Files consist of summit notes and summit registers from the Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition 2005 produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 2005 and 2017. Summit records include entries from visitors to the various summits which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details o…
Summit Registers and Notes produced by Alpine Club of Canada
Date Range
2005-2017
Physical Description
25 cm of textual records
12 volumes
History / Biographical
The Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition 2005 was a way for the Alpine Club of Canada, the Rocky Mountain Ramblers and other climbing groups to celebrate the Centennial of Alberta. These groups climbed various mountains throughout Alberta and placed registers on their peaks for climbers to commemorate their climbs during the centenary period. Various summits were reached including Mount Aylmer, Pigeon Mountain, Mount Niblock and others.
Scope & Content
Files consist of summit notes and summit registers from the Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition 2005 produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 2005 and 2017. Summit records include entries from visitors to the various summits which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while at the summit, wildlife sightings, trail updates, and related topics.
Files consist of:
M200 / V / A / 14: Mount. Aylmer 2005
M200 / V / A / 15: 2005 Alberta Centennial Mtn. Expedition Summit Register – Pigeon Mtn., Aug 2005 – July 2006
M200 / V / A / 16: Summit Register + Notes – Big Sister, Aug 2005 – Aug 2007 (AB. Centennial Mtn. Expedition 2005 Register)
M200 / V / A / 17: Sentry Mountain Summit Register 2005 - 2017
M200 / V / A / 18: Mount Niles [summit register] [2005-2017]
M200 / V / A / 19: Alberta Centennial Mtn. Expedition, 2005 Summit Register – MT. Niblock, July 2006 – July 2009
M200 / V / A / 20: 2005 AB. Centennial Mtn. Expedition Middle Sister July 2006 – July 2007
M200 / V / A / 21: 2005 AB. Centennial Mountain Expedition, Yamnuska, 2005 – 2006. Summit Register
M200 / V / A / 22: Summit Register – Crowsnest Mtn., July 2005 – July 2007 2005 AB. Centennial Mtn. Expedition
M200 / V / A / 23: Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition. [Part 1 of 2].
M200 / V / A / 24: Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition. [Part 2 of 2].
M200 / V / A / 25: [unidentified Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition Log]
Sub-series of hut registers from the Balfour (Rob Ritchie) Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1966 and 2019. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut…
According to the Alpine Club of Canada's website:
"The Rob Ritchie Hut, also known as the Balfour Hut, is found on low, rocky hills at the toe of the Vulture Glacier, approximately 28 km northwest of the town of Lake Louise, AB. It is east of Balfour Pass and the Continental divide, just inside the Banff National Park boundary.[...]
The Rob Ritchie Hut, also known as the Balfour Hut, is found on low, rocky hills at the toe of the Vulture Glacier, approximately 28 km northwest of the town of Lake Louise, AB. It is east of Balfour Pass and the Continental divide, just inside the Banff National Park boundary.
This is the half-way mark for the Wapta Traverse and is usually used in conjunction with the other huts in this chain while attempting this classic cross-glacier ski trip. Usual approach is from Bow Hut through the Olive/St. Nicholas Col then down the gentle and pleasant Vulture Glacier to Balfour Pass, where the hut sits on a section of moraine beneath the impressive bulk of Mt. Balfour.
Though most people will spend one night at the R.J. Ritchie (Balfour) Hut before continuing on to Scott Duncan, there is potential for good skiing here, especially on the Diableret Glacier which sits northwest of Mt. Balfour and makes for a fantastic run on a clear day! There is also an optional route to the summit of Mt. Gordon from this hut, which would be an excellent loop trip if combined with the normal route back towards Bow Hut. Use your imagination and some neat trip ideas will present themselves!"
Scope & Content
Sub-series of hut registers from the Balfour (Rob Ritchie) Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1966 and 2019. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut, wildlife sightings, custodial issues and updates, and related topics.
