Fonds consists of photographic views of railway construction in the Kicking Horse Valley and life at Donald, B.C. Accompanied by letter from Bob [Mead], Spring Valley, Minnesota, to brother Ed Mead, Saw Mill Siding, End of C.P.Ry., Track west via Winnipeg, Man., Canada, May 17, 1885. Views are cr…
A. J. Smyth was an itinerant photographer who worked along the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1884-1885 he was working at the end of track in the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains. By 1885, A. J. Smyth was working with his brother, S. A. Smyth, as Smyth Brothers of Calgary, Alberta.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of photographic views of railway construction in the Kicking Horse Valley and life at Donald, B.C. Accompanied by letter from Bob [Mead], Spring Valley, Minnesota, to brother Ed Mead, Saw Mill Siding, End of C.P.Ry., Track west via Winnipeg, Man., Canada, May 17, 1885. Views are credited as A. J. Smyth, Artist, Rocky Mountains, B.C. or A. J. Smyth, Photographer, Rocky Mountains, B.C.
Fonds consists of photographic views primarily of the Cave and Basin, Banff Springs Hotel and Banff area, ca.1890. Three views are copies of stereo photographs by Bingham and Thom made in the Castle Mountain and Field, B.C. areas, probably during railway construction.
A. (Adam) B. Thom was a professional photographer, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who worked along the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway in western Canada, first in partnership with F. (Fred) V. Bingham, 1884-1886, and later on his own. Thom relocated to Brandon, Manitoba in 1897.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of photographic views primarily of the Cave and Basin, Banff Springs Hotel and Banff area, ca.1890. Three views are copies of stereo photographs by Bingham and Thom made in the Castle Mountain and Field, B.C. areas, probably during railway construction.
Fonds consists of textual records and photographs by and about Aileen Harmon, as well as collected items. Textual records include: letter from Harmon to the Director of Alberta's provincial parks re addition of Yamnuska area to Bow Valley Provincial Park, 1973; brief, from Harvie Heights and Bow Va…
26.5 cm of textual records. -- 33 photographs (26 prints : b&w and col. ; 20.5 x 30 cm or smaller -- 6 negatives : b&w nitrate negatives ; 12.5 x 10 cm -- 1 transparency : col. slide ; 35 mm)
History / Biographical
Aileen Harmon (1912 - 2015), daughter of Byron Harmon, worked as a government naturalist at Banff, Alberta, Canada and was involved in local natural history groups and activities. Aileen was a founding member, alongside Bruce Gordon, of the Bow Valley Naturalists, and was also on the Board of The Canadian Wildlife Federation and The Society of Alberta Naturalists. Aileen moved to Mill Bay on Vancouver Island, B.C. in 1981 following the end of a lengthy career with Parks Canada. During her retirement years, Aileen travelled extensively, reaching all seven continents. She also authored an autobiographical book, titled "Tales of My Mountain Life", in 2004. Aileen passed away on January 9, 2015 at the age of 102.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of textual records and photographs by and about Aileen Harmon, as well as collected items. Textual records include: letter from Harmon to the Director of Alberta's provincial parks re addition of Yamnuska area to Bow Valley Provincial Park, 1973; brief, from Harvie Heights and Bow Valley subdivision residents to public hearings on land use and resource development in the eastern slopes, 1973; letter re James Hector, 1979; notes on career, 2003; notes on Catharine Whyte for CBC recording, 2004; Christmas cards and collected articles, ca.1960. Photographs, made by and collected by Aileen Harmon, pertain to Aileen Harmon and friends, skiing, Skoki area, Mount Yamnuska, Banff Indian Days. Includes photographs by Byron Harmon.
Added content from accession 2016.8596 : ca. 25 cm of textual records including personal correspondence, guest book, original writing and notes by Aileen Harmon, personal travel journals from a 1931 packing trip and 1933 ski trip to Skoki, drafts of autobiographical book "Tales of My Mountain Life", articles pertaining to or written by Aileen Harmon, Christmas cards, and letters of condolence to Carole Harmon following Aileen's passing. Also 26 print photographs, 6 negative photographs from a 1937 hiking trip, and one transparency.
