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 research materials, publications, ephemera, and other materials collected by Jon Whelan. Fonds includes three Canadian Pacific bell boy log books, 1970-1980; five bound scrapbooks with collected newspaper clippings, ca.1880-1890; and collected advertisements and articles pertainin…
Jon Whelan (1952-2022) was a researcher, historian, and collector based in Banff, Alberta. Jon had a special interest in topics related to Banff National Park and Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Jon conducted independent research, as well as research for various authors and historians, from the 1980s onwards. Jon was also an active participant in municipal politics in Banff.
"For most of Jon’s life, he was engaged in community affairs and fearless in voicing an opinion. He was successful in raising public awareness and his tenacity achieved a personal goal, which was to initiate the use of video for regular Town of Banff council meetings. He dedicated himself to the concerns of Banff residents."
-Barry Kelly, Rocky Mountain Outlook, July 30, 2022
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of research materials, publications, ephemera, and other materials collected by Jon Whelan. Fonds includes three Canadian Pacific bell boy log books, 1970-1980; five bound scrapbooks with collected newspaper clippings, ca.1880-1890; and collected advertisements and articles pertaining to Canadian Pacific, Banff, travel and tourism within Canada, and related subjects.
File consists of author's copies of multiple editions of Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Editions in file are annotated with notes and corrections by the author.
File consists of author's copies of multiple editions of Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Editions in file are annotated with notes and corrections by the author.
File consists of 139 pages of handwritten research notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H35 x W30 cm or smaller. File pertains to Dorothy's research on Banff and surrounding area, Parks Canada, Department of the Interior, and the history of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in general. Record…
2 cm of textual records (139 pages ; 30 x 35 cm or smaller)
Scope & Content
File consists of 139 pages of handwritten research notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H35 x W30 cm or smaller. File pertains to Dorothy's research on Banff and surrounding area, Parks Canada, Department of the Interior, and the history of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in general. Records were filed in an envelope that was titled "Book Notes."
Notable people include James Wardle, J.B. Harkin, Pat Brewster, Arthur Unwin, Dr. Brett, Norman Sanson, and Bill Peyto, among others. Notable places and topics include the organization of the Department of the Interior, the Banff-Windemere Highway, Rocky Mountain Park and Park Wardens, Kootenay National Park fires, coal and precious metal mines (e.g. Bankhead, Silver City), trail riding and hiking, research about James Wardle and his accomplishments, Ya-Ha-Tinda, and various parks (e.g. Glacier, Revelstoke, Elk Island, Kootenay, and Yoho).
Other records include a handwritten letter to the Auld family in Scotland (cousins of Sheila Ritchie) with a story about Glenbow and a highland cow from Oban, Scotland; personal reflections on the Banff area and mountains in general; notes that Dorothy took while doing research at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies and the Banff Public Library; and a variety of newspaper clippings.
Notes
Includes request slips and stationary from the archives at the Whyte Museum.
Potentially includes a handwritten list of Dorothy's written works.
Newspaper clippings primarily from the Times Colonist, which is published in Victoria, British Columbia.
Some of the slips of paper are taped together. Was unable to remove them without damaging the materials. May present conservation issues in the future.
Series consists of textual records pertaining to the Canadian Himalayan Foundation; includes research documents, correspondence, administrative records and other related materials.
The Canadian Himalayan Foundation was created by historian and mountaineer Chic Scott in 1978. The Foundation served as a registered charitable organization whose purpose was to promote Canadian mountaineering expeditions. Over a period of 25 years the foundation raised $250,000 to support Canadian climbing expeditions around the world.
Scope & Content
Series consists of textual records pertaining to the Canadian Himalayan Foundation; includes research documents, correspondence, administrative records and other related materials.
Notes
Series consists of seven sub-series:
M57 / VIII / A: Foundation information
M57 / VIII / A / 1 to 4 : Policy and mandate, foundation information
M57 / VIII / A / 5: History
M57 / VIII / A / 6 - 7: Foundation Grants and funds
M57 / VIII / A / 8: Library
M57 / VIII / A / 9: Membership Newsletters
M57 / VIII / B: Correspondence
M57 / VIII / C: Board minutes 1978 - 1998
M57 / VIII / D: Trip research and applications
M57 / VIII / E: Financials
M57 / VIII / F: News clippings
M57 / VIII / G: Journals and Research drafts
File consists of collected newspaper articles and other published materials. File includes a Trail Riders and Skyline Hikers bulletin [ca.1938] with an image of Maryalice and trail rider Steve Cody on the cover; several newspaper articles pertaining to Maryalice's career, hobbies, and friends (incl…
File consists of collected newspaper articles and other published materials. File includes a Trail Riders and Skyline Hikers bulletin [ca.1938] with an image of Maryalice and trail rider Steve Cody on the cover; several newspaper articles pertaining to Maryalice's career, hobbies, and friends (including Lorna Oliver and Reverend R. M. Bourke); and a journal article from the Nature Conservation Society of Japan.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 1 : AGT Parkway Phone Line
M590 / I / C / 2 : Airline Boarding Passes
M590 / I / C / 3 : Airstrip
M590 / I / C / 4 : Alberta Ecotrust
M590 / I / C / 5 : Alberta Environmental Network
M590 / I / C / 6 to 7 : Alberta Power Line Proposal [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 8 : Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment (AMPPE)
M590 / I / C / 9 to 10 : Alberta Speleological Society [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
Material Details
Note on original storage folder of "Alberta Speleological Society" materials reads: "See also Cadomin Cave"
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 11 : Auto
M590 / I / C / 12 : Awards
M590 / I / C / 13 to 14 : Alberta Wilderness Association [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 15 : Banff Issues
M590 / I / C / 16 to 17 : Bikes, Bicycling [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 18 : Bird Atlas
M590 / I / C / 19 : Bird Checklists
M590 / I / C / 20 : Boating
M590 / I / C / 21 : Book Talk
File consists of 12 cm of textual records, 21 x 35 cm or smaller. File pertains to Jean Hembroff MacDonald's various talks, research and notes, and papers that she delivered and wrote of the course of her career. File includes related correspondence and newspaper clippings pertaining to individual …
File consists of 12 cm of textual records, 21 x 35 cm or smaller. File pertains to Jean Hembroff MacDonald's various talks, research and notes, and papers that she delivered and wrote of the course of her career. File includes related correspondence and newspaper clippings pertaining to individual topics.
File includes the following titles:
The West Indies, 1938
Wake Up and Live, April 29, 1940
June Magic or Wake Up and Live, 1956
Girl Guides of Canada, 1960
England, ca.1970-1980
The Chambered Nautilus, 1977
Robert Louis Stevenson, October 1977
Tales Historical and Hysterical, May 14, 1983 (given at the Manitoba Historical Society for their annual meeting)
A Christmas Story, 1992 (copy of a transcript of Jean's story she recorded at the CBC)
Rose Fyleman and "Winnipeg at Christmas" (no date)
Ireland (including correspondence with Arthur Stringer, poet and author)
Awareness (no date)
Mary Kennedy (no date)
Notes
Talks were given to organizations like Kiwanis or Rotary, Eaton's, Canadian Women's Club, CBC, and various historical societies and churches.