, 3 CD-ROM, 2 zip disks.
History / Biographical
The Banff Crag and Canyon, est. 1900, is a weekly newspaper published every Tuesday in Banff, Alberta, Canada by Bowes Publishers Limited. The newspaper is directed at local area residents and visitors covering news, sports and entertainment in the Town of Banff and area.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of records in the form of drafts, columns, notes, press releases and photographs in numbered and dated files. Also includes photographic prints pertaining to town and national park events, including the Banff National Park Centennial in 1985, acquired separately from above records.
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 includes seven series: I. Personal and professional, 1884-1959; II. Business and financial, ca.1910-1959; III. Professional photography, 1900-1955; IV. Writing, 1906-1957; V. Natural history, 1904-1954; VI. Other interests, 1913-1956; VII. Riggall family, ca.1865-1959. Personal and pro…
ca.13,100 photographs: ca.7080 prints, ca.5310 negatives, ca.700 transparencies. -- 9 photograph albums. -- ca.2 m textual records, print material and graphic records. -- 33 cartographic records
History / Biographical
Frederick Herbert (Bert) Riggall, 1884-1959, was a mountain guide, outfitter, hunter, trapper, rancher, naturalist, photographer, writer and gunsmith/loader in southern Alberta. Born in 1884 at Gayton-le-Wold Grange, Lincolnshire, his family moved to Grimsby where his father was an auctioneer and, in 1905, served as Mayor. In England, Riggall was an athlete, avid sportsman and naturalist. He was exposed to alpine country on school holidays in Switzerland and, determined to visit Canada, left for North America in 1904.
Upon arriving in western Canada, Riggall worked for a year at Craighurst Farm near Calgary. There he met Dorothea (Dora) Williams, 1877-1951, an Irish Quaker ranch cook who had emigrated with her sister Anna in 1902. In 1905, Bert worked on the Correction Land Survey in southwestern Alberta and explored Waterton Lakes. Bert and Dora married in 1906 and until 1946 they homesteaded and ranched adjacent to Waterton Lakes National Park.
Initially, Bert and partner Jack Hazzard built boats and guided fishing parties on Waterton Lakes. In 1909, with partner Cyril Watmough, the Riggalls began guiding and outfitting summer and fall hunting and fishing trips for numerous repeat clients, especially, after 1913, four Minneapolis, Minnesota families: Bovey, Crosby, Bennett and McKnight. Hunts involved Big Horn Sheep, goats, black and grizzly bears. Bert served as chief guide and Dora as camp cook. Prior to 1911, the Riggalls worked at Gloyne's oil camp and Oil City to supplement their income. In 1911, Bert and partner Cyril Watmough made a 1000 mile (1600 km) exploratory trip from Fort Steele, B.C. to the Yellowhead Pass and beyond. Following that trip, Riggall concentrated guiding activities on the continental divide as far north as the Highwood region, but primarily in the upper Oldman River Valley and Gap in the Livingstone Range. Their outfit grew to include numerous saddle and pack horses.
Of five children, only two daughters survived infancy. Kay Riggall (Russell), 1909-1984, and Doris (Babe) Riggall (Burton), 1910-1999, were both able riders, markswomen and packtrain workers. They accompanied their parents on summer back country trips starting in 1918. Bert Riggall was renowned for his knowledge of botany, geology, zoology, wilderness life and lore as well as literature and current affairs. He was especially endeared to his clients for his skill as a raconteur and campfire storyteller. He wrote articles for magazines such as: Arms and the Man, American Rifleman, Field and Stream and the Boone and Crockett Club's book: North American Big Game. Riggall was an accomplished semi-professional photographer who specialized in wildlife studies, panoramic landscapes, Dufaycolor and later Kodachrome transparencies. His photographs appear in Department of Interior Reports and other publications.
Bert's heart problems forced the Riggalls to move to Pincher Creek in 1947. Daughter Kay and son-in-law Andy Russell continued the packtrain and guiding business until 1960. After Dora's death, Bert experienced medical problems and lived with or close to Doris.
