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 textual, visual and sound materials pertaining to Norman Luxton, Eleanor Luxton and their family members and friends (including Georgina Luxton, Norman's parents and siblings, and members of the Ross, Graham and McDougall families). Includes correspondence, personal and profession…
ca.32.1 m of textual records (29.3 m textual records, 47 scrapbooks) -- ca.7290 photographs (ca.5300 b&w and col. prints, ca.1915 negatives, 75 transparencies, 2 tintypes) -- 17 albums -- ca.74 cm sound recordings (29 CDs, 45 audio cassettes, 17 R120 DAT tapes, 1 VHS, 8 voicewriter discs)
History / Biographical
The Norman Luxton family was a prominent family in Banff, Alberta, Canada from 1904 until 1962. Daughter Eleanor Luxton maintained the family's position in the town until her death in 1995.
Publisher and businessman Norman K. Luxton, 1876-1962, was the son of Winnipeg Free Press co-founder William Luxton. After working for the Winnipeg Free Press, Norman Luxton travelled, then joined the Calgary Herald for eight years. In 1901, he journeyed 10,000 miles on the Pacific in the dug-out canoe Tilikum. After becoming ill, Luxton abandoned the trip in Fiji and came to Banff to recuperate. The around-the-world trip was subsequently completed by his sailing partner, Capt. John Voss.
Luxton bought Banff's Crag and Canyon newspaper in 1902 and remained as publisher until 1951. Also in 1902, he established the Sign of the Goat Curio store which specialized in Stoney Indian handicrafts and taxidermy specimens. Other significant Luxton businesses were the King Edward Hotel and Livery, Luxton Bros. insurance (with brother Louis Luxton) and the Lux Block, which included a hotel, the Lux Theatre and retail stores.
In 1904, Norman Luxton married Georgina (Georgie) Elizabeth McDougall, 1870-1965, of the pioneer missionary McDougall family of Morley, Alberta. In addition to her McDougall connections, Georgie Luxton was related by marriage to Senator George Ross. Norman and Georgie Luxton had one child, Eleanor Georgina, born in Banff in 1908.
The Luxtons were important Banff "boosters" with involvement in numerous local organizations and events. Norman Luxton managed the Banff Indian Days from 1909 to 1950, was a founder of Banff Winter Carnival and was involved with native events at the Calgary Stampede for 25 years. In 1953, Norman established a museum to house his native artifacts. The Luxton Museum was built in co-operation with Eric Harvie of the Glenbow Foundation of Calgary. After Luxton's death, the museum continued to be managed by the Glenbow until 1992.
Eleanor Luxton, 1908-1995, was a writer, historian, researcher, engineer, teacher and business woman. After graduating from high school in Banff in 1926, she attended the University of Alberta from 1926 until 1939, receiving degrees in history (BA '30, MA'33), a Diploma in Education (1931) and subsequent education, biology and natural history courses during the summers.
Between 1937 and 1956, Eleanor received further degrees and certificates from studies at Garbutt Business College (Calgary), St. Stephen's College (Edmonton), Ottawa Technical High School, Havergal Ladies College (Ontario), St. George Williams College (Montreal), McGill University (Montreal) and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Subjects studied included office practices, shorthand, machine draughting, English, civil engineering (BSc '46), German, broadcast writing, management, commerce, accounting and commercial law.
Eleanor Luxton's extensive education overlapped and preceded a long and varied professional career. Her teaching career extended from high school teacher in Alberta (Banff and Sexsmith), 1933-1940, to university lecturer in Montreal in the 1950s. During the 1940s, she worked in locomotive design for the CPR in Montreal. Beginning in 1956 and continuing until 1965, when she returned to Banff to care for her mother, Eleanor worked throughout southern Alberta as a field researcher for Calgary's Glenbow Foundation. From 1965 until her death in 1995, Eleanor remained in Banff in her family home and pursued an active career in writing and research.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of textual, visual and sound materials pertaining to Norman Luxton, Eleanor Luxton and their family members and friends (including Georgina Luxton, Norman's parents and siblings, and members of the Ross, Graham and McDougall families). Includes correspondence, personal and professional records, financial documents, organization and volunteer records, business and property records, scrapbooks and albums, research materials, candid and professional portraits, various collected materials, and other related content.
Notes
Fonds consists of three sous-fonds:
I. Norman Luxton sous-fonds, [ca.1880]-1962, ca. 7.5 m. of textual records and photographs in four series: A. Correspondence, B. Business, financial and legal, C. Personal, D. Personal and professional, E. Collected materials.
II. Eleanor Luxton sous-fonds, [ca.1890]-1995, ca. 15 m. of textual records, sound recordings and photographs in six series: A. Correspondence, B. Professional, C. Personal, D. Business, financial and legal, E. Travel and events, F. Collected materials.
III. Luxton family sous-fonds, 1836-1972, ca.6.5 m. of textual records and photographs in four series: A. Norman Luxton family series, [ca.1900-ca.1970]; B. Georgina Luxton series, [ca.1890]-1967; C. Related family series, [ca.1890]-1972; D. Other material series, 1836-1970; E. Luxton family home records [1996].
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.
File consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings and photocopied clippings pertaining mostly to skiing, skiers, ski hills, and generally winter sports throughout Banff National Park.
