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 11 maps : mss. and reproductions, some col., annotations ; 43 x 94 cm or smaller. File pertains to a project Murray Hay worked on for Glacier Bay Tours and Cruises (based out of Alaska). File includes 11 original hand-drawn and reproduced drafts, including annotations, of a map dep…
11 maps : mss. and reproductions, some col., annotations ; 43 x 94 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File consists of 11 maps : mss. and reproductions, some col., annotations ; 43 x 94 cm or smaller. File pertains to a project Murray Hay worked on for Glacier Bay Tours and Cruises (based out of Alaska). File includes 11 original hand-drawn and reproduced drafts, including annotations, of a map depicting the Baja California Sur region and the cruise's route in this area.
Notes
Originally filed with correspondence related to this project [see related material]. "For Steve Cowart" is also written on at least one map (who Murray Hay is corresponding with in M570 / IV / A / 1).
Items not in oversize stored in downstairs vault.
File consists of 14 colour and b&w oversized promotional posters and information boards for Banff Indian Days celebrations, promoted by Canadian Pacific. Posters largely feature identified and unidentified Indigenous people, notably Chief Spotted Eagle and Blind Eagle. Art medium includes oil pain…
Published and artwork attributed to Ernie Kehr, W.L. Kihn, G.H.W. Ashley, Crag & Canyon Press, Palenske, Canadian Pacific and Multi Color Poster
Date Range
[ca. 1930-1950]
1936
1937
1949
Physical Description
14 posters : colour and b&w ; 35 x 56 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File consists of 14 colour and b&w oversized promotional posters and information boards for Banff Indian Days celebrations, promoted by Canadian Pacific. Posters largely feature identified and unidentified Indigenous people, notably Chief Spotted Eagle and Blind Eagle. Art medium includes oil paint process mounted on cardboard made in Canada and distributed by Exhibits Branch Canadian Pacific, lithographic prints, and a mounted drawing attributed to Palenske. Some have annotations or stamps on the back.
Notes
Possibly unassociated shipping packing material addressed to Norman Luxton at the Trading Post from E.A. Kehr found in box - this has not been assigned a number.
D3-10, a lithographic promotional material from 1936 has an identical design to LUX / II / F1 / 47, an Indian Days poster from 1928
Items LUX / I / D3 / 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 were originally associated with LUX / I / D3a / 6, which contains brochures and a flyer from Banff Indian Days
LUX / I / D3 / 8, Palenske may have potentionally used photograph LUX / I / D3a / PA-26 as reference
Material Details
Some posters have foldable cardboard stand at back to place upright on surface, adhesives, and perhaps mounting additives.
File consists of textual records pertaining to trips led by the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies. Includes an annotated skit performed on a 1982 trail ride, drafts of possible content for newsletters, freelance writing samples, and accounts of specific trail rides. Most items list author(s) and…
File consists of textual records pertaining to trips led by the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies. Includes an annotated skit performed on a 1982 trail ride, drafts of possible content for newsletters, freelance writing samples, and accounts of specific trail rides. Most items list author(s) and date. File also includes several annotated sketches depicting trail riders.
Notes
File contains duplicates which have been attached to each other
File consists of letters and six postcards sent from Molly Wright Adams to various family members between 1904 and 1905; and three ink drawings depicting climbers scaling mountains [possibly drawn by Molly]. Letters and postcards are primarily addressed to Molly's sister, Catharine (Adams) Elkin [a…
1.5 cm of textual records -- 6 postcards -- 3 drawings
Scope & Content
File consists of letters and six postcards sent from Molly Wright Adams to various family members between 1904 and 1905; and three ink drawings depicting climbers scaling mountains [possibly drawn by Molly]. Letters and postcards are primarily addressed to Molly's sister, Catharine (Adams) Elkin [addressed mostly as "Katy"]. Letters pertain to Molly's travels in California, New Mexico, and the American and Canadian Rockies.
Notes
Materials in file previously stored with one leather-bound journal and four miniature monthly planners [1904-1905]. Journal and planners have been renumbered and processed as file M555 / II / 1.
File consists of one scrapbook, mostly empty, containing ca. 48 newspaper clippings, a pamphlet re: the Banff Elementary School Spring Concert in May 1969, and a signed original sketch by Peter Whyte. Content pertains to the openings of the Whyte Museum Archives and the Harvie Theatre in Banff, Pet…
4 cm of textual records (1 scrapbook : 18 pages ; 30 x 37 cm)
Scope & Content
File consists of one scrapbook, mostly empty, containing ca. 48 newspaper clippings, a pamphlet re: the Banff Elementary School Spring Concert in May 1969, and a signed original sketch by Peter Whyte. Content pertains to the openings of the Whyte Museum Archives and the Harvie Theatre in Banff, Peter and Catharine Whyte, Senator Donald Cameron and Margaret Greenham.