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THE CAIRN News about Canadian Rockies’ art, history and culture and the activities and history of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.​ In the fall of 1976, the Whyte Museum published the first print version (click to view) of The Cairn newsletter to share what was going on at the Museum with the community. In that issue, Catharine Robb Whyte wrote in her greeting, “Pete and I always felt it was a way of telling our friends what is going on here and encouraging us all to work together.” In 2018, the 50th anniversary of the Whyte Museum, the print version of The Cairn ended and the monthly digital version began. All issues, print and digital, are below. Click on the covers to view. To receive the digital version of The Cairn by email subscribe to our E-newsletter, using the form at the bottom of this page . The Cairn — Digital Edition, from October 2018 The Cairn - Spring 2024 The Cairn - Winter 2024 The Cairn - Fall 2023 The Cairn - Summer 2023 The Cairn - Spring 2023 The Cairn - Winter 2023 The Cairn Fall 2022 The Cairn - Summer 2022 The Cairn - April 2022 The Cairn - January 2022 The Cairn - November 2021 The Cairn - September 2021 The Cairn - July 2021 The Cairn - May 2021 The Cairn - March 2021 The Cairn - January 2021 The Cairn - September/October 2020 The Cairn - August 2020 The Cairn - July 2020 The Cairn - June 2020 The Cairn - May 2020 The Cairn - March/April 2020 The Cairn - February 2020 The Cairn - January 2020 The Cairn_December_2019_Vol 2_Iss 12.jpg The Cairn — Print Edition, from Fall 1976 to Summer 2018 Click to view issues from the 1970s , 1980s , 1990s , 2000s and 2010s . 114_cairn_spring_summer_2018_front.jpg 113_cairn_fall_winter_2017_2018_front.jp 112_cairn_spring_summer_2017_front.jpg 111_cairn_fall_winter_2016_2017_front.jp 110_cairn_spring_summer_2016_front.jpg 109_cairn_fall_winter_2015_2016_front.jp 108_cairn_spring_summer_2015_front.jpg 107_cairn_fall_winter_2014_2015_front.jp 106_cairn_spring_summer_2014_front.jpg 105_cairn_fall_winter_2013_2014_front.jp 104_cairn_spring_summer_2013_front.jpg 103_cairn_fall_winter_2012_2013_front.jp 102_cairn_spring_summer_2012_front.jpg 101_cairn_fall_winter_2011_2012_front.jp 100_cairn_spring_summer_2011_front.jpg 099_cairn_fall_winter_2010_2011_front.jpg 098_cairn_spring_summer_2010_front.jpg 097_cairn_fall_winter_2009_2010_front.jpg 096_cairn_spring_summer_2009_front.jpg 095_cairn_fall_winter_2008_front.jpg 094_cairn_spring_summer_2008_front.jpg 093_cairn_fall_winter_2007_2008_front.jpg 092_cairn_spring_summer_2007_front.jpg 091_cairn_fall_winter_2006_2007_front.jpg 090_cairn_spring_summer_2006_front.jpg 2000s 2010s 1990s 1980s 1970s Footer

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Meet the Interns By Kylie Fineday and Kate Skelton Back to The Cairn Kylie Fineday In January, we welcomed Kylie Fineday as a student intern from the University of Lethbridge, where she majors in Art Studio. She will be working in our Curatorial Department until April, and is excited about the opportunity to learn about the history of the Whyte Museum and gain valuable skills and experience while working with us. During her time here, Kylie is cataloguing items into the heritage collection, assisting with exhibit installations, as well as taking on a curatorial project in our heritage gallery. Kate Skelton The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies welcomes Kate Skelton to her new role as Processing Archivist, starting April 1st. Kate Skelton was hired as an Archival Assistant Intern in September 2018, through the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage Internship program. Before her placement, Kate graduated from the University of Leicester, UK with a master’s degree in Museum Studies. Kate’s current work focuses on processing and digitizing materials which have been donated to the Whyte Museum – this includes numbering and labelling archival items, adding information to the Whyte Museum’s archival database and creating digital copies of photographs and documents from the Museum’s collection. In February, Kate also completed a digital exhibit on Nicholas Morant, a photographer for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, which has recently been added to the Whyte Museum’s website . Back to The Cairn

