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).
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 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 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 various documents pertaining to the Southern Alberta Pioneers' and Old Timers' Association, the Glenbow Foundation, Banff Rebekah Lodge No. 34, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Rotary Club of Banff, the Bow Valley Minor Hockey League, Banff High School and the Mineral Springs Hos…
File consists of various documents pertaining to the Southern Alberta Pioneers' and Old Timers' Association, the Glenbow Foundation, Banff Rebekah Lodge No. 34, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Rotary Club of Banff, the Bow Valley Minor Hockey League, Banff High School and the Mineral Springs Hospital in Banff. Includes cheque receipts and a club membership card, event booklets/programmes (including numerous programmes for Bow Valley Minor Hockey League awards nights and Rotary Club "Sportsmen's Dinners"), news clippings pertaining to local club events, a copy of "The Pinnacle" (Banff High School publication), and a copy of "The Mountaineer" (Mineral Springs Hospital newsletter) from 1957.
File consists of 2 cm of textual records, 21.5 x 28 cm or smaller. File pertains to Jean's correspondence with a variety of different people at different stages of her life. File includes a combination of handwritten and typed correspondence between Jean and the following people and organizations: …
File consists of 2 cm of textual records, 21.5 x 28 cm or smaller. File pertains to Jean's correspondence with a variety of different people at different stages of her life. File includes a combination of handwritten and typed correspondence between Jean and the following people and organizations:
T. Ross Paden, pastor for the Bryn Mwar Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1927-1928).
Jean and Jack's wedding announcement from June 18, 1938.
John Murray Gibbon (Secretary-Treasurer of Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies);
Former students and friends/audience members from talks that Jean delivered.
Dr. Hiebert and related poems and newspaper clipping.
Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba (Jean presented at a conference in 1970).
Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada (2000).
Sarah Canham (regarding Jean's participation in "The Ma Pampo Story").
File consists of scanned and original copies of newspaper clippings, a full copy of The Edmonton Journal from 1953, correspondence, an event programme, two calendars and a local hockey newsletter/booklet. Contents pertain to news of Jack and Karin MacAulay's professional achievements and a brief we…
Some items published by the Crag and Canyon and the Edmonton Journal
Date Range
1946
1953
[ca. 1960]
1962
1965
1970 - 1971
1979 - 1980
Physical Description
1.5 cm of textual records
Scope & Content
File consists of scanned and original copies of newspaper clippings, a full copy of The Edmonton Journal from 1953, correspondence, an event programme, two calendars and a local hockey newsletter/booklet. Contents pertain to news of Jack and Karin MacAulay's professional achievements and a brief wedding announcement from 1946; a rescue mission in which Jack and Ted MacAulay assisted in rescuing a trapped mountain climber in 1953; a 1962 Community Scholarship Concert event programme; Jack's selection as Sportsman of the Year in Banff in 1965; the opening of the Banff Scout-Guide Hall; Banff Minor Hockey League calendars 1970 - 1971; a thank you letter for Jack MacAulay's assistance, from The Canadian Figure Skating Association; and events/news from the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association 1979 - 1980.
Notes
Dates provided for 4 scanned newspaper articles based on time of publication [originally published 1946]; date(s) of scanned physical copies unknown.