Fonds consists of two sous-fonds: M521 and V75.
M521 consists of four series, 154 cm, ca.1870-2002. Series I: Dorothy Wardle Personal Papers, 69.5 cm, ca.1870-2002 (includes Dorothy's written work and research and notes related to Banff). Series II: Wardle Family, 32.5 cm, 1872-1998 (including cor…
154 cm of textual records. -- 1304 photographs (1190 prints, 95 negatives, 19 transparencies). -- 6 photograph albums.
History / Biographical
The Wardle family was comprised of husband and wife, James Morey Wardle (June 26,1888 - May 18,1971) and Maud Leette (Roney) Wardle (May 24,1889 - December 1,1969), and their one child, Dorothy Hope Wardle (May 23,1919 - July 20,2003).
James Wardle, born in Chiliwack, British Columbia, was a civil engineer and public servant. He was the Superintendent of Banff National Park from 1918-1921, Chief Engineer for Parks Canada from 1921-1935, and Deputy Minister of the Interior from 1935-1936. He is primarily known as a highway design engineer, particularly for building the Banff-Windermere, Banff-Lake Louise, and Banff-Jasper highways. He was a councillor for the Municipality of Rockcliffe Park in Ontario and he was the President of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies in Banff from 1925-1929. Mount Wardle in Vermillion was named after him in 1921. James married Leette on November 4, 1913, with whom he had one child, Dorothy.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Dorothy (also known as Dot and Dorie) grew up in Banff, Alberta and Ottawa, Ontario, due to her father's position with the federal government. She was educated at the Mountain School in Banff and at the Elmwood School in Ottawa. All three family members were graduates of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. James graduated in 1912 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Leette graduated with a Bachelor's degree, and in 1942, Dorothy also earned a Bachelor's degree. Dorothy was prominent in student life and active in athletics. In 1941, Dorothy became the first woman elected as President of the Alma Mater Society and during her academic career, Dorothy was a member of the Levana Intercollegiate Debative, University Centenary Committee, and Queen’s War Aid Commission.
Dorothy spent her career as a freelance writer however, upon graduation she served as the first Secretary-In-Charge of Records at Carleton College (now Carleton University) from 1942-1944 in Ottawa and in the mid-1950s worked as a secretary for the Glenbow Foundation in Calgary. Dorothy pursued a lifelong interest in traveling, art, and antiques. Although she was fiercely proud and protective of Banff and the Park, and remained a volunteer and patron of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Dorothy eventually settled in Sidney, British Columbia and shared an apartment with Sheila Iris Ritchie, with whom Dorothy travelled extensively. After her death in 2003, Dorothy, "Dorie," was laid to rest alongside her parents in the Old Banff Cemetery.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of two sous-fonds: M521 and V75.
M521 consists of four series, 154 cm, ca.1870-2002. Series I: Dorothy Wardle Personal Papers, 69.5 cm, ca.1870-2002 (includes Dorothy's written work and research and notes related to Banff). Series II: Wardle Family, 32.5 cm, 1872-1998 (including correspondence with Carl Rungius and Mrs. Helen Brett, and Christmas and other greeting cards from Peter and Catharine Whyte). Series III: Queen's University, 7.5 cm, 1911-1980 (including graduation certificates for each family member and records pertaining to Dorothy's participation on the Alma Mater Society). Series IV: Travel, 44.5 cm, ca.1950-1988 (includes hand-written notebooks meticulously detailing their travels).
V75 consists of two series, 79.5 cm, ca. 1912-2001. Series I: Wardle Family, ca. 1912-1971, 6 albums, 31 cm of photograph prints and negatives (including family trips, trail rides in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and family gatherings). Series II: Dorothy Wardle, 1972-2001, 34 cm of photograph prints, negatives, and transparencies (including Dorothy's travels in Alberta and British Columbia, overseas, and various outings with friends).
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 90 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm and 12.5 x 9 cm. File pertains to photographs taken by Dorothy Wardle of places, events, and scenery around Banff and Canmore. For Banff, file documents winter and fall scenery (mountains like Rundle and Cascade, the Bow River, Banff Avenue), wildl…
90 photographs : col. ; 15 x 10 cm and 12.5 x 9 cm
Scope & Content
File consists of 90 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm and 12.5 x 9 cm. File pertains to photographs taken by Dorothy Wardle of places, events, and scenery around Banff and Canmore. For Banff, file documents winter and fall scenery (mountains like Rundle and Cascade, the Bow River, Banff Avenue), wildlife (elk and a bear), war memorial, Warren house, Baine house, Louis Trono concert in the park in 1995, and the Old Banff Cemetery. For Canmore, file documents the Highland Games in 1994, winter activities (ice sculptures, dog sled races at the Nordic Centre), St. Michael's Place, and a photograph of the valley. File also documents the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies and the cabins (Bill Peyto, Jack Sinclair, and Mather Family) located on the museum's property.
Notes
Old Banff Cemetery photographs include the headstones of: Wardle family, Stephen family, Mary Schaffer Warren, J. Murray Gibbon, and Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte.
File consists of 100 colour photograph prints, 15 x 10 cm. File pertains to various trips and outings Dorothy took with friends Shirley Charlton, Hilda Mathiesen, and Betty Fonstad over a three year period. File documents trips and outings to Lake Louise, Bow Falls (Banff), Emerald Lake, Field, Gre…
File consists of 100 colour photograph prints, 15 x 10 cm. File pertains to various trips and outings Dorothy took with friends Shirley Charlton, Hilda Mathiesen, and Betty Fonstad over a three year period. File documents trips and outings to Lake Louise, Bow Falls (Banff), Emerald Lake, Field, Great Divide, Spiral Tunnels, Tea Storm Mountain Lodge, Vermillion River, Marble Canyon, Johnston's Canyon, Moraine Lake, Yoho National Park, Takkakaw Falls, and Lake O'Hara. Photographs include wildlife (birds, elk, sheep), wildflowers, mountain scenery, and posed photographs in front of significant landmarks.
