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 visual and texual material pertaining to the Canadian Pacific Railway and its holdings. Visual material conists of two series. Series I: lantern slides, Series II: prints. Textual material consists of two series. Series I: organizational records, Series II: the 1942 film "Canadian…
69 b&w lantern slides, 5 cm of textual records, ca. 309 prints : b&w ; 27.9 x 20.3 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of visual and texual material pertaining to the Canadian Pacific Railway and its holdings. Visual material conists of two series. Series I: lantern slides, Series II: prints. Textual material consists of two series. Series I: organizational records, Series II: the 1942 film "Canadian Pacific" screenplay and associated documents.
Visual material includes black and white lantern slides and black and white prints depicting various scenes pertaining to travelling on the Canadian Pacific Railway and depict dining rooms, scnes involving trains and mountains, farming scenes and fields, people in train cars, various cities and towns, figures in natural landscapes, horses and horseback riding, mountains, waterfalls, skiing, ships, CP hotels, and other grand buildings [across Canada] such as Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal.
Textual material includes paper reports [some compiled by Canadian Pacific Hotels Architectural Engineer Ed Steel] detailing various construction and/or renovation projects for hotels, lodges, tea houses, bugalow camps, huts, and backcountry lodges throughout the Canadian Rockies as well as records pertaining to CP hotels in the Canadian Rockies, and the screenplay for "Canadian Pacific."
Notes
Slides were stored in rectangular wood box with leather handle on top, and metal handle at one end. White label that says “Lyon & Turnbull 432 04 February 2009” on lid of the box. Old, peeling, and stained label on top under handle, illegible. Faded, peeling labels on front, some words legible: “from the Canadian Pacific…” 2 stained and water damaged labels detached from box appear to be English shipping labels.“10” stamped in black on both ends of box. Stamped in black on rear of box: “Canadian Pacific Rly Co. 62 to 65 Charing Cross, London, S.W. 1. “3” engraved on upper rim of box. Box is divided into 3 sections with removable wood separators, small pieces of felt line 2 sections of the box.
Prints and some textual records absorbed from old records V121 and M48.
Lantern slides donated to the Whyte Museum by Dr. William and Mrs. Wynn Bensen. The slides were purchased by the Bensens from Lyon and Turnbull in Scotland.
File consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings and photocopied clippings pertaining mostly to skiing, skiers, ski hills, heli skiing, and generally winter sports throughout Western Canada, with particular focus on Banff National Park.
2.5 cm of textual records (60 pages ; 27.5 x 38.5 cm)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings and photocopied clippings pertaining mostly to skiing, skiers, ski hills, heli skiing, and generally winter sports throughout Western Canada, with particular focus on Banff National Park.
File consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings and photocopied clippings pertaining mostly to skiing, skiers, ski hills, heli skiing, and generally winter sports throughout Western Canada, with particular focus on Banff National Park. Includes clippings about the Chateau Lake Louise st…
2.5 cm of textual records (38 pages ; 27.5 x 38.5 cm)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings and photocopied clippings pertaining mostly to skiing, skiers, ski hills, heli skiing, and generally winter sports throughout Western Canada, with particular focus on Banff National Park. Includes clippings about the Chateau Lake Louise staying open year-round.
File consists of photographs of the Banff National Park including photographs of Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and area. also included are photographs of Jasper National Park
File consists of photographs of the Banff National Park including photographs of Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and area. also included are photographs of Jasper National Park
File consists of a draft of "Banff National Park of Canada Management Plan" produced by Parks Canada and dated October 26, 2009. File also includes drafts of "Key Strategy" documents and an "Environmental Impact Assessment" for the regions of Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay [Parks Can…
File consists of a draft of "Banff National Park of Canada Management Plan" produced by Parks Canada and dated October 26, 2009. File also includes drafts of "Key Strategy" documents and an "Environmental Impact Assessment" for the regions of Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay [Parks Canada]. Contents pertain to natural resources, tourism, townsite development and other related issues within Canadian Rockies national parks.
File consists of notes, contracts, correspondence and other documents pertaining to travel and hiking brochure projects which Ben Gadd produced for Parks Canada.
File consists of notes, contracts, correspondence and other documents pertaining to travel and hiking brochure projects which Ben Gadd produced for Parks Canada.
File consists of 5 commercial miniature calendars with photographs [one printed directly onto calendar, 4 attached to backing]. Photographs on calendars are by Byron Harmon [one is not attributed, but likely by Harmon as well], and pertain to: an unnamed Indigenous couple [possibly Stoney Nakoda co…
File consists of 5 commercial miniature calendars with photographs [one printed directly onto calendar, 4 attached to backing]. Photographs on calendars are by Byron Harmon [one is not attributed, but likely by Harmon as well], and pertain to: an unnamed Indigenous couple [possibly Stoney Nakoda community members], a view of Maligne Lake, an unidentified mountain, 4 ice climbers at the peak of Mt. Habel, and Stoney hunter and Trapper Silas Abraham. Calendar depicting Silas Abraham, 1907, includes printed advertisement for Norman Luxton's trading and taxidermy businesses in Banff and Exshaw.
