Fonds consists of materials pertaining to Ben Gadd's personal life and career as an environmental researcher, educator, interpretive guide, publisher, public speaker and author, ca.1956-2018. Fonds includes maps, research materials, publication notes/drafts, correspondence, contracts, photographs, …
ca. 7.9 metres of textual records -- ca. 274 maps -- 29 VHS tapes -- ca.15 discs with digital files -- 21 cassettes -- photographs -- oversized materials -- USB stick with 15 sldeshows
History / Biographical
Ben Gadd (1946-) is a retired naturalist, guide, geologist, instructor, freelance writer and award-winning author based in the Canadian Rockies.
Ben was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1946. He met his wife, Cia (Langdon) Gadd at Colorado College in 1965, and the couple married four weeks later. Ben and Cia had two sons, Will and Toby. Ben and his family relocated to Jasper in the late 1960s. Ben later attended the University of Lethbridge and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Earth Science in 1972.
Between 1976 and 1980, Ben taught classes at Mount Royal College and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology; he later taught additional classes at Grant MacEwan College and Lakeland College. From 1981, Ben also worked as a seasonal naturalist/guide for Parks Canada. Ben left Parks Canada in 1985 to start an independent naturalist guiding business with Cia based in Jasper and other parts of the Canadian Rockies, which the couple continued to operate for over two decades.
Ben published his best-known work, "Handbook of the Canadian Rockies", through his publishing company Corax Press in 1986. The second edition of "Handbook of the Canadian Rockies" received multiple awards after its release in 1995. Ben's fiction book, "Raven's End" won the title of Best Canadian Rockies Book at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in 2001 and became a Canadian bestseller. Overall, Ben has authored or co-authored 11 books and received nearly one dozen awards for his achievements as a writer, researcher and guide.
Ben continued to lead guided hikes and school programs until his retirement in 2016.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of materials pertaining to Ben Gadd's personal life and career as an environmental researcher, educator, interpretive guide, publisher, public speaker and author, ca.1956-2018. Fonds includes maps, research materials, publication notes/drafts, correspondence, contracts, photographs, video and sound recordings, and other related material. Materials donated in 2024 include one USB stick containing
Notes
Ben Gadd fonds arrangement:
Series I : Personal records
- Subseries A : Travel guides and maps
- Subseries B : Education and early writings
- Subseries C : Personal interest files
- Subseries D : Other personal and collected
Series II : Research and publication records
- Subseries A : Handbook of the Canadian Rockies
- Subseries B : Other publications
Series III : Professional records
- Subseries A : Parks Canada Records
- Subseries B : Interpretive guiding
- Subseries C : Teaching records
- Subseries D : Other contracts and projects
Series IV : Legal and financial records
- Subseries A : Legal records
- Subseries B : Financial records
File consists of a signed contract renewal form between Ben Gadd and Access Network pertaining to a series of public broadcasts about the history of Bankhead, which Ben Gadd produced written content for; and a payment advance invoice for the same contract.
File consists of a signed contract renewal form between Ben Gadd and Access Network pertaining to a series of public broadcasts about the history of Bankhead, which Ben Gadd produced written content for; and a payment advance invoice for the same contract.
File consists of flyers, notes and correspondence, drafts and published advertisements pertaining to the promotion of Ben Gadd's work as an interpretive guide.
File consists of flyers, notes and correspondence, drafts and published advertisements pertaining to the promotion of Ben Gadd's work as an interpretive guide.
File consists of textual records pertaining to promotional work and advertising for Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. File includes correspondence between Ben Gadd and several individuals regarding advertising and other promotional work; notes and sample copies of advertisements, i…
File consists of textual records pertaining to promotional work and advertising for Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. File includes correspondence between Ben Gadd and several individuals regarding advertising and other promotional work; notes and sample copies of advertisements, including paste-ups; finished posters and flyers; booklets and brochures for companies and products involved with promotional material and marketing; newspaper clippings advertising Ben's book; and other related materials.
File consists of notes, contracts and correspondence pertaining to Ben Gadd's work producing text for interpretive signs along the Alaska Highway on behalf of the British Columbia Ministry of Parks.
File consists of notes, contracts and correspondence pertaining to Ben Gadd's work producing text for interpretive signs along the Alaska Highway on behalf of the British Columbia Ministry of Parks.
Notes
File includes a brochure containing a map and travel information for Mount Robson Berg Lake Trail, with a note by Ben Gadd. brochure was possibly used as research/reference material in the production of Alaska Highway signs text
File consists of a signed work agreement, correspondence, research notes, reference materials, newspaper articles and other related documents pertaining to an article titled "The Ravens & the Road: Life & Death on National Park Highways", which Ben wrote for Alberta Views magazine between 2004 and …
File consists of a signed work agreement, correspondence, research notes, reference materials, newspaper articles and other related documents pertaining to an article titled "The Ravens & the Road: Life & Death on National Park Highways", which Ben wrote for Alberta Views magazine between 2004 and 2005.
File consists of one CD containing 18 PDF files and one word document. File includes digital copies of journal articles and published reports pertaining to wildlife migration, roadkill incidents and habitat conservation in Banff National Park. Materials in file were used as research material for an…
File consists of one CD containing 18 PDF files and one word document. File includes digital copies of journal articles and published reports pertaining to wildlife migration, roadkill incidents and habitat conservation in Banff National Park. Materials in file were used as research material for an article which Ben Gadd wrote for Alberta Views magazine between 2004 and 2005, titled "The Ravens & the Road: Life & Death on National Park Highways".
File consists of one full draft of Ben Gadd's autobiography, An Orogenous Life, which contains handwritten corrections and notes by Ben's wife, Cia Gadd.
"Ben [Gadd]’s memoir tells the story of how a skinny, myopic and cowardly kid grew into the mountaineer who wrote [Handbook of the Canadian Rockies and Raven's End] and received the Banff Centre’s coveted Summit of Excellence award in 2014.
There’s a lot more to this memoir than just biography. Interleaved with the personal history are 36 readings from Ben’s favorite written work. These essays, magazine articles, stories and book excerpts will have you chuckling in some places, touched in others. All this plus hundreds of color illustrations."
- Quoted from Ben Gadd's website, May 4th, 2022
Scope & Content
File consists of one full draft of Ben Gadd's autobiography, An Orogenous Life, which contains handwritten corrections and notes by Ben's wife, Cia Gadd.
Pertains to the experiences of Ben Gadd, an experienced Rocky Mountain naturalist, guide and author. His book combines his personal experiences with the stories and essays of 36 others in order to create a touching, yet compelling story. The book includes a comprehensive selection of photographs, many of which are personal to the author and his family. Being that the author was and continues to be greatly involved with the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the book makes mention of multiple locations in and around the area of Banff such as, Mt. Assiniboine, Banff Mountain Film Festival, Bankhead, Brewster transportation and tours, and Johnston Canyon. The book follows the style of a biography and contains many personal stories and photos from the author and associated family.
Contents
Introduction
Benny
Ben
Cia and Ben
Willy, Cia and Ben
Toby and Willy, Cia and Ben
Index
Other books by Ben Gadd
Notes
Some of the specific references to areas in, and area the Canadian Rocky Mountains are as follows, Mt. Assiniboine (297), Mt. Robson (373), Banff Mountain Film Festival (12, 395, 608), Bankhead (332) and Brewster transportation and tours (463, 469).
ISBN
9780969263142
Accession Number
2019.47
Call Number
02.6 G11a
Collection
Archives Library
URL Notes
URL pertains to an online website dedicated to Ben Gadd and his continued achievements