File pertains to 28 handwritten letters by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from May 1932 to July 1932. Topics include daily life in Banff, more work on Peter and Catharine's home, Fern Brewster's engagement and marriage, land and lots along Bow Avenue, news in Concord [includin…
1.3 cm of textual records (155 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to 28 handwritten letters by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from May 1932 to July 1932. Topics include daily life in Banff, more work on Peter and Catharine's home, Fern Brewster's engagement and marriage, land and lots along Bow Avenue, news in Concord [including the death of Catharine's Aunt Helen and Edith Morse Robb's health], conversations with Earl Spencer, the death of Ruth Carpenter Mather [and subsequent reactions of family and locals], visiting and sketching in Yoho, a trip with Barbara Carpenter White to Vancouver, a trip with Barbara Carpenter White and Mary Schaffer Warren to Yoho, Catharine trading a painting for a grizzly hide, Peter getting a commission to paint a pair of portraits, Peter and Catharine's work hanging at the Banff Springs Hotel, painting trips to Larch Valley, Lake O'Hara and other locations, attending the Calgary Stampede [and corresponding art exhibition and an invitation to participate from Gwen[?] Hutton], and interactions and house visits from locals and others [including Norman Luxton, Jackie White, Fern Brewster, Tex Woods, the Moore family, the Brewster family, Earl Spencer, Barbara Carpenter White, Allan Mather, Fred Armbrister, Betty Painter, Belmore Browne, Mary Schaffer Warren, Frances James, Vic Kutschera, Carl Rungius, Frances and Murray Adaskin, Charlie Beil, Lila White Stockand, Norman Knight, Rupe and Chessy Edwards, Cyril Paris, Ted Paris, Dorothy White, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Oakes [from Boston], Dan McCowan, Mr. Polenski, Mr. Kingsman, and Annie White].
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoples, people of colour, and those of the Jewish faith used throughout is outdated and offensive. Some items were stapled together and therefore scanned together as one document.
Letters are all handwritten and include some hotel and camp letterheads. Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981. Some letters also have numbers written in pencil crayon, believed to be from when originally processed.
File pertains to 67 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from January 3 to June 26, 1949. Topics include holiday activities, day to day life, Banff events, visits from friends, bonspiels, watching local hockey games, the Banff Winter Carnival, weather, events and …
1.7 cm of textual records (101 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File pertains to 67 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from January 3 to June 26, 1949. Topics include holiday activities, day to day life, Banff events, visits from friends, bonspiels, watching local hockey games, the Banff Winter Carnival, weather, events and people in Concord, a train crash east of Banff in late February [no one was injured, Syd Vallance was on the train], new household appliances like a washing machine [Bendix] and electric sewing machine, world news, radio programs, photography, painting, Catharine going to Concord in May [she was called back to Banff early due to concerns for Pete's mental health], the death and funeral of Norman Sanson, and Pete and Catharine going to Victoria and Vancouver for the month of June [they stayed at the Empress in Victoria and the Hotel Georgia in Vancouver before moving to an apartment at the Ritz Vancouver].
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoples used throughout is outdated and may be offensive.
Letters are mostly typed, some hand-written. Many typed letters have hand-written notes and post scripts added throughout.
Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981.
124-21 contains a note written after Catharine's post script, possibly by Pete.