Scope & Content
Fonds includes seven series: I. Personal and professional, 1884-1959; II. Business and financial, ca.1910-1959; III. Professional photography, 1900-1955; IV. Writing, 1906-1957; V. Natural history, 1904-1954; VI. Other interests, 1913-1956; VII. Riggall family, ca.1865-1959.
Personal and professional series consists of diaries and notes, correspondence and personal papers.
Business and financial series consists of guiding and ranching records, gunsmithing, shooting and loading records; and legal and financial records.
Professional photography series consists of standard photographs, panoramas, transparencies and textual records
Writing series contains manuscripts, published magazines, book outlines, newspaper articles and letters to the editor
Natural history series contains bird and plant records, and other natural history papers
Other interests series consist of clippings, annotated books and collected material
Riggall family series contains Bert and Dora Riggall family papers and photographs, Williams family photographs, Frederick W. and Fanny Riggall papers and photographs, and Allan Riggall papers and photographs. Negatives and transparencies pertain to Andy Russell as a young man with Bert Riggall.
Notes
Some transparencies in V110 Dick Russell are marked Andy Russell, some marked 64 dup; V110 - original transparencies have full set of duplicates (2 sets were made, 1 for Dick Russell and the other is part of this accession)
Fonds contains six series: I. Robert G. Brett series, 1873-1926, 36 cm of textual records, consisting of: A. Personal papers, 1873-1926 (1. Correspondence, 2. Financial papers, 3. Other papers); B. Business papers, 1897-1925, (1. Banff businesses, 2. Businesses outside Banff); C. Professional pap…
73 cm of textual records. -- 11 photograph albums (ca.850 prints). -- ca.350 photographs (ca.320 prints, 28 negatives)
History / Biographical
Robert George Brett, 1851-1929, was a prominent physician, hotel-hospital owner, businessman and politician Banff, Alberta from 1883 until 1929. Brett was born in Strathroy, Ontario, son of James Brett and Catherine Mallon. He was educated as a physician at the University of Toronto (M.D., 1874), and practiced medicine at Arkona, Ontario. He moved to Winnipeg in 1880, where he helped found the Manitoba Medical College.
R. G. Brett moved to Banff in 1886, founding the Banff Sanitarium. In 1909 he established the Brett Hospital. Brett also had numerous other businesses and real estate in Banff (including the National Park Drug Store, the Sanitarium Bottling Co., the Bretton Hall Hotel, Lithia Bottling Co.) and elsewhere.
In 1878, Brett married Louise Theodora Hungerford, 1855-1935, of Waterford, Ontario. Of their five children, only two survived infancy, Reginald H. "Harry", 1879-1925, and Robert Earle, 1887-1912. Earle Brett was survived by Maidie (Stacpole) Brett, whom he married in 1910, and by an infant daughter. Dr. Harry Brett was married to Helen Brett, 1877-1964, who outlived the rest of her family by many years. Associated closely with the Brett family was Dr. Brett's nurse, Annie McLauchlin.
From 1881 to 1901, R. G. Brett was Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the North-West Territories, and from 1889 to 1891 he was president of the executive council. He was Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta from 1915 to 1925. He died in Calgary.
Scope & Content
Fonds contains six series:
I. Robert G. Brett series, 1873-1926, 36 cm of textual records, consisting of: A. Personal papers, 1873-1926 (1. Correspondence, 2. Financial papers, 3. Other papers); B. Business papers, 1897-1925, (1. Banff businesses, 2. Businesses outside Banff); C. Professional papers, 1889-1925 (1. Political correspondence, 2. Official correspondence, 3. Other material);
II. Louise H. Brett series, [between1855 and 1935], 10 cm of textual records, consisting of: A. Writing, betw.1885 and 1935; B. Scrapbooks, ca.1900, ca.1910; C. Diaries and letters, 1912-1925; D. Other, ca.1870-1924.
III. Reginald H. "Harry" Brett series, ca.1910-1921, 10.5 cm of textual records, print material and photographs. Consists of: A. Personal papers, ca.1910 (1.Scrapbooks, 2. Ephemera); B. Business papers, 1912-1921.
