The Archives General File is an artificial collection of accessions which do not constitute separate fonds or collections or cannot be placed within existing fonds or collections. Included in the collection are textual records of many types, such as manuscripts, reports, letters, diaries, speeches…
57 cm textual records. -- 50 cm of photographs : prints. -- 189 photographs (15 framed prints, 51 transparencies, 79 negatives; 44 copy negatives). -- 3 photograph albums (139 prints). -- 6 motion pictures. -- 9 sound recordings
Scope & Content
The Archives General File is an artificial collection of accessions which do not constitute separate fonds or collections or cannot be placed within existing fonds or collections. Included in the collection are textual records of many types, such as manuscripts, reports, letters, diaries, speeches, poetry, plans and others; photographs in the form of prints, negatives, transparencies, albums, postcards, etc.; sound recorded interviews and programmes; and motion pictures. Material pertains broadly to the Banff area and many other areas within the Archives collecting mandate.
Notable items include: Walter Wilcox letter; George Kinney report; interviews with Bill Round and Edward Feuz; original copy of Treaty Number Seven; Mary Schaffer material, including letters, notes, photograph and report; reports on the Nakimu Caves; film pertaining to Banff Winter Carnival; Georgia Engelhard letters and photos; plans for buildings and structures; George Noble photograph; W. S. Park photograph.
*Image was part of the Recognizing Relations project, an archives initiative undertaken in 2014 to identify Stoney people in photographs held in the Whyte Museum Archives. Title from title printed on the postcard along the bottom, underneath the photo.
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 photographic business records of professional photographer Bill Gibbons in three series: I. Commercial black and white series, ca.1945-ca.1958, ca.5400 photographs; II. Canadian Rockies colour series, ca.1945-ca.1990, predominant ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.8000 photographs; III. Other …
Fonds consists of the private business records of Bill Gibbons. Some photographs may have been made by employees.
Date Range
[ca.1945-ca.1990]
Physical Description
ca.13,404 photographs: negatives, prints, transparencies, albums, postcards. -- 2.5 cm textual records
History / Biographical
W. J. L. "Bill" Gibbons, 1914-1994 , was a professional photographer at Banff, Alberta, Canada from 1945 until 1959. Gibbons came to Canada in 1941 and settled in Banff after the war with his wife, Ella Mae (Becker), a Banff native. He established British Photographic Laboratories, with partners Lou Crosby and Jack Anderson, in the basement of the Mount Royal Hotel, moving later to street-level. Bill and Ella Mae Gibbons travelled throughout the mountain parks photographing views for sale in the Banff shop. These were offered as hand-coloured prints, with much of the colouring done or supervised by Ella Mae.
Later the business expanded to include colour postcards and slide sets. Gibbons employed other photographers, such as Bruno Engler, for specialty work, such as ski photography, and the Banff studio also did portraiture. Gibbons himself did most of the 4 x 5 format landscape work and made extensive use of models, many of who were young women employed by his Banff store. In 1959, Gibbons sold his business to a group of Banff businessmen and moved to Vancouver. In subsequent years, he continued to be active as a photographer and in publishing, working in different areas of the world. He made several photographic trips through the mountain parks, ca.1966-1972.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of photographic business records of professional photographer Bill Gibbons in three series: I. Commercial black and white series, ca.1945-ca.1958, ca.5400 photographs; II. Canadian Rockies colour series, ca.1945-ca.1990, predominant ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.8000 photographs; III. Other black and white series, ca. 1947, 4 photographs.
