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
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 schedules, lists of images and photograph locations, and illustrations by artists Lonnie Springer and Deke Hammell. Materials in file were used in the creation of Ben Gadd's book, "The Canadian Hiker's and Backpacker's Guide".
Illustrations produced by Lonnie Springer, Deke Hammell
Date Range
2004
2007
Physical Description
0.3 cm of textual records -- 6 illustrations
Scope & Content
File consists of schedules, lists of images and photograph locations, and illustrations by artists Lonnie Springer and Deke Hammell. Materials in file were used in the creation of Ben Gadd's book, "The Canadian Hiker's and Backpacker's Guide".
File consists of notes, drafts, published copies and related materials pertaining to hiking guides for Banff and Jasper National Park which Ben Gadd contributed to. Most brochures in file were produced on behalf of the Canadian federal government.
File consists of notes, drafts, published copies and related materials pertaining to hiking guides for Banff and Jasper National Park which Ben Gadd contributed to. Most brochures in file were produced on behalf of the Canadian federal government.
File consists of correspondence, quotes and other documents sent between Ben Gadd and printing company Durable Communicative Industries Inc. Content pertains to the printing of various maps which were displayed on interpretive signs throughout Jasper National Park. Maps were originally produced as …
File consists of correspondence, quotes and other documents sent between Ben Gadd and printing company Durable Communicative Industries Inc. Content pertains to the printing of various maps which were displayed on interpretive signs throughout Jasper National Park. Maps were originally produced as part of the Jasper Trails Project led by Parks Canada and the Friends of Jasper National Park.
File consists of one letter to Ben Gadd from the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society Museum and Archives thanking him for his donation of trail signs from the Jasper Trails Project in 2005; and one page with notes [possibly written by Ben Gadd] pertaining to the previous locations of the trail sig…
File consists of one letter to Ben Gadd from the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society Museum and Archives thanking him for his donation of trail signs from the Jasper Trails Project in 2005; and one page with notes [possibly written by Ben Gadd] pertaining to the previous locations of the trail signs.
File consists of trail surveys and written notes with feedback from hikers, pertaining to interpretive trail signs and maps produced as part of the Jasper Trails Project in 1997.
File consists of trail surveys and written notes with feedback from hikers, pertaining to interpretive trail signs and maps produced as part of the Jasper Trails Project in 1997.
File consists of contract agreements, employment documents and related correspondence pertaining to writing projects which Ben Gadd completed for National Geographic. Projects include an article titled "Best of the Rockies: Hiking" [2003]; and summaries of several national parks and other regions o…
File consists of contract agreements, employment documents and related correspondence pertaining to writing projects which Ben Gadd completed for National Geographic. Projects include an article titled "Best of the Rockies: Hiking" [2003]; and summaries of several national parks and other regions of the Canadian Rockies for use in the publication "National Geographic's Guide to the National Parks of Canada" [2010].
Sub-series consists of textual records and photographs collected by Ben Gadd. Content pertains to various research subjects, current events and other topics of interest, including: environmental science; wildlife; sports and recreation; Parks Canada; clubs, charities and organizations; natural hist…
ca.180 cm of textual records -- 5 CDs with digital image files -- 1 floppy disk -- ca.122 photograph prints : b&w and col. -- 2 negatives : b&w ; 6 x 7.5 cm -- 26 film strips : col. negatives ; 35 mm
Scope & Content
Sub-series consists of textual records and photographs collected by Ben Gadd. Content pertains to various research subjects, current events and other topics of interest, including: environmental science; wildlife; sports and recreation; Parks Canada; clubs, charities and organizations; natural history; and conservation.
Notes
Subjects are arranged alphabetically by title. Original titles and arrangement of materials by Ben Gadd has been preserved. See file-level descriptions for content details.