Lisa Shepherd How Much? Artist Statement The Covid19 pandemic first shows itself locally with the emptying of stores. Only social media is well stocked, of images of empty shelves. Supply and demand brings opportunity for the ethically-devoid few who buy up pallets of hand sanitizer, N95 masks and other essential medical supplies to sell on Amazon at 400% margin. Healthcare and emergency workers are forced to reuse personal protective equipment and risk their lives to save our loved ones. After two weeks of nothing – no sewing, no creating – I crack open my chest and begin to weed through the juxtaposition of all that is happening. Heart fully exposed. Through all, the birds can be heard more clearly than before. The air is crisp and clean. No traffic sounds. There are sightings of animals where people no longer monopolize space. Bit by bit, the inspiration to create returns. I wonder, when we get through this, will we be better than before? Will we have learned what is truly important? Is this hope? I post my art mask. Private messages. Lacking introduction. Two words. How much? Return

Climbing Pioneers of Yamnuska Climbing Pioneers of Yamnuska is about Iyamnathka, the “flat-faced mountain” on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, overlooking the prairies, which has been sacred to the Stoney People for millennia. More recently, the mountain, now known as Yamnuska, has become special to thousands of rock climbers. Since the early fifties many climbing routes have been established up the south face. Using interviews videotaped by Chic Scott in the 1990s, this film directed & co-produced by Glen Crawford, tells the story of those climbing pioneers and their adventures — Leo Grillmair, Hans Gmoser, Franz Dopf, Brian Greenwood, Don Vockeroth, Dick Lofthouse and Urs Kallen. This film was generously sponsored by Dr. Bill Hanlon and Lake Louise Ski Resort.

Whyte Home – Cataloguing During COVID-19 By Thea Sleight Back to The Cairn Above: Thea Sleight As part of my final year in Art History and Museum Studies at the University of Lethbridge I interned in the curatorial department at the Whyte Museum from September to December 2020. I’d often begin my mornings at the Whyte Museum with a symptom checklist and an infrared thermometer to the forehead, before heading to the Whyte Home for the rest of the day. There, I had my isolated makeshift office set up in the couple’s old studio, where I catalogued everything from vintage Kodak photography equipment and cute miniature Japanese figurines, to girdles, and glass cork-top medicine bottles. Left: Just one layer of miniatures, all catalogued, and wrapped in acid-free tissue for preservation. Right: Miniature ornate dishware. Pen for scale. Because this was my second collections internship, I was already pretty familiar with the general cataloguing process, which involves measuring the object, a physical description, condition reporting, photographing, labelling, housing (giving the artifact a permanent place to live), and filing of the physical catalogue. Of course I had to learn some new things, like how to use the Whyte Museum’s cataloguing software, but other than that, it was a similar rhythm I could fall into. Above: The upstairs bathroom was left just as it had been when the museum’s founder, Catharine Robb Whyte, lived there. The medicine cabinets were fully stocked with medications, toiletries, and, as seen above, first aid supplies that are very familiar today. My favourite part, besides the catalogue writing, was working with the artifacts themselves. Since the house was donated as is, it was like working inside a time capsule! There were objects I encountered that were familiar, foreign, and some of which I couldn’t even identify. I saw brand names that still exist today, and others that have since disappeared. It really made me consider cultural shifts through time, how much we’ve changed, and how much we really haven’t. I felt like I got to know Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte through their possessions, and it made me think about what kinds of conclusions people would draw about me from my own objects. Even though I didn’t get to the experience the Whyte Museum in its true unrestricted form, I’m still incredibly grateful to have been there. Not only was I was able to see and work with incredible artifacts and gain practical experience, but I was able to do so safely during these times. It was a blast! Back to The Cairn