3 cm of textual records (26 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, and generally winter sports throughout 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.
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.
Sub-series of hut registers from Abbot Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1954 and 2017. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut, wildlife sightings…
Abbot Pass Hut was built in 1922 and sits at an elevation of 2,926 meters. It is one of the highest structures in Canada. The hut was named after Philip Stanley Abbot who had died from a fall during the first known attempt to reach the summit of Mount Lefroy. The hut was a national historic site, but the hut was closed to visitors in 2018 due to the erosion of the slope beneath the hut. On June 30, 2022 Parks Canada officially removed Abbot Pass Hut, due to those environmental factors.
Scope & Content
Sub-series of hut registers from Abbot Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1954 and 2017. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut, wildlife sightings, custodial issues and updates, and related topics.
The sub-series is separated into individual hut registers, arranged by date:
M200 / IV / A / 1: Abbot Pass Hut register [1954 - 1960]
M200 / IV / A / 2: [Abbot Pass Hut Register 1954 - 1970]
M200 / IV / A / 3: [Abbot Pass Hut? loose register 1972 - 1974]
M200 / IV / A / 4: [Abbot] Pass Hut [register 1974 - 1978]
M200 / IV / A / 5: Abbot Hut [register 1979 - 1980]
M200 / IV / A / 6: [Abbot]'s Hut Registry [1980 - 1982]
M200 / IV / A / 7: [Abbot Pass Hut Register 1982 - 1983]
M200 / IV / A / 8: [Abbot Pass register 1983]
M200 / IV / A / 9: [Abbot Hut Register 1987]
M200 / IV / A / 10: Abbot's Hut Bible [register, 1988 - 1992]
M200 / IV / A / 11: Abbot Pass Hut 1992 - 93
M200 / IV / A / 12: "Abbot Pass Hut Log Book" Aug. 24, 1993 - July 20, 1995
M200 / IV / A / 13: Abbot Pass hut register Aug. 11, 1995 - July 30, 1996.
M200 / IV / A / 14: [Abbot Pass] hut register July 30, 1996 - May 4, 1997
M200 / IV / A / 15: "Abbot Pass Hut Register" June 26, 1997 - September 3, 1998
M200 / IV / A / 16: Abbot Pass Hut [1998- 2000]
M200 / IV / A / 17: Abbot Pass Sep 6, 2000 - July 26, 2002
M200 / IV / A / 18: Abbot Hut Register 2002 - 2003
M200 / IV / A / 19: Abbot Pass Aug 31, 2003 - Aug 20, 2005
M200 / IV / A / 20: Abbot Pass Register 2004 - 2007
M200 / IV / A / 21: Abbot Hut Register 2007 - 2009
M200 / IV / A / 22: [2011 Abbot Hut Register]
M200 / IV / A / 23: Abbot Hut Register [2012 - 2014]
M200 / IV / A / 24: Abbot Pass Hut Register [2014 - 2016]
M200 / IV / A / 25: Abbot Pass Hut Register, 2016 - 2017
M200 / IV / A / 26: [Abbot Pass Hut Register: 2017-2018]
The Alpine Club of Canada website:
https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/abbot-pass-hut/
The Government of Canada website:
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/culture/abbot
File consists of a scrapbook containing magazine and newspaper clippings of articles and advertisements featuring Nicholas Morant's photographs. Also includes articles, notices, and ads for Morant's lectures and photography shows. Many clippings are the front covers of various Canadian magazine pub…
4.5 cm of textual records (139 pages ; 29 x 37 cm)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File consists of a scrapbook containing magazine and newspaper clippings of articles and advertisements featuring Nicholas Morant's photographs. Also includes articles, notices, and ads for Morant's lectures and photography shows. Many clippings are the front covers of various Canadian magazine publications.
Includes articles and ads for travel destinations throughout Canada, articles featuring other Canadian photographers, and pages from calendars.
File consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper accounts by travellers in the Rockies and Selkirks, particularly descriptions of Banff town, Banff Springs Hotel, the hot springs and vicinity. The Stewarts are frequently mentioned, having extended their hospitality to the various writers. The al…
George A. Stewart, 1830-1917, was the first Superintendent of Rocky Mountains Park (now Banff National Park) from 1886-1897. George and Frances Stewart, 1843-1932, and family were prominent early residents of Banff.
Scope & Content
File consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper accounts by travellers in the Rockies and Selkirks, particularly descriptions of Banff town, Banff Springs Hotel, the hot springs and vicinity. The Stewarts are frequently mentioned, having extended their hospitality to the various writers. The album has been autographed at a later date by Olive Stewart Foster.
File consists of advertisements, programs, itineraries, information booklets and brochures pertaining to Banff Winter Carnival events held between 1921 and 1958, and an affiliated "Grand Prix" dog racing event in 1923. File also includes an invitation to a Banff Winter Carnival Homecoming Reunion e…
File consists of advertisements, programs, itineraries, information booklets and brochures pertaining to Banff Winter Carnival events held between 1921 and 1958, and an affiliated "Grand Prix" dog racing event in 1923. File also includes an invitation to a Banff Winter Carnival Homecoming Reunion event [1980].
Notes
Items in file are arranged chronologically
File contains numerous duplicates, some of which have been temporarily removed from file