Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and S…
6 m of textual records and printed material. -- ca.6100 photographs : prints, negatives, transparencies. -- 1 photograph album (49 prints). -- 29 motion pictures. -- 5 sound recordings
History / Biographical
Andy Russell, 1915-2005, was a trapper, guide and outfitter, writer, photographer, cinematographer, lecturer and environmental advocate in the Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada.
Russell was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and spent his childhood on a ranch in the foothills near Pincher Creek. He became a skilled horseman, hunter, fisherman and trapper, and, in 1936, was employed by Bert Riggall, a pioneer guide and outfitter of wilderness pack trips in the southern Rockies since 1907. He became Riggall's partner in 1939 and took over the business when Riggall retired in 1946. Andy Russell and Kathleen (Kay) Riggall married in 1938 and raised five children at their ranch bordering Waterton Lakes National Park, where family businesses included guiding, saddlehorses and ranching. Children are: Richard "Dick" H. (b.1938); Andrew Charles "Charlie" (b.1941); Harold John "John" (b.1944); Hugh Gordon Riggall "Gordon" (b.1947); Lorenda Anne "Anne" (b.1952).
Russell continued as a renowned guide and outfitter with a wealthy repeat clientele until he was forced out of guiding by 1960 with the advance of the oil industry concerns upon wilderness areas in southern Alberta and British Columbia. Russell began to write nature articles in 1945 and after 1960 concentrated upon writing, photography, film making, lecturing and ranching. He wrote for numerous magazines and newspapers, produced radio broadcasts, and, using colour motion picture photography, developed programs on wildlife and wilderness habitat research for live public performances. Russell's films launched his career as an author of popular wildlife and mountain culture books, which included Grizzly Country. In later years, he was an active writer, consultant and advocate of wilderness and environmental management and received numerous awards and honours, including Member of the Order of Canada.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and Sons, royalties and lecturing); III. Writing, broadcasting and public appearances series, 1908-1990 (papers and photographs pertaining to writing, book projects, columns, broadcasts, reviews, advertising, promotion and other); IV. Photography and cinematography series, 1909-1990 (details below); V. Wildlife study and conservation activities series, 1945-[198-]; VI. Other activities series, 1931-[199-] (politics, interviews, information files); VII. Russell family series, [1867]-1983.
Photography and cinematography series consists of: Riggall/Russell guiding activity photographs, 1909-1962, ca.280 items; Andy Russell and Sons Production Ltd / Andy Russell professional photographs and films, ca.1940- ca.1990, ca.4200 photographs (mainly transparencies), 28 motion pictures, accompanied by some textual and printed items; personal and family photographs, 1916-1989, ca.1550 items; collected photographs, ca.1940-197-, ca.75 items. Professional photography and cinematography primarily arose from field work by Andy, Dick and Charlie Russell and pertains mainly to flora, fauna and landscape of the Canadian Rockies in continental divide region, British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska.
Motion pictures, ca.1950-1974, include original film "Grizzly Country" by Dick, Charlie and Andy Russell, produced by Evan J. Anton, ca.1969, copy print of same; also unedited wildlife and landscape footage of Waterton area, Yukon and British Columbia.
Sound recordings are interviews with Andy Russell, [ca.1970]-1988.
Fonds consists of the sound recordings compiled by the host of Heritage Fireside Chats, Brian Bindon. Recordings conducted at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge relate to 3 topics: Mountaineers of the Canadian Rockies and include interviews with Chic Scott, Barry Blanchard, and Kevin Doyle; Art and Spirit of Place …
Sound recordings: 20 optical discs; CD-ROM. -- 0.5 cm textual records
History / Biographical
Brian Bindon, host of Heritage Fireside Chats
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of the sound recordings compiled by the host of Heritage Fireside Chats, Brian Bindon. Recordings conducted at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge relate to 3 topics: Mountaineers of the Canadian Rockies and include interviews with Chic Scott, Barry Blanchard, and Kevin Doyle; Art and Spirit of Place includes interviews with Lisa Christensen, Neil Swanson, and Craig Richards; Warden Heritage discusses the horseback patrol system, Ya-Ha-Tinda, backcountry district system, and women wardens and silent partners. Recordings conducted at Hawks Nest Ranch consist of Andy Russell stories. Readings from Close Calls on High Walls continues the Warden Heritage subject at the home of Mike Schintz; the recordings Wolverine at Skoki and other stories are discussed at Ken Jones' home in Nanton, Alberta.
