Fonds consists of three sous-fonds: M573 / V797 / S60.
M573 consists of three series, 26 cm of textual records, 1924-2005. Series I: Personal Papers, 19 cm, ca.1930-2005 (including notebooks and drafts of various talks that Jean delivered and records related to her participation in the Trail Rider…
26 cm of textual records.-- 109 photographs (42 prints, 67 lantern slides). -- 2 sound recordings.
History / Biographical
Jean Alexandra Hembroff was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on April 5, 1908 to Walter B. Hembroff (d. 1945) and Sarah Jane Hembroff (d.1952). Jean was accepted to the MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Art at the University of Minnesota, from which she graduated in 1927. She returned to Winnipeg to begin teaching courses in speech arts and drama. To establish herself, she first volunteered as the "story lady" at the Williams Avenue Public Library and quickly became known as an excellent speaker sought by many different organizations. She taught at St. Mary's Academy and the Evening Institute at the University of Manitoba, as well as offered private sessions. Many of her students used the skills they learned from Jean as they entered radio, television, politics, and business. Jean was also very active in organizing and adjucating Speech Arts festivals in Manitoba, often going to inaccessible places to give workshops. Her teaching, broadcasting, adjucating, coaching, and speaking career spanned more than 50 years.
Jean was hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway's promotions manager to give presentations and broadcast interviews across Canada and the United States. In 1937, Jean joined the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and participated in their summer trail ride in the same year. For that year's issue of the Trail Rider's Bulletin Jean wrote an article - and became the first woman to ever do so. In 1938, during her lecture titled "Trail Riding in the Rockies" on January 18, 1938 at the Royal Alexandra Hotel, Jean met John David (Jack) MacDonald. Jack and Jean were married on June 18, 1938, and the couple had one son, Bruce Walter James MacDonald (August 28, 1946-August 25, 2016).
Jean participated in several trail rides with the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Trail, and produced articles reflecting her experiences. Jean loved to travel and visited places all around Canada and the United States, Borneo, Tangier, Montevideo, Stockholm, New Delhi, and Tonga. At the age of 102, Jean passed away on February 2, 2011 and is buried in Winnipeg.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of three sous-fonds: M573 / V797 / S60.
M573 consists of three series, 26 cm of textual records, 1924-2005. Series I: Personal Papers, 19 cm, ca.1930-2005 (including notebooks and drafts of various talks that Jean delivered and records related to her participation in the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, particularly 1937-1939). Series II: Correspondence and Newspaper Clippings, 4 cm, 1924-2000 (including correspondence with John Murray Gibbon, former students, and attendees at various talks, as well as newspaper articles that Jean wrote about various subjects and articles of her achievements). Series III: Collected Materials and Ephemera, 3 cm, ca.1930-1950 (including a variety of collected poems and ephemera, as well as a copy of The Beaver Magazine from 1940, for which Jean wrote an article titled "On the Trail of Sir George").
V797 consists of two series, 24.5 cm of visual records, ca.1928-1939. Series I: Photograph Prints, 3 cm, ca.1928-1939 (includes personal photographs of Jean and her family and friends as well as photographs of Jean and Jack's visit to Lake Louise in 1939). Series II: Lantern Slides, 21.5 cm, ca.1937-1939 (Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies official ride of 1937 to Mt. Assiniboine; Sky Line Hikers of the Canadian Rockies official ride of 1939 to Ptarmigan Valley and Skoki; collection of trail ride songs).
S60 consists of two sound recordings, 1 cm, 2004 and 2007 (Winnipeg at Christmas, narrated by Jean, broadcasted on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
Fonds consists of transparency slides, maps, handwritten notes and club records, song books, and scrapbooks pertaining to Margaret Ruth Oliver and the Tuesday Hikers club.
28 photographs : col. slides -- 1.5 m of textual records (3 binders -- 1 record book -- 10 song books -- maps, annotated -- 11 scrapbooks)
History / Biographical
Margaret Ruth Oliver was born on December 19, 1927 to parents Edgar and Gladys (Brazier) Hammett in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Margaret's siblings include Dorothy (1922), Muriel "Miv" (1923), John (1929), and Jean (1933). Margaret graduated from United College (Winnipeg) in 1949 with a B.Sc. degree, and worked as an Assistant Librarian at the University of Manitoba afterwards. Margaret later enrolled in a Laboratory Technician program at the University of Manitoba Medical College. Margaret married Thomas Albert Oliver, a fellow University of Manitoba alumnus, on September 25, 1954. The couple moved to Calgary for work (Thomas taught at the University of Calgary, and Margaret worked for a geophysical company). Margaret travelled extensively following the death of her husband in 1997, visiting places such as Nepal, Cambodia, Russia, Egypt and Greenland.
