Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and S…
6 m of textual records and printed material. -- ca.6100 photographs : prints, negatives, transparencies. -- 1 photograph album (49 prints). -- 29 motion pictures. -- 5 sound recordings
History / Biographical
Andy Russell, 1915-2005, was a trapper, guide and outfitter, writer, photographer, cinematographer, lecturer and environmental advocate in the Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada.
Russell was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and spent his childhood on a ranch in the foothills near Pincher Creek. He became a skilled horseman, hunter, fisherman and trapper, and, in 1936, was employed by Bert Riggall, a pioneer guide and outfitter of wilderness pack trips in the southern Rockies since 1907. He became Riggall's partner in 1939 and took over the business when Riggall retired in 1946. Andy Russell and Kathleen (Kay) Riggall married in 1938 and raised five children at their ranch bordering Waterton Lakes National Park, where family businesses included guiding, saddlehorses and ranching. Children are: Richard "Dick" H. (b.1938); Andrew Charles "Charlie" (b.1941); Harold John "John" (b.1944); Hugh Gordon Riggall "Gordon" (b.1947); Lorenda Anne "Anne" (b.1952).
Russell continued as a renowned guide and outfitter with a wealthy repeat clientele until he was forced out of guiding by 1960 with the advance of the oil industry concerns upon wilderness areas in southern Alberta and British Columbia. Russell began to write nature articles in 1945 and after 1960 concentrated upon writing, photography, film making, lecturing and ranching. He wrote for numerous magazines and newspapers, produced radio broadcasts, and, using colour motion picture photography, developed programs on wildlife and wilderness habitat research for live public performances. Russell's films launched his career as an author of popular wildlife and mountain culture books, which included Grizzly Country. In later years, he was an active writer, consultant and advocate of wilderness and environmental management and received numerous awards and honours, including Member of the Order of Canada.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of seven series: I. Personal and professional series, 1937-1993 (diaries, correspondence, filing systems and papers pertaining to awards, memberships, biography and other); II. Business series, 1948-1982 (pertaining to guiding, outfitting, trail riding, ranching, Andy Russell and Sons, royalties and lecturing); III. Writing, broadcasting and public appearances series, 1908-1990 (papers and photographs pertaining to writing, book projects, columns, broadcasts, reviews, advertising, promotion and other); IV. Photography and cinematography series, 1909-1990 (details below); V. Wildlife study and conservation activities series, 1945-[198-]; VI. Other activities series, 1931-[199-] (politics, interviews, information files); VII. Russell family series, [1867]-1983.
Photography and cinematography series consists of: Riggall/Russell guiding activity photographs, 1909-1962, ca.280 items; Andy Russell and Sons Production Ltd / Andy Russell professional photographs and films, ca.1940- ca.1990, ca.4200 photographs (mainly transparencies), 28 motion pictures, accompanied by some textual and printed items; personal and family photographs, 1916-1989, ca.1550 items; collected photographs, ca.1940-197-, ca.75 items. Professional photography and cinematography primarily arose from field work by Andy, Dick and Charlie Russell and pertains mainly to flora, fauna and landscape of the Canadian Rockies in continental divide region, British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska.
Motion pictures, ca.1950-1974, include original film "Grizzly Country" by Dick, Charlie and Andy Russell, produced by Evan J. Anton, ca.1969, copy print of same; also unedited wildlife and landscape footage of Waterton area, Yukon and British Columbia.
Sound recordings are interviews with Andy Russell, [ca.1970]-1988.
Fonds consists of material pertaining to the mountain parks of western Canada. I.A. Banff National Park photograph collection, 1903-1965 (predominant 1920s-1950s), ca.1756 prints and negatives. Pertains mainly to Banff townsite and developments and facilities within the park. Included are private …
Parks Canada administers national parks in Canada. The agency has been administered by several government departments and undergone numerous name changes over the years. Most recently it was known as the Canadian Parks Service. Parks Canada is responsible for the administration of mountain parks and, in some cases, townsites within these parks. Until 1990, it administered the town of Banff in Banff National Park. Parks Canada provides a variety of services to visitors and residents pertaining to interpretive and visitor information; trail, resource and wildlife management; fire protection, mountaineering search and rescue and avalanche control; facilities and utilities; townsite services etc.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of material pertaining to the mountain parks of western Canada.