Fonds consists of one series :
Series I - Personal records
Photographs, ca.1910-ca.1934, pertain to Radium Hot Springs and surrounding hotels and facilities; Kootenay National Park gate and area; Banff-Windermere Highway; fire near Floe Creek, 1926; Waterton Lakes National Park, 1927; and Bow Valley between Banff and Castle Mountain. Textual records are l…
132 photographs : prints, postcards, negatives. -- .5 cm of textual records
History / Biographical
Major A. I. Robertson was a British Columbia Land Surveyor at Radium Hot Springs and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Robertson was involved in the Radium townsite survey. Maud V. Robertson developed and operated a tea room in the townsite near the west gate to Kootenay National Park, B.C.
Scope & Content
Photographs, ca.1910-ca.1934, pertain to Radium Hot Springs and surrounding hotels and facilities; Kootenay National Park gate and area; Banff-Windermere Highway; fire near Floe Creek, 1926; Waterton Lakes National Park, 1927; and Bow Valley between Banff and Castle Mountain. Textual records are legal papers, 1928-1934, re property in Radium Hot Springs (site of Maud V. Robertson's tea room); greeting cards from Tom Wilson, 1930, n.d.; and ephemera, 1923-1928, re Banff-Windermere highway and Walter J. Nixon, outfitter, of Invermere, B.C.
Fonds constitutes the principal resource for the study of the history of Canadian mountaineering. It provides a wealth of information on individual alpinists, expeditions, mountains, national parks, conservation, climbing, alpine organizations, publications, guiding, scientific study and the Alpin…
ca.42 m of textual records. -- ca.12,500 photographs: prints, stereographic prints, transparencies, slides, negatives, postcards. -- 85 photograph albums. -- 8 motion pictures: films, video recordings. -- 3 sound recordings
History / Biographical
The Alpine Club of Canada, the national mountaineering club, was co-founded in 1906 by A. O. Wheeler and Elizabeth Parker, and other like-minded climbers. The club espoused scientific study and exploration, cultivation of art, public education, acquisition of climbing skills, and preservation of natural areas within the mountainous regions of Canada. Through a national executive, local sections and volunteer committees, the club provided climbing camps, clubhouse, huts, and publications, including the Canadian Alpine Journal. ACC expeditions and projects resulted in pioneer exploration, first ascents, and included mountain warfare training during the Second World War. In recent years, the club's membership has increased dramatically with the popularity of climbing and its programs have evolved to serve the needs of unguided climbers using sophisticated technical aids.
Scope & Content
Fonds constitutes the principal resource for the study of the history of Canadian mountaineering. It provides a wealth of information on individual alpinists, expeditions, mountains, national parks, conservation, climbing, alpine organizations, publications, guiding, scientific study and the Alpine Club itself.
The fonds consists of four Sous-fonds: I. Alpine Club of Canada records; II. Mount Everest Expedition (1982) records; III. Personal papers and photographs; IV. Other material. Club administration records (series I.A.) pertain to executive positions; head office; finance; camps, climbing and treks; expeditions; huts and properties; clubhouses; library; publications; photography; other committees; other activities; and other. Other club records include section records (series I.B.), hut registers and summit records (series I.C.).
Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and S…
6 m of textual records and printed material. -- ca.6100 photographs : prints, negatives, transparencies. -- 1 photograph album (49 prints). -- 29 motion pictures. -- 5 sound recordings
History / Biographical
Andy Russell, 1915-2005, was a trapper, guide and outfitter, writer, photographer, cinematographer, lecturer and environmental advocate in the Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada.
Russell was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and spent his childhood on a ranch in the foothills near Pincher Creek. He became a skilled horseman, hunter, fisherman and trapper, and, in 1936, was employed by Bert Riggall, a pioneer guide and outfitter of wilderness pack trips in the southern Rockies since 1907. He became Riggall's partner in 1939 and took over the business when Riggall retired in 1946. Andy Russell and Kathleen (Kay) Riggall married in 1938 and raised five children at their ranch bordering Waterton Lakes National Park, where family businesses included guiding, saddlehorses and ranching. Children are: Richard "Dick" H. (b.1938); Andrew Charles "Charlie" (b.1941); Harold John "John" (b.1944); Hugh Gordon Riggall "Gordon" (b.1947); Lorenda Anne "Anne" (b.1952).
