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 visual and texual material pertaining to the Canadian Pacific Railway and its holdings. Visual material conists of two series. Series I: lantern slides, Series II: prints. Textual material consists of two series. Series I: organizational records, Series II: the 1942 film "Canadian…
69 b&w lantern slides, 5 cm of textual records, ca. 309 prints : b&w ; 27.9 x 20.3 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of visual and texual material pertaining to the Canadian Pacific Railway and its holdings. Visual material conists of two series. Series I: lantern slides, Series II: prints. Textual material consists of two series. Series I: organizational records, Series II: the 1942 film "Canadian Pacific" screenplay and associated documents.
Visual material includes black and white lantern slides and black and white prints depicting various scenes pertaining to travelling on the Canadian Pacific Railway and depict dining rooms, scnes involving trains and mountains, farming scenes and fields, people in train cars, various cities and towns, figures in natural landscapes, horses and horseback riding, mountains, waterfalls, skiing, ships, CP hotels, and other grand buildings [across Canada] such as Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal.
Textual material includes paper reports [some compiled by Canadian Pacific Hotels Architectural Engineer Ed Steel] detailing various construction and/or renovation projects for hotels, lodges, tea houses, bugalow camps, huts, and backcountry lodges throughout the Canadian Rockies as well as records pertaining to CP hotels in the Canadian Rockies, and the screenplay for "Canadian Pacific."
Notes
Slides were stored in rectangular wood box with leather handle on top, and metal handle at one end. White label that says “Lyon & Turnbull 432 04 February 2009” on lid of the box. Old, peeling, and stained label on top under handle, illegible. Faded, peeling labels on front, some words legible: “from the Canadian Pacific…” 2 stained and water damaged labels detached from box appear to be English shipping labels.“10” stamped in black on both ends of box. Stamped in black on rear of box: “Canadian Pacific Rly Co. 62 to 65 Charing Cross, London, S.W. 1. “3” engraved on upper rim of box. Box is divided into 3 sections with removable wood separators, small pieces of felt line 2 sections of the box.
Prints and some textual records absorbed from old records V121 and M48.
Lantern slides donated to the Whyte Museum by Dr. William and Mrs. Wynn Bensen. The slides were purchased by the Bensens from Lyon and Turnbull in Scotland.
File consists of recorded interviews and discussions with Ben Gadd which were broadcast by CBC Radio. Content pertains to wildlife preservation, Ben's book "Handbook of the Canadian Rockies", Cadomin Cave and other related subjects.
File consists of recorded interviews and discussions with Ben Gadd which were broadcast by CBC Radio. Content pertains to wildlife preservation, Ben's book "Handbook of the Canadian Rockies", Cadomin Cave and other related subjects.
Notes
Contents of file:
S61 / III / D / 1 : Ben Gadd interviewed by Peter Gzowski on CBC "Morningside" Apr. '87 [discusses desktop publishing and Handbook of the Canadian Rockies]
S61 / III / D / 2 : Interview with Peter Gzowski, CBC Radio "Morningside", April 21, 1987
S61 / III / D / 3 : Ben Gadd on CBC openline show, 12/87
S61 / III / D / 4 : Ben Gadd on CBC Radio, Edmonton '87-88
S61 / III / D / 5 : Trip to Cadomin Cave, CBC Radio 1988
S61 / III / D / 6 : "Caged Wilderness", CBC Radio 22 ix 91 [September 22, 1991]
S61 / III / D / 7 : "Caged Wilderness" - Sunday Morning, 22 Sep 91, CBC national program
S61 / III / D / 8 : Ben Gadd debating Randy Mitchell on CPS privatization, 10 xii 92 [October 10, 1992] Wild Rose Country, CBC Edmonton/Calgary
S61 / III / D / 9 : Ben on Morningside [CBC broadcast], 7 iv 95 [April 7, 1995]
S61 / III / D / 10 : "Ben on Ice", [CBC] World at 6, 21 Jul '95
S61 / III / D / 11 : CBC interview on charging for rescues, 16 Nov 95 ; CBC commentary 10 Jun 96 ; CBC interview on harlequin ducks vs rafts, 29 Mar '98
S61 / III / D / 12: Raven's End interview with Ben Gadd by Judy Hamill, on Daybreak, CBC Alberta, 11 Mar. '01
S61 / III / D / 13 : Ben reading short nature items Recorded CBC Edmonton, June 2003
File consists of collected commercial postcards from Canada, the United States, Central America, Europe and the United Kingdom [non-annotated]. File includes loose postcards, postcard sets and fold-out photo card booklets.