Notes
Most photographs are annotated on the back identifying who is in the photograph, where it was taken, and when. Some anecdotes are also added by Dorothy on the backside of some of the photographs.
File consists of 146 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm or smaller. File pertains to a collection of miscellaneous photographs of Dorothy and her friends throughout a 30 year period. File documents a multitude of day trips, visits with friends, holidays (birthdays, anniversaries), road trips, picnics, …
File consists of 146 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm or smaller. File pertains to a collection of miscellaneous photographs of Dorothy and her friends throughout a 30 year period. File documents a multitude of day trips, visits with friends, holidays (birthdays, anniversaries), road trips, picnics, Resthaven-by-the-Sea, Pender Island, Okanagan, Sidney harbour, Wardle Creek, Horseshoe Bay, Powell River, the Hoodoos in Banff and Tunnel Mountain, and Salt Spring Island. File also includes two passport photograph prints of Dorothy from 1991.
Notes
V75 / II / PA - 788 to 866: Includes the original envelope that the photographs were stored in and include detailed notes of dates, people, and places.
V75 / II / PA - 867 to 896: Includes 3 hand written notes (on an envelope, a letter addressed to Dorothy and Sheila dated 1987, and a Christmas card) and a newspaper clipping of the obituary for Anne Nelson (Dorothy’s friend). Each textual record remains where Dorothy put them.
File consists of 91 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm or smaller. File pertains to Dorothy and Sheila's travels to Scotland and England to visit the Aulds family, and the Aulds family's travels to Canada to visit Dorothy and Sheila. File documents various travels from 1974-1979 (including British Colu…
File consists of 91 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm or smaller. File pertains to Dorothy and Sheila's travels to Scotland and England to visit the Aulds family, and the Aulds family's travels to Canada to visit Dorothy and Sheila. File documents various travels from 1974-1979 (including British Columbia and Banff, Alberta), Sheila and Dorothy's visit to Scotland in 1987 and in 1988, and the Aulds Family trip to Canada to visit Dorothy in 1990 following the death of Sheila (Dorothy took them on a motor trip across British Columbia and Alberta). Places visited include Loch Lomond, Kingsknowe (a suburb of Edinburgh), Girvan, Duke of Hamilton Hunting Lodge, the docks at New Galloway, and various places in Canada, including: Lake Louise (Bow River), Jasper National Park (Mt. Robson, Maligne Lake, Athabasca Falls), Columbia Icefield, Banff National Park, and the Okanagan region.
Notes
Sheila (Ritchie) was a life long friend and housemate of Dorothy. The Aulds family were Sheila's relatives in Scotland (Doreen Aulds was Sheila's cousin).
Duke of Hamilton Hunting Lodge is known today as the Chatelherault Country Park.
ca. 17,580 photographs: negatives, prints, and transparencies. -- 1 photograph album (ca. 150 prints). -- ca. 12.5 cm textual records. -- 42 reels of film
File consists of 86 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm and 13 x 8.5 cm. File pertains to Dorothy's visits with friend, Ruth Maccoy, primarily in the early to mid-1990s. File documents Ruth's home and property (scenery and rolling hills, the creek, flower beds), Kananaskis and Highwood Pass (mountain an…
86 photographs : col. ; 15 x 10 cm and 13 x 8.5 cm
Scope & Content
File consists of 86 colour photographs, 15 x 10 cm and 13 x 8.5 cm. File pertains to Dorothy's visits with friend, Ruth Maccoy, primarily in the early to mid-1990s. File documents Ruth's home and property (scenery and rolling hills, the creek, flower beds), Kananaskis and Highwood Pass (mountain and river scenery), a road trip that Ruth and Dorothy took and had a night with the Nelsons, and farm animals (cows and horses), Ruth's pets (a black cat and Pumpkin the dog), and outside winter scenes during Christmas at Ruth's.
Notes
Note written on the envelope for V75 / II / PA - 711 to 730, dated Monday June 3, 1996: “In pix of Christmas dinner guests at table the little plaque on wall with two ladies by cottage fire (ivory colour) to be my memento of Ruth”
File consists of 254 colour photographs, 15.5 x 10 cm. File pertains to Dorothy's various travels and outings across Alberta and British Columbia primarily in the mid-1990s. File documents her travels to Lake O'Hara, Okanagan, Kootenay Lake, Marble Canyon, Canmore, Lake Louise, Banff National Park,…
File consists of 254 colour photographs, 15.5 x 10 cm. File pertains to Dorothy's various travels and outings across Alberta and British Columbia primarily in the mid-1990s. File documents her travels to Lake O'Hara, Okanagan, Kootenay Lake, Marble Canyon, Canmore, Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Emerald Lake, Moraine Lake, Savary Island, Resthaven Beach, Spruce Meadows, Pender Island, Salt Spring, Saturna Island, Sidney Spit, Ucluelet and Broken Islands, Powell River and Sunshine Coast, Yoho National Park, Jasper National Park, Yellow Point Lodge, and Butchart Gardens. Photographs document beach and mountain scenery and activities (shell and rock picking, hiking), outdoor picnics and dinners, traveling on boats, gardens and wildlife (elk, goats, birds), and posed photographs (although most are scenery and landmarks).
Notes
Most photographs are annotated on the back identifying who is in the image, where it was taken, and when.