Fireside Chat with Chic Scott Back to The Cairn The tables have turned! Normally, interviewer Chic Scott leads the Fireside Chats. On April 24, 2019, Zac Robinson interviewed Chic, about his life as a celebrated mountaineer, adventurer, skier and author of mountain literature. #chicscott #oralhistory #heritage #Banff Click to View Back to The Cairn

File name: fonds: Title: Date: D escription: v439_pa_187 Moore family fonds Pearl and Pat Brewster 1904

Kevin Doyle - Pushing the Limits: the Legacy | Episode Four In 1996 and 1997 Chic Scott recorded 84 interviews with leading mountaineers all across Canada while researching for his book “Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering”. These interviews have been safely stored in the archives of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies for 25 years and have now been digitized. Chic and local filmmaker Glen Crawford have selected several of the best interviews, producing them into films enhanced with photographs. These interviews are with Tim Auger, Sharon Wood, Hans Gmoser, Kevin Doyle, Brian Greenwood, Barry Blanchard, Leo Grillmair, Pat Morrow, Don Vockeroth, and Laurie Skreslet. The interviews will be released one each month during 2022, with Kevin Doyle featured in April. Kevin Doyle is one of the finest alpinists to come from Canada. Tales of his strength and incredible climbing ability are legendary. In his early career, he pioneered difficult new waterfall ice climbs and big alpine routes here in the Rockies. In 1984 in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan he climbed a bold route on Rakaposhi and in 1988 almost succeeded on an alpine-style ascent of the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat. Kevin loved the European Alps and climbed there on several occasions. His big year was 1983 when he made a number of outstanding ascents including the Eiger north face, the Matterhorn North Face solo and the north face of the Grandes Jorasses where he pushed himself to the limit. Kevin retired from extreme climbing after the Nanga Parbat attempt but for ten years his flame shone bright. This interview was recorded by Chic Scott in Kevin’s Calgary home on September 22, 1996. See more enhanced interviews in the Pushing the Limits: The Legacy project.

Christina King Inuvialuit Fortitude Artist Statement My name is Taalrumiq/Christina King. I am an Inuvialuit woman originally from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Inuvialuit are the Inuit of the Canadian Western Arctic. My home community is in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region on the shores of the Beaufort Sea/Arctic Ocean. Currently, I am living in Prince George, BC the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh. Although I am far from my ancestral homeland and community, my culture is what inspires my work. Inuvialuit Fortitude Covid-19 Masks These masks are my Inuvialuit response to Covid-19. Over half of our people were wiped out during the Spanish Flu epidemic approximately 100 years ago and we were on the brink of extinction. We had no natural immunity to diseases brought over by European Whalers and Fur Traders. My maternal grandparents were young children who helped fetch water for the sick and dying during that time. Today's Inuvialuit descend from those who survived the devastating flu epidemic. We also face the same fear with Covid-19. These masks are a testament to our strength and resilience as Inuvialuit People. We are strong, intelligent, successful, modern people who still live according to traditional values and way of life passed on to us from our ancestors. As Indigenous people, our experiences tell us that we aren't really seen, heard, or valued by mainstream society. Yet we are still here despite years of colonization, systemic racism and injustice, genocide, diseases, starvation, residential schools, and ongoing ill treatment of our people. These masks are a sister set, inspired by the resilience, strength, and fortitude of Inuvialuit people and culture; these masks say "I'm here, I'm real, I have value, I exist." We are still here. Our experiences, our history, our future matters, we matter. Both masks feature traditional design elements of Inuvialuit clothing, such as walrus tusks. Walruses were an important resource for Inuvialuit life in the arctic, providing food, material for tools, rope, waterproof clothing and oil for lamps. Mask 2 is made of white sealskin with red walrus tusks and a zigzag bead embellishment. This mask also has red sealskin and mini sequin fringe, beaded trim and natural blue fox fur accents. With braided silver ear pieces, red, white and black trim, this mask is a modern interpretation of Inuvialuit tradition. Individually each mask is beautiful, strong, and makes a statement. Together they are so much more. Like Inuvialuit, together they are stronger! Like all indigenous people, together they are stronger! Return