Russell continued as a renowned guide and outfitter with a wealthy repeat clientele until he was forced out of guiding by 1960 with the advance of the oil industry concerns upon wilderness areas in southern Alberta and British Columbia. Russell began to write nature articles in 1945 and after 1960 concentrated upon writing, photography, film making, lecturing and ranching. He wrote for numerous magazines and newspapers, produced radio broadcasts, and, using colour motion picture photography, developed programs on wildlife and wilderness habitat research for live public performances. Russell's films launched his career as an author of popular wildlife and mountain culture books, which included Grizzly Country. In later years, he was an active writer, consultant and advocate of wilderness and environmental management and received numerous awards and honours, including Member of the Order of Canada.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and Sons, royalties and lecturing); III. Writing, broadcasting and public appearances series, 1908-1990 (papers and photographs pertaining to writing, book projects, columns, broadcasts, reviews, advertising, promotion and other); IV. Photography and cinematography series, 1909-1990 (details below); V. Wildlife study and conservation activities series, 1945-[198-]; VI. Other activities series, 1931-[199-] (politics, interviews, information files); VII. Russell family series, [1867]-1983.
Photography and cinematography series consists of: Riggall/Russell guiding activity photographs, 1909-1962, ca.280 items; Andy Russell and Sons Production Ltd / Andy Russell professional photographs and films, ca.1940- ca.1990, ca.4200 photographs (mainly transparencies), 28 motion pictures, accompanied by some textual and printed items; personal and family photographs, 1916-1989, ca.1550 items; collected photographs, ca.1940-197-, ca.75 items. Professional photography and cinematography primarily arose from field work by Andy, Dick and Charlie Russell and pertains mainly to flora, fauna and landscape of the Canadian Rockies in continental divide region, British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska.
Motion pictures, ca.1950-1974, include original film "Grizzly Country" by Dick, Charlie and Andy Russell, produced by Evan J. Anton, ca.1969, copy print of same; also unedited wildlife and landscape footage of Waterton area, Yukon and British Columbia.
Sound recordings are interviews with Andy Russell, [ca.1970]-1988.
Fonds consists of personal and business papers regarding automobile traffic, visitation and tourism in Banff National Park, east gate; clippings and ephemera regarding history and personalities of the Bow Valley; prints and copy negatives pertaining mainly to Exshaw, Rocky Mountains Park entrance, …
4 cm textual records: originals and photocopies. -- ca.45 photographs: prints, postcards, copy negatives
History / Biographical
Annie Staple, 1883-1973, was born in Shrawley, Worcestershire, England. While working as a caregiver in a hospital in Derbyshire, she met Tom Staple. Annie and Tom were married in 1907 and immigrated to Canada. Tom became a warden for Rocky Mountains Park in 1913. Tom's assigned area was Kananaskis and a house (Gateway Lodge) was built for Tom and Annie between Kananaskis and Exshaw in 1916. In addition to area patrols, Tom's warden duties included issuing permits to visitors entering the park by automobile. The permit process included sealing guns, collecting park fees and distributing metal plates (the precursor to the park pass system). During Tom's absences, Annie issued the permits to automobile visitors. In 1916 Annie became the gatekeeper of the east-gate, which at that time was a table set up at the side of the road. Tom Staple died in 1919 while Annie was pregnant with their fourth child. Annie continued to work as the keeper of the east gate until 1948, when she retired.
In 1930 the park boundary was moved west of Canmore and while the entrance was under construction, Parks authorities relocated Annie to the west entrance of Yoho Park. Annie worked the winter of 1930-1931 at the Upper Hot Springs in Banff and returned to her position as keeper of the east gate in the spring of 1931. Construction of the new gate and a residence for Annie and her family lasted six years and during this period, the park boundary was moved again.
Following her retirement in 1948, Annie Staple moved to Seebe to live with her daughter's family and in 1953, she moved to Calgary to live with her sister, Nellie Whitburn. Following Nellie's death, Annie returned to live with her daughter's family in Canmore.