The sub-series is separated into individual hut registers, arranged by date:
M200 / IV / I / 1: Balfour Hut [Register] [1966-1971]
M200 / IV / I / 2: Balfour Pass Hut [1971-1972]
M200 / IV / I / 3: Balfour Pass Hut Register [1973-1974]
M200 / IV / I / 4: Balfour Pass Hut [register 1974-1982]
M200 / IV / I / 5: "Balfour Hut" [register] Sept. 2, 1982 - Nov. 17, 1989
M200 / IV / I / 6: Balfour Hut Journal Nov. 22, 1989 - Apr. 25, 1997
M200 / IV / I / 7: Balfour Hut Register [1997 -2001]
M200 / IV / I / 8: Balfour Hut Register 2007 - 2015
M200 / IV / I / 9: Balfour Hut register 2011 - 2019
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
File consists of 139 pages of handwritten research notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H35 x W30 cm or smaller. File pertains to Dorothy's research on Banff and surrounding area, Parks Canada, Department of the Interior, and the history of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in general. Record…
2 cm of textual records (139 pages ; 30 x 35 cm or smaller)
Scope & Content
File consists of 139 pages of handwritten research notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, H35 x W30 cm or smaller. File pertains to Dorothy's research on Banff and surrounding area, Parks Canada, Department of the Interior, and the history of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in general. Records were filed in an envelope that was titled "Book Notes."
Notable people include James Wardle, J.B. Harkin, Pat Brewster, Arthur Unwin, Dr. Brett, Norman Sanson, and Bill Peyto, among others. Notable places and topics include the organization of the Department of the Interior, the Banff-Windemere Highway, Rocky Mountain Park and Park Wardens, Kootenay National Park fires, coal and precious metal mines (e.g. Bankhead, Silver City), trail riding and hiking, research about James Wardle and his accomplishments, Ya-Ha-Tinda, and various parks (e.g. Glacier, Revelstoke, Elk Island, Kootenay, and Yoho).
Other records include a handwritten letter to the Auld family in Scotland (cousins of Sheila Ritchie) with a story about Glenbow and a highland cow from Oban, Scotland; personal reflections on the Banff area and mountains in general; notes that Dorothy took while doing research at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies and the Banff Public Library; and a variety of newspaper clippings.
Notes
Includes request slips and stationary from the archives at the Whyte Museum.
Potentially includes a handwritten list of Dorothy's written works.
Newspaper clippings primarily from the Times Colonist, which is published in Victoria, British Columbia.
Some of the slips of paper are taped together. Was unable to remove them without damaging the materials. May present conservation issues in the future.
Sub-series of hut registers from the Bow Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1968 and 2019. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut, wildlife sightin…
According to the Alpine Club of Canada website and their Backcountry Huts: Bow Hut Info Sheet:
"The original Bow Hut project was initiated by Peter Fuhrmann, funded by Peter and Catharine Whyte and was constructed in 1968 by members of various groups including the Calgary Ski Club and the ACC. The hut was built near Bow Glacier to facilitate ski tourers and mountaineers entering the Wapta via Bow Lake, the easiest and most natural route to the icefields. Fiberglass igloos had been established at both the Peyto Glacier and Balfour Pass in the years prior, and with the building of a deluxe 14-person facility at a location between the two, the vision of a system of huts on the Wapta/Waputik Icefields was taking shape. None of those responsible for the project, however, could have predicted the amount of use and the level of abuse that the original Bow Hut would endure.
The hut was abused from the beginning, and saw very little regular maintenance or upkeep. By the 1980s the place was a total hole. The hut was used as a flop house, the snow within several hundred feet of the hut had been contaminated by the outhouses and by indiscriminate waste disposal, and some estimates put the number of users per year at 7,000 (19 people per night at a facility which was built to sleep 14!). The hut which was described upon its completion as the “the Ritz” had metamorphosed into the “Bow Ghetto”.