File pertains to 58 handwritten and typewritten letters by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb between April 1933 and September 1933. Topics include news from Concord, daily life in Banff, the fire at Bretton Hall, Peter out painting and sketching, Sam Ward continuously adding cab…
1.3 cm of textual records (173 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to 58 handwritten and typewritten letters by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb between April 1933 and September 1933. Topics include news from Concord, daily life in Banff, the fire at Bretton Hall, Peter out painting and sketching, Sam Ward continuously adding cabinets and cupboards to the Whyte Home, Catharine practicing typewriting and the beginning of some typewritten letters to her mother, the golden wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. John Walker, moving a cabin on the property for their Stoney friends to stay in while they paint portraits, selling two sketches, various baking recipes from Edith, Peter painting Mark Poucette, a visit from children from the Mountain School, Peter and Catharine visiting the west coast [via Bonners Ferry and Spokane] and seeing Fern Brewster in Vancouver, writing Mrs. Paley, attending the Calgary Stampede, painting J.D. Curren, painting David Bearspaw, hiking at Lake O'Hara with Skyline Trail Hikers [with participant names], a visit with Mary Vaux in Banff, a Pacific Relations Conference at the Banff Springs Hotel and cleaning the house expecting visits from participants, Catharine discussing Adolf Hitler with a Swiss man visiting the house, a boat trip with the White Family and Allen Mather to Lake Minnewanka, meeting Mr. Anasaki from the Conference [an old friend of Edward Morse] and looking at Catharine's Japanese collection with Mr. Miyoaka and Mr. Takaki, Peter taking photographs at the Indigenous Camp during Banff Indian Days, Peter receiving a beaded coat from Mrs. Jonie, buying some items from the Indigenous Camp that belonged to Old Hector [Crawler?], Jackie heading east to meet Barbara before the birth of their child, and Peter and Catharine heading east via the United States to attend the World Fair and visit Edith Morse Robb and then family in Gorham, Maine.
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoples, people of colour, and those of the Jewish faith used throughout is outdated and offensive.
Letters are all handwritten and typewritten and include some hotel, business and camp letterheads. Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981. Some letters also have numbers written in pencil crayon, believed to be from when originally processed.
File pertains to six diaries kept by Lillian Gest from 1968-1975 from travels throughout the Canadian Rockies.
Includes:
M67 / 5 - 1 : black leather diary. Pertains to summer trips taken during the summers of 1968 and 1969. Summer 1968 includes travel between Banff and Pennsylvania by airplane and …
7.5 cm of textual records (6 volumes ; 10.8 x 17.7 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to six diaries kept by Lillian Gest from 1968-1975 from travels throughout the Canadian Rockies.
Includes:
M67 / 5 - 1 : black leather diary. Pertains to summer trips taken during the summers of 1968 and 1969. Summer 1968 includes travel between Banff and Pennsylvania by airplane and hiking and visiting around Banff, Lake Louise, Lake O'Hara and the Icefields Parway areas. Summer 1969 time spent in Banff, along the Icefields Parkway, and in the Golden and Lake O'Hara areas as well as various club activities as part of the Alpine Club of Canada. Also includes lists of birds seen, reservation details, people met and staff of various places, events from Banff (including the death of Fred Brewster and Catharine Whyte receiving an honourary degree), song lyrics, and [what is possibly] a joke.
M67 / 5 - 2 : black leather diary, dated 1970 in white ink (possibly white out) on the front cover. Pertains to a 1970 trip to the Canadian Rockies and includes hikes with and without organizations like the Alpine Club of Canada and the Sky Line Trail Hikers as well as stays at the Banff Springs Hotel, the ACC Club House, Lake O'Hara, and the Bugaboo Lodge, BC. Also includes transcriptions from the Abbot Pass Hut Register from 1926-1939 (presumably only of people Lillian Gest knew personally), reservation details, lists of people met, and a list of events from 1970, including the sale of the ACC Club House for $70, 000 (does not mention to who).
M67 / 5 - 3 : black leather diary, dated 1971 in ink on masking tape adhered to the front cover. Pertains to a summer visit in 1971 to the Canadian rockies and includes stays around the Banff, Lake Louise, and Lake O'Hara areas, hiking trips with and without organizations like the Sky Line Trail Hikers and the Alpine Club of Canada, and travel between Banff and Pennsylvania by air. Newspaper clipping on page 125 pertaining to the death of Edmee Brewster. Also includes lists of people met and staff (Lake O'Hara Lodge, Chateau Lake Louise, ACC Club House), events from Banff, list of birds, details for a Bow Valley Naturalists trip, and the plaque dedication ceremony for Lawrence Grassi at Lake O'Hara, June 26, 1971.