File consists of 70 personal and family photograph prints. Content pertains to trips to the Okanagan region in British Columbia, Jasper, New Hampshire, and Banff; and views of the Luxton family property [206 Beaver St.]
File consists of 70 personal and family photograph prints. Content pertains to trips to the Okanagan region in British Columbia, Jasper, New Hampshire, and Banff; and views of the Luxton family property [206 Beaver St.]
File pertains to the screenplay for the 1948 film "Canadian Pacific" by Jack DeWitt. The film was made in Banff, directed by Nat Holt, and follows the construction of the line through the Rockies in the 1880s.
File pertains to the screenplay for the 1948 film "Canadian Pacific" by Jack DeWitt. The film was made in Banff, directed by Nat Holt, and follows the construction of the line through the Rockies in the 1880s.
File consists of Canadian Pacific Railway negative photographs pertaining to trail riders, camp staff, guides and outfitters, trail rides, fishing, camps, ceremonies, scenic views of Yoho, Jasper, and Banff National Parks, Canmore and surrounding area, and Banff's townsite. Trail riders in photogr…
129 photographs : b&w nitrate negatives ; 12 x 9.5 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File consists of Canadian Pacific Railway negative photographs pertaining to trail riders, camp staff, guides and outfitters, trail rides, fishing, camps, ceremonies, scenic views of Yoho, Jasper, and Banff National Parks, Canmore and surrounding area, and Banff's townsite. Trail riders in photographs include John Murray Gibbon, Carl Rungius and Charlie Beil.
Notes
Original order retained, appears to be chronological.
Most negative envelopes individually titled and dated, majority from 1943 and 1944. Mostly nitrate photographs.
Original CPR negative envelopes retained in document file.
File consists of 1 cm of textual records, 10 x 22 cm. File pertains to tourist maps of the Canadian Rocky Mountains created by Murray Hay. File includes a brochure of titled "Canadian Rockies Access Maps" that, when unfolded, includes several maps of the various areas that make up the Canadian Rock…
File consists of 1 cm of textual records, 10 x 22 cm. File pertains to tourist maps of the Canadian Rocky Mountains created by Murray Hay. File includes a brochure of titled "Canadian Rockies Access Maps" that, when unfolded, includes several maps of the various areas that make up the Canadian Rocky Mountains, like Kananaskis Country, Canmore, Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Yoho National Park, etc.
File consists of souvenir postcards sent to Ethel McKnight from various friends and relatives between ca.1909-1945. Postcard images pertain to views in and around Banff and the Canadian Rockies. Items are annotated with personal messages to Ethel.
File consists of souvenir postcards sent to Ethel McKnight from various friends and relatives between ca.1909-1945. Postcard images pertain to views in and around Banff and the Canadian Rockies. Items are annotated with personal messages to Ethel.
File consists of correspondence, drafts and other documents pertaining to an article written by Ben Gadd about the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park, which was published by Explore Magazine in 1996.
File consists of correspondence, drafts and other documents pertaining to an article written by Ben Gadd about the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park, which was published by Explore Magazine in 1996.
File consists of handwritten notes by Ben Gadd describing his thuoghts and concerns pertaining to the Four Mountains Parks Planning Program led by Parks Canada.
File consists of handwritten notes by Ben Gadd describing his thuoghts and concerns pertaining to the Four Mountains Parks Planning Program led by Parks Canada.
File consists of documents pertaining to Ben Gadd's involvement in the creation of "GeoVista" downloadable brochures for areas of Jasper National Park, which were published by the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences in 2011. File includes correspondence between Ben and other individuals involved …
From the Canadian Federation of Earth and Space Sciences website:
"GeoVistas are downloadable brochures that explain iconic views in Canadian parks. They are site-specific vignettes that combine engaging descriptions of geological features in the landscape with information on how they have influenced climate, ecology and culture. Precise GPS coordinates allow you to reach these accessible sites."
Scope & Content
File consists of documents pertaining to Ben Gadd's involvement in the creation of "GeoVista" downloadable brochures for areas of Jasper National Park, which were published by the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences in 2011. File includes correspondence between Ben and other individuals involved with the project; drafts of written material and excerpts from brochures, including images; a Canadian Geological Foundation grant application form; handwritten notes; and other related materials.
File consists of brochures and other published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to guiding, climbing and skiing excursions, cycling, snowshoeing, and other recreational activities and tourism packages in the Canadian Rockies.
File consists of brochures and other published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to guiding, climbing and skiing excursions, cycling, snowshoeing, and other recreational activities and tourism packages 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 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 brochures and other published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to hostels, cycling, ski huts and lodges (including Alpine Club of Canada huts), and paragliding in the Canadian Rockies.
File consists of brochures and other published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to hostels, cycling, ski huts and lodges (including Alpine Club of Canada huts), and paragliding in the Canadian Rockies.