IV. Helen Brett series, 1925-1965, 4.5 cm of textual records, consisting of: A. Correspondence, 1927-1950; B. R. G. Brett estate papers, 1925-1949; C. Financial and business records, 1936-1962; D. Other, 1935-1965.
V. Brett family series, [ca.1860-ca.1935], consisting of : A. Photographs albums, ca.1860-ca.1910; B. Photographs, ca.1875-ca.1935.
VI. Other material series, [before 1928], 2 cm of textual records, consisting of: A. Annie McLauchlin papers, 1914-1928; B. Other, before 1925.
Fonds is primarily a broad-ranging commercial negative collection pertaining to Banff and area, including businesses, buildings, projects, events, people and scenic views; skiing, mountain travel and recreation; Sunshine Village Ski Area; warden activities in the mountain parks; national and provin…
ca.31,580 photographs: negatives, prints, and transparencies. -- 1 photograph album (ca.150 prints). -- 50 motion pictures: 1 original, 8 copies on 3 video cassettes, 41 film reels: 16mm, 35mm. -- 18 sound recordings: audio tape reels, audio tape cassettes. -- 5 electronic records: computer diskettes. -- 3 maps. -- 15 cm textual records.
History / Biographical
Bruno Engler, 1915-2001, was a mountain guide, ski instructor, photographer and film maker at Banff and Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Engler arrived from Switzerland in 1939 and initially worked as a mountain guide and ski instructor for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Sunshine ski area and for Deer Lodge at Lake Louise, Alberta. During the Second World War, he served as a mountain warfare instructor for the Canadian Army. Following the war, Engler worked as a free-lance photographer for the National Film Board and others; as coach of the University of Alberta Ski Team; and as a technical advisor, cameraman and actor for numerous movies made in the Banff area. Throughout his career, Engler worked as a still and motion picture photographer, both for the movie industry and for governments at all levels, as well as operating his own business, Alpine Films of Banff, Alberta.
Scope & Content
Fonds is primarily a broad-ranging commercial negative collection pertaining to Banff and area, including businesses, buildings, projects, events, people and scenic views; skiing, mountain travel and recreation; Sunshine Village Ski Area; warden activities in the mountain parks; national and provincial parks; scenic views of western Canada, particularly mountain landscapes; some portraits and candid shots of local and international personalities. Photographs pertaining to film making include helicopter rescue; highway construction; Norquay, Sunshine, and Lake Louise ski areas' histories; Banff events and buildings; Canmore events and buildings; professional and amateur ski races; scenic mountain and wildlife; mountaineering and highway accidents; mountain guiding trips including Pierre Trudeau, Roland Michener and Peter Lougheed. Fonds consists of four series: Photography, Motion Pictures, Sound Recordings, and Textual records. Photography series consists of four sub-series established by the photographer: I. Old file, 1949-1970; II. Main file, alphabetical A - Z, 1950-1976; III Sunshine file, [1939], 1950-1975; IV. Warden file, 1954-1976.
Motion pictures on video cassettes are footage of skiing at Sunshine, 1930s; Clifford White films, 1930s, from WMCR Archives collection (V682); "Snow Capers" by Thomas Mead, 1946, includes Engler; "Ski Pro's Holiday" by George Encil, 1950?; "Mount Bulyea" by George Encil, 1950?, includes Engler; "Diary of a Mountain Man," a CBC documentary feature on Bruno Engler broadcast on "20/20" in 1965 (ca.27 minutes); "Great Days in the Rockies" by National Film Board of Canada, 1983; "Mountain Man" by Banff Centre, 1985, re Engler. Original film is "Sunshine 1940" and includes Brewster Transport ski buses travelling from train station to Sunshine Lodge, skiers, guide, lessons, games, rope tow, ski action, slalom, Bruno Engler, other. 16mm and 35mm film reels, 1946-1964 are films produced by the National Film Board.
Sound recordings, electronic records and and related textual material pertain to interviews with Bruno Engler, 1987, done by Brian Patton and Jon Whyte for Bruno Engler autobiography project. Interviews covered Engler's life, but are not complete to 1987. Transcripts, prepared from recordings by Brenda Goeres, are not verbatim. Audio tape cassettes consist of portions of content of audio tape reels.
