DIGITAL LIBRARY

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.

In 1961, Andy Russell and his sons set out to document grizzly bears with respect rather than fear. Their groundbreaking film and book Grizzly Country challenged myths and revealed the bears’ true nature. Decades later, The Whyte restored the film, capturing Russell’s narration and adding Ian Tyson’s introduction. This preservation effort ensures new audiences can experience the powerful work that helped inspire awareness and protection of grizzlies and their habitat.

In honour of the 2025 United Nations International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, we are pleased to share the Have You Met: Bob Sandford.

One of the most central things we’ve learned during our time as summer interpreters at The Whyte is that local history runs deep.

Cliff White shares stories of growing up in Banff, historic Banff citizens like his great-aunt Catharine, & working as a Banff Park Warden.

A pioneer of guiding and outfitting in the Canadian Rockies and founder of Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, Jimmy Simpson is a household historical name.