M67 / 5 - 4 : black leather diary, dated 1972 in black ink on fabric tape adhered to the front cover. Pertains to the summer of 1972 spent in the Canadian Rockies time spent in and around the Banff, Lake Louise, Lake O'Hara, Jasper, and Tonquin Valley areas as well as travel between Banff and Pennsylvania by air. Insert pertains to diary entries for the final few days of September as the book ran out of pages. Also inlcudes lists of people met, birds spotted at Lake O'Hara, and list of events from Banff (including the move of the Moore house to its current location).
M67 / 5 - 5 : black leather diary, dated 1973-1974 To July 20 in ink on a piece of masking tape adhered to the front cover (1973 to 7-20 1974 in faint red paint directly on leather of cover). Pertains to the summers of 1973 and 1974 spent in and around the Canadian Rockies. Summer 1973 includes stays in the Banff, Lake Louise, Lake O'Hara, and Bow Lake areas as well as hiking trips with and without organizations like the Sky Line Trail Hikers and the Alpine Club of Canada. Summer 1974 includes stays at various hotels around Banff and in the Lake Louise and Lake O'Hara areas, a helicopter trip to and from Mt. Assiniboine and region, and organized hiking trips with the Sky Line Trail Hikers. Also includes lists of staffs and people met, birds spotted at Lake O'Hara, distances, and a list of events from 1973.
M67 / 5 - 6 : black leather diary, titled Sat July 20 1974 to 1975 - Thurs July 14 in ink on fabric [possibly plastic] adhered to the front cover. Pertains to the remainder of the summer 1974 trip (July-September) continued from M67 / 5 - 5 and details from June and July, 1975. The summer 1975 trip included travel between Banff and Pennsylvania by train [heading west] and plane [headed east], stays around Banff, Lake O'Hara, and Lake Louise, and hiking trips with and without organizations like the Sky Line Trail Hikers and the Alpine Club of Canada. Also includes lists of people met, reservation details, ACC Camp details for 1975, Sky Line Hikers trip dates and locations, and events from Banff 1975 including the ACC Club House being completely torn down.
Also includes loose items consisting of notes (to Lillian Gest from others and to herself), reminders, invoices, itineraries, and newspaper clippings.
File pertains to 14 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from November 1931 to January 1932 and primarily includes Peter and Catharine's trip to various locations in Jamaica. Other topics include the trip to New York before setting sail and meeting the Moores, Geo…
1.3 cm of textual records (141 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to 14 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from November 1931 to January 1932 and primarily includes Peter and Catharine's trip to various locations in Jamaica. Other topics include the trip to New York before setting sail and meeting the Moores, Georgia Engelhard, and visiting Carl Rungius' studio, people in Concord, details about the ship to Nassau, the hotels, the landscape, and meeting and staying with various people in Jamaica [including Elaine Strong, Edward Moseley, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Soloman, Sydney Farington, Dr. Graham Bruce, Sybil Burnside, Mr. and Mrs. Gus Ely, Olive Michener, and Fred Armbrister], and various Indigenous portraits of Peter's getting special notice [one from the American Foundation of the Arts].
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoples, people of colour, and those of the Jewish faith used throughout is outdated and offensive. Some items were stapled together and therefore scanned together as one document. Included is one typewritten transcript of a handwritten letter with content that has been edited.
Letters are all handwritten and include some hotel and steamship letterheads. Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981. Some letters also have numbers written in pencil crayon, believed to be from when originally processed.
File pertains to 56 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from August 1 to December 30, 1939. Topics include going on the annual Skyline Trail Hike to the Ptarmigan Valley in early August, day to day life, weather, painting/sketching [a mix of personal projects and…
1.7 cm of textual records (93 pages ; 20 x 24.9 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File pertains to 56 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from August 1 to December 30, 1939. Topics include going on the annual Skyline Trail Hike to the Ptarmigan Valley in early August, day to day life, weather, painting/sketching [a mix of personal projects and commissions done both at home and out in the Park], visits from friends and visitors, slide making, photography and cameras [including colour photography], events and people in Concord, minor repairs/projects to the house and property [including installing a new water heater on the second floor], updates on Dave White's health, radio programs [mostly operas and the news], the declaration of war on Germany in early September [as well as details pertaining to local recruitment efforts and general preparations], day trips to Lake Louise, wildlife, descriptions of meals, Edith going to the 1939 World's Fair in New York City [September], construction on the new addition to the house throughout October [including a new furnace room, bathroom, and dark room on the ground floor, extending the studio on the second floor, and facing the side of the house in stone], cleaning and household chores, errand trips to Calgary, books Catharine and Edith are reading, a large blizzard at the end of October, birthdays, various holidays [both Canadian and American], attending first aid classes at the school, putting together the annual Christmas card, and various other Christmas activities and parties.