ca. 630 b&w and col. postcards ; 23 x 18 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File consists of collected commercial postcards from Canada, the United States, Central America, Europe and the United Kingdom [non-annotated]. File includes loose postcards, postcard sets and fold-out photo card booklets.
Notes
Items in this file have been organized by geographical location. See "Content Details" entry field for contents of individual folders.
File is organized into 8 folders, numbered LUX / III / D / PG - 1 to 8.
PG - 1 : Banff National Park
PG - 2 : Canadian Rockies and Selkirks
PG - 3 : Alberta and British Columbia [Other]
PG - 4 : Canada
PG - 5 : United States of America
PG - 6 : United States of America, cont.'d [postcard sets and 1933 Chicago World Fair]
PG - 7 : Foreign
PG - 8 : Other [location not specified]
File pertains to 172 35mm colour transparency slides mounted in cardboard sleeves. Pertains to rodeo events; views from around Glacier National Park, U.S.A.; A.C.C. Goodsirs summer camp, 1939; Prince of Wales Hotel; friends and associates including Polly Prescott, Kay [Prescott], Lillian Gest, Eric…
File pertains to 172 35mm colour transparency slides mounted in cardboard sleeves. Pertains to rodeo events; views from around Glacier National Park, U.S.A.; A.C.C. Goodsirs summer camp, 1939; Prince of Wales Hotel; friends and associates including Polly Prescott, Kay [Prescott], Lillian Gest, Eric Brooks, Phyllis Munday, John Wheeler, the Kingmans, Walter and Paula Bloch-Hiller, Sig[?], B.H.G., Andrew Kramer, Ernest [Feuz], and Rudolph [Aemmer?].
Titles:
Reel 3 1939?
8 - Horses on road near [illegible]
9 - Road near St. Mary's w. clouds
16 - [Rodeo bucking]
17 - [Rodeo bucking]
18 - Rodeo people on fence
19 - [Rodeo] fence and chutes
20 - [Rodeo fence and chutes]
21 - [Rodeo fence and chutes]
Reel 4
2 - Calf-roping
3 - Two med. Lake fr. Mt. Henry
7 - Meadow of flowers
8 - Shooting star [flower]
9 - Rabbit
10 - Fishermen by bridge
11 - Lower Two Med. Lake
12 - Pompeely's [?] Pillar?
15 - [Beargrass] (best)
16 - Queen cup
17 - [Queen cup]
19 - BH.G. - Trick Falls trail
Reel 5 1939?
1 - Trick Falls best
2 - [Trick Falls] more to left
3 - BH.G. arm on stump
4 - BH.G. on bridge - Trick Falls trail
5 - Old tree above Two Med.
7 - Two med Lake fr. Astor Creek shoulder
8 - Mary [?] glacier Lake from our balcony - South [?]
9 - Looking across lake [from our balcony] west
10 - Lake Josephine and wharf w. boats
11 - Same without Mt. [illegible]
12 - Trail to Grinnell Gl.
13 - Grinnell Lake
14 - Grinnell Lake
15 - Ptarmigan Lake - Polly and Kay
16 - [Ptarmigan Lake] fr. trail to tunnel
17 - At [Ptarmigan Lake] tunnel - Polly, Kay, L.G. [Lillian Gest]
18 - [At Ptarmigan Lake tunnel] CCC and Polly
Reel 6
1. A[?] Pass and Lake Helen
2. Crossley Lake and tents
3. [Crossley Lake] no tents
4. Towards Indian Pass
6. Towards Ahew[?] Pass - Lake
7. Lake Elizabeth (?) Kay and Polly
8. Polly wading
9. [Polly wading]
10. [Polly wading]
11. Kay [wading]
12. [Kay wading]
