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 personal photographs, biographical notes, memoir drafts and other collected materials pertaining to Robert Neville (Bob) Smith. Fonds also includes plans and maps pertaining to the development of land near Lake Minnewanka and the Cascade Power Plant project (1943).
ca.300 photographs : b&w and col. prints ; 12 x 18 cm or smaller -- 7 cm of textual records -- 7 topographical maps/plans -- 8 postcards
History / Biographical
Robert Neville (Bob) Smith (1926-2021) was born in Banff. He was the only child of parents Enoch Smith and Laurene Smith (nee Munson). Bob grew up near Lake Minnewanka until 1941, when a hydro dam was installed resulting in the intentional flooding of the area. The family moved to Banff, where Bob met his future wife, Mary Parkinson. The couple were married in 1953 and moved to Seebe, where they raised two daughters, Marjory and Shirley.
Bob worked for Calgary Power Co. (later renamed TransAlta Utilities) from 1953 until his retirement in 1986. In his spare time, Bob founded the Bow Valley Camera Club and the Bow Valley Naturalists organization. In 1999, Bob was part of a successful project with the Bow Valley Naturalists to designate the Mount Yamnuska area as a Bow Valley Protected Area, following 25 years of lobbying with the Government of Alberta. Bob also formed the Meanderthals seniors hiking club in 1993 and led various local hiking trips in his later years.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of personal photographs, biographical notes, memoir drafts and other collected materials pertaining to Robert Neville (Bob) Smith. Fonds also includes plans and maps pertaining to the development of land near Lake Minnewanka and the Cascade Power Plant project (1943).
Fonds consists of three sous-fonds: M573 / V797 / S60.
M573 consists of three series, 26 cm of textual records, 1924-2005. Series I: Personal Papers, 19 cm, ca.1930-2005 (including notebooks and drafts of various talks that Jean delivered and records related to her participation in the Trail Rider…
26 cm of textual records.-- 109 photographs (42 prints, 67 lantern slides). -- 2 sound recordings.
History / Biographical
Jean Alexandra Hembroff was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on April 5, 1908 to Walter B. Hembroff (d. 1945) and Sarah Jane Hembroff (d.1952). Jean was accepted to the MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Art at the University of Minnesota, from which she graduated in 1927. She returned to Winnipeg to begin teaching courses in speech arts and drama. To establish herself, she first volunteered as the "story lady" at the Williams Avenue Public Library and quickly became known as an excellent speaker sought by many different organizations. She taught at St. Mary's Academy and the Evening Institute at the University of Manitoba, as well as offered private sessions. Many of her students used the skills they learned from Jean as they entered radio, television, politics, and business. Jean was also very active in organizing and adjucating Speech Arts festivals in Manitoba, often going to inaccessible places to give workshops. Her teaching, broadcasting, adjucating, coaching, and speaking career spanned more than 50 years.
Jean was hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway's promotions manager to give presentations and broadcast interviews across Canada and the United States. In 1937, Jean joined the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and participated in their summer trail ride in the same year. For that year's issue of the Trail Rider's Bulletin Jean wrote an article - and became the first woman to ever do so. In 1938, during her lecture titled "Trail Riding in the Rockies" on January 18, 1938 at the Royal Alexandra Hotel, Jean met John David (Jack) MacDonald. Jack and Jean were married on June 18, 1938, and the couple had one son, Bruce Walter James MacDonald (August 28, 1946-August 25, 2016).
Jean participated in several trail rides with the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Trail, and produced articles reflecting her experiences. Jean loved to travel and visited places all around Canada and the United States, Borneo, Tangier, Montevideo, Stockholm, New Delhi, and Tonga. At the age of 102, Jean passed away on February 2, 2011 and is buried in Winnipeg.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of three sous-fonds: M573 / V797 / S60.
M573 consists of three series, 26 cm of textual records, 1924-2005. Series I: Personal Papers, 19 cm, ca.1930-2005 (including notebooks and drafts of various talks that Jean delivered and records related to her participation in the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, particularly 1937-1939). Series II: Correspondence and Newspaper Clippings, 4 cm, 1924-2000 (including correspondence with John Murray Gibbon, former students, and attendees at various talks, as well as newspaper articles that Jean wrote about various subjects and articles of her achievements). Series III: Collected Materials and Ephemera, 3 cm, ca.1930-1950 (including a variety of collected poems and ephemera, as well as a copy of The Beaver Magazine from 1940, for which Jean wrote an article titled "On the Trail of Sir George").