Textual records include corporate records, newspaper clippings and magazine articles pertaining to film making, cast and crew listings and schedules for various movies, ski racing, mountain guiding trips and ski race listings. Also included is documentation pertaining to film making with producer National Film Board including letters, film stock footage, press releases, and film summaries; maps indicate film location shots for Arctic Rampage.
Fonds consists of a photograph album titled "Canada and America, 28 Sept. to 14 Dec. 1889" that chronicles a journey through Canada and the United States, specifically the Canadian Rockies, the interior of British Columbia to Vancouver Island, Canada and south through Washington state to California…
Album was compiled by an unknown traveler, possibly British
Date Range
1889
Physical Description
1 photograph album (73 prints).-- 7 photographs: copy negatives, b&w
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of a photograph album titled "Canada and America, 28 Sept. to 14 Dec. 1889" that chronicles a journey through Canada and the United States, specifically the Canadian Rockies, the interior of British Columbia to Vancouver Island, Canada and south through Washington state to California, USA. Views were probably purchased enroute from well-known artists, including Canadian photographers A. B. Thom and C. S. Bailey, and American photographers Taber, Fiske and C. R. Savage.
7 b&w copy negatives
Notes
Purchase was made possible through a grant from the Department of Communications, Government of Canada
Fonds consists of two series : I. Dan McCowan series; II. Mary E.(Fee) McCowan series. I. Dan McCowan series, ca.1905-1967?, ca.30 cm of textual records, ca.3400 photographs, 4 graphic records. Includes five sub-series: A. Correspondence; B. Writing; C. Photography; D. Professional activities; E…
ca.50 cm of textual records. -- ca.3400 photographs (ca.1000 negatives, ca.1540 lantern slides, ca.770 transparencies 35mm, 117 prints). -- 4 graphic records
History / Biographical
Dan McCowan, 1882-1956, was a naturalist, lecturer and writer at Banff, Alberta, Canada. McCowan came to Banff from Scotland in 1907. There he met Mary Ethel Fee, 1888-1973, a teacher, and they married in 1921. Mary McCowan shared an interest in Dan's work, hand-coloured his lantern slides and accompanied him on his tours. Dan McCowan was an active photographer and naturalist and lectured at hospitals during and following the First World War. He was later recommended to Sir Edward Beatty, CPR President and hired by the CPR to promote the scenic beauties and natural history of the mountains, which he did for 26 years. For a period his lantern slide presentations included motion pictures. During the 1940s, he used natural colour Kodachrome slide photography. While in England in 1936, McCowan was made a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society. From ca.1907 onwards, he wrote for magazines and newspapers. The first of six books was published in 1936; the last in 1955. Beginning ca.1937, McCowan wrote and broadcast radio talks on natural history on CBC. These were heard widely in Canada and the United States. In 1939, McCowan accompanied the King and Queen on a portion of their railway tour through the mountains, providing information on natural history and residents. During the Second World War, he toured extensively on behalf of the YMCA. The McCowans retired to Cloverdale (now Surrey), B.C., ca.1951.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of two series : I. Dan McCowan series; II. Mary E.(Fee) McCowan series.
I. Dan McCowan series, ca.1905-1967?, ca.30 cm of textual records, ca.3400 photographs, 4 graphic records. Includes five sub-series: A. Correspondence; B. Writing; C. Photography; D. Professional activities; E. Ephemera.
Correspondence includes incoming letters re writing, business and broadcasting. Writing is in the form of notes and notebooks, unpublished and published manuscripts, newspaper articles and other materials.
Photography includes negatives, lantern slides, 35mm transparencies and prints. Material pertains to flora, fauna, people, places and scenery, also family, activities and events. Photographs of Banff personalities and visitors are available in negative and lantern slide form, 254 items.
Lantern slides were designed for lectures such as: "On skyline trails in the Canadian Rockies"; "On nature trails at Banff and Lake Louise"; "A naturalist in the Canadian Rockies" (200 slides); "Snow peaks and flower meadows in the Canadian Rockies" (200 slides); "Over the hills and far away: a pictorial review of the Canadian Rockies"; "Victory Day, May 8th 1945, Dan McCowan presents: Bye-gone days in Banff" (exact titles were based on title slides).