In 1971, Margaret formed a hiking group within the University Faculty Women's Club (F.W.C.) through the University of Calgary. In 1976, this group became a private club called the Tuesday Hikers, which no longer held any affiliation to the F.W.C. Trips included weekly hikes and/or ski trips, as well as longer backpacking excursions.The club is still active as of 2022.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of transparency slides, maps, handwritten notes and club records, song books, and scrapbooks pertaining to Margaret Ruth Oliver and the Tuesday Hikers club.
Notes
Materials are unprocessed and stored in three boxes:
Box 1: 1 envelope "T. Hikers' Slides" - 28 film transparencies and printed notes; various maps with handwritten notes
Box 2: 1 record book "T.H. Record Book" - handwritten lists and statistics of trips, attendance, miles; 2 binders with handwritten notes, titled "National Parks - Banff and Assiniboine" and "Nat'l Parks - Glacier + Jasper"
Box 3: 1 binder titled "Tues. Hikers- Past Members and Guests"; 10 song books; trail, park and road maps; 11 scrapbooks, 1971-2010
Fonds consists of 16 photograph prints depicting various First Nations people both in studio settings and in camp settings. Most prints are mounted on various kinds of cardboard or cardstock.
Eliza Hunter Wîchîyânâgish (Young Woman), probably born in the early 1900s, lived in Morley most of her life. She attended the Calgary Stampede and Banff Indian Days regularly, and was married to Judas Hunter (maiden name unknown).
Collection of 16 photograph prints donated by Eliza in 1970 to the Archives of the Canadian Rockies, annotations on the backs on some written by Catharine Robb Whyte.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of 16 photograph prints depicting various First Nations people both in studio settings and in camp settings. Most prints are mounted on various kinds of cardboard or cardstock.
Fonds consists of photographs pertaining to Placido Monachello and family; and a bound publication titled "Machinery's Handbook", 1943, which belonged to Placido. 12 photographs pertain to Placido's experiences at the Alternative Service Corps work camp at the Spray River Trail near Banff Springs H…
ca.172 photographs : b&w prints -- 3 digital files : col. JPG images -- 4 cm of textual records (1 volume)
History / Biographical
Placido Monachello (1920-2018) received a conscription notice to join the war effort between 1940-1941. Placido opposed the conscription notice, identifying himself as a Conscientious Objector who refused to participate in the war. After appealing his case in court, Placido was sentenced to one year of work in an internment/work camp. Placido completed his year of work at the Alternative Service Corps work camp, located near the Sunshine Road/Brewster Creek area (ASW Camp No. 1). While at the work camp, Placido aided in the clearing of land and road construction around Banff. Placido returned home to Hamilton, Ontario in 1942, where he worked odd jobs as a labourer and farm hand.
Placido married his partner, Leonarda "Leona" (Borsellino) Monachello (1920-2019) in 1944, with whom he later had two children, John and David. Placido sent numerous letters and photographs to Leona during his time at the ASW camp. While Placido was in Banff, Leona directly supported the war effort as an employee at Westinghouse in Hamilton, Ontario, where she produced high-tech military components. Placido and Leona ran two delicatessen businesses together after the war, one of which was initially funded by her parents. The couple sold their business in the 1970s, after which Placido worked for Stelco (a steel manufacturing company) until 1985. Placido and Leona took a trip to visit Banff together in 2010.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of photographs pertaining to Placido Monachello and family; and a bound publication titled "Machinery's Handbook", 1943, which belonged to Placido. 12 photographs pertain to Placido's experiences at the Alternative Service Corps work camp at the Spray River Trail near Banff Springs Hotel (ASW Camp No. 1). ca.160 photographs pertain to Placido's family and personal life, including his wedding to Leonarda (Leona) in 1944 and their children [ca.1950s]. Fonds also includes 3 digital images of Placido and Leona visiting Banff in 2010.
Fonds consists of five 16mm film reels with visual content pertaining to skiing in Banff, Lake Louise and Chile.
Films included in fonds:
"Herman Godner and Party ski in Rockies (Old B&W Silent)"
"Banff and Lake Louise Skiing (Silent and Colour) Old Ski- Banff and Lake Louise- Temple, Skoki area"…
Douglas Sinclair was a film producer whose work primarily focused on topics related to Canadian wildlife and landscapes, skiing, national parks, and the Canadian Rockies.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of five 16mm film reels with visual content pertaining to skiing in Banff, Lake Louise and Chile.