Annie and Tom Staple had four children, Joyce (1909-2001), Tom (1912-1941), Geoffrey (1913-1973), and Albert b.1920.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of personal and business papers regarding automobile traffic, visitation and tourism in Banff National Park, east gate; clippings and ephemera regarding history and personalities of the Bow Valley; prints and copy negatives pertaining mainly to Exshaw, Rocky Mountains Park entrance, Spray River warden cabin, Lake Minnewanka and Banff; postcards views of Banff and Rocky Mountains by Byron Harmon and Wm. J. Gibbons.
Fonds consists of 53 diaries pertaining to personal life, travel, office work, and Alpine Club of Canada camps. Diaries range in date from 1885 to 1944. Also included are two volumes/scrapbooks compiled by A.O. Wheeler. Both volumes include numerous articles, newspaper clippings, letters, ACC broc…
62 vol. of textual material. -- 66 vol. of photograph albums
History / Biographical
Arthur Oliver Wheeler (1860-1945) DLS, ALS, BCLS, was born in Ireland, arriving in Canada in 1876. Wheeler was a mountaineer, co-founder of the Alpine Club of Canada (1906), and Dominion Land Surveyor. In 1913, Wheeler was appointed Boundary Commissioner and tasked with photo surveying the Alberta / British Columbia interprovincial boundary.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of 53 diaries pertaining to personal life, travel, office work, and Alpine Club of Canada camps. Diaries range in date from 1885 to 1944. Also included are two volumes/scrapbooks compiled by A.O. Wheeler. Both volumes include numerous articles, newspaper clippings, letters, ACC brochures and notices addressed to ACC members. Volume one covers the period 1902 to 1913; volume two includes materials from 1914 to 1940. A inventory of both volumes, compiled by ACC member Paul Geddes, is also included. Additionally there are 7 volumes of notes corresponding to the photographs A.O. Wheeler took.
Photographic material consists of 66 albums which contain approximately 5000 photographs, black and white positive prints from glass negatives, all 12 x 16 cm. The first album is dated 1915, the last 1924. Some of the albums contain a small map printed on linen. Each album contains an index to the photographs taken for the Alberta - British Columbia Interprovincial Boundary photo survey and are organized by Station, Bearing, and Subject.
Fonds consists of notes, correspondence and articles pertaining to the Astley family and early history of Lake Louise and Lake Minnewanka areas. Fonds includes correspondence between Willoughby Astley and J. A. Jaffary of the Provincial Library, Alberta, 1928-1929, re place names in the Lake Louise…
Willoughby John Astley, 1859-1948, came to Banff in 1888 and built the Beach House Hotel at Lake Minnewanka. He moved to Lake Louise in 1889. Brother, Charles D'Oyley Astley, 1849-1937, and Lucy Ann Astley continued to operate the hotel until 1907 when they retired to Banff. The hotel was destroyed as part of power development at Lake Minnewanka, ca.1912.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of notes, correspondence and articles pertaining to the Astley family and early history of Lake Louise and Lake Minnewanka areas. Fonds includes correspondence between Willoughby Astley and J. A. Jaffary of the Provincial Library, Alberta, 1928-1929, re place names in the Lake Louise area; scrapbook of clippings re World War I, including a list of Banff men who enlisted; Beach House Hotel guest register, 1890-1906, recording name and residence of guest, and occasionally record of fish caught; Astley family photographs, ca.1886-1930s. Photographs pertain to fishing and boating on Lake Minnewanka; Beach House Hotel and Lady of the Lake steam launch; Devil's Canyon, Bankhead and Banff; views of avalanche clearing in Roger's Pass by Byron Harmon. Includes one panorama view of group at Lake Minnewanka.
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 includes seven series: I. Personal and professional, 1884-1959; II. Business and financial, ca.1910-1959; III. Professional photography, 1900-1955; IV. Writing, 1906-1957; V. Natural history, 1904-1954; VI. Other interests, 1913-1956; VII. Riggall family, ca.1865-1959. Personal and pro…
ca.13,100 photographs: ca.7080 prints, ca.5310 negatives, ca.700 transparencies. -- 9 photograph albums. -- ca.2 m textual records, print material and graphic records. -- 33 cartographic records
History / Biographical
Frederick Herbert (Bert) Riggall, 1884-1959, was a mountain guide, outfitter, hunter, trapper, rancher, naturalist, photographer, writer and gunsmith/loader in southern Alberta. Born in 1884 at Gayton-le-Wold Grange, Lincolnshire, his family moved to Grimsby where his father was an auctioneer and, in 1905, served as Mayor. In England, Riggall was an athlete, avid sportsman and naturalist. He was exposed to alpine country on school holidays in Switzerland and, determined to visit Canada, left for North America in 1904.