I.A. Banff National Park photograph collection, 1903-1965 (predominant 1920s-1950s), ca.1756 prints and negatives. Pertains mainly to Banff townsite and developments and facilities within the park. Included are private and government buildings, dwellings, roads and utilities; resource and wildlife development and management; visitor facilities; lodges, hotels and bungalow camps; warden and fire protection activities; Banff events; Norman Sanson trips and expeditions.
I.B. Banff National Park warden service photographs, motion pictures and documentation pertaining to wardens, warden activities and cabins, wildlife management; ca.11,000 items. Series includes 2 National Parks Service motion pictures "Hunting without a gun",1930 and Stalking big game", 1930.
I.C. Lantern slides, 2 sets (accn.3783); includes CPR lecture set, ca.1915, 145 items, and Canadian Rockies lecture set, ca.1920, 54 items, accompanied by lecture notes (stored with textual material M317).
I.D. Cave and Basin project; copies of mainly snapshot prints acquired by the Cave and Basin restoration and re-development project, 1981-1985, from various individuals, 204 items.
I.E. Yoho National Park collected photographs, ca.90 photographs : prints, pertain to Yoho National Park landscape, scenery, railway, places and facilities, including Field. Accompanied by 3 letters. Collected from numerous donors, including Kevin Hargadon, T. Lees, Ernie Plant, F. W. Yeats and Millie Adamson.
I.F. Other, ca.90 items?; prints, transparencies, copy negatives, video recording. Includes: colour transparencies by Jack Holroyd and Bruce Gordon, 1966-1974, re Banff buildings and Protection Mountain mine; photographs of Bankhead, its people and activities used for project Bankhead: The Twenty Year Town by Ben Gadd, 1989; video recording, "Saskatchewan Glacier Clean-up 1994"; VHS cassette copy of National Parks of Canada films produced in the 1930s, including Winter Wonderland, Skiing at Lake Louise, Skiing in Cloudland, Sunshine and Powder Snow, When Winter Comes and "She Climbs to Conquer" by William J. Oliver featuring Georgia Engelhard and Swiss Guide, Ernest Feuz, 1932. CD-ROM includes scanned images from a photograph album "Public Works Projects 1930s Banff National Park" ; Tom Boon's photographs of Mount Royal Hotel fire, 1967, and photograph of C.A. (Alfred) Boon, Union Oil representative at Field and Banff, 1935.
II. Sound recordings series, 1977-1985, ca.55 sound recordings : audio tape cassettes, audio tape reel. Series consists of: A. Yoho National Park human history study, 1977, 20 cassettes. B. Memoirs of the Warden Service oral history project, 1984, 15 interviews (29 cassettes). Project was conducted by Maryalice Harvey Stewart. Accompanied by report. C. Other, 1980-1985, 3 items, includes rededication ceremonies for Kootenay National Park and for the Park Museum, Banff, also recording pertaining to the Castleguard Caves.
III. Textual records series, [ca.1887]-1994, ca.250 cm of textual records. Series consists of unpublished reports and management plans; visitor registers, summit registers, cabin and fire lookout registers (some with photographs); register of pack parties, Banff National Park, 1922-1933; maps and plans, including annotated warden service maps; warden records; surveyor notebooks; and transcripts and ephemera pertaining to ceremonies and events. Reports pertain to archaeological sites and research, national parks history, warden service, coal mining in the Bankhead area, predator studies, Cave and Basin, Radium Hot Springs, Ya Ha Tinda Ranch and other sites.
Notes
Original photograph album of the scanned images on CD-ROM is located in the Warden's office, Banff National Park Archival Room, cabinet 4, entitled "Public Works Projects 1930s Banff National Park"