Also included in the fonds are textual records consisting of Bindon's handwritten notes of open discussions of the chats.
The Charlie Russell fonds consists of photographs pertaining to the filming of "Grizzly Country", ranching, friends and family, wildlife, and recreational activities, ca.1961-ca.1968. The majority of the images were made in the Waterton Lakes area. There are some images made in New York City, Briti…
ca. 2520 photographs : b&w negatives ; 35 mm and 4x5, 2 transparencies; col.
History / Biographical
Andrew Charles "Charlie" Russell (August 19, 1941 – May 7, 2018) was a naturalist, photographer, pilot, wilderness guide, and rancher. One of the son's of Andy Russell and Kay Russell and grandson of Bert Riggall, Charlie grew up at the Hawk's Nest ranch on the N.E. boundary of Waterton Lake National Park.
Alongside his brother Dick Russell, Charlie assisted his father Andy in the production and filming of Grizzly Country throughout the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia, and Alaska from 1961-1964. In 1967 he returned to the Tolkat River in Alaska to photograph and observe bears alone. In 1970 he purchased a large percentage of his fathers land on Waterton's north-east border to run a cattle operation. In 1991, he made his first visit to Princess Royal Island, British Columbia, and began photographing for "Spirit Bear", a book of photographs and writings published in 1994. Beginning in 1997, Charlie spent 6 years among the grizzlies of Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia alongside artist and partner Maureen Enns. After returning to Alberta from Russia, Charlie continued to be a conservation advocate until he passed from a surgery-related complication in May 2018.
The bulk of Charlie Russell's work was destroyed in a house fire in [1991?].
Scope & Content
The Charlie Russell fonds consists of photographs pertaining to the filming of "Grizzly Country", ranching, friends and family, wildlife, and recreational activities, ca.1961-ca.1968. The majority of the images were made in the Waterton Lakes area. There are some images made in New York City, British Columbia, and Alaska.
The fonds is comprised of two series: I. Black and white negatives; II. Transparencies;
I. Black and white negatives consists of A. 1964, B. Waterton Park Flood, June 8-9, 1963, C. 35mm Books, D. 4x5 Book, E. Bert Riggall Copy Negatives. II. Transparencies consist of two 4x5 colour transparencies depicting Cal Wellman's Cattle.
Notes
I.C. was received in the form of three separate negative books. The books have been arranged numerically in subseries I.C, with the negative book book and page number of origin written on the negative sleeves. For example, V557/I/C/NA-1a to NA-6e [Book 1, pg. 1,2].
Select 35mm negatives in I.C. are marked with red stickers and overlaid with rectangles on the negative sleeve. These negatives correspond to the negatives used in "Spirit Bear" and their cropping for publication. Each image is listed and described in the case file on the document titled "These are the negs used in Spirit Bear Chapter One". Some of the dots have a number corresponding to the document, others do not (the stickers were taken from the original negative sleeves and re-applied to the new negative sleeves).
Fonds consists of three series: A. Kay Russell personal series, 1922-1984; B. Russell family correspondence series, 1921-1984; C. Russell family papers and photographs series, 1909-1983. Kay Russell personal series contains diaries, notes and other papers. Diaries pertain to hunting and pack tri…
2.4 m of textual records. -- ca.620 photographs (ca.570 prints, ca.45 negatives, 6 transparencies)
History / Biographical
Anna Kathleen (Kay) Russell, 1909-1984, was a camp cook, homemaker and naturalist who lived and worked near Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta, Canada. Kay Riggall was the daughter of guide and outfitter Bert Riggall, and Dora Riggall, and the sister of Doris (Babe) Riggall (Burton). Kay worked with her father as a camp cook until her marriage in 1938 to Andy Russell, who later took over Riggall's businesses. Kay Russell was an avid diarist who faithfully documented her personal and family life while working in the Riggall and Russell family businesses and raising five children on the family ranch. Children are: Richard "Dick" H. (b.1938); Andrew Charles "Charlie" (b.1941); Harold John "John" (b.1944); Hugh Gordon Riggall "Gordon" (b.1947); Lorenda Anne "Anne" (b.1952).
