Fonds constitutes the principal resource for the study of the history of Canadian mountaineering. It provides a wealth of information on individual alpinists, expeditions, mountains, national parks, conservation, climbing, alpine organizations, publications, guiding, scientific study and the Alpin…
ca.42 m of textual records. -- ca.12,500 photographs: prints, stereographic prints, transparencies, slides, negatives, postcards. -- 85 photograph albums. -- 8 motion pictures: films, video recordings. -- 3 sound recordings
History / Biographical
The Alpine Club of Canada, the national mountaineering club, was co-founded in 1906 by A. O. Wheeler and Elizabeth Parker, and other like-minded climbers. The club espoused scientific study and exploration, cultivation of art, public education, acquisition of climbing skills, and preservation of natural areas within the mountainous regions of Canada. Through a national executive, local sections and volunteer committees, the club provided climbing camps, clubhouse, huts, and publications, including the Canadian Alpine Journal. ACC expeditions and projects resulted in pioneer exploration, first ascents, and included mountain warfare training during the Second World War. In recent years, the club's membership has increased dramatically with the popularity of climbing and its programs have evolved to serve the needs of unguided climbers using sophisticated technical aids.
Scope & Content
Fonds constitutes the principal resource for the study of the history of Canadian mountaineering. It provides a wealth of information on individual alpinists, expeditions, mountains, national parks, conservation, climbing, alpine organizations, publications, guiding, scientific study and the Alpine Club itself.
The fonds consists of four Sous-fonds: I. Alpine Club of Canada records; II. Mount Everest Expedition (1982) records; III. Personal papers and photographs; IV. Other material. Club administration records (series I.A.) pertain to executive positions; head office; finance; camps, climbing and treks; expeditions; huts and properties; clubhouses; library; publications; photography; other committees; other activities; and other. Other club records include section records (series I.B.), hut registers and summit records (series I.C.).
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Canadian Rockies, Summer of 1932. Hinman Horseback and Camping Trip, July 1-17. With the Alpine Club Camp at Glacier, B.C., July 19-Aug 1. Climbing and Walking Trips Aug 1-Sept 13
File pertains to a photograph album depicting three trips taken throughout the summer of 1932.
Canadian Rockies Summer of 1932 depicts what is possibly an Alpine Club of Canada organized climb around the Mt. Sir Donald and Mt. Dawson area of British Columbia. Includes mountain views, portraits, peo…
1 album (399 photographs : b&w ; 28 x 18 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to a photograph album depicting three trips taken throughout the summer of 1932.
Canadian Rockies Summer of 1932 depicts what is possibly an Alpine Club of Canada organized climb around the Mt. Sir Donald and Mt. Dawson area of British Columbia. Includes mountain views, portraits, people climbing, glaciers, and an ACC Annual Camp.
Hinman Horseback and Camping Trip - July 1-17 [1932] depicts the annual backcountry horse trip organized by Caroline Hinman around the Mt. Assiniboine and East Kootenay areas of British Columbia. Includes scenic views, horses, camps, portraits, and two pages dedicated to the Hinman Party in August - it is not clear if Lillian Gest participated in the whole of Caroline Hinman's summer 1932 trip.
At the Alpine Club Camp depicts the ACC Annual Camp for 1932, based in Glacier, BC. Includes the ACC camp, mountains, glaciers, portraits, scenic views, climbing, swimming, Abbot Pass Hut, Glacier Circle Cabin, enlargements, and greeting cards.
Following the annotated ACC trip photographs are a collection of greeting cards, newspaper clippings, and misc. photographs from Gest's various trips during the summer of 1932. Most of these photographs are not annotated. Also includes greeting cards from trip members and a memorial card for Conrad Kain fixed to the inside back cover.
Inserts 1 and 3 pertain to the overview/advertisement for the Summer 1932 and 1933 trips that would have been sent out by Caroline Hinman in advance detailing routes, expectations, and prices. Insert 2 pertains to a clipped page from what is possibly an ACC or Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies periodical.
File pertains to a photograph album containing some photographs of various Alpine Club of Canada, American Alpine Club, Sky-Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, and personal trips. Photographs primarily depict mountain views, buildings, lakes, and people, some of whom are identified.
The bulk…
1 album (173 prints : b&w and col. ; 25 x 22.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to a photograph album containing some photographs of various Alpine Club of Canada, American Alpine Club, Sky-Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, and personal trips. Photographs primarily depict mountain views, buildings, lakes, and people, some of whom are identified.
The bulk of the album is dedicated to Christmas cards sent to Lillian Gest by various people from 1949-1958.
Inserts pertain to two photographs of a group of people sitting on the front porch of a cabin in Lake O'Hara. Ernest Feuz is seated far right.
Includes photographs of ACC property at Mount Assiniboine (accompanied by 2 maps - AC 018P); clubhouse view; move of library to Vancouver Public Library; Board meeting; closing party at the old clubhouse (AC 421P / 09-37); office staff.
Includes photographs of ACC property at Mount Assiniboine (accompanied by 2 maps - AC 018P); clubhouse view; move of library to Vancouver Public Library; Board meeting; closing party at the old clubhouse (AC 421P / 09-37); office staff.
