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 five discs containing video files and three VHS tapes, which were collected by Ben Gadd. Videos pertain to mountaineering and mountain sports; documentary footage about Mount Robson and other regions in the Canadian Rockies; icebergs; ice climbing in Maligne Canyon; and a talk abou…
File consists of five discs containing video files and three VHS tapes, which were collected by Ben Gadd. Videos pertain to mountaineering and mountain sports; documentary footage about Mount Robson and other regions in the Canadian Rockies; icebergs; ice climbing in Maligne Canyon; and a talk about the Association of Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment (AMPPE) presented in the Jasper Chamber of Commerce.
Notes
Individual contents in file:
V810 / I / D / NV - 1 : "A Life Ascending" [produced by Stephen Grynberg]
V810 / I / D / NV - 2 : "Mt. Robson: Giant of Canadian Rockies"
V810 / I / D / NV - 3 : "Aweberg!" [video about icebergs, attributed to Ben Gadd]
V810 / I / D / NV - 4 : "The Rockies: A two-part documentary by Stefan Tolz in cooperation with Fritz Pleitgan and Gerd Ruge" [Ben and Will Gadd appear in video]
V810 / I / D / NV - 5 : "Queen of Maligne Feb. '06" [video of Ben and Will Gadd ice climbing in Maligne Canyon]
V810 / I / D / NV - 6 : "Northlands 12/6/88" [wildlife footage with commentary]
V810 / I / D / NV - 7 : "The Rockies - Fine Cut" [n.d., no audio; footage of wildlife, landscapes, etc.]
V810 / I / D / NV - 8 : Dave Day / Jasper Chamber of Commerce [n.d.; discussing AMPPE and membership, issues in Banff National Park]
File consists of contract agreements, employment documents and related correspondence pertaining to writing projects which Ben Gadd completed for National Geographic. Projects include an article titled "Best of the Rockies: Hiking" [2003]; and summaries of several national parks and other regions o…
File consists of contract agreements, employment documents and related correspondence pertaining to writing projects which Ben Gadd completed for National Geographic. Projects include an article titled "Best of the Rockies: Hiking" [2003]; and summaries of several national parks and other regions of the Canadian Rockies for use in the publication "National Geographic's Guide to the National Parks of Canada" [2010].
Sub-series consists of textual records and photographs collected by Ben Gadd. Content pertains to various research subjects, current events and other topics of interest, including: environmental science; wildlife; sports and recreation; Parks Canada; clubs, charities and organizations; natural hist…
ca.180 cm of textual records -- 5 CDs with digital image files -- 1 floppy disk -- ca.122 photograph prints : b&w and col. -- 2 negatives : b&w ; 6 x 7.5 cm -- 26 film strips : col. negatives ; 35 mm
Scope & Content
Sub-series consists of textual records and photographs collected by Ben Gadd. Content pertains to various research subjects, current events and other topics of interest, including: environmental science; wildlife; sports and recreation; Parks Canada; clubs, charities and organizations; natural history; and conservation.
Notes
Subjects are arranged alphabetically by title. Original titles and arrangement of materials by Ben Gadd has been preserved. See file-level descriptions for content details.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 11 : Auto
M590 / I / C / 12 : Awards
M590 / I / C / 13 to 14 : Alberta Wilderness Association [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 15 : Banff Issues
M590 / I / C / 16 to 17 : Bikes, Bicycling [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 18 : Bird Atlas
M590 / I / C / 19 : Bird Checklists
M590 / I / C / 20 : Boating
M590 / I / C / 21 : Book Talk
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 37 to 38 : Climbing [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 39 : Collection Permits
M590 / I / C / 40 : Community Tourism Action Plan
M590 / I / C / 41 : Computers Ben and Cia Have Owned
M590 / I / C / 42 to 43 : Computers - TRS 80 [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 44 to 45 : Computers - Packard-Bell Machine + Suit [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 46 : Computer - Allwrite Word Processor
M590 / I / C / 47 : CPAWS
M590 / I / C / 48 : Copyfitting
M590 / I / C / 49 : Creationism
M590 / I / C / 50 : Crusades
M590 / I / C / 51 : Dams
M590 / I / C / 52 : Dog-Sledding
M590 / I / C / 53 : Eco-Tourism, etc.
M590 / I / C / 54 : Endangered Species Program
M590 / I / C / 55 to 56 : Environmentally Current [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 57 : Federation of Alberta Naturalists
M590 / I / C / 58 : Firesmart, Forestwise
M590 / I / C / 59 : Fishing, Boats
M590 / I / C / 60 : Flanagan, Rory
M590 / I / C / 61 : Forest Fires
M590 / I / C / 62 to 63 : Four Mountain Parks and Waterton [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 64 : Four Mountain Parks Planning Review, Other
M590 / I / C / 65 : Free Trade, GATT, NAFTA
M590 / I / C / 66 : Friends of Wells Gray Park
M590 / I / C / 67 : Grassi Lakes Geology
M590 / I / C / 68 : GSC
M590 / I / C / 69 : Global Warming
M590 / I / C / 70 : Green Party
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 22 : Ginnie and Stanley Boucher
M590 / I / C / 23 : Brian Chaplin Committee Brief and Response by City
M590 / I / C / 24 : Jim Butler
M590 / I / C / 25 to 26 : Cadomin Cave [Files 1 and 2 of 2]
M590 / I / C / 27 : Cadomin Cave Signs
M590 / I / C / 28 : Canadian Mountaineering Co-op
M590 / I / C / 29 : Canadian Nature Federation
M590 / I / C / 30 : Caribou [File 1 of 3]
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
File consists of personal interest materials, including newspaper clippings, research articles, loose notes, and other textual records collected by Ben Gadd. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject title.
Notes
Contents of individual folders in file:
M590 / I / C / 71 : Guitar
M590 / I / C / 72 : "Grizzlies Need Friends, Too"
M590 / I / C / 73 : Heli-Hiking
M590 / I / C / 74 : Hemp
M590 / I / C / 75 : Horses
M590 / I / C / 76 : Icefield Centre Redevelopment
M590 / I / C / 77 : Interpretation Canada
M590 / I / C / 78 : JPC Expansion, Other CP Hotel
M590 / I / C / 79 : Jasper Environmental Association
M590 / I / C / 80 : Jasper Management Plan Forum
M590 / I / C / 81 : JNP Issues - Not Tours
M590 / I / C / 82 : Jeeps, ATVs, etc.
M590 / I / C / 83 : Kananaskis Country"