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 27 limited edition prints of pen and pencil drawings by Glen Boles, 1994-2002. Content of prints include Mt. Assiniboine, Mt. Fay, Mt. Louis, Mt. Alberta, Abbot Pass & Victoria Glacier, Snowpatch Spire, Howser Spires, Mt. Finger, Three Sisters, Tower of Babel, Eisenhower Tower, Mt…
Glen Boles (1934-2022), was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick and moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1953. In 1957 he was persuaded to climb with co-worker and mountain guide Heinz Kahl, a native Bavarian. Heinz Kahl and English climber Brian Greenwood introduced Boles to more difficult climbing. Boles has climbed extensively in the Rockies, summiting over 400 peaks including many new routes and first ascents. He has also climbed in the Interior Ranges of British Columbia as well as the St. Elias Range of Alaska and the Alps. Boles is also an avid skier and spent 13 years on the Canadian Ski Patrol System and is a member of the Ski Friends program in Lake Louise.
Boles retired from the City of Calgary Waterworks Engineering Division in 1991 after thirty-five years employment. Boles and his wife (married in 1965) reside in Cochrane, Alberta. From his mountain experiences, Glen has developed an interest in photography, drawing and writing and has co-authored "The Climbing Guide to the Canadian Rockies-South" and "Place Names of the Canadian Alps" with Bill Putnam and Roger Laurilla.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of 27 limited edition prints of pen and pencil drawings by Glen Boles, 1994-2002. Content of prints include Mt. Assiniboine, Mt. Fay, Mt. Louis, Mt. Alberta, Abbot Pass & Victoria Glacier, Snowpatch Spire, Howser Spires, Mt. Finger, Three Sisters, Tower of Babel, Eisenhower Tower, Mt. Stephen, Bugaboos, Bighorn Sheep, Cougar, Timber Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Mt. Robson, Berg Lake, and Yamnuska. Fonds also includes approximately 40 diaries, ca. 1967-2021 and 16.5 cm. of correspondence 1987-2010
Notes
27 drawing prints moved to Oversize infofile storage under title "Artists - Glen Boles"
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