Upon arriving in western Canada, Riggall worked for a year at Craighurst Farm near Calgary. There he met Dorothea (Dora) Williams, 1877-1951, an Irish Quaker ranch cook who had emigrated with her sister Anna in 1902. In 1905, Bert worked on the Correction Land Survey in southwestern Alberta and explored Waterton Lakes. Bert and Dora married in 1906 and until 1946 they homesteaded and ranched adjacent to Waterton Lakes National Park.
Initially, Bert and partner Jack Hazzard built boats and guided fishing parties on Waterton Lakes. In 1909, with partner Cyril Watmough, the Riggalls began guiding and outfitting summer and fall hunting and fishing trips for numerous repeat clients, especially, after 1913, four Minneapolis, Minnesota families: Bovey, Crosby, Bennett and McKnight. Hunts involved Big Horn Sheep, goats, black and grizzly bears. Bert served as chief guide and Dora as camp cook. Prior to 1911, the Riggalls worked at Gloyne's oil camp and Oil City to supplement their income. In 1911, Bert and partner Cyril Watmough made a 1000 mile (1600 km) exploratory trip from Fort Steele, B.C. to the Yellowhead Pass and beyond. Following that trip, Riggall concentrated guiding activities on the continental divide as far north as the Highwood region, but primarily in the upper Oldman River Valley and Gap in the Livingstone Range. Their outfit grew to include numerous saddle and pack horses.
Of five children, only two daughters survived infancy. Kay Riggall (Russell), 1909-1984, and Doris (Babe) Riggall (Burton), 1910-1999, were both able riders, markswomen and packtrain workers. They accompanied their parents on summer back country trips starting in 1918. Bert Riggall was renowned for his knowledge of botany, geology, zoology, wilderness life and lore as well as literature and current affairs. He was especially endeared to his clients for his skill as a raconteur and campfire storyteller. He wrote articles for magazines such as: Arms and the Man, American Rifleman, Field and Stream and the Boone and Crockett Club's book: North American Big Game. Riggall was an accomplished semi-professional photographer who specialized in wildlife studies, panoramic landscapes, Dufaycolor and later Kodachrome transparencies. His photographs appear in Department of Interior Reports and other publications.
Bert's heart problems forced the Riggalls to move to Pincher Creek in 1947. Daughter Kay and son-in-law Andy Russell continued the packtrain and guiding business until 1960. After Dora's death, Bert experienced medical problems and lived with or close to Doris.
Scope & Content
Fonds includes seven series: I. Personal and professional, 1884-1959; II. Business and financial, ca.1910-1959; III. Professional photography, 1900-1955; IV. Writing, 1906-1957; V. Natural history, 1904-1954; VI. Other interests, 1913-1956; VII. Riggall family, ca.1865-1959.
Personal and professional series consists of diaries and notes, correspondence and personal papers.
Business and financial series consists of guiding and ranching records, gunsmithing, shooting and loading records; and legal and financial records.
Professional photography series consists of standard photographs, panoramas, transparencies and textual records
Writing series contains manuscripts, published magazines, book outlines, newspaper articles and letters to the editor
Natural history series contains bird and plant records, and other natural history papers
Other interests series consist of clippings, annotated books and collected material
Riggall family series contains Bert and Dora Riggall family papers and photographs, Williams family photographs, Frederick W. and Fanny Riggall papers and photographs, and Allan Riggall papers and photographs. Negatives and transparencies pertain to Andy Russell as a young man with Bert Riggall.
Notes
Some transparencies in V110 Dick Russell are marked Andy Russell, some marked 64 dup; V110 - original transparencies have full set of duplicates (2 sets were made, 1 for Dick Russell and the other is part of this accession)
File consists of 21 plastic binders, one booklet, research notes and newspaper clippings pertaining to geophysical reports and natural resource and mining information within Alberta, 1986-1994. Binders were collected by Bill Baxter as part of his work as a chairperson for the Undermining Review Com…
ca.45 cm of textual records -- 2 transparency slides : col. ; 27 x 30 cm -- 6 maps : plastic overlay plans
History / Biographical
Bill Baxter (1949-1998) was a geologist in Canmore and Calgary, AB.