Tania Clute Jacobs Reslient Flowers Artist Statement My cousin saw the open call for beadwork for Breathe back in the beginning of April. I was working on looming several replica wampum belts and started thinking about some concepts. I drew up my initial design, and it took me a while before I actually started the project. I kept putting it off and wasn’t sure I was going to make the mask. I knew I wanted to create something that would reflect me as an artist. That I wanted it to be a fully beaded face mask, because I love to bead. It’s a passion. But I couldn’t get into this particular project. Then we found out that my husband’s family who live in another community had COVID-19. Thinking about them and my own family here, I just started to work on the mask. A lot of emotions went into the creation of this mask. It was a challenge to make and I almost gave up a few times, because it wasn’t coming out quite right. Finally, I knew exactly what I wanted and I went into a happy place with focus. In total it took me about two-weeks to complete. After I was done, my husband helped me to pick my fingers up off the floor. I made a structured mask out of Pellon and card stock to bead with vinyl backing, representing how precious the N95 masks have become during the pandemic. Running along the bottom of the mask are strawberry plants, which is a good medicine in our culture stemming from our creation story. There are three flowers on the mask representing my children and hope that our medicines will keep them protected, just as a mask helps to protect the healthcare workers on the front line. Return

Back to the Community Book Sale: Copies From the Collection Back to the Cairn By Kayla Cazes, Librarian/Reference Archivist This October, the Whyte Museum Archives and Special Collections department offers a rare opportunity to add a bit of history to your library. Join the Whyte Museum for B ack to the Community Book Sale: Copies of the Collection, a special book event held October 27, 2023, for Whyte Museum members and donors, and October 28-29, 2023, for the general public. Items will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. “I love the idea that people have the opportunity to add some hard-to-find titles to their own collection, with the added thrill of knowing that the book may have been part of someone’s personal library, with a historic connection to the Bow Valley,” said Elizabeth Kundert-Cameron, Director of Archives and Special Collections. An impressive array of publications will be available, sure to delight bibliophiles, historians, naturalists, cartophiles, and the curious. There are books of literature and poetry, of travel and mountain adventure. And from naturalist Ben Gadd, there is a bounty of books for the public to choose from pertaining to natural history. Maps range from early Rocky Mountains Park of 1922 to topographical maps of the 1980s, while vintage pamphlets showcase a Banff from many eras. Up to 1400 books, maps, magazines, and pamphlets dating from the late 1800s to mid-2000s will be available for sale, many of which would have lined the shelves of prominent historical figures like Bill Peyto, Pearl Brewster Moore, and Whyte Museum founders Catharine Robb Whyte and Peter Whyte. What someone reads can tell you a lot about them. This book sale provides the opportunity to own a little bit of Banff's famous locals' library and to step into their lives. Learn more about these well-known historical locals below. Dorothy Wardle (1913–2003) Dot, Dorie, Dorothy was a local woman who as a child attended the Mountain School (205 Grizzly St.) in Banff, run by Margaret Greenham. Her father was the Superintendent of Banff National Park from 1918-1921, Chief Engineer for Parks Canada from 1921-1935, and Deputy Minister of the Interior from 1935-1936. A passionate and proud protector of Banff National Park, she was also a long-term volunteer here at the Whyte. Lillian Gest (1898–1986) Lillian was not Canadian and lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, she visited the Canadian Rockies almost every single summer for over 60 years. She began her love affair with the Rockies in 1921. She was Director of the Lake O’Hara Trails Club, and often rode with mountain adventurer Caroline Hinman. Her last visit to Lake O’Hara was in1981. Sam Ward (1884–1973) Sam was a builder and finishing carpenter in Banff, Alberta. Sam and Louisa Ward, 1884-1970, came to Banff in 1912. Alongside Vern Castella, Sam worked on various carpentry work on the Whyte Home, which is still on our grounds today. He and his wife were close with Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte. Sam Ward was quite the singer and known for music