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
Papers are Director's papers, financial records, publicity and public relations records, reports, newsclippings; also telegrams to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Lambart. Includes material produced by J. W. A. Hickson, H. F. Lambart, A. H. MacCarthy and A. O. Wheeler. Photographs of the Mount Logan Exped…
I.A.1.e.i. Administration: expeditions - Mount Logan Expedition
Sous-Fonds
V14
Accession Number
5200
Reference Code
M200 / AC 0M / 017
M200 / AC 00M / 152-168
V14 / AC 0P / 003-009
V14 / AC 0P / 410-599
V14 / AC 0P / 600-629
V14 / AC 0P / 708-716
V14 / AC 0P / 808 (1-125)
V14 / AC 0P / 813 (1-231)
Date Range
1923-1926
Physical Description
ca.35 cm of textual records : includes oversize oversize. -- ca.580 photographs : prints, negatives, transparencies
Scope & Content
Papers are Director's papers, financial records, publicity and public relations records, reports, newsclippings; also telegrams to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Lambart. Includes material produced by J. W. A. Hickson, H. F. Lambart, A. H. MacCarthy and A. O. Wheeler. Photographs of the Mount Logan Expedition were mainly produced by H. F. Lambart; also some by A. H. MacCarthy. Includes air and ground survey photographs, Mount Logan to Mounts Bess and Alexander, including Mount Robson and area, 1924. Includes a lantern slide set of 231 items, accompanied by an inventory (AC 0M-146). Some prints are panoramas.
A detailed list is available for a portion of the material.
Related Material
Material is closely related to expedition material in Sous-fonds III. Personal papers and photographs (H. F. Lambart papers and photographs; W. W. Foster photographs). Related oversize display prints can be found in Series I.A.1.j. (AC 00P / 137-147 and AC 00P / 275-280).
Includes photographs of ACC property at Mount Assiniboine (accompanied by 2 maps - AC 018P); clubhouse view; move of library to Vancouver Public Library; Board meeting; closing party at the old clubhouse (AC 421P / 09-37); office staff.
Includes photographs of ACC property at Mount Assiniboine (accompanied by 2 maps - AC 018P); clubhouse view; move of library to Vancouver Public Library; Board meeting; closing party at the old clubhouse (AC 421P / 09-37); office staff.
Photographs pertain to mountain peaks, glaciers, landscapes and scenery; mountaineering and alpine recreation; mountaineers and personalities, including portraits; huts; events and other subjects. A significant portion pertain to Alpine Club camps (ca.225 prints, 8 negatives and 5 albums containin…
Most items, including the six photograph albums, were likely produced by private individuals and club members. Includes photographs by: M. E. Alford, L. M. S. Amery, Fred Armbrister, A. H. Bent, B. C. Government, Eric Brooks, Allan Carpe, P. A. Carson, W. M. Docharty, Mary Fallis, Marion Fawdry, E. Feuz, F. W. Godsal, Douglas Griffin, L. G. Grimble, Klaus Hahn, Don Harmon, E. W. D. Holway, Frank Jacobs, Wally Joyce, E. Mills, C. H. Mitchell, Elfreda Pigou, Jaroslav Ruza, Mary Schaffer, W. E. Stone, J. M. Thorington, W. J. Topley, Hap Trevelyan, Underwood and Underwood, Valentine and Sons, Charles Walcott, Bradford Washburn and A. G. Wehrli. Many items are not credited.
Date Range
[ca.1900-1960]
Physical Description
ca.720 photographs (ca.560 prints, ca.40 negatives, ca.120 transparencies, 6 albums of ca.350 prints)
Scope & Content
Photographs pertain to mountain peaks, glaciers, landscapes and scenery; mountaineering and alpine recreation; mountaineers and personalities, including portraits; huts; events and other subjects. A significant portion pertain to Alpine Club camps (ca.225 prints, 8 negatives and 5 albums containing over 300 prints). Camps and expeditions documented include: Yoho Valley (1906) (1919); Paradise Valley (1907); Sherbrooke Lake (1911); Vermilion Pass (1912); Mount Robson (1913); Cathedral Mountain (1913); Upper Yoho Valley (1914); Ptarmigan Lake (1915); Healy Creek (1916); Lake of Hanging Glacier (1928); Coast Range (1952); Eremite Valley and others. Portraits include those of Charles Fay, Jean Habel, Frank R. Oastler, James F. Porter, H. E. Sampson, Charles D. Walcott and A. O. Wheeler. Includes series of British Columbia air photos of B.C. locations in the 1950s (AC 055 / 60-66). Contains many unidentified and undated items.
Photographs mainly document Alpine Club of Canada camps between 1906 and 1913. Views includes Lake Louise-Yoho areas, possibly made during Yoho Pass ACC camp, 1906?; Rogers pass area during ACC camp, 1908; Lake O'Hara area during ACC camp, 1909; trip to Mount Goodsir and Ice River Valley, 1909; Mo…
Photographs mainly document Alpine Club of Canada camps between 1906 and 1913. Views includes Lake Louise-Yoho areas, possibly made during Yoho Pass ACC camp, 1906?; Rogers pass area during ACC camp, 1908; Lake O'Hara area during ACC camp, 1909; trip to Mount Goodsir and Ice River Valley, 1909; Mount Sir Sandford and Illecillewaet Glacier areas, 1910; Sherbrooke Lake ACC Camp, 1911; Vermilion Pass area during ACC camp, 1912; Cathedral Mountain camp, 1913; Strathcona Park, B.C., 1912; Mount Robson ACC camp, 1913; also miscellaneous views.
Textual items are diaries pertaining to ACC summer camps and Maligne Lake ski camp. Photographs pertain to Glacier ACC camp, 1947; Peyto Lake camp, 1948; Freshfield Glacier camp, 1949; Mount Assiniboine camp, 1952; Scott Glacier [Hooker Icefield], 1953; Glacier camp 1956; and Maligne Lake ski camp…
Textual items are diaries pertaining to ACC summer camps and Maligne Lake ski camp. Photographs pertain to Glacier ACC camp, 1947; Peyto Lake camp, 1948; Freshfield Glacier camp, 1949; Mount Assiniboine camp, 1952; Scott Glacier [Hooker Icefield], 1953; Glacier camp 1956; and Maligne Lake ski camp, 1957. Prints have identifications on reverse.