By the mid-1980s it was evident that the facility required radical change. In 1989, under the direction of the ACC’s Huts Committee Chairman Mike Mortimer, that radical change took place. The original hut had been built on a site which was non-porous and therefore had no drainage – a problem that led to the contaminated water and snow. Plans were made for a new hut in a more environmentally sensitive location and fund-raising began. The new Bow Hut was constructed for $98,000, raised primarily through the Calgary and Edmonton sections of the Club. Design concerns in the new hut included proper waste disposal, spacious and bright common areas and sleeping rooms which were both increased in size from the original hut and separated from the common areas to facilitate use by may groups at one time. The palatial new Bow Hut was opened in the fall of 1989 to rave reviews and is presently operated by the ACC.
The hut today is a far cry from the original Balfour and Peyto fiberglass igloos, which a Banff Warden predicted in the late ’60s “will only serve the few hardy ski mountaineers who can accept the hardships of carrying and skiing with heavy loads and are willing to put up with discomfort during the night in bad weather”. It’s an even further cry from the abused state of the original Bow Hut and now serves as a stopover for many summer and winter trips."
Scope & Content
Sub-series of hut registers from the Bow Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1968 and 2019. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut, wildlife sightings, custodial issues and updates, and related topics.
The sub-series is separated into individual hut registers, arranged by date:
M200 / IV / F / 1: Bow Glacier Hut [1968 - 1971 register]
M200 / IV / F / 2: Bow Glacier Hut Register [1971 - 1973]
M200 / IV / F / 3: Bow Glacier Hut Register [1973 -1975]
M200 / IV / F / 4: Bow Hut register [1975 -1977]
M200 / IV / F / 5: Bow Hut [register 1983 - 1984]
M200 / IV / F / 6: Bow Hut Register [1984-1986]
M200 / IV / F / 7: [Bow Hut Register Dec. 17, 1986 - June 19, 1989]
M200 / IV / F / 8: Bow Hut [1989 - 1991]
M200 / IV / F / 9: Bow Hut 1991 - 1993
M200 / IV / F / 10: [Bow Hut Registers 1992 - 94]
M200 / IV / F / 11: "Bow Hut Register" Sept. 30, 1994 - Aug. 28, 1995
M200 / IV / F / 12: Bow Hut Register Sept. 16, 1995 - June 27, 1996
M200 / IV / F / 13: [Bow Hut Dec. 1995 - March 2000 Register]
M200 / IV / F / 14: Bow Hut Register June 29, 1996 - Mar 29, 1997
M200 / IV / F / 15: Bow Hut register Mar 29, 1997 - Nov. 14, 1997
M200 / IV / F / 16: "Bow Hut Register" November 24, 1997 - September 26, 1998
M200 / IV / F / 17: Bow Hut Register [2000 - 2001]
M200 / IV / F / 18: Bow Hut Register [2001 - 2002]
M200 / IV / F / 19: Bow Hut Apr 18, 2002 - Feb 24, 2003
M200 / IV / F / 20: Bow Hut Apr 8, 2003 - July 18, 2004
M200 / IV / F / 21: Bow Hut July 18, 2004 - Aug 4, 2004
M200 / IV / F / 22: Bow Hut Register 2004 - 2006
M200 / IV / F / 23: Bow Hut Register 2006
M200 / IV / F / 24: Bow Hut Register April 2009 - August 2010
M200 / IV / F / 25: 2010 - 2012 Bow Hut Register
M200 / IV / F / 26: Bow Hut 2012 - 2014
M200 / IV / F / 27: Bow Hut Register [2014/15]
M200 / IV / F / 28: Hut Register Bow Hut [2015-2016]
M200 / IV / F / 29: Bow Hut Register, 2016 - 2018
M200 / IV / F / 30: Bow Hut Register 2018-2019
M200 / IV / F / 31: [100 YR SWISS CENTENNIAL CLIMB 1999: Faye Summit notes. Bow Hut OCT - DEC 1998]
The Alpine Club of Canada website:
https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/bow-hut/
The Alpine Club of Canada Backcountry Huts: Bow Hut Info Sheet pdf:
https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/BowHut-InfoSheet.pdf
File consists of business licenses, application forms and letters of approval sent between Parks Canada and Ben Gadd's guiding company, Ben Gadd Interpretive Services. File includes laminated and paper business license cards used by Ben Gadd between 1997 and 2016.