Scope & Content
File consists of 21 plastic binders, one booklet, research notes and newspaper clippings pertaining to geophysical reports and natural resource and mining information within Alberta, 1986-1994. Binders were collected by Bill Baxter as part of his work as a chairperson for the Undermining Review Committee in Canmore. File also contains two transparency slides from a presentation related to undermining, and 6 architectural layover maps of a mine.
Fonds includes textual material in the form of a manuscript, ephemera and photographs made by and collected by Bill de Haan. The manuscript is titled "Photographs to accompany P. M. Sauders report of snow survey in the vicinity of Lake Louise . . . June 14, 1918." Also includes posters and calend…
ca.220 photographs : prints, transparencies. -- ca.1 cm of textual records
History / Biographical
Bill de Haan, b.1903, was a hotel worker, labourer and government worker at Banff, Alberta, Canada. De Haan came to Banff in 1944 after working across Canada. From ca.1950 to ca.1968, he worked for Banff National Park at Tunnel Mountain campground, the east park gate and the warden service equipment building. After 1968, de Haan was a volunteer at the government fish hatchery in Banff. An avid photographer, de Haan was a member of the Bow Valley Camera Club. He photographed wildflowers and warden cabins throughout the park.
Scope & Content
Fonds includes textual material in the form of a manuscript, ephemera and photographs made by and collected by Bill de Haan. The manuscript is titled "Photographs to accompany P. M. Sauders report of snow survey in the vicinity of Lake Louise . . . June 14, 1918." Also includes posters and calendar pertaining to Banff National Park and Banff Indian Days. Photographs pertain mainly to cabins, including warden cabins, Banff National Park, 1963-1966; also Brett family, early Banff and area, Bankhead, Canmore cemetery (1975); flooding along Bow River, 1972; and construction of archives and library building, 1967-1968, (now Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies).
Fonds consists of photographic business records of professional photographer Bill Gibbons in three series: I. Commercial black and white series, ca.1945-ca.1958, ca.5400 photographs; II. Canadian Rockies colour series, ca.1945-ca.1990, predominant ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.8000 photographs; III. Other …
Fonds consists of the private business records of Bill Gibbons. Some photographs may have been made by employees.
Date Range
[ca.1945-ca.1990]
Physical Description
ca.13,404 photographs: negatives, prints, transparencies, albums, postcards. -- 2.5 cm textual records
History / Biographical
W. J. L. "Bill" Gibbons, 1914-1994 , was a professional photographer at Banff, Alberta, Canada from 1945 until 1959. Gibbons came to Canada in 1941 and settled in Banff after the war with his wife, Ella Mae (Becker), a Banff native. He established British Photographic Laboratories, with partners Lou Crosby and Jack Anderson, in the basement of the Mount Royal Hotel, moving later to street-level. Bill and Ella Mae Gibbons travelled throughout the mountain parks photographing views for sale in the Banff shop. These were offered as hand-coloured prints, with much of the colouring done or supervised by Ella Mae.
Later the business expanded to include colour postcards and slide sets. Gibbons employed other photographers, such as Bruno Engler, for specialty work, such as ski photography, and the Banff studio also did portraiture. Gibbons himself did most of the 4 x 5 format landscape work and made extensive use of models, many of who were young women employed by his Banff store. In 1959, Gibbons sold his business to a group of Banff businessmen and moved to Vancouver. In subsequent years, he continued to be active as a photographer and in publishing, working in different areas of the world. He made several photographic trips through the mountain parks, ca.1966-1972.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of photographic business records of professional photographer Bill Gibbons in three series: I. Commercial black and white series, ca.1945-ca.1958, ca.5400 photographs; II. Canadian Rockies colour series, ca.1945-ca.1990, predominant ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.8000 photographs; III. Other black and white series, ca. 1947, 4 photographs.
