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).
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 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 82 black and white photographs, 18 x 13 cm or smaller. File documents the Wardle family and friends in the community, at different events and various travels, including: baby photographs of Dorothy in Banff (1919-1926); Banff early days with James and Leette Wardle, particularly at…
File consists of 82 black and white photographs, 18 x 13 cm or smaller. File documents the Wardle family and friends in the community, at different events and various travels, including: baby photographs of Dorothy in Banff (1919-1926); Banff early days with James and Leette Wardle, particularly at the snowshoe tramp for the Banff Winter Carnival (1919-1920); snapshots from a trip to Big Bend (1930); Norman Sanson's 1000th ascent of Sulphur Mountain in 1931; class photographs from the Mountain School (1932, 1935); various trips with Carl Rungius, including Lake McArthur and Lake O'Hara (1933), Ottawa (1945), and the Laurentians (1949); a trip to the Panama Canal (1933); miscellaneous photographs of school events (including the Alma Mater Society election that resulted in Dorothy being the first female president) of Dorothy and friends at Queen's University (1938-1941); the Swedish Legation in Ottawa (1946-1950); and photographs of Frank Kaquitts and his artwork (1963).
Notes
Most photographs are annotated on the backside of the print.
V75 / I / PA -193 : Includes an accompanying list identifying everyone in the class photograph (Dorothy attended the Mountain School as a young child).
V75 / I / PA -239 to 247 : includes handwritten notes regarding Frank Kaquitts. Dorothy originally filed these images with M521 / I / A / 10 ([Indigenous] Story Material).
File consists of 109 black and white and colour photograph prints, 23.5 x 17 cm or smaller. File documents various unidentified family members and friends, travels and outings, special events (e.g. weddings, graduations), holidays (e.g. Easter), official portraits (including a National Film Board o…
109 photographs : b&w and col. ; 23.5 x 17 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File consists of 109 black and white and colour photograph prints, 23.5 x 17 cm or smaller. File documents various unidentified family members and friends, travels and outings, special events (e.g. weddings, graduations), holidays (e.g. Easter), official portraits (including a National Film Board of Canada portrait of James Wardle), and sports and leisure (e.g. canoeing, golf). File also includes photographs of Carl Rungius (on his birthday in 1954), Betty Ormond in Peru (with a message addressed to "Dorrie" written on the back of the print), graduation photograph of James Wardle from Queen's (c.1912), and travel photographs from the United States in 1948 (New York, Washington, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City) and Amsterdam, Netherlands (1952). Notable places the photographs depict include Banff (including Banff Train Station), the Great Divide, St. Lawrence River (the Wardle family had a cottage here), Sunshine trail, Mt. Athabasca, Columbia Icefields, Lake O'Hara, Montreal, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Paris (France), Ghost River, Ottawa, Peru, Lake Minnewanka, Elk Island, and Maligne Lake.
Notes
Most (but not all) photographs are annotated on the back identifying who is in the photograph, when it was taken, and where.
File consists of 11.5 cm of textual records, 32 x 42 cm or smaller. Records include: Book of Common Prayer (1872); The Pocket Cook Book by Elizabeth Woody (1942); Guide to Marks of Origin on British and Irish Silver Plate from mid-16th Century to the Year 1943 and Old Sheffield Plate Makers' Marks,…
11.5 cm of textual records (32 x 42 cm or smaller)
Scope & Content
File consists of 11.5 cm of textual records, 32 x 42 cm or smaller. Records include: Book of Common Prayer (1872); The Pocket Cook Book by Elizabeth Woody (1942); Guide to Marks of Origin on British and Irish Silver Plate from mid-16th Century to the Year 1943 and Old Sheffield Plate Makers' Marks, 1743-1860 (1943); four booklets related to the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies (1934-1950); a booklet titled "Sir George Simpson Centennial Celebration" (1928); an assortment of recipes; "The Margaret P. Hess Collection" booklet published by the University of Calgary (1977) and a related Calgary Herald newspaper clipping (1986); one Carl Rungius postcard; and six miscellaneous postcards depicting a former school teacher of Leette Wardle (1911), James Wardle at the Cave and Basin (1920), the Wardles in San Francisco (n.d.), two unidentified men (n.d.), and visitors to the Banff Springs Hotel (n.d.).
