Fonds documents Lillian Gest's visits and travels in the Canadian Rockies and elsewhere. Pertains to mountain travel, particularly pack trips, camps, mountaineering and recreation; Alpine Club of Canada; Sky Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies; natural and human history; the mountain landsca…
1.1 m of textual records. -- ca.7400 photographs : transparencies, prints, negatives, published photographs. -- 12 photograph albums (4208 prints). -- 47 motion pictures. -- 7 sound recordings : audio tape cassettes
History / Biographical
Lillian Gest, 1897-1986, of Merion, Pennsylvania visited the Canadian Rockies almost every summer for sixty years, beginning in 1921. She was an active participant in "Off the Beaten Track" trips organized by Caroline Hinman between 1923 and 1933, in which young people camped, hiked, hunted and went horseback riding throughout the region between Mount Assiniboine and Mount Robson. During the 1930s, Gest attended hikes of the Skyline Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies and developed mountaineering skills at Alpine Club of Canada annual camps. Christian Hasler Jr. often served as her guide. Gest also belonged to the American Alpine Club, the Philadelphia Trails Club and the Lake O'Hara Trails Club. She spent considerable time in the Lake O'Hara region and wrote "History of Lake O'Hara" (1961), "History of Moraine Lake" (1970), and "History of Mount Assiniboine" (1979).
Scope & Content
Fonds documents Lillian Gest's visits and travels in the Canadian Rockies and elsewhere. Pertains to mountain travel, particularly pack trips, camps, mountaineering and recreation; Alpine Club of Canada; Sky Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies; natural and human history; the mountain landscape; scenic views; family and friends.
Textual records include: I. Personal papers, 1925-1982, 36 cm., including A. Diaries and trip notes, B. Correspondence, C. Other; II. Activities, 1913- 1984, 50 cm., including: A. Writing (book projects, articles, memoirs and other writing), B. Nature study, C. Photography, D. Travel; III. Clubs and organizations, 1932-1984, n.d., 22.5 cm., including: A. American Alpine Club, B. Alpine Club of Canada C. Other (Skyline Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, Lake O'Hara Trails Club, Philadelphia Trails Club); IV. Other, 1894-1968, n.d., 1.5 cm., including: A. Caroline Hinman papers, B. Miscellaneous papers.
Photographs include: I. Transparencies, 1939-1981, 7153 items; II. Photograph albums, 1919-1958, 12 v. (4208 prints); III. Motion pictures, 1928-1942, 47 reels; IV. Prints and negatives, [ca.1912]-1980, 194 items; V. Published photographs, [ca.1930-ca.1980], n.d., 17 items. Images are well identified.
Accompanied by sound recordings of portions of diaries.
Album contains ca.211 black and white photographs pertaining to backcountry trail rides through the Canadian Rockies (1930s), belonging to guide Charlie Hunter. Individuals in the photographs include Caroline Hinman and Lillian Gest. Images depict tour groups in the Rockies, some portraits of indiv…
Charlie Hunter (1888-1982) of Pincher Creek, Alberta, worked as a guide for Jim Boyce in the 1920s and 1930s, and was especially associated with Caroline Hinman's tours.
Don Schoening (1918-2018), Charlie Hunter's nephew, worked as a wrangler for his uncle on Hinman's trail rides in Banff National Park in 1934 and 1936. Schoening also ran the pack trains that carried the building supplies for Skoki Lodge in 1936.
Scope & Content
Album contains ca.211 black and white photographs pertaining to backcountry trail rides through the Canadian Rockies (1930s), belonging to guide Charlie Hunter. Individuals in the photographs include Caroline Hinman and Lillian Gest. Images depict tour groups in the Rockies, some portraits of individuals and various landscape shots (forests, mountain views, etc.)
Pages of album interleaved with acid-free tissue paper to prevent further damage to attached photographs. Use caution when handling as small fragments of paper may fall off of outer binding.
File pertains to a photograph album containing some photographs of various Alpine Club of Canada, American Alpine Club, Sky-Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, and personal trips. Photographs primarily depict mountain views, buildings, lakes, and people, some of whom are identified.
The bulk…
1 album (173 prints : b&w and col. ; 25 x 22.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to a photograph album containing some photographs of various Alpine Club of Canada, American Alpine Club, Sky-Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, and personal trips. Photographs primarily depict mountain views, buildings, lakes, and people, some of whom are identified.
The bulk of the album is dedicated to Christmas cards sent to Lillian Gest by various people from 1949-1958.
Inserts pertain to two photographs of a group of people sitting on the front porch of a cabin in Lake O'Hara. Ernest Feuz is seated far right.
File pertains to a photograph album containing photographs from various trips taken by Lillian Gest, some of which include Alpine Club of Canada Annual Trips, and Christmas cards sent to Gest by various friends and club members. Greeting cards are dated from 1938-1948.
Contents include:
1938: [Alpi…
1 album (306 photographs : b&w ; 23 x 18 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to a photograph album containing photographs from various trips taken by Lillian Gest, some of which include Alpine Club of Canada Annual Trips, and Christmas cards sent to Gest by various friends and club members. Greeting cards are dated from 1938-1948.
Contents include:
1938: [Alpine Club camp, Columbia Icefields; Maligne Lake and canyon, Caroline Hinman trip; Banff; Lake Louise; Christian Hasler].
1939: [Ptarmigan Lake; Crosby Lake; Mount Vaux, Mount Ennis and Hanbury Peak; Ice River Valley; Goodsirs; Kate Gardiner; Phyllis Munday; Eric Brooks; Charles Hunter ranch, Pincher Creek; postcards of Washington and Oregon].
1940: [Mount Athabasca; Lyell Glacier; Wapta River; Christian Hasler; Mount Waddington, Phyllis and Don Munday].
1941: [Banff Indian Days; climbing Mount Odaray].
1942: [Three Sisters; White Man's Pass area; Grassi Lakes; Bow River; Banff Indian Days; Lake Louise area; Mounts Temple, Fay and Pinnacle; Mount Quadra; Mount Neptuak from Tower of Babel].
1943: [Lake O'Hara, Alpine Club camp; Browne home, Banff; Mount Edith].
1946: [Bow Lake; Jimmy and Billie Simpson; St. Nicholas Peak].
1948?: [Lake Minnewanka; Bow Lake; Mount Chephren; Peyto Glacier; Mount Rhonda; Dolomite Peak; Mummery Group; Freshfields; Mount Baker; Sherbrooke Lake; Mount Daly; Mount Balfour].
Inserts pertain to two typed text letters from Caroline Hinman to Lillian Gest and discuss various Off the Beaten Track information.
Notes
Blank pages not scanned.
Inserts are photocopies of the originals that were included with the album.
Microfilm copy available for reference use by appointment only.
Language
English
Conservation
Removed from plastic sleeve and rehoused in acid-free paper, tied with flat string.
Locate original copies of inserts and return them to PD - 11 Documents file - notes on the backs of the inserts note that the originals were moved to M67 but the documents could not be found.