13. [Kay wading] w. foot up
14. [Kay wading] near shore
15. Lake Helen - reflections - down valley
16. Mt. and snow bank Ahew[?] Pass
17. At hell on Swift current pass - P. and K.
18. Polly on trail to marry[?] from pass
Reel 7 1939
1. People under eating fly
2. Ms. Munday and Kingmans
3. Boys pealing potatoes
4. N. Tower w. clouds
5. Aletta[?] at tent
6. Laundry at lady's quarters
7. Sauna
8. Sox and boots near tent
9. Tent and stream
10. Survey station peak - "Black and white"
11. Party leaving camp
12. Same - Ennis party before leaving
13. Head of valley fr. rocky flats
15. Hanbury fr. rocky flats
16. Chancellor in clouds
17. N. Tower and clouds
18. Mt. Hanbury[?]
19. N. Tower
20. Mt. Hanbury[?] fr. nearer camp
Reel 8 1939 Camp ACC
1. Goodsir N. Tower at sunset
2. Party on alplands[?] en route to Vaux
3. Chancellor from [alplands[?] en route to Vaux]
4. N. Tower and G. from same
5. Party on rocks - Roger getting out rope
6. Chancellor - twin peaks appear
7. Up the route to High Camp
9. Party standing on Vaux Glacier
10. High Camp - Roger in distance
12. Party on glacier
13. [Party on glacier] closer - diff background
14. [Party on glacier] on ice axes
15. Lunch on top
16. Chancellor fr. Vaux
17. Church Service
18. [Church Service] sun out
19. N. Tower at sunset
20. N. Tower [at sunset]
Reel 9
1. Aylards [?] and Miss Gullion
2. Mr. Laird and Miss Burns
3. Eric Brooks
4. Grahams and party
5. [Grahams and party]
6. [Grahams and party]