I. Commercial black and white series consists of six sub-series: A. Portraits and documentary views, 1945-1950, 2437 negatives (individual and group portraits, weddings, conferences, events, buildings, facilities and places; Banff and area); B. Banff School of Fine Arts, ca.1949, 277 negatives (privately produced views of classes, group portraits, activities, buildings and facilities); C. "S" sub-series, ca.1950, 1220 negatives (scenic views in the vicinity of Banff, Lake Louise, Banff-Jasper Highway, Jasper National Park, Radium and Columbia Valley, British Columbia and Pacific Coast, First Nations views); D. "T" sub-series, ca.1950, 482 negatives (scenic and commercial views, mainly Jasper, Banff-Jasper Highway and Lake Louise areas); E. Rolliflex and panorama negatives, 1949-1958, 584 negatives (Banff Winter Carnival, Banff School of Fine Arts, and Banff and area); F. Other, ca.1945-1951, 364 items (material similar to that in other series, some unidentified). Accompanied by small number of prints and postcards; also, publication: "Photographing the Canadian Rockies" by Bill J. L. Gibbons, 1948.
II. Canadian Rockies colour series consists of four sub-series: A. CR1 to CR84, ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.260 prints; B. CR1 to CR443, ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.5130 photographs; C. CR35-2 to CR35-81, ca.1966-ca.1972, ca.2310 photographs; D. Other photographs, ca.1945-ca.1990. Series consists primarily of commercial colour negatives and corresponding proof prints pertaining to Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Parks, also some transparencies and oversize display prints.
III. Other black and white series. Series consists of 2 black and white prints of crash landing at Sunshine with Al Gaetz and Dick Pike, 1947 and two copy negatives with prints of Bruno Engler and Ella Mae Gibbons, ca.1947.
Textual records are record book, 1945-1953, 62 p; and book layout.
File pertains to photographs of Bill Olson at work and with his family. Also includes family pictures of various generations of the Olson family, army portraits, coworkers, a Cave & Basin postcard, and an interior shot of the Dave White Shop.
19 prints : b&w and col. ; 17.5 x 12 cm or smaller
Scope & Content
File pertains to photographs of Bill Olson at work and with his family. Also includes family pictures of various generations of the Olson family, army portraits, coworkers, a Cave & Basin postcard, and an interior shot of the Dave White Shop.
Notes
Some of the people identified in the photos are Bill Kay, Jack Powell, Jack Doe, Fred Day, Charlie Fullhroch, Mac Lennat, Earl Squires, Bob Graham, Larry Foster, Willard Bell, Bush Ashley, Shorty Blasker, Casey Jones, Dan Zakaryk, Pete Finlay, Jon Douglas, Irene Straus, Marie Leong, and more.
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 the photographic records and sample materials of Byron Harmon Photos, the photographic business of Byron Harmon and his successors; as well as the personal photographs of Byron Harmon. I. Scenic / commercial, 1907-1975, ca.7600 items. Primary component of series is film and glass…
Byron Hill Harmon, 1876-1942, was a professional photographer and businessman at Banff, Alberta, Canada. He was born near Tacoma, Washington, USA and operated a portrait studio there for a time. In 1903, while travelling around the United States and Canada as an itinerant photographer, he decided to settle in Banff and by 1907 had produced enough mountain views to begin selling a line of postcards. Between 1906 and 1913, Harmon was official photographer for the Alpine Club of Canada and made trips in numerous mountain areas, such as the Bugaboos (1910) and Mount Robson (1911, 1913). Harmon personally financed trips into other areas, such as Tonquin Valley (1918) and Lake of the Hanging Glaciers (1920, 1922), producing both still photographs and motion pictures for commercial sale. After his last major expedition in 1924 across Saskatchewan Glacier, through to Maligne Lake and back to Banff by packtrain, Harmon devoted most of his time to photographing scenes along the railway, skiing in the Assiniboine and Skoki regions, and the annual rides and hikes of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies. At the same time he managed several businesses, including a drug store, fountain lunch, theatre and book store. In his later years, Harmon spent much time travelling and photographing in other parts of the world. The business, Byron Harmon Photos, was managed successively by his son, Don Harmon, then his grand-daughter, Carole Harmon.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of the photographic records and sample materials of Byron Harmon Photos, the photographic business of Byron Harmon and his successors; as well as the personal photographs of Byron Harmon.