I. Commercial black and white series consists of six sub-series: A. Portraits and documentary views, 1945-1950, 2437 negatives (individual and group portraits, weddings, conferences, events, buildings, facilities and places; Banff and area); B. Banff School of Fine Arts, ca.1949, 277 negatives (privately produced views of classes, group portraits, activities, buildings and facilities); C. "S" sub-series, ca.1950, 1220 negatives (scenic views in the vicinity of Banff, Lake Louise, Banff-Jasper Highway, Jasper National Park, Radium and Columbia Valley, British Columbia and Pacific Coast, First Nations views); D. "T" sub-series, ca.1950, 482 negatives (scenic and commercial views, mainly Jasper, Banff-Jasper Highway and Lake Louise areas); E. Rolliflex and panorama negatives, 1949-1958, 584 negatives (Banff Winter Carnival, Banff School of Fine Arts, and Banff and area); F. Other, ca.1945-1951, 364 items (material similar to that in other series, some unidentified). Accompanied by small number of prints and postcards; also, publication: "Photographing the Canadian Rockies" by Bill J. L. Gibbons, 1948.
II. Canadian Rockies colour series consists of four sub-series: A. CR1 to CR84, ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.260 prints; B. CR1 to CR443, ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.5130 photographs; C. CR35-2 to CR35-81, ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.2310 photographs; D. Other photographs, ca.1945-ca.1990. Series consists primarily of commercial colour negatives and corresponding proof prints pertaining to Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Parks, also some transparencies and oversize display prints.
III. Other black and white series. Series consists of 2 black and white prints of crash landing at Sunshine with Al Gaetz and Dick Pike, 1947 and two copy negatives with prints of Bruno Engler and Ella Mae Gibbons, ca.1947.
Textual records are record book, 1945-1953, 62 p; and book layout.
Fonds consists of records pertaining to Bill Roberge's involvement in Banff municipal matters and includes 6 scrapbooks, 1961-1980 re Banff Advisory Council and Banff National Park Management. Also included are miscellaneous files, correspondence and reports re Banff Provisional Administration Boa…
William Robert Roberge was born in 1927 in Banff, Alberta and attended Banff schools. Roberge served in both the Royal Canadian Navy and the British Navy during the Second World War. Married in 1948 to Margot Sorensen, they have one son, Michael Brian. Bill Roberge is a member of the Calgary Naval Veterans Association, the Naval Museum of Alberta Society, a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion, #26 Col. Moore Branch and in 1995, was awarded the Legion Meritorious Service Medal. Roberge has served on the branch executive and numerous committees of the legion. He is a long-time member of the Kinsmen Association, serving as president of the Banff Kinsmen Club and as deputy-governor of the Kinsmen Association's District #5.
Bill Roberge served for six years on the Banff school board, three years as chairman. He served six years on the Banff Advisory Council, three years as chairman, and he served as trustee for two Banff Mineral Springs Hospital boards. In 1968, Roberge travelled to Rome as Banff's representative for the 1972 Winter Olympic Games for Canada bid. Since the town of Banff's incorporation, Roberge has served as councillor for two terms as well as holding membership on numerous committees each year.
Roberge is a life member of the Banff Ski Runners of the Canadian Rockies.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of records pertaining to Bill Roberge's involvement in Banff municipal matters and includes 6 scrapbooks, 1961-1980 re Banff Advisory Council and Banff National Park Management. Also included are miscellaneous files, correspondence and reports re Banff Provisional Administration Board, planning matters, and responsible local government.
Fonds consists primarily of predator study photographs by Bill Vroom, re grizzly bears and wolves in Banff National Park, ca.1974-ca.1980. Also includes textual records: The ecology of grizzly bear winter den sites in Banff National Park, Alberta / G. William Vroom, Stephen Herrero, R. T. Ogilvie :…
G. William (Bill) Vroom, 1931-1998, was a national park warden at Banff, Alberta, Canada from 1955 until 1988
Scope & Content
Fonds consists primarily of predator study photographs by Bill Vroom, re grizzly bears and wolves in Banff National Park, ca.1974-ca.1980. Also includes textual records: The ecology of grizzly bear winter den sites in Banff National Park, Alberta / G. William Vroom, Stephen Herrero, R. T. Ogilvie : [conference paper], 1977, 33 p.; personal income tax return, 1956; recorded slide show commentary for "Grizzly Bear Winter", 1976; and prints pertaining to grizzly bears, 1964, and Palliser cabin, 1970.
