Fonds documents Lillian Gest's visits and travels in the Canadian Rockies and elsewhere. Pertains to mountain travel, particularly pack trips, camps, mountaineering and recreation; Alpine Club of Canada; Sky Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies; natural and human history; the mountain landsca…
1.1 m of textual records. -- ca.7400 photographs : transparencies, prints, negatives, published photographs. -- 12 photograph albums (4208 prints). -- 47 motion pictures. -- 7 sound recordings : audio tape cassettes
History / Biographical
Lillian Gest, 1897-1986, of Merion, Pennsylvania visited the Canadian Rockies almost every summer for sixty years, beginning in 1921. She was an active participant in "Off the Beaten Track" trips organized by Caroline Hinman between 1923 and 1933, in which young people camped, hiked, hunted and went horseback riding throughout the region between Mount Assiniboine and Mount Robson. During the 1930s, Gest attended hikes of the Skyline Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies and developed mountaineering skills at Alpine Club of Canada annual camps. Christian Hasler Jr. often served as her guide. Gest also belonged to the American Alpine Club, the Philadelphia Trails Club and the Lake O'Hara Trails Club. She spent considerable time in the Lake O'Hara region and wrote "History of Lake O'Hara" (1961), "History of Moraine Lake" (1970), and "History of Mount Assiniboine" (1979).
Scope & Content
Fonds documents Lillian Gest's visits and travels in the Canadian Rockies and elsewhere. Pertains to mountain travel, particularly pack trips, camps, mountaineering and recreation; Alpine Club of Canada; Sky Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies; natural and human history; the mountain landscape; scenic views; family and friends.
Textual records include: I. Personal papers, 1925-1982, 36 cm., including A. Diaries and trip notes, B. Correspondence, C. Other; II. Activities, 1913- 1984, 50 cm., including: A. Writing (book projects, articles, memoirs and other writing), B. Nature study, C. Photography, D. Travel; III. Clubs and organizations, 1932-1984, n.d., 22.5 cm., including: A. American Alpine Club, B. Alpine Club of Canada C. Other (Skyline Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, Lake O'Hara Trails Club, Philadelphia Trails Club); IV. Other, 1894-1968, n.d., 1.5 cm., including: A. Caroline Hinman papers, B. Miscellaneous papers.
Photographs include: I. Transparencies, 1939-1981, 7153 items; II. Photograph albums, 1919-1958, 12 v. (4208 prints); III. Motion pictures, 1928-1942, 47 reels; IV. Prints and negatives, [ca.1912]-1980, 194 items; V. Published photographs, [ca.1930-ca.1980], n.d., 17 items. Images are well identified.
Accompanied by sound recordings of portions of diaries.