II. Mary E. (Fee) McCowan series consists of diaries, 1926-1957, photocopied from 12 volumes (19 cm); and letters from Dan McCowan, 1943. Diaries discuss joint travels, activities, lecture tours for CPR (Canada, U.S., U.K.), Banff, trail rides, skyline hikes, and Royal Visit, 1939
Notes
Both Dan and Mary McCowan have written identifications on the slide mounts
Fonds consist of three separate series: A. Correspondence and Printed Materials; B. Prints; C. Tintype. Fonds consists of photographs found in Annie White's trunk.
1192 photographs: prints, negatives, tintype. -- 0.5cm of textual records.
History / Biographical
Dave White, 1864-1940, was born in New Brunswick and came to Banff, Alberta as a C.P.R. section foreman in 1886. In October 1894, Dave White quit the C.P.R. and built the Park Store. Between 1904 and 1907, Dave White ran a store at Bankhead with the help of partner D.C. Baynes. From 1908 to 1928 Sam Armstrong was Dave White's partner and the store was renamed Dave White and Co. After 1930, Dave's three sons, Peter, Clifford and Dave Jr. joined the partnership now called Dave White and Sons Ltd. In 1901, Dave married Annie Curren, whose father, John D. Curren, came from Glasgow, Scotland to investigate the coal mining at Anthracite. Dave and Annie had four children: Peter, 1905-1966; Clifford, 1902-1964; Dave Jr. (Jack), 1908-1961; and Lila, d.1961.
Dave White had three brothers: Daniel, who joined him in Banff, Angus and Peter as well as three sisters, Margaret, Lizzie and May.
Scope & Content
Fonds consist of three separate series: A. Correspondence and Printed Materials; B. Prints; C. Tintype. Fonds consists of photographs found in Annie White's trunk.
Fonds consists mainly of photographs collected by Harmon in the process of his work. Photographs pertain to Banff personalities, events, activities, street views, facilities and buildings, 1883-1967, and includes both original and copy material. Textual records include: undated notes re Byron Har…
163 photographs : prints, negatives. -- 11 textual records
History / Biographical
Don Harmon, 1917-1997, was a publisher, photographer and businessman at Banff, Alberta, Canada. Harmon operated Byron Harmon Photographs and the Harmony Drug Store after his father's death in 1942. Byron Harmon Photographs was subsequently run by Don Harmon's daughter, Carole Harmon.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists mainly of photographs collected by Harmon in the process of his work. Photographs pertain to Banff personalities, events, activities, street views, facilities and buildings, 1883-1967, and includes both original and copy material. Textual records include: undated notes re Byron Harmon, Harmony Block and business history; letters, 1967-1974, re photographs; Harmony Drug Store Ltd. stationary, ca.1925; photograph list, n.d.; newspaper, "The Climber," 1906; letters to Lloyd Harmon, 1941.
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 consist mainly of photographs by Edward Cavell, 1973-1975. Consists of 6 x 6 cm. negatives with corresponding contact sheets and some identification lists for four projects: I. Copy and on-site shots for Banff Springs: The Story of a Hotel, 1973, ca.209 negatives plus contact sheets and enlar…
Edward Cavell, b.1947, writer, researcher, photographer and museum curator at Banff, Alberta, Canada, is currently a business owner at Banff and Calgary, Alberta.
Scope & Content
Fonds consist mainly of photographs by Edward Cavell, 1973-1975. Consists of 6 x 6 cm. negatives with corresponding contact sheets and some identification lists for four projects: I. Copy and on-site shots for Banff Springs: The Story of a Hotel, 1973, ca.209 negatives plus contact sheets and enlargements; II. Landscape photographs for Rocky Mountains highway guide book, Waterton to Jasper, with Jon Whyte (incomplete), 1974, ca.700 negatives with contact sheets and identifications; III. Stage shots of Phil Nimmons Quartet at the Banff Centre, 1974, 84 negatives and contact sheets; IV. Ground and aerial survey of Cascade Fire Road for Banff Warden Service, 1975, ca.257 negatives and contact sheet. ; Also includes photographs collected by Cavell for personal and research purposes, including Tepee at Bow Lake, hand-coloured print by Byron Harmon; "Dedicatory services at Mount Eisenhower 1958" by Bruno Engler, Alpine Films, Banff; Rocky Mountain scenic postcards by several publishers, including Byron Harmon and Bill Gibbons; slide copies of photographs by Charles Horetzky, Walter D. Wilcox, William Notman, Byron Harmon and [Ernest Brown].