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoples used throughout is outdated and may be offensive.
Letters are mostly typed, some hand-written. Many typed letters have hand-written notes and post scripts added throughout. All typed letters are written on a single side of paper, hand-written letters are mostly double-sided.
Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981.
107-19 contains a sketch of a mushroom on the back of the first page.
107-36 contains a sketch of the Whyte compound and details of the new extention to Pete and Catharine's house.
File pertains to 62 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from July 1 to December 31, 1945. Topics include Pete and Catharine's 15th wedding anniversary, day to day life, errand trips to Calgary [usually by bus], wildlife, Ski Club meetings, the Calgary Stampede, B…
1.4 cm of textual records (77 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File pertains to 62 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from July 1 to December 31, 1945. Topics include Pete and Catharine's 15th wedding anniversary, day to day life, errand trips to Calgary [usually by bus], wildlife, Ski Club meetings, the Calgary Stampede, Banff events, visits from friends, attending a Sun Dance in Morely in July [held to celebrate the end of the war], painting, photography, weather, events and people in Concord, radio programs [mostly news and hockey games], various holidays [both Canadian and American], World War II officially ending August 15 and its various celebrations, cleaning and household chores [including renovations to the chimney], going to the movies, day trips around Banff National Park [usually to Lake Louise/Moraine Lake, Bow Lake, and the immediate Banff town area] to paint/sketch and take pictures, Major Fred Bagley's funeral in October, strikes in the US and Canada [primarily butchers and coal miners], d'Arcy Baker-Carr being released from a Japanese POW camp and coming back to Canada, Catharine mounting slides, skiing, watching curling games, putting together the annual Christmas card, and various other holiday activities.
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoplesand Japanese people used throughout is outdated and may be offensive.
Letters are mostly typed, some hand-written. Many typed letters have hand-written notes and post scripts added throughout. Some letters written on RCAF letterhead.
File pertains to 69 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from March 23 to August 29, 1942. Topics include day to day life, weather, Catharine's Home Nursing classes, cleaning and household chores, news pertaining to the war, updates on war-time rations [mostly on …
1.5 cm of textual records (72 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File pertains to 69 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from March 23 to August 29, 1942. Topics include day to day life, weather, Catharine's Home Nursing classes, cleaning and household chores, news pertaining to the war, updates on war-time rations [mostly on food items and gasoline/coal], visits from friends, Kay Baker-Carr and her kids moving to Banff in April [D'Arcy is stationed in Hong Kong], uncertainties surrounding Pete's volunteer status in the war effort, matters pertaining to the store and apartments on Banff Ave [including the construction of new apartments], a visit from the Governor General in late April, errand trips to Calgary [mostly to see the dentist], going to the movies, bike riding and hiking, radio programs [mostly operas and the news], wildlife, books Catharine and Edith are reading, events and people in Concord [including Russel's activities in the US Army], various holidays [both Canadian and American], Catharine's involvement with the Red Cross, slide making and presentations, Pete and Catharine participating in an art show at [possibly] the Mount Royal Hotel, Jean Caird coming to visit for July, sightseeing trips around Banff National Park [including the Lake Louise area, Temple, and Bow Lake], going to the Calgary Stampede, Banff Indian Days, participating in the annual Skyline Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies hike in the Sunshine area [late July], Pete becoming the acting Quartermaster [for the Airforce?] in early August, painting/sketching, and various other Banff community activities.
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoplesand Japanese people used throughout is outdated and may be offensive.
Letters are mostly typed, some hand-written. Many typed letters have hand-written notes and post scripts added throughout.
Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981.