Display photographs consists of photographs selected and numbered by the ACC for display in clubhouses, huts and other locations. Photographic subjects include mountain peaks, landscapes and scenery, both regional and international; mountaineering and alpine recreation; camps and expeditions; flor…
Display photographs consists of photographs selected and numbered by the ACC for display in clubhouses, huts and other locations. Photographic subjects include mountain peaks, landscapes and scenery, both regional and international; mountaineering and alpine recreation; camps and expeditions; flora and fauna; clubhouse views; and portraits of mountaineers, alpine club members, executive officers and prominent personalities. Also includes a group photograph of the 1906 founding meeting of the Alpine Club of Canada in Winnipeg (ACOOP/77)
Included are ca.180 photographs which were submitted to the ACC though various photographic competitions (AC 00P / 11, 21, 29, 30, 32, 36, 41, 55 - 57, 63, 76, 109, 111, 202, 223, 230, 240, 244, 284 - 443).
A. T. Wiebrecht AC00P/223,353-366,373-379,382-387,397,400;
Walter Wilcox AC00P/20,130,136,154,255-257;
A. O. Wheeler AC00P/207,208,212,213;
LIST OF SUBJECTS :
Philip Stanley Abbot AC00P/245;
L. S. Amery AC00P/206,222;
F. C. Bell AC00P/87;
Cora Johnstone Best AC00P/104;
John F. Brett AC00P/96;
A. P. Coleman AC00P/82;
J. H. Cuntz AC00P/116;
Edward VII AC00P/203;
Charles E. Fay AC00P/69;
Sandford Fleming AC00P/250;
W. W. Foster AC00P/76,89;
Rex Gibson AC00P/75,90;
H. A. V. Green AC00P/92;
C. Hasler AC00P/134;
James Hector AC00P/93;
J. W. A. Hickson AC00P/86;
John Hunter AC00P/264;
Judas Hunter AC00P/238;
Enos Hunter AC00P/239;
Stanley L. Jones AC00P/242;
Lino Lacedelli AC00P/268;
Ben Lomond AC00P/411;
C. H. Mitchell AC00P/79;
John Muir AC00P/66;
A. H. MacCarthy AC00P/70,76;
Leonard H. Marvin;
S. H. Mitchell AC00P/84,235;
T. B. Moffat AC00P/83;
Don Munday AC00P/74;
Phyl Munday AC00P/418;
Tenzing Norgay AC00P/72;
James Outram AC00P/80;
J. D. Patterson AC00P/98;
Elfreda Pigou AC00P/418;
H. E. Sampson AC00P/97;
Benjamin Frank Seaver AC00P/110,115?,116,243;
A. S. Sibbald AC00P/95;
W. E. Stone AC00P/73;
W. R. Tweedy AC00P/81;
Sidney R. Vallance AC00P/91;
Frank N. Waterman AC00P/237;
C. G. Wates AC00P/94;
A. O. Wheeler AC00P/206;
E. O. Wheeler AC00P/71,85;
Hector Wheeler AC00P/247;
Edward Whymper AC00P/93,251;
Walter Wilcox AC00P/264;
Tom Wilson AC00P/236,264;
T. Fraser, L.O. Armstrong, Tom Martin, W. H. Bedford, Alex Gordon; Jean Parker, Stanley Wills, Stanley Mitchell, L. Q. Coleman; J. W. Kelly, W. J. Taylor, A. O. Wheeler, Elizabeth Parker, E. A. Haggan, J. C. Herdman, A. P. Coleman, Dean Paget, William Brewster ACOOP/77
Fonds pertains to 3 photograph prints of members of the St. Elias expedition in the Yukon, a large-format black and white print of a mountain range [possibly including St. Elias], 11 typed letters to Wright from W.E. (Smoke) Blanchard dated January-May 1965 discussing the expedition, 2 typed one-pa…
1 cm of textual records (18 pages ; 21.6 x 27.9 cm) ; 4 photographs : b&w and col. ; 29.2 x 21.8 cm or smaller
History / Biographical
Dr. Gerald Wright (1917-2007) grew up in Brecon, South Wales, and studied medicine in Wales and London, England, throughout the 1940s. He served in the British Army in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1942-1946 in North Africa and Italy.
In 1951 Wright moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, due to its close proximity to the Canadian Rockies, where he maintained a general practice as a member of the Hunt Clinic. He went on to serve as Chief of Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital and the Lethbridge Municipal Hospital until his retirement in 1988.
Shortly after arriving in Canada he became a member of the Alpine Club of Canada and attended many annual camps, often as camp doctor. He also participated in ACC expeditions to Mount St. Elias (1967, unsuccessful), Mount Alberta (1967, successful as part of the Alberta Team), and Mt. Waddington (1969). He also successfully summited Mt. Robson on his third attempt at the mountain. Wright hiked extensively throughout Nepal, Switzerland, South America, and New Zealand in addtion to the Rockies.
He was also a member of the Skyline Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies and was a founding member of the Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition, where he served on the Board of Directors, helping to plan and lead many annual hiking trips.
Scope & Content
Fonds pertains to 3 photograph prints of members of the St. Elias expedition in the Yukon, a large-format black and white print of a mountain range [possibly including St. Elias], 11 typed letters to Wright from W.E. (Smoke) Blanchard dated January-May 1965 discussing the expedition, 2 typed one-page summaries of the attempt on the mountain [one written by Blanchard and includes a hand-drawn map of the area around the mountain], a Xerox copy of a letter written on University of Oregon Medical School letterhead listing the members of the St. Elias party and recommended medical tests to have completed prior to the expedition, a two-page typed list of gear & equipment, and a hand-written list of expedition members and the University of Oregon Medical School doctor and their contact information.