Notes
Book of Common Prayer inscribed with: “Martha Morey, November 4, 1872. New Westminster, BC. From her mother.” It belonged to James Wardle's mother.
The Pocket Cook Book contains annotations and written notes tucked in among the pages of the book.
Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies booklets kept because the Wardles participated in trail rides and there are photos/mentions of James and Dorothy, and possibly Leette.
The "Sir George Simpson Centennial Celebration" booklet contains a photograph print between pages 32 and 33.
Some of the postcards are annotated on the back, specifically the postcard depicting the Banff Springs Hotel which is addressed to Dorothy.
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.
File consists of 1 album comprised of 74 black and white and colour photographs, 13.5 x 8.5 cm or smaller. File pertains to the Wardle family's motor trip across eastern Canada and the United States in July 1951. File documents the family's travels to Ottawa; Quebec City; Fredericton, University of…
1 album (74 photographs : b&w and col. ; 13.5 x 8.5 cm or smaller)
Scope & Content
File consists of 1 album comprised of 74 black and white and colour photographs, 13.5 x 8.5 cm or smaller. File pertains to the Wardle family's motor trip across eastern Canada and the United States in July 1951. File documents the family's travels to Ottawa; Quebec City; Fredericton, University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, Fundy National Park; Charlottetown (PEI); Cape Breton Island, Cabot Trail, Halifax, and Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia); Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Photos include scenery, buildings, and the Wardles in front of monuments and other landmarks, as well as a print of the Citadel in Halifax with an accompanying description.
Notes
Album was a Christmas gift from Dorothy to her parents. It is signed: "To Mom and Dad, who helped to make a wonderful trip even more so with love from Dorie, Christmas 1951."
Album is also labelled "The Three Wardles Tour the Maritimes, July 1951."
Album is red with "Photo Album" written in gold on the front, it is bound with a purple tassel.
Most photographs are captioned.
The last page is signed: "The end of another wonderful trip together!" with a drawing of the family sitting in their car.
File consists of 1 album comprised of 69 black and white photographs, 17.5 x 11 cm or smaller. File pertains to various family trips and outings with family and friends (including Carl Rungius), primarily in the 1940s. File documents Wardle family trips to Wolfe Island (Ontario), the Seigniory Club…
1 album (69 photographs : b&w ; 17.5 x 11 cm or smaller)
Scope & Content
File consists of 1 album comprised of 69 black and white photographs, 17.5 x 11 cm or smaller. File pertains to various family trips and outings with family and friends (including Carl Rungius), primarily in the 1940s. File documents Wardle family trips to Wolfe Island (Ontario), the Seigniory Club in Montebello (Quebec), Banff-Windermere, Assiniboine, Takakkaw Falls, Yoho National Park, Mount Wardle, Bull Creek Ranch (High River), Collins Bay (Ontario), Ghost River, Lake Louise, Kingston (Ontario), and Washington, D.C., Atlantic City, and New York (USA). Includes photographs of family and friends, landmarks and scenery, picnics, James Wardle in front of the sign for Mt. Wardle, and Carl Rungius (1948-1950).
Notes
Album was a gift from Dorothy to her mother, Leette, for her birthday. It is signed: "To Mother for her birthday, May 24, 1951. With love from Dorie."
Album is also labelled "Volume II: Trips, Family, Friends."
V75 / I / PD - 2 is Volume I. Both albums were given to Leette from Dorothy as a birthday present on May 24, 1951.
Album is green with "Photo Album" written in gold on the front, it is bound with a green tassel.
File consists of 13 black and white negatives, 16 x 9 cm or smaller. File pertains the Wardle family's travels and trail rides with various friends and family members. File documents James Wardle posing in front of the Simpson Monument during the Waterton Ride (1929), the Wardles and friends posing…
13 photographs : b&w negatives ; 16 x 9 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File consists of 13 black and white negatives, 16 x 9 cm or smaller. File pertains the Wardle family's travels and trail rides with various friends and family members. File documents James Wardle posing in front of the Simpson Monument during the Waterton Ride (1929), the Wardles and friends posing in front of a car during their Big Bend motor trip (1930), travels with Carl Rungius, James and Dorothy Wardle at the Yoho Valley Camp over Burgess Pass to Field (1938), and an undated photograph of Leette Wardle.
Notes
Original envelopes are located with corresponding prints (see related material).