File pertains to 45 hand-written letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from June 11 to October 3, 1937. Topics include day to day life, visits from friends and visitors, world news [often pertaining to politics and the British Royal family], maintenance and upkeep …
1.7 cm of textual records (108 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File pertains to 45 hand-written letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from June 11 to October 3, 1937. Topics include day to day life, visits from friends and visitors, world news [often pertaining to politics and the British Royal family], maintenance and upkeep of the house and property [mostly landscaping], cleaning and household chores, weather, gifting a stove to the Simpsons for use at Bow Lake [currently a camp], events and people in Concord, various holidays [both Canadian and American], day trips around the National Park [mostly to Lake Louise, Bow Lake and Moraine Lake], making frames and prepping canvas for painting, books Catharine and Edit are reading, dinner parties, rearranging the kitchen [including getting a new refrigerator and a new table with two bench seats], trips to Bow Lake to paint throughout the summer, hiking, wildlife [often in the yard], updates on the new trail being built from Moraine Lake to Taylor Lake, Banff Indian Days, photography and cameras, print-making, descriptions of meals, the birth of Russ and Kitty's first son in July [Russle Jr. aka Rusty], the annual Sky Line Trail Hikers trip in early August [Pete' s last year as President], trips to Lake O'Hara and Assiniboine to paint and hike throughout August and September [the trip to and from Assiniboine was carried out on horseback], painting/sketching, activities and people at various camps, descriptions of the weather and conditions riding in and out of Assiniboine, developing and colouring photographs, working on a portrait of Mark Poucette, and news of Margaret and Mary Simpson going to Boston to skate.
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoples used throughout is outdated and may be offensive.
Some letters are written on hotel/lodge letterhead.
Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981.
102 - 07 contains a sketch of the main floor of the Whyte home illustrating the placement of the new dining table.
File pertains to 119 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from January 1 to December 31, 1947. Topics include New Years activities, day to day life, Banff events, visits from friends, weather, hockey games [on the radio and live], curling, skiing, cameras and phot…
2.4 cm of textual records (142 pages ; 21.4 x 27.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
See fonds level description.
Scope & Content
File pertains to 119 letters written by Catharine Robb Whyte to her mother, Edith Morse Robb from January 1 to December 31, 1947. Topics include New Years activities, day to day life, Banff events, visits from friends, weather, hockey games [on the radio and live], curling, skiing, cameras and photography, events and people in Concord, world news, radio programs, painting [including making sketches for a show in Montreal next year], Jim Brewster's death and funeral in February, ski races and ski jumping at Norquay, the Winter Carnival, Catharine working with the local Red Cross, business pertaining to the shop and apartments on Banff Ave, cleaning and household chores, matters pertaining to the Ski Club, gardening, day trips around Banff National Park for sketching and picnics, Banff Indian Days [including helping Norman Luxton by handling the financials], the Calgary Stampede, going to Calgary for a few days in August for Pete to see an ear specialist [they stay at the Hotel Paliser], beginning construction of a ski lift at Norquay and of the new Banff Art School [Banff School of Fine Arts], Gray & Eleanor Campbell moving to their ranch in Cowley, minor renovations to the house [mostly pertaining to water lines and the roof], expansion of Num-Ti-Jah Lodge [adding the dining room, entrance hall, and second floor], construction of the new Hudson's Bay Store and a new hotel on Banff Ave [possibly the King Edward], the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, errand trips to Calgary, making the annual Christmas card, and various Christmas/holiday activities and parties.
Notes
Please note: language pertaining to Indigenous Peoples used throughout is outdated and may be offensive.
Letters are mostly typed, some hand-written. Many typed letters have hand-written notes and post scripts added throughout. Some letters have small notes written in pencil, possibly by Edith or Pete.
Some letters are marked with a small x in pencil, indicating where Jon Whyte made notes for use in his project "Catharine Robb Whyte, Peter Whyte: Commemorative Portfolio," originally published in 1981.
122-01 contains quotes from two letters [September 12 & August 7, 1947] written by an unknown author.
122-57 contains a few interesting anecdotes about life in Anthracite.