Fonds consists of photographs, 1911-ca.1958; professional papers, 1901-1957; letters, 1941-1961; scrapbook, 1923-1972; and newsclippings, 1969. Photographs pertain mainly to mountaineering trips and climbs, mainly led by Edward Feuz Jr. in the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains, and includes many first as…
ca.1820 photographs (ca.700 prints, ca.170 negatives, ca.950 transparencies). -- 1 photograph album (ca.180 prints). -- 4 cm of textual records
History / Biographical
Edward Feuz Jr., 1884-1981, was a Canadian Pacific Railway mountain guide at Lake Louise, Alberta and Glacier and Golden, British Columbia, Canada. Feuz was the son of one of the first Swiss Guides brought to Canada by the Canadian Pacific Railway. He climbed at Field and Glacier House in 1903 with his father and guided during summers from 1905 to 1912, settling that year in the Edelweiss Village at Golden, British Columbia. Until his retirement in the 1950s, he accompanied the finest climbers and was involved in over seventy first ascents of peaks over 3048 metres.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of photographs, 1911-ca.1958; professional papers, 1901-1957; letters, 1941-1961; scrapbook, 1923-1972; and newsclippings, 1969.
Photographs pertain mainly to mountaineering trips and climbs, mainly led by Edward Feuz Jr. in the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains, and includes many first ascents. Many photographs were taken by clients who sent copies to Feuz. Photographs also pertain to clients, associates and friends, Lake Louise Chalet and Chateau Lake Louise, Lake Louise area, Feuz homes at Edelweiss and Golden, and scenic views in the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains. Negatives are largely unidentified. Original colour transparencies by Edward Feuz, ca.1950-ca.1976, pertain to trips and scenic views in the Rocky Mountains. ; Professional papers include: Feuz's fuhrer-buch (guidebook) containing his certification as a Swiss Guide and testimonials from clients in Switzerland and Canada, 1901-1957; certificate of life membership, Alpine Club of Canada, 1947; and records of climbs re the Chateau Lake Louise, 1913-1930. Letters, scrapbook and clippings all pertain to Feuz's career, clients and mountaineering.
Also includes fuhrer-buch of Edward Feuz Sr., 1859-1944, Switzerland and Glacier, B.C.
The fonds consists of personal, professional and political correspondence, research and publication correspondence, research materials, drafts and illustrations related to E.J. (Ted) Hart’s personal life, professional career, writing career and political career from 1971 to present. For the writ…
ca.6 m : textual records, photographs, sound recording
History / Biographical
Edward John (Ted) Hart, b.1946, is a historian, writer and Director Emeritus at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Hart is author of numerous books on aspects of Canadian Rockies history, including guiding and outfitting, the Brewster family, the CPR and tourism, Carl Rungius, Greyhound Lines of Canada, Jimmy Simpson, the Banff Springs Hotel golf course, the Bow Valley, and other topics. Hart was archivist at the Archives of the Canadian Rockies, 1972-1976 and Executive Director of the Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundation, 1976-2008. In 2008 in began semi-retirement in the position of Head Archivist, and fully retired in 2010. He served as a director of the Banff Community Society, 1979-1983; as a member of the Banff School Board, 1983-1986; on the Banff Municipal Committee, 1986- 1989; and in municipal office as councillor and then mayor 1990 to 1998. Hart attended the founding meeting of the Association of Canadian Archivists in Edmonton, and helped create the Archives Society of Alberta in 1981. He was the ASA's founding president. Hart is the recipient of a number of awards including Fellow of the Association of Canadian Archivists, Alberta Achievement Award, Excellence Category for “Historical Preservation, Culture and the Literary Arts”, Archives Society of Alberta, Honorary Lifetime Member and the Alberta Historical Society award.