I. Scenic / commercial, 1907-1975, ca.7600 items. Primary component of series is film and glass negatives, 1907-1942, ca.6500 items. Also includes: postcard negatives and positives and production negatives to ca.1955; original prints; a wide range of sample products, such as postcards, enlargements and framing prints, calendars and viewbooks, mainly by Harmon business, some by other photographers; and lantern slides, ca.1913-192-, pertaining to Columbia Icefield Expedition, mountaineering, mountain landscapes, Indians, wildlife, Canadian Pacific Railway and Asian travel. Scenic / commercial series pertains to annual camps and expeditions of the Alpine Club of Canada in the Canadian Rockies and Selkirks, 1907-1913; private movie-making expeditions in the Canadian Rockies and Selkirks; mountain scenic views, primarily for postcard purposes; Banff events and development; skiing; birds and animals. Includes some material by Don Harmon and Lloyd Harmon, sons of Byron Harmon.
II. Personal, 189- to 194-, ca.370 items. Includes: family photographs and views received from others; motion picture out-takes pertaining to world travels, 1930s; and 35 mm. transparencies, ca.1940, pertaining mainly to world travels, also mountain and prairie scenics.
Notes
For more information on the Byron Harmon photographs, see "Great Days in the Rockies: The Photographs of Byron Harmon, 1906-1934" (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1978) or "Byron Harmon, Mountain Photographer" by Carole Harmon and Bart Robinson (Banff: Altitude Publishing, 1992)
File consists of 5 cm of handwritten and typed correspondence, 23 x 34 cm or smaller. File pertains to correspondence between Carl Rungius and the Wardle family, as well as correspondence between Dorothy and Jon Whyte regarding gifting copies to the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. File docume…
File consists of 5 cm of handwritten and typed correspondence, 23 x 34 cm or smaller. File pertains to correspondence between Carl Rungius and the Wardle family, as well as correspondence between Dorothy and Jon Whyte regarding gifting copies to the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. File documents, among other things, the death of Louise (Carl's wife) in 1940; exhibiting Carl's work in the National Gallery of Canada, 1942 and 1956; and Carl's visits to the Wardle family home in Ottawa. Records also include a postcard and two Mayfair articles from 1943.
Notes
In 1983, Dorothy gifted photocopies of Carl's correspondence with her family. In 2003, the originals were donated as part of Dorothy's estate. The photocopies (accn. 5296) were discarded.
Carl Rungius was a wildlife and landscape painter who frequented and had a studio in Banff. The Wardle family was good friends with Rungius.
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.
File consists of 20 commercial postcards, mostly produced by Byron Harmon, of Banff and the Canadian Rockies. Content pertains to winter sports (hockey, snowshoeing, skiing, curling, ski jumping, etc.), wildlife, the town of Banff and some locations in Eastern British Columbia. Some postcards are a…
Produced by Byron Harmon, V & Sons, Gowen Sutton Co. Ltd., Vancouver, George Noble, Novelty Mfg. Co. Ltd., Montreal
Date Range
[ca. 1900 - ca. 1910]
1912 - 1916
1922
Physical Description
20 postcards : b&w and col. ; 14 x 9 cm and 13.5 x 8.5 cm
Scope & Content
File consists of 20 commercial postcards, mostly produced by Byron Harmon, of Banff and the Canadian Rockies. Content pertains to winter sports (hockey, snowshoeing, skiing, curling, ski jumping, etc.), wildlife, the town of Banff and some locations in Eastern British Columbia. Some postcards are annotated with dates/brief details. One postcard dated 1913 contains letter addressed to Flora Woodworth from her cousin, Mary Woodworth, with stamp affixed [see "Full Text"].
Notes
Some dates are estimates provided by the Processing Archivist
Photographs in this file were accompanied by notes made shortly before or after accession in 1979 giving names/contextual information about photographs. Some notes are by Jim Deegan, 1987. Information has been transferred to the back of each photograph.