Produced by the Department of Canadian Heritage and Parks Canada
Date Range
1996-2017
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records
Scope & Content
File consists of business licenses, application forms and letters of approval sent between Parks Canada and Ben Gadd's guiding company, Ben Gadd Interpretive Services. File includes laminated and paper business license cards used by Ben Gadd between 1997 and 2016.
Files consist of summit notes and summit registers from Castle Mountain produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1995 and 2010. Summit records include entries from visitors to the various summits which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred…
Summit Registers and Notes produced by Alpine Club of Canada
Date Range
1995-2003
2005-2010
Physical Description
3 volumes
3 cm of textual records
History / Biographical
Castle Mountain is located in Banff National Park. The mountain is named for the castle-like appearance due to erosion. From 1946 to 1979 it was known as Mount Eisenhower in honour of war veteran, General Dwight D. Eisenhower. The pinnacle on the mountain's southeastern side is called Eisenhower Tower or Eisenhower Peak.
Scope & Content
Files consist of summit notes and summit registers from Castle Mountain produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1995 and 2010. Summit records include entries from visitors to the various summits which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while at the summit, wildlife sightings, trail updates, and related topics.
Files include:
M200 / V / A / 51: Castle Mountain Summit Register 1995 - 1998
M200 / V / A / 52: Castle Mountain Sep 26, 1998 - July 20, 2003
M200 / V / A / 53: Summit Reg. Castle Mtn. [2005 - 2010]
A history of West Castle to Castle Mountain Resort 1967 to 2007 : for skiing pleasure unlimited, 2014, Steven Kenworthy, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Archives Library, Call No: 08.3 K42h
File consists of 8 cm of textual records, 65 x 40 cm or smaller. File pertains to the personal and professional records of the Wardle family, particularly James M. Wardle. Records include: birth certificates for each family member (James Morey Wardle, 1888; Leette (Roney) Wardle, 1889; and Dorothy …
File consists of 8 cm of textual records, 65 x 40 cm or smaller. File pertains to the personal and professional records of the Wardle family, particularly James M. Wardle. Records include: birth certificates for each family member (James Morey Wardle, 1888; Leette (Roney) Wardle, 1889; and Dorothy Hope Wardle, 1919); James and Leette's marriage certificate from 1913; proof of age certificates and various notes on family (Roney) history; records pertaining to the family plot in the Old Banff Cemetery (including a photocopy of a blueprint plan of the cemetery grounds); records pertaining to the estates of James (d. 1971) and Leette (d. 1969); miscellaneous family items (including records about Dorothy's cousin Jack WIlliams who died overseas during World War II); photocopies of records pertaining to appointments and certificates for James (including his appointment to Deputy Minister of the Interior in 1935); and James' shares with the Alaska Yukon Pipeline (1966-1967). Records also include newspaper clippings (Banff Crag and Canyon, Calgary Herald) and various correspondence (related to the material) interspersed throughout.
M521 / II / A / 1 : Includes James Wardle's original birth certificate. In okay condition (some tears), currently in mylar. Consider digitizing.
M521 / II / A / 7 : The original shareholder certificate was ripped and then heavily taped back together. It is currently in mylar but could present issues in the future. Consider digitizing.
Fonds consists of two sous-fonds: M521 and V75.
M521 consists of four series, 154 cm, ca.1870-2002. Series I: Dorothy Wardle Personal Papers, 69.5 cm, ca.1870-2002 (includes Dorothy's written work and research and notes related to Banff). Series II: Wardle Family, 32.5 cm, 1872-1998 (including cor…
154 cm of textual records. -- 1304 photographs (1190 prints, 95 negatives, 19 transparencies). -- 6 photograph albums.
History / Biographical
The Wardle family was comprised of husband and wife, James Morey Wardle (June 26,1888 - May 18,1971) and Maud Leette (Roney) Wardle (May 24,1889 - December 1,1969), and their one child, Dorothy Hope Wardle (May 23,1919 - July 20,2003).
