File consists of flyers, notes and correspondence, drafts and published advertisements pertaining to the promotion of Ben Gadd's work as an interpretive guide.
File consists of flyers, notes and correspondence, drafts and published advertisements pertaining to the promotion of Ben Gadd's work as an interpretive guide.
File consists of textual records pertaining to promotional work and advertising for Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. File includes correspondence between Ben Gadd and several individuals regarding advertising and other promotional work; notes and sample copies of advertisements, i…
File consists of textual records pertaining to promotional work and advertising for Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. File includes correspondence between Ben Gadd and several individuals regarding advertising and other promotional work; notes and sample copies of advertisements, including paste-ups; finished posters and flyers; booklets and brochures for companies and products involved with promotional material and marketing; newspaper clippings advertising Ben's book; and other related materials.
File consists of notes, contracts and correspondence pertaining to Ben Gadd's work producing text for interpretive signs along the Alaska Highway on behalf of the British Columbia Ministry of Parks.
File consists of notes, contracts and correspondence pertaining to Ben Gadd's work producing text for interpretive signs along the Alaska Highway on behalf of the British Columbia Ministry of Parks.
Notes
File includes a brochure containing a map and travel information for Mount Robson Berg Lake Trail, with a note by Ben Gadd. brochure was possibly used as research/reference material in the production of Alaska Highway signs text
File consists of one manuscript of a publication titled "In Search of Ancient Alberta" by Barbara Huck and Doug Whiteway, with edits and corrections by Ben and Cia Gadd. File also includes a letter sent to the Gadds from Barbara Huck, thanking them for their help.
File consists of one manuscript of a publication titled "In Search of Ancient Alberta" by Barbara Huck and Doug Whiteway, with edits and corrections by Ben and Cia Gadd. File also includes a letter sent to the Gadds from Barbara Huck, thanking them for their help.
File consists of correspondence and other documents pertaining to written drafts which Ben Gadd produced for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). Ben's work was used in the creation of a training manual for the ACMG in 1991.
File consists of correspondence and other documents pertaining to written drafts which Ben Gadd produced for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). Ben's work was used in the creation of a training manual for the ACMG in 1991.
File consists of author's copies of multiple editions of Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Editions in file are annotated with notes and corrections by the author.
File consists of author's copies of multiple editions of Ben Gadd's book, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Editions in file are annotated with notes and corrections by the author.
File consists of correspondence and published articles pertaining to the 1995 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, as well as an application form which Ben filled out to submit the second edition of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies in the competition. File also includes a certificate given to Ben…
File consists of correspondence and published articles pertaining to the 1995 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, as well as an application form which Ben filled out to submit the second edition of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies in the competition. File also includes a certificate given to Ben after his book won the "Best Guide Book" award in the same competition, and a letter from Barbara Grinder sent to Ben and Cia Gadd suggesting that they enter the book in the Andy Russell Nature Writers Award competition.
File consists of correspondence, invoices, notes and other materials pertaining to the publication of Ben Gadd's book "Canadian Rockies" through Beautiful America Publishing Company. File includes a 1991 catalogue from the company featuring Ben's book as a new release; and a letter from Ted Paul th…
File consists of correspondence, invoices, notes and other materials pertaining to the publication of Ben Gadd's book "Canadian Rockies" through Beautiful America Publishing Company. File includes a 1991 catalogue from the company featuring Ben's book as a new release; and a letter from Ted Paul thanking Ben for a manuscript sample of his novel "Raven's End".
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 documents pertaining to Ben Gadd's work as an interpretive guide and lecturer at the Blue Lake Centre in Hinton, Alberta. File includes informational booklets and programs, employment contracts, itineraries, correspondence and other documents.
File consists of documents pertaining to Ben Gadd's work as an interpretive guide and lecturer at the Blue Lake Centre in Hinton, Alberta. File includes informational booklets and programs, employment contracts, itineraries, correspondence and other documents.