7. Peckham, Helen Yellmer [?] and John Wheeler
8. Packers and horse
9. Mrs. Forbes, Peckham, Kingman
10. Woodie Kingman
11. Walter Bloch-Hillen and Miss Gullion
12. Woodie Kingman - close up
13. Andrew Kiamer
14. Packer and horse
15. Group watching packing
16. ? , Ernest, Rudolph
17. Ernest and clincher on trail by tent
18. Major Tweedy - hand out
19. [Major Tweedy] close-up of same
20. Paula Bloch-Hillen
Reel 10
1. Head of Ice RIver valley
2. Party on trail to zinc Creek camp
3. Mt Chancellor
4. [Mt Chancellor] with cloud
5. [Mt Chancellor] and Kay on trail
6. S. Tower Goodsir fr. zinc Creek
7. N. [Tower Goodsir fr. sinc Creek]
8. Chancellor fr. zinc Creek trail w. Polly
9. Tent and figure - Zinc Creek camp
10. S. Tower fr. Zinc Col.
11. Chancellor [fr. Zinc Col.]
12. Zinc Mt.
13. Goodsirs from Martius Ridge
14. Rex's rope on [Martius Ridge]
15. Same and Martius Peak
16. View probably towards wash[illegible]
17. Andrew on summit
18. Goodsirs again
19. Rex;s rope
20. Eric on horseback
Reel 11
1. Hans Fuhrer
2. Taking down tent
4. Eating fly supports
5. Pile of duffle
6. Tweedy and one of men taking down fly
7. Rangers cabin and guides
8. Kay on bridge over Lodalite Creek
9. Car on road, Yoho in distance
10. Same further to right - less of car
11. Mt. Hector from road
12. Polly and Katie
13. Mt Chephron and road
14. Road working up Mistaya bel. Patterson[?]
15. Mt Weed from lower Mistaya valley
16. Polly Kay Phyl - up Mistaya valley to Chephron
18. Waterfowl lake and up Mistaya valley
19. Same - but more to left
20. Mt. [illegible] ?
Reel 12
1. Peyto Lookout - view to north
2. Katie w. movie camera; Peyto lookout
3. Up Peyto glacier to Mt. Rhonda (?)
4. Banff and Mt. Cascade
5. Gopher and lunch box gimmell[?] gl.
7. Jim Whilt
8. Jim and party at lunch place - gimmell gl.
9. Tickle grass at Sherbourne Lake
10. [Tickle grass at Sherbourne Lake]
11. Sherbourne Lake and view up valley
12. Flowers along road to many[?]
13. Annette, Sam and rig
14. [Annette, Sam and rig]
15. Chief Mt. and road
16. Brown eyed Susan
17. Close up [Brown eyed Susan]
19. Mother at Price of Wales
Reel 13
1. Prince of Wales Hotel
2. Waterton Lake, Mt. Cleveland in dist.
4. [Waterton Lake] village fr. Prince of Wales
5. [Waterton Lake village fr. Prince of Wales]
6. Fawn by tree
7. Fawn in bush
8. Chief Mt. and tiny lake
9. Appekunny Falls
10. [Appekunny Falls] lower part
11. Falls aobve Appenkunny
12. Flower decked falls ab. Appenkunny
13. Flowers by falls
14. Same - nearer
15. Fireweed by stream
16. Meadow of flowers by stream
17. Monkey flowers
19. Coffee pot, fire, cup and rucksask
Notes
Titles on box lid: Glacier before camp; Camp; Camp - trip back; Glacier after camp.
Slide numbering kept as originally organized, see notebook SL I for more information (M67 / II / C / i / a / 51 - 1).
File consists of a draft of "Banff National Park of Canada Management Plan" produced by Parks Canada and dated October 26, 2009. File also includes drafts of "Key Strategy" documents and an "Environmental Impact Assessment" for the regions of Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay [Parks Can…
File consists of a draft of "Banff National Park of Canada Management Plan" produced by Parks Canada and dated October 26, 2009. File also includes drafts of "Key Strategy" documents and an "Environmental Impact Assessment" for the regions of Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay [Parks Canada]. Contents pertain to natural resources, tourism, townsite development and other related issues within Canadian Rockies national parks.
File consists of notes, contracts, correspondence and other documents pertaining to travel and hiking brochure projects which Ben Gadd produced for Parks Canada.
File consists of notes, contracts, correspondence and other documents pertaining to travel and hiking brochure projects which Ben Gadd produced for Parks Canada.
File consists of handwritten notes by Ben Gadd describing his thuoghts and concerns pertaining to the Four Mountains Parks Planning Program led by Parks Canada.
File consists of handwritten notes by Ben Gadd describing his thuoghts and concerns pertaining to the Four Mountains Parks Planning Program led by Parks Canada.
File consists of newspaper articles, notes and published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to the provenance of place names, the history of human settlement and regional populations in the Canadian Rockies.
File consists of newspaper articles, notes and published research materials collected by Ben Gadd, pertaining to the provenance of place names, the history of human settlement and regional populations in the Canadian Rockies.
File pertains to 99 35 mm colour transparency slides mounted in glass with silver matting paper, and black binding tape with blue dots denoting the collection in the upper right corners. The slides the original title and Reel locations written on the matting paper - all slides in this colelction ha…
File pertains to 99 35 mm colour transparency slides mounted in glass with silver matting paper, and black binding tape with blue dots denoting the collection in the upper right corners. The slides the original title and Reel locations written on the matting paper - all slides in this colelction have been pulled from varius Reels taken by Lillian Gest from trips taken in the Canadian Rockies between 1940 and 1947. Their removal is noted in the slide title notebook SL I (M67 / II / C / i / a / 51 - 1). Topics include a broad selection of images pertaining to Canadian Rockies, Banff and area, camps and hikes, wildlife, flora, friends and associates.