Fonds consists of b&w and colour negatives, transparencies and prints pertaining to hiking in the Canadian Rockies, including trips with the Skyline Hikers and possibly Alpine Club of Canada. Also includes Canadian Hostel photographs. A 3.5" floppy disk with inventory listing in .wdb format and a…
Robert (Bob) Dwight Louden was born 1927 in Calgary, Alberta to Orley Dwight Louden and Anne Church Harding. Louden was educated at Stanley Jones Elementary School and Crescent Heights High School in Calgary. Louden began taking pictures at 10 years of age when he and his brother Don received a seventy-nine cent Agfa box camera from their parents before a family vacation to Victoria, B.C. and Seattle, WA. At sixteen years of age, Louden joined the Canadian Youth Hostels Association with his mother and brother and spent the next couple of years hiking with Mary and E. Catharine Barclay (the founder of Hostelling in Canada). Louden was a member of the Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies and the Alpine Club of Canada spending many weekends hiking and taking pictures. Louden met Betty Marie Christensen in the Hostelling Association and they married in 1952.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of b&w and colour negatives, transparencies and prints pertaining to hiking in the Canadian Rockies, including trips with the Skyline Hikers and possibly Alpine Club of Canada. Also includes Canadian Hostel photographs. A 3.5" floppy disk with inventory listing in .wdb format and a hard-copy of an inventory listing of the photographs was included with the 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 consist of two separate series: A. Prints; B. Photograph Albums. Fonds consists primarily of presentation album titled "Landscapes," containing one hundred views along the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains. The album contains many popular views of the period and is …
1 photograph album (100 prints). -- 40 photographs : prints
History / Biographical
The photographic firm of Boorne and May, a portrait, landscape and architectural business, operated in Calgary and Edmonton, N.W.T. (now Alberta) between 1886 and 1893. William Hanson Boorne, 1859-1945, and his cousin, Ernest Gundry May, opened their Calgary studio in 1886, later expanding the business to Edmonton. During its short life, Boorne and May was one of the most prestigious photographic firms in western Canada.
Scope & Content
Fonds consist of two separate series: A. Prints; B. Photograph Albums. Fonds consists primarily of presentation album titled "Landscapes," containing one hundred views along the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains. The album contains many popular views of the period and is inscribed to "W. Whyte Esq., General Superintendent, Western Division C.P.R., Winnipeg. With Boorne & May's Compliments. Calgary. January 1889." Also includes individual prints of similar views to those in the album and include views as far west as Yale, B.C.
Twenty-two prints, attributable to Boorne and May through photographer numbers and titles on the fronts, are stamped "From J. Nicholson, Photo Artist, Boissevain, Man." on the reverse. Nicholson was a professional photographer at Boissevain, Manitoba between 1888 and 1893. His business was sold to Jas. E. Miers in 1893.
Fonds consists of records pertaining to business, 1967-1982, club activities, 1967-2010; information files, 1968-2010; newsletters, environmental assessments, and miscellaneous. Accompanied by audio tape. Research value relates to the club and its affiliations; natural history activities including …
The Bow Valley Naturalists is a natural history club based in Banff, Alberta. Its objectives are to acquire and disseminate knowledge on natural history, to work for the protection and preservation of natural areas and wildlife and to stimulate interest in the appreciation of nature. Activities include hikes and observations in the Bow Valley and the Canadian Rockies, natural area studies, bird and flower counts, and lobbying of governments on conservation issues. The club conducted intensive natural area studies in the Mount Yamnuska area in 1974, and in the Vermilion Lakes area in 1977-1978.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of records pertaining to business, 1967-1982, club activities, 1967-2010; information files, 1968-2010; newsletters, environmental assessments, and miscellaneous. Accompanied by audio tape. Research value relates to the club and its affiliations; natural history activities including birding and flower studies; natural areas including Vermilion Lakes; conservation issues such as Village Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and proposed natural parks, the development of national parks, research related to forest management, Middle Springs Development phases, Town of Banff Community plans, National Parks ski areas, Trans-Canada Highway Twinning Phases, transportation and utilities in the National Parks, the Bow Valley east of Banff and Kananaskis Valley, and British Columbia protected areas.