Scope & Content
The fonds consists of personal, professional and political correspondence, research and publication correspondence, research materials, drafts and illustrations related to E.J. (Ted) Hart’s personal life, professional career, writing career and political career from 1971 to present. For the writing material, which makes up the majority of the fonds, it is organized on the basis of the publication title under which it was carried out. The political section includes papers leading to the incorporation of Banff as a national park municipality in 1990 and records of its first years of operation as an incorporated town, including the creator’s role in these matters. Of notable interest in the writing files are the interviews and correspondence with pioneers of the Banff area, in particular those used for "Diamond Hitch", "The Brewster Story : from packtrain to tour bus" and "Jimmy Simpson". The political files include background reports and handbill drafts that are not part of the official record kept by the Town of Banff, which may make them rare, if not unique.
Notes
Committee records may include duplicates and some material likely duplicates that in other fonds such as Banff Community Society (M212), Banff Municipal Committee (M134) and Banff School District No. 102 (M4).
Fonds consists mainly of poems by Gordon Burles, 1970-2017. Manuscripts contain about twenty-seven hundred poems, mainly in free verse, some with revisions. Poems are numbered in chronological order. About 2016 Burles stopped numbering each poem. The year of creation is indicated with each poem.…
ca. 36.5 cm textual records + 9 CD-R (textual records). -- 7 photographs : prints, negatives.
History / Biographical
James Gordon Burles, b.1949, is a poet, surveyor and civil servant at Banff, Alberta, Canada. A native of Banff, Burles is a student of the Canadian Rockies. In Burles' own words, much of his poetry is inspired by four environments: the life and history of Banff National Park, the town of Banff, the Okanagan Valley, and Calgary.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists mainly of poems by Gordon Burles, 1970-2017. Manuscripts contain about twenty-seven hundred poems, mainly in free verse, some with revisions. Poems are numbered in chronological order. About 2016 Burles stopped numbering each poem. The year of creation is indicated with each poem. Some poems pertain to mountain personalities such as Bill Peyto, Norman Sanson, Margaret Stone, Walter D. Wilcox, Walter J. Phillips, Conrad Kain, and Georgia Engelhard. Many are surrealist or nonsense poems and many deal with the Cemetery Tea House, an imaginary teahouse frequented by various characters.
Fonds consists of three series: I : Poetry Manuscripts; II : Prose and research; III: Digital typeset copies of published poems
Some poems deal with Burle's parents and family. The collection also holds fifty-three books and booklets, self-published by the author from 1984 to 2017. The books published from 2003 to 2017 contain all the poems which the author considers worth preserving. Some in one book have been revised in a later book. Some poems were revised more than once. The three books published in 1984, 1986, and 1990 are considered by the author as early works. Only the poems in those books that the author considered worth publishing have been republished in the 2003-2017 books. Names in the poem titles are usually made up.
Some titles are tongue-in-cheek. There were so many poems that the author resorted to names like "Portrait for Bertrand Clerihew-Guggenheim" to make it easier. Some titles, of course, are obviously connected to the content of the poem. Many titles were long enough to preclude the difficulty of getting the graphic designer to centre the title over the poem! Also included are manuscripts, research materials, articles, and notes etc. regarding Bill Peyto, the Copper Mountain Mine, Banff National Park museum, logging roads in the Johnson Lake area, and the Sanson-Bethune connection.
Photographs pertain to remains of hay rake and wagon in the Third Vermilion Lake area (1975) and remains of the Queen of the Hills Mine, above Silver City (1977).
CD-ROMS's contain typeset copies of manuscripts by Gordon Burles in Pagemaker, In Design and .pdf file formats. Manuscripts include "The Jagged Harmony," 2005, "An Avenue Without End," 2005, "That Perfect Elsewhere," n.d., "Much Like A Dream," 2004, "All the Universe of Sight," 2006, "Those Grand Poplars," 2004, "Lords of Many Orchards: Selected Best Poems of Gordon Burles," 2003, "That trellis of tombs: Further Selected Poems of Gordon Burles," 2004, "The Closing of Many Doors: More Poems by Gordon Burles," 2006.