V797 consists of two series, 24.5 cm of visual records, ca.1928-1939. Series I: Photograph Prints, 3 cm, ca.1928-1939 (includes personal photographs of Jean and her family and friends as well as photographs of Jean and Jack's visit to Lake Louise in 1939). Series II: Lantern Slides, 21.5 cm, ca.1937-1939 (Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies official ride of 1937 to Mt. Assiniboine; Sky Line Hikers of the Canadian Rockies official ride of 1939 to Ptarmigan Valley and Skoki; collection of trail ride songs).
S60 consists of two sound recordings, 1 cm, 2004 and 2007 (Winnipeg at Christmas, narrated by Jean, broadcasted on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
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 cards, stationery, small publications and other collected items. Includes thank you and business cards for The Home Insurance Company in Calgary and the Canadian Bank of Commerce; two blank pages with letterhead for Hotel Wales in Calgary; a round paper placemat/coaster advertising…
File consists of cards, stationery, small publications and other collected items. Includes thank you and business cards for The Home Insurance Company in Calgary and the Canadian Bank of Commerce; two blank pages with letterhead for Hotel Wales in Calgary; a round paper placemat/coaster advertising La Ronde Revolving Restaurant in Edmonton; a copy of "Bill and Al's Happy Motoring" by Esso Imperial Service containing an article about Banff National Park [pages 2-3]; a Laura Secord advertisement and info booklet, "The History of Our Flag"; a partial pack of blank score cards titled Auction Bridge; a page titled "Rules for the Game of Five Hundred"; a newspaper clipping with comics on both sides; and a large [23 x 15 cm] postcard with illustration titled "What Would You Have Done?" [see notes].
Notes
NOTE: Large postcard "What Would You Have Done?" contains outdated and potentially offensive language which is reflective of the time period in which it was produced.
"Bill and Al's Happy Motoring" publication has mailing stamp on back addressed to Norman Luxton.
"Rules for the Game of Five Hundred" card annotated in pencil
File consists of one photograph album containing 62 print photographs [40 b&w, 22 colour] including some in loose envelopes inside album, 2 newspaper clippings and a Banff Minor Hockey green ribbon from 1968. Content pertains to members of the Banff hockey teams who played between 1908 and ca. 1980…
1 album (62 photographs : b&w and col. ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller) -- 2 newspaper clippings -- 1 fabric ribbon
Scope & Content
File consists of one photograph album containing 62 print photographs [40 b&w, 22 colour] including some in loose envelopes inside album, 2 newspaper clippings and a Banff Minor Hockey green ribbon from 1968. Content pertains to members of the Banff hockey teams who played between 1908 and ca. 1980. Includes group shots of hockey teams in various years, some featuring Jack MacAulay as coach; individual portraits and posed photographs, including Herb MacAulay ca. 1965; print depicting Herb Ollis feeding a bear in 1938; and 2 newspaper clippings from 1979 pertaining to Banff's hockey team. Individuals named in photographs include: Tommy Craig, Axie Wilson, Tommy Anderson, Joe Stenton, Bill Craig, Curly Wheatley, Cyril Paris, Fulton Dunsmore, Ernie Leacock, Mousie Saddington, Johnny Woodworth, Jack Brown, Joe Smith, Gerald Powderface, Clifford Powderface, Charles Powderface, and others.
Notes
Some prints are annotated on reverse side with date, description, individuals in photographs, etc.