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of three series: A. Kay Russell personal series, 1922-1984; B. Russell family correspondence series, 1921-1984; C. Russell family papers and photographs series, 1909-1983.
Kay Russell personal series contains diaries, notes and other papers. Diaries pertain to hunting and pack trips, vacations, daily life of the Russell family, and the natural environment in which they lived.
Russell family correspondence series contains family correspondence and general correspondence. Family correspondence consists of letters sent and received within the family by Kay, Andy, Dick, Charlie, John, Gordon and Anne Russell; also Babe Burton, Harold and Lorenda Russell, Fannie Riggall and others. General correspondence consists of letter and cards to the Russell family from numerous friends and acquaintances.
Russell family papers and photographs series consists of financial papers, 1952-1983, Bert Riggall estate papers, 1955-1962, photographs, 1909-1980, and other material. Photographs pertain mainly to the Riggall and Russell families, including: Kay Riggall and Riggall family; Riggall home, hunting, activities, Twin Butte and Waterton areas; wedding and honeymoon photographs of Kay and Andy Russell, 1938; Kay and Andy Russell and children; Russell home, Hawk's Nest, ranch, pets, horses; friends and relatives; hunting and fishing; wildlife and natural history.
Notes
One large b&w print (approx. 28x35cm) of a giraffe was moved from unprocessed box to V63 / O.S. for proper storage.
Fonds consists of Andy Russell "Grizzly Country" voice over (sound track), film-to-tape transfer and interviews/conversations, 1989. The film-to-tape transfer is on 2 - 1" videotapes, colour, silent; corresponding rough narration for film is on 2 - 16mm full-coat-reels, 5 - 1/4" audiotapes, 15 i.p…
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is Canada's national film producer and distributor. The NFB, previously the National Film Commission, was established in 1939 and is a Government of Canada agency in the Canadian Heritage Department. The NFB's mandate has undergone numerous revisions since it's creation, but continues to foster Canadian production, distribution and promotion of socially relevant and innovative audiovisual works.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of Andy Russell "Grizzly Country" voice over (sound track), film-to-tape transfer and interviews/conversations, 1989. The film-to-tape transfer is on 2 - 1" videotapes, colour, silent; corresponding rough narration for film is on 2 - 16mm full-coat-reels, 5 - 1/4" audiotapes, 15 i.p.s. and 1 - 1/4" audiotape copy, 7 i.p.s; also included is 1 - 3/4" UMatic video "Grizzly Country Part 1". Audio content includes additional material, Andy Russell in conversation and telling stories.
These recordings were made after a session of filming for an NFB series on water. Andy Russell's "Grizzly Country" (silent) was screened and Russell's commentary was recorded. This session, and accompanying interviews/conversations were not part of an official NFB project and were not edited or published.
Fonds pertains to Stevens family pack trips, camps, backcountry travel, hunting trips in southwestern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia and Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park with outfitters Bert Riggall and Andy Russell; mainly Waterton and Oldman River regions. Many of the photograph…
The Stevens family was from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Four American families, the Boveys, Stevens, Crosbys and Bennetts, funded construction of a hunting lodge, the "Hawk's Nest," near Waterton, Alberta, Canada in 1924 and contracted the guiding services of Bert Riggall for many years. Riggall's successor, Andy Russell, continued to guide and outfit these visitors.
Scope & Content
Fonds pertains to Stevens family pack trips, camps, backcountry travel, hunting trips in southwestern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia and Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park with outfitters Bert Riggall and Andy Russell; mainly Waterton and Oldman River regions. Many of the photographs are by Bert Riggall and are annotated by him; some annotated by Andy Russell. Some prints correspond to negatives.