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).
Scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings related to Banff Indian Days and the Calgary Stampede; various other newspaper clippings related to local and international news, including the opening of a new school in Morley and the Luxton Museum [now the Buffalo Nations Museum] in Banff, a fire at Jasp…
Scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings related to Banff Indian Days and the Calgary Stampede; various other newspaper clippings related to local and international news, including the opening of a new school in Morley and the Luxton Museum [now the Buffalo Nations Museum] in Banff, a fire at Jasper Park Lodge, and Canadian and international politics.
File consists of one collection of newspapers and newspaper clippings compiled into one scrapbook bound with string. Content pertains to various publications by the Calgary Herald newspaper between 1933 and 1937. Complete copies and full pages of newspapers make up most of scrapbook; last 6 pages c…
2.5 cm of textual records (1 scrapbook ; 44.5 x 60 cm)
Scope & Content
File consists of one collection of newspapers and newspaper clippings compiled into one scrapbook bound with string. Content pertains to various publications by the Calgary Herald newspaper between 1933 and 1937. Complete copies and full pages of newspapers make up most of scrapbook; last 6 pages consist of Calgary Herald newspaper clippings attached to beige construction paper with accompanying notes written in pencil on the pages.
Notes
Annotations in scrapbook are not dated or signed, author unknown [possibly Georgina Luxton]
Scrapbook is divided into sections with tabs labelled: Canadian, Britain, American, and Foreign. Scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings related to the Dionne Quints; political subjects; royalty and royal families in England, India, Denmark and Norway; celebrities and film stars; and sports: box…
Scrapbook is divided into sections with tabs labelled: Canadian, Britain, American, and Foreign. Scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings related to the Dionne Quints; political subjects; royalty and royal families in England, India, Denmark and Norway; celebrities and film stars; and sports: boxing, Joe Louis, football, billiards, tennis, baseball, horseracing, the Simpson sisters, and rodeo events.
File consists of 127 pages of compiled research, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H28 cm x W21.5 cm or smaller. File pertains to the renaming of Castle Mountain to Mt. Eisenhower in 1946 under the William Lyon Mackenzie King administration and the restoration of the Castle name in 1975-1976…
2 cm of textual records (127 pages ; 21.5 x 28 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
Freeman Keyte was a scientist originally from Ontario who was living in Calgary at the time when Castle Mountain was renamed to Mt. Eisenhower. He argued for the Castle name to be reinstated and communicated with the Geographic Board of Alberta, Members of Parliament, and the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names.
Scope & Content
File consists of 127 pages of compiled research, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H28 cm x W21.5 cm or smaller. File pertains to the renaming of Castle Mountain to Mt. Eisenhower in 1946 under the William Lyon Mackenzie King administration and the restoration of the Castle name in 1975-1976. File includes photocopies of government records, newspaper clippings, and other research compiled by Freeman Keyte. It also includes handwritten correspondence between Dorothy and Freeman, Dorothy and Ted Hart, and newspaper clippings that were collected by Dorothy.
Notes
On March 12, 1980, Freeman sent a copy of his findings in a 113-page binder to Dorothy, who then gifted it to the Whyte Museum in 1987.
Included a photocopy of the letter from Dorothy to Ted Hart. The photocopy was discarded. Dorothy filed the original with Freeman's compilation of research as represented in this file.
Records from accn.7504 were filed in an envelope titled, "The Castle Mountain Battle (from Castle to Eisenhower & back to Castle."
File consists of news articles collected by Ben Gadd pertaining to the proposed Cheviot Mine project near Cadomin, Alberta. Includes articles from the Jasper Booster, the Edmonton Journal, the Globe and Mail, Canadian Journal, Alberta Wilderness Association, and other publishers.
File consists of news articles collected by Ben Gadd pertaining to the proposed Cheviot Mine project near Cadomin, Alberta. Includes articles from the Jasper Booster, the Edmonton Journal, the Globe and Mail, Canadian Journal, Alberta Wilderness Association, and other publishers.
File consists of collected newspaper clippings and volumes published between 1907 and 1956. Content includes an early edition of the Crag and Canyon [August 24, 1907]; a scanned copy of a 1949 article from the New York Times discussing inflation rates between 1834 and 1949 [annotated]; a summer 195…
File consists of collected newspaper clippings and volumes published between 1907 and 1956. Content includes an early edition of the Crag and Canyon [August 24, 1907]; a scanned copy of a 1949 article from the New York Times discussing inflation rates between 1834 and 1949 [annotated]; a summer 1956 issue of "The Calgarian" signed on the cover by "Bessie L.[?] MacKay"; a loose article describing stretches and home exercises; and a four-page article from "Mining World" by Donald MacDonald discussing the construction of a coastal highway to Alaska.
Notes
New York Times scanned article has rough pencil sketch [possibly building layout?] on back side and math equations written on front in pencil
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 8 cm of textual records, 65 x 40 cm or smaller. File pertains to the personal and professional records of the Wardle family, particularly James M. Wardle. Records include: birth certificates for each family member (James Morey Wardle, 1888; Leette (Roney) Wardle, 1889; and Dorothy …
File consists of 8 cm of textual records, 65 x 40 cm or smaller. File pertains to the personal and professional records of the Wardle family, particularly James M. Wardle. Records include: birth certificates for each family member (James Morey Wardle, 1888; Leette (Roney) Wardle, 1889; and Dorothy Hope Wardle, 1919); James and Leette's marriage certificate from 1913; proof of age certificates and various notes on family (Roney) history; records pertaining to the family plot in the Old Banff Cemetery (including a photocopy of a blueprint plan of the cemetery grounds); records pertaining to the estates of James (d. 1971) and Leette (d. 1969); miscellaneous family items (including records about Dorothy's cousin Jack WIlliams who died overseas during World War II); photocopies of records pertaining to appointments and certificates for James (including his appointment to Deputy Minister of the Interior in 1935); and James' shares with the Alaska Yukon Pipeline (1966-1967). Records also include newspaper clippings (Banff Crag and Canyon, Calgary Herald) and various correspondence (related to the material) interspersed throughout.
M521 / II / A / 1 : Includes James Wardle's original birth certificate. In okay condition (some tears), currently in mylar. Consider digitizing.
M521 / II / A / 7 : The original shareholder certificate was ripped and then heavily taped back together. It is currently in mylar but could present issues in the future. Consider digitizing.