Titles:
1. Jasper Lake Beauvert & Cavel R33-15
2. [Jasper] Lake Beauvert 39-5
3. [Jasper Lake Beauvert] & Pyramid 40-18
4. [Jasper] golf course [& Pyramid] R40-16
5. [Jasper golf course] R40-15
6. Mt. Edith Cavel & Clouds 39-16
7. On steps of Lodge 33-19
8. Rock garden of Lodge 39-4 [MISSING]
9. [Rock garden] & flag 39-17
10. Bear in the Lake 40-20
11. [Bear] on trail (L. Louise) 76-8
12. [Bear]s at Dump Jasper 40-2
13. [Bear] on road (Deer Lodge) 76-11
14. Jasper rodeo 40-4
15. [Jasper rodeo] 40-5
16. Ram by the road 32-15
17. [Ram by the road] eating 32-17
18. [Ram] on cliff 79-3
19. Two rams on rocks 79-2
20. Deer in sandpit (Jasper) 38-18
21. [Deer] on Bow River 82-18
22. Two bucks (Banff) 112-9
23. Baby Fawn (Dan)
24. Whistler Mt Trail 39-12
25. Engelman spruce & cones 102-2
26. [Engelman spruce] cones 101-1
27. Avalanche fr. Lefroy 101-15
28. Mt. Athabaska & A1 R32-20
29. Mt. Kitchner 36-8
30. Natural Bridge Field 44-18
31. Takkakaw Falls 60-10
32. Polly above Twin Falls 52-14
33. Trail into Little Yoho 45-13
34. Fireweed – Mt Balfour 45-8
35. Lake Louise & Poppies 101-28
36. [Lake Louise] & horseman 101-26
37. Chateau fr. Fairview Lake Trail 76-21
38. On lawn of Chateau 102-20
39. Reflections in window 101-34
40. [Reflections] in shiny ball 101-33
41. Giant Steps R75-15
42. [Giant Steps] R75-17
43. Reflections Opabin Lake J6-4
44. Lunch Sheol Valley 83-7
45. Arnica 56-2
46. Queen Cap R103-2
47. Ptarmigan & chick 86-5
48. Chick in hand & mother 86-9
49. [Chick in hand] R93-17
50. [Chick in hand] R93-19
51. Gopher & lunch box 12-5
52. At Peyto Lookout R106-11
53. Kay & Polly St Nick Glacier 107-7
54. Party at lake opabin Pass 81-1
55. Opabin Pass 55-10
56. Edward on needles 102-16
57. Polly [on needles] 102-19
58. Lake Agnes fr. [needles] 102-15
59. Our tent at O’Hara Camp 81-4
60. Sun on Bugaboos 103-4
61. More sun on [Bugaboos] 103-5
62. Climb of Yukness D.R. 81-14
63. Rope on [Yukness] 81-19
64. Cliff on Mt Forbes 37-18
65. Party on Eiffel 94-13
66. Eiffel Tower 94-16
67. AAC Party on Paradise 87-2
68. Glacier Peak fr. Yukness 81-14
69. Goodsirs fr. Temple 88-4
70. On Paradise Pk. Daver C.H. 95-5
71. Sunday Service 87-13
72. Summit St. Nicholas 107-12
73. Party on E. Post Trip 103-8
74. [Party on E. Post] R103-9
75. Top cliffs Snow Patch 103-14
76. Howser Spire 105-10
77. Party for Mt. Pigeon 105-14
78. Snow slope on Baker 128-29
79. Looking down crevasse 105-14
80. Pinnacle E. Post 103-16
81. Summit Mt. Christian 35-4
82. On Top – St. Nicholas 107-8
83. Indigenous people at Banff Springs 57-18
84. Two Indigenous Chiefs 57-5
85. Indigenous woman & girl 57-9
86. Tepee tops in sky 58-12
87. Hoodoos 73-15
88. Storm on Fairholme Mts 89-6
89. Deer at 202 Muskrat 107-19
90. Deer at garbage pail 107-20
91. Doe by corral 100-3
92. Mt Edith & beaver dam 122-14
93. The Beaver Show 144-12
94. Beaver 114-14
95. Tree cut by brawn R42-8
96. [Tree] over trail R42-7
97. Mt Rundle & gardens 75-4
98. Columbine R73-17
99. Close-up pool & flowers R58-5
100. Bow Valley view R51-8
Notes
This material is presented as originally created, it contains outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Materials in historical collections reflect the attitudes, ideas, and norms of the era and culture in which they were created or collected. Offensive or harmful terms are retained for historical accuracy or to document the issues and social context of a specific time and the attitudes and opinions of the people who created the material.
Slide numbering and titles as originally organized, as noted on a title list adhered to the inside of the box lid.