James Wardle, born in Chiliwack, British Columbia, was a civil engineer and public servant. He was the Superintendent of Banff National Park from 1918-1921, Chief Engineer for Parks Canada from 1921-1935, and Deputy Minister of the Interior from 1935-1936. He is primarily known as a highway design engineer, particularly for building the Banff-Windermere, Banff-Lake Louise, and Banff-Jasper highways. He was a councillor for the Municipality of Rockcliffe Park in Ontario and he was the President of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies in Banff from 1925-1929. Mount Wardle in Vermillion was named after him in 1921. James married Leette on November 4, 1913, with whom he had one child, Dorothy.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Dorothy (also known as Dot and Dorie) grew up in Banff, Alberta and Ottawa, Ontario, due to her father's position with the federal government. She was educated at the Mountain School in Banff and at the Elmwood School in Ottawa. All three family members were graduates of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. James graduated in 1912 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Leette graduated with a Bachelor's degree, and in 1942, Dorothy also earned a Bachelor's degree. Dorothy was prominent in student life and active in athletics. In 1941, Dorothy became the first woman elected as President of the Alma Mater Society and during her academic career, Dorothy was a member of the Levana Intercollegiate Debative, University Centenary Committee, and Queen’s War Aid Commission.
Dorothy spent her career as a freelance writer however, upon graduation she served as the first Secretary-In-Charge of Records at Carleton College (now Carleton University) from 1942-1944 in Ottawa and in the mid-1950s worked as a secretary for the Glenbow Foundation in Calgary. Dorothy pursued a lifelong interest in traveling, art, and antiques. Although she was fiercely proud and protective of Banff and the Park, and remained a volunteer and patron of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Dorothy eventually settled in Sidney, British Columbia and shared an apartment with Sheila Iris Ritchie, with whom Dorothy travelled extensively. After her death in 2003, Dorothy, "Dorie," was laid to rest alongside her parents in the Old Banff Cemetery.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of two sous-fonds: M521 and V75.
M521 consists of four series, 154 cm, ca.1870-2002. Series I: Dorothy Wardle Personal Papers, 69.5 cm, ca.1870-2002 (includes Dorothy's written work and research and notes related to Banff). Series II: Wardle Family, 32.5 cm, 1872-1998 (including correspondence with Carl Rungius and Mrs. Helen Brett, and Christmas and other greeting cards from Peter and Catharine Whyte). Series III: Queen's University, 7.5 cm, 1911-1980 (including graduation certificates for each family member and records pertaining to Dorothy's participation on the Alma Mater Society). Series IV: Travel, 44.5 cm, ca.1950-1988 (includes hand-written notebooks meticulously detailing their travels).
V75 consists of two series, 79.5 cm, ca. 1912-2001. Series I: Wardle Family, ca. 1912-1971, 6 albums, 31 cm of photograph prints and negatives (including family trips, trail rides in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and family gatherings). Series II: Dorothy Wardle, 1972-2001, 34 cm of photograph prints, negatives, and transparencies (including Dorothy's travels in Alberta and British Columbia, overseas, and various outings with friends).
Files consist of summit notes and summit registers from East End of Rundle and Mount Rundle produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between around 2001 to 2017. Summit records include entries from visitors to the various summits which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of spec…
Summit Registers and Notes produced by Alpine Club of Canada
Date Range
ca. 2001-2002
2014-2017
Physical Description
4 volumes
7 cm of textual records
History / Biographical
The East End of Rundle is part of the eastern ridge of Mount Rundle near Canmore, AB. From the summit, views of Ha Ling Peak and Spray Valley can be seen.
Scope & Content
Files consist of summit notes and summit registers from East End of Rundle and Mount Rundle produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between around 2001 to 2017. Summit records include entries from visitors to the various summits which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while at the summit, wildlife sightings, trail updates, and related topics.
Files include:
M200 / V / A / 26: Mt. Rundle Register [ca. 2001]
M200 / V / A / 27: Mount Rundle East June 2002 - Sep 2002
M200 / V / A / 28: EEOR Summit Register [ca. 2014 - 2015]
M200 / V / A / 29: East End of Rundle Summit Log [2016-2017]