DIGITAL LIBRARY

Preparing the winter exhibitions offered an opportunity to reframe Peter and Catharine Whyte’s work. The discovery of numerous sketches from their 1937 Assiniboine trip, alongside Catharine’s vivid letters and Peter’s annotated photographs, revealed a richer story. Arranged chronologically, the exhibition invites viewers to follow the journey from bright autumn days through the gathering storm to a landscape transformed by fresh snow.

From delicate studio portraits to sweeping mountain panoramas, the Luxton Family Collection reveals how photographs reflect the lives, values, and curiosities of those who framed them. Spanning 1860 to 1960, the images trace evolving photographic practices, personal stories, and a changing Rockies landscape, from ornate Victorian portraits to early panoramic views of Banff, offering a vivid window into a century of memory, craft, and place.

Between 1915 and 1917, Ukrainian and Eastern European immigrants were imprisoned in Banff National Park’s Castle Mountain and Cave & Basin internment camps. Forced to build roads, hotels, and golf courses under harsh conditions, these “enemy aliens” endured starvation, abuse, and extreme weather. Today, the scars of this history remain, reminding visitors that the park’s beauty was shaped by both natural wonders and human suffering.

On December 18, 2025, Chic Scott sat down with Barry Blanchard for a Fireside Chat at The Whyte. Barry Blanchard is one of Canada’s most accomplished and respected mountaineers. A legendary alpinist, guide, and author, Barry has played a pivotal role in shaping modern Canadian mountaineering and shares a long history and deep connection with Chic Scott.

Fourteen years later, the Fireside Chats at The Whyte remained a warm, community gathering. As Director of Archives and Special Collections Elizabeth Kundert-Cameron observed at the final event, familiar faces returned year after year, and Chic’s stories “evoked… the feeling of being at a family party.” What began as an open house in the Abegweit became a recorded oral history, preserved in The Whyte's Archives and Special Collections Library for future generations.

On November 1st, 2023, Frances Klatzel joined Chic Scott for a Fireside Chat at The Whyte. Born and raised in Calgary, she obtained a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Calgary and worked for the Canadian Parks Service for seven years. A trip to Nepal in 1980 changed her life; she helped create a museum of Sherpa culture, founded Mera Publications and co-founded CORE International.