File consists of drafts, notes and correspondence pertaining to a guidebook for the Blue Lake Centre Nature Trail near Hinton, Alberta. Ben Gadd researched, designed and produced the guidebook for the Blue Lake Centre between 1989 and 1990, while working as a freelance consultant.
File consists of drafts, notes and correspondence pertaining to a guidebook for the Blue Lake Centre Nature Trail near Hinton, Alberta. Ben Gadd researched, designed and produced the guidebook for the Blue Lake Centre between 1989 and 1990, while working as a freelance consultant.
File consists of business licenses, application forms and letters of approval sent between Parks Canada and Ben Gadd's guiding company, Ben Gadd Interpretive Services. File includes laminated and paper business license cards used by Ben Gadd between 1997 and 2016.
Produced by the Department of Canadian Heritage and Parks Canada
Date Range
1996-2017
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records
Scope & Content
File consists of business licenses, application forms and letters of approval sent between Parks Canada and Ben Gadd's guiding company, Ben Gadd Interpretive Services. File includes laminated and paper business license cards used by Ben Gadd between 1997 and 2016.
File consists of one VHS tape containing a recorded episode of "Take an Alberta Break!" featuring Ben Gadd and cave tours which he led through Cadomin Cave. Ben discusses bat habitats, cave crawling, and vandalism issues.
File consists of one VHS tape containing a recorded episode of "Take an Alberta Break!" featuring Ben Gadd and cave tours which he led through Cadomin Cave. Ben discusses bat habitats, cave crawling, and vandalism issues.
Notes
Running time is approx. 3 minutes [episode], followed by recorded advertisements
File consists of collected correspondence and records pertaining to grant applications which Ben Gadd submitted to the Canada Council of Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Literary Arts in 1990. File includes a draft excerpt of Ben's fictional novel, Raven's End, which he submitted as a writin…
File consists of collected correspondence and records pertaining to grant applications which Ben Gadd submitted to the Canada Council of Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Literary Arts in 1990. File includes a draft excerpt of Ben's fictional novel, Raven's End, which he submitted as a writing sample to the Canada Council of Arts.
File consists of one copy of the book "The Canadian Alps: The History of Mountaineering in Canada Volume 1" (published in 1990) by R.W. Sandford, which belonged to Ben Gadd. The publication is heavily annotated with comments and corrections by Ben Gadd. Ben reviewed the book for Canadian Geographic…
File consists of one copy of the book "The Canadian Alps: The History of Mountaineering in Canada Volume 1" (published in 1990) by R.W. Sandford, which belonged to Ben Gadd. The publication is heavily annotated with comments and corrections by Ben Gadd. Ben reviewed the book for Canadian Geographic in 1991.
File consists of notes and a draft introduction produced by Ben Gadd pertaining to a film project about the Canadian Rockies which was produced by Pat Morrow. Notes include a list of possible titles for the video, as well as lists of topics to include for different regions discussed in the film.
File consists of notes and a draft introduction produced by Ben Gadd pertaining to a film project about the Canadian Rockies which was produced by Pat Morrow. Notes include a list of possible titles for the video, as well as lists of topics to include for different regions discussed in the film.
File consists of one VHS tape containing rough footage of Ben Gadd and two other environmentalists discussing plants, ecosystems, geological history and related topics pertaining to areas near Cardinal Divide and Cardinal River. Video was possibly produced as part of a legal dispute concerning the …
File consists of one VHS tape containing rough footage of Ben Gadd and two other environmentalists discussing plants, ecosystems, geological history and related topics pertaining to areas near Cardinal Divide and Cardinal River. Video was possibly produced as part of a legal dispute concerning the Cheviot Mine project in 1996.
Notes
Film starts at 2 minutes running time; Ben Gadd appears throughout video, with speaking part beginning at 7 min. 25 sec.; total running time 36 minutes