hall recitations. Elizabeth (Lizzie) Rummel (1897–1980) Lizzie was a lodge owner and operator in Banff National Park, Alberta and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. Rummel was born Elisabeth von Rummel to an aristocratic German family. Her forty-two year career in the mountains included: working at Mount Assiniboine Lodge until 1942; managing Skoki Lodge and, at various times, Temple Chalet and Lake Louise Ski Lodge, ca.1943-1950; owning and operating Sunburst Lake Camp, 1950-1970; and working as assistant and oral history interviewer at the Archives of the Canadian Rockies (now the Archives of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies) from 1966 to 1980. Catharine Robb Whyte (1906–1979) Born in Concord, Massachusetts, growing up amongst the wealth and creativity of the Robb and Morse families, she began her studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925-1929. Here she would meet the love of her life Peter Whyte, eventually marrying and moving to Banff. Catharine was an artist, photographer, traveller, outdoor enthusiast, and philanthropist, she was heavily involved in the Banff community. She was also co-founder of the Whyte Museum alongside her husband, Peter Whyte. Peter Whyte (1905–1966) Peter, also known as ‘Pete,’ was born at Banff in 1905 to settler merchant Dave White and Annie (Curren) White. He was an accomplished skier and ski jumper and one of the region's first local-born painters. He had an intimate knowledge of the mountains and was an active photographer throughout his life. Peter Whyte studied art at the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, 1923-1924, and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925-1929. He was co-founder of the Whyte Museum alongside his wife, Catharine Robb Whyte. Ebenezer William (Bill) Peyto (1868–1943) Bill was a guide, outfitter, prospector, and national park warden at Banff, Alberta. He was prominent among the early trail guides of the Rockies, beginning a colourful career around 1893. He led a number of mountaineers into climbing regions until ca.1910. Bill served in both the Boer and First World Wars, worked a talc mine on the edge of Banff National Park, and was a national park warden for over twenty years, retiring in 1937. Peyto Lake, Peyto Glacier, Peyto Peak, and Trapper Peak were named in his honour. Norman Bethune Sanson (1862–1949) Norman was a naturalist, meteorologist, and museum curator in Banff, Alberta. Born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of a prominent clergyman, he developed a life-long interest in natural history as a boy. In 1896 he was appointed curator of the Park Museum and also worked as zookeeper for the Banff Zoo. From 1896 until 1931, Sanson was meteorological officer and curator of the Park Museum. In 1903 an observatory was built on Sulphur Mountain on a site chosen by Sanson. During the period 1903-1931, Sanson made one thousand ascents of Sulphur Mountain to collect weather records. In 1948, the Dominion Government acknowledged his many years of service by naming a peak on the mountain for him. Nicholas (Nick) Everard Morant (1910–1999) Nick was a professional photographer based in Banff, Alberta. He was a Canadian commercial photographer of international repute and Canada's premier railway photographer of the 20th century. Nick served as Special Photographer to the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1929 to 1935 and again from 1944 to 1981. Nick had a prolific career as a freelance commercial, portrait, magazine, landscape, and documentary photographer. He married Ivy May "Willie" Young in 1936 when he was a photographer with the Winnipeg Free Press. Willie was his travelling and working companion until 1986. Justin James McCarthy (Jimmy) Simpson (1877-1972) Jimmy was a trapper, guide and outfitter, and lodge owner in Banff and Bow Lake, Alberta. Born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, Simpson was sent to Canada by his family in 1896. He worked briefly at Laggan (Lake Louise), Alberta for the Canadian Pacific Railway, travelled extensively and returned to the Rockies. By the early 1900s, he was a successful guide and outfitter with Carl Rungius and the Alpine Club of Canada as clients. Starting in 1920, Simpson began building Num-Ti-Jah Lodge at Bow Lake as a base for hunting and climbing parties. Simpson and Williamina (Billie) Ross Reid, 1891-1968, married in 1916 and had three children. The lodge was run mainly by Billie Simpson and in 1945 the business was turned over to Jimmy Simpson Jr., 1922-2003 . Daughters Margaret Simpson, 1917-1941, and Mary Simpson (Hallock), 1919-2002, were internationally-famous figure skaters. Back to the Cairn