Films included in fonds:
"Herman Godner and Party ski in Rockies (Old B&W Silent)"
"Banff and Lake Louise Skiing (Silent and Colour) Old Ski- Banff and Lake Louise- Temple, Skoki area"
"Skiing in Portillo Chile Sound and Colour Running Time 18 min"
"Ski Material at Grey Rockes Enos at Banff with Merm and Wurtle Twins" (Silent, B&W)
"Let's Go Skiing with Lucile Wheeler at Banff"
Notes
Further information about films provided by donor Dianne Wheeler, available in Douglas Sinclair case file.
Fonds consists of photographs, published booklets and film reels which belonged to William Royle. Content pertains to the Banff Boy Scouts: local events, including Banff Winter Carnival, Banff Indian Days and Banff's Centennial Parade in 1967; hiking, camping, skiing and other recreational activiti…
ca.348 photographs (204 b&w and col. prints, 144 col. transparencies) -- 0.5 cm of textual records -- 7 film reels
History / Biographical
William "Bill" Royle (1905-1980) moved to Banff from Lethbridge in 1952 with his mother (Mary Elizabeth) and two young sons (Bernard and Walter), following the death of his wife. William started the business Banff Plumbing and Heating Ltd., which he operated until his death. William and his brother, John J. Royle, were also involved with a laundromat business in Banff. From its inception in 1953, William also worked as director and president of the Banff Park Savings and Credit Union (now Bow Valley Credit Union). In his spare time, William volunteered with the Banff Boy Scouts, as well as St. Mary's Church in Banff, the Seniors' Society and the Alberta Council of the Aging.
William's son, Bernard, tragically passed away in a plane crash in 1969 while searching for new heliskiing routes in British Columbia with his friend, John Gow, who survived.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of photographs, published booklets and film reels which belonged to William Royle. Content pertains to the Banff Boy Scouts: local events, including Banff Winter Carnival, Banff Indian Days and Banff's Centennial Parade in 1967; hiking, camping, skiing and other recreational activities; Bernard Royle and friends; the Banff High School curling team; natural views and wildlife in Alberta and British Columbia; and other related subjects.
Includes three visual series: I - Prints ; II - Motion pictures ; III - Transparencies. Series I includes five sub-series: A - Boy Scouts [includes o.s. items] ; B - Banff Indian Days ; C - Banff Winter Carnival ; D - St. Mary's Baptist Church ; E - Misc.
Josephine Schupp (née Schäffer) (1888-1975) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died in Phoenix, Arizona. Josephine married Alfred Adolf Schupp in 1912.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of 23 letters sent to Josephine (Schäffer) Schupp from her cousin, Mary Schäffer Warren, between 1916 and 1939.
Notes
Majority of letters in fonds are dated between 1934-1939
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).
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 textual records, postcards, drawings and one photograph album pertaining to Mary (Molly) Wright Adams (1868-1909); transcripts of Molly's original letters which were compiled by Molly's sister, Catharine Elkin (nee Adams) between ca.1939 and 1941; and transcriptions of letters sen…
Some materials produced by Catharine (Adams) Elkin
Date Range
[ca.1844 - 1909]
[ca.1939 - 1944]
1980 - 1981
2014
Physical Description
21 cm of textual records -- 16 postcards -- 3 drawings -- 1 photograph album : 107 b&w photographs
History / Biographical
Mary Wright (Molly) Adams was born on 15 October 1868. in Ridgefield Connecticut. She was the third of five children born to Cornelia Ann Cook (1830-1902) and Daniel Lucius Adams (1814 - 1899) She died in Kobe, Japan on 23 January 1909 and was buried there.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of textual records, postcards, drawings and one photograph album pertaining to Mary (Molly) Wright Adams (1868-1909); transcripts of Molly's original letters which were compiled by Molly's sister, Catharine Elkin (nee Adams) between ca.1939 and 1941; and transcriptions of letters sent between Molly's extended family members [including members of the Adams, Cook and Wright families], ca.1844 and 1866.
Textual records primarily consist of correspondence sent between Molly Adams and various friends and family members [ca.1891-1909].
Notes
Fonds consists of two series:
Series I : Correspondence [contains two sub-series: I / A : Molly Wright Adams ; I / B : Extended family]
Series II : Personal and collected records