II : Prose and research includes "Life story of James Gordon Burles," 2022
Notes
Books of poetry published by Gordon Burles are located in the Whyte Museum Archives Library 05.1/B92.
In 2018 Gordon Burles compiled a listing of the original poems that were edited and re-published. This list is in the M196 document file, and is also a PDF attached to the fonds level record
Fonds consists of manuscripts and research papers, 196-; police papers, 1932-1935; correspondence, 1937-1957; publications, 1933-1942; Hal B. Hammond papers and photographs, 1887-1888, 1938, n.d.; and research and personal photographs, 1887-ca.1937. Police papers are primarily reports, statements a…
ca.26 cm of textual records. -- 33 photographs : prints, negatives
History / Biographical
Gray Campbell, b.1912, was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable, rancher, writer and publisher at Banff and Cowley, Alberta and Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. Campbell served with the RCMP in Banff and Cowley districts from 1932 until 1939. He ranched in the Porcupine Hills area, ca.1948-1960, at the same time writing magazine articles on a number of subjects, including RCMP history.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of manuscripts and research papers, 196-; police papers, 1932-1935; correspondence, 1937-1957; publications, 1933-1942; Hal B. Hammond papers and photographs, 1887-1888, 1938, n.d.; and research and personal photographs, 1887-ca.1937.
Police papers are primarily reports, statements and news articles concerning a RCMP case involving the murder of four police officers and the deaths of three fugitives near Banff in 1935. They discuss the roles of Campbell, Bill Neish, Tom Wallace and George C. "Scotty" Harrison. Also includes Campbell's RCMP training papers and reports of various cases.
Manuscripts are primarily short articles on a variety of subjects, including Harry Stallworthy, RCMP history, Christmas and Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment.
The Hal B. Hammond material includes letters and manuscripts of an ex North West Mounted Police officer, 1884-1889, re RCMP history, Riel Rebellion, Milk River and Fort Carlton; also photographs of N.W.M.P. and Corporal H. B. Hammond, 1887-1888. Other photographs pertain to Harry Stallworthy, Fred Bagley, commercial views of Banff and area, ca.1925, and personal photographs, 1933.
Fonds consists of three series: I. Helen Stuart series, 1863-1947, ca.6 cm of textual records, ca.140 photographs : prints, 1 photograph album (9 prints). Series pertains to Helen Stuart's life before her marriage in 1948. Includes: A. Stuart family papers and photographs; B. Helen Stuart photo…
ca.770 photographs : prints, negatives. -- 1 photograph album (9 prints). -- ca.14 cm of textual records.
History / Biographical
Helen and George Shandruk were residents of Banff, Alberta, Canada. Helen Isabel (Isobella) Stuart, 1899-2000, came to Banff from Scotland in 1911? with her parents, David Stuart, 1863-1919, and Isobella Stuart, 1872-1945, and sister Caroline "Carrie" (Crandell). The family resided at 119 Beaver Street, where Helen lived until 1995. Helen worked at the Banff Post Office, also at the Sign of the Goat and the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. George Shandruk, 1914-1993, was born at Bankhead, Alberta and raised at Canmore, Alberta. He worked for many years as a fishing guide. Helen and George married in 1948.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of three series:
I. Helen Stuart series, 1863-1947, ca.6 cm of textual records, ca.140 photographs : prints, 1 photograph album (9 prints). Series pertains to Helen Stuart's life before her marriage in 1948. Includes: A. Stuart family papers and photographs; B. Helen Stuart photographs.
II. George Shandruk series, 1929-1948, 2 cm of textual records, ca.50 photographs: prints, negatives. Series pertains to George Shandruk and Shandruk family.
III. Helen and George Shandruk series, ca.1900-1994, 6 cm of textual records, ca.580 photographs : prints, negatives. Series pertains to Helen and George Shandruk, friends and family. Includes: A. Photographs (Helen and George Shandruk, family and friends, travel, other); B. Personal papers.
Notes
Fonds description pertains to processed material only