Negative photographs removed from album [see "Conservation" note]
Some photographs stamped on reverse side or in envelope attributing work to Bruno Engler
Album has been placed in sub-sub-series V324 / III / B [date range 1946 - 1980] for the sake of organization as the majority of photographs are dated within or near this range
Some dates are estimates provided by the Processing Archivist based on context and format
6 negatives originally stored in album have been removed for conservation reasons and will be stored in downstairs vault with other V324 negatives under V324 / IV / C / NA
Newspaper clippings have some folding, torn edges and general aging effects, fair condition
Newspaper clippings have been left in original position inside album to preserve original order. Consider storing separately if condition deteriorates further
File consists of one scrapbook containing two unidentified portraits of men and one family photograph, as well as collected correspondence, newspaper clippings and other documents. Content mostly pertains to the deaths of James Frederick Morden, Robert John Kerr and Ovide Smith of Pincher Creek, Al…
5.5 cm of textual records (1 scrapbook : 119 pages ; 24.5 x 31 cm) -- 3 photographs : 2 b&w cabinet cards and 1 b&w print ; 27.5 x 22 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File consists of one scrapbook containing two unidentified portraits of men and one family photograph, as well as collected correspondence, newspaper clippings and other documents. Content mostly pertains to the deaths of James Frederick Morden, Robert John Kerr and Ovide Smith of Pincher Creek, Alberta while fighting in Honing Spruit, South Africa in 1900 during the Boer War. Contents include condolence letters sent to James Morden's wife, as well as various related newspaper articles and a booklet commemorating the erection of a plaque at Pincher Creek Memorial Hospital in 1902 in their honour. Scrapbook contents also include other obituary articles commemorating James Frederick Morden's father and mother, Albert Milton Morden and Sarah Morden; and Adelaide Maud Hewetson of Pincher Creek.
Notes
Scrapbook possibly compiled by James Frederick Morden's wife (name unknown).
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.
File consists of newspaper clippings, receipts, correspondence (photocopies), a bound copy of the second annual calendar for Carleton College (1943-1944), a programme for the First Commencement Exercises (November 3, 1943), Dorothy's personal reflections of her experiences working alongside Dr. H.M…
File consists of newspaper clippings, receipts, correspondence (photocopies), a bound copy of the second annual calendar for Carleton College (1943-1944), a programme for the First Commencement Exercises (November 3, 1943), Dorothy's personal reflections of her experiences working alongside Dr. H.M. Tory at Carleton College (photocopies and handwritten originals), and two envelopes, 23 x 33.5 cm or smaller. File pertains to the founding, early years, and community impact of Carleton College, including instructor profiles, corporation and registration, a tribute to Dr. H.M. Tory (college head), and Dorothy's personal experiences and memories while working at the college from 1942-1944 as the first secretary.
Newspaper clippings come from the Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Journal and are dated:
September 14, 1942
June 30, 1943
November 7, 1942
November 4, 1943
June 9, 1942
August 29, 1942
February 7, 1947
Correspondence between Dorothy and Blair Neatby is dated February 19 and February 25, 1998.
Notes
Carleton College is now Carleton University.
Blair Neatby was a historian who wrote a biography of Carleton College.He contacted Dorothy (ca. 1997-1998) to solicit her experiences and memories of when she worked there. "Creating Carleton: The Shaping of a University" was published in 2002.
Envelopes were originally used to file the records. There are notations and labels on them created by Dorothy.
File consists of 127 pages of compiled research, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H28 cm x W21.5 cm or smaller. File pertains to the renaming of Castle Mountain to Mt. Eisenhower in 1946 under the William Lyon Mackenzie King administration and the restoration of the Castle name in 1975-1976…
2 cm of textual records (127 pages ; 21.5 x 28 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
Freeman Keyte was a scientist originally from Ontario who was living in Calgary at the time when Castle Mountain was renamed to Mt. Eisenhower. He argued for the Castle name to be reinstated and communicated with the Geographic Board of Alberta, Members of Parliament, and the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names.
Scope & Content
File consists of 127 pages of compiled research, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H28 cm x W21.5 cm or smaller. File pertains to the renaming of Castle Mountain to Mt. Eisenhower in 1946 under the William Lyon Mackenzie King administration and the restoration of the Castle name in 1975-1976. File includes photocopies of government records, newspaper clippings, and other research compiled by Freeman Keyte. It also includes handwritten correspondence between Dorothy and Freeman, Dorothy and Ted Hart, and newspaper clippings that were collected by Dorothy.
Notes
On March 12, 1980, Freeman sent a copy of his findings in a 113-page binder to Dorothy, who then gifted it to the Whyte Museum in 1987.
Included a photocopy of the letter from Dorothy to Ted Hart. The photocopy was discarded. Dorothy filed the original with Freeman's compilation of research as represented in this file.
Records from accn.7504 were filed in an envelope titled, "The Castle Mountain Battle (from Castle to Eisenhower & back to Castle."