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By Pamela Marks, Marketing & Communications Specialist Back to The Cairn The Whyte Museum recently learned of an outstanding honour bestowed on well-known Banff mountaineer and historian Chic Scott. Chic received the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) in Ottawa on November 1. According to the RCGS website, the Medal recognizes "...achievements in the realm of geographical exploration and/or discovery, which have fostered a greater appreciation for and understanding of the Canadian land mass, people and/or environment." Describing Chic as a “mountaineer, mentor, historian and writer” the RCGS selected him for his “contributions to mountaineering culture in Canada and abroad.” The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, College of Fellows Annual Dinner, Medal Ceremony, November 1, 2018, Photographs © Mike Schmidt. Photograph 1: Gavin Fitch, President of the RCGS (left) and Chic Scott (right). Photograph 2: The 2018 RCGS medal winners. Chic started his career in the world of rock climbing and then moved into alpine climbing. He participated in many significant expeditions and became a guide. Eventually, Chic transitioned into his current role as a writer, historian and storyteller. Thus, the Medal recognizes his role as a mountaineer, but it also recognizes that through his books and talks Chic has shared the world of exploration and mountains to audiences in Canada and beyond. Speaking about the RCGS honour, Chic recently shared, “I believe my lasting legacy will be that my guidebooks have played a role in getting people into the mountains.” 1967 Traverse Team. Left to right: Don Gardner, Chic Scott, Charlie Locke and Neil Liske in the parking lot at West Lake Louise at the successful conclusion of their 21-day traverse of the Great Divide Ski Traverse. It is fair to say that Chic has a love of books. In fact, he has written 15 of them. His book projects take years of work. Typically, Chic gathers 500 to 1000 images in the process of writing one book. For Pushing the Limits, his epic book on Canada’s mountaineering history, he conducted and recorded on video tape 95 interviews. When writing a book he draws from both historic images and information that he researches, but also from new material that he gathers from conversations with people around their kitchen tables. “Books are out there forever, you can be proud of them forever— and they become resources,” says Chic. [Chic Scott holding “Pushing the Limits”], Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundations fonds (V692/7/PA-1). It isn’t unusual to find Chic spending time in the Archives and Library at the Whyte Museum. He is currently working on a commissioned book about Mount Assiniboine and Assiniboine Lodge. Chic shared, “Assiniboine is one of the great mountains and there are so many stories associated with it.” He is researching historic materials for the book in the Whyte Museum’s fonds of Caroline Hinman, A. O. Wheeler, Erling Strom, Elizabeth Rummel and the Alpine Club of Canada. He also plans to sit down with Sepp, Barb and Andre Renner and gather images from modern photographers so that he can include Assiniboine’s current story. Chic shares the stories of the mountain communities that he is a part of through his books and his very popular Fireside Chat series at the Whyte Museum. “Stories matter,” says Chic, “stories are the group memory and identity of a place, and as a small mountain town with such a short history Banff has a remarkably unique history.” As an ongoing oral history project, the Fireside Chat series gives people a chance to share in the rich stories of the Canadian Rockies. The Fireside Chats consistently draw large live audiences. Filmed and shared on the Whyte Museum’s website at whyte.org/digitalvault the Chats are preserved and available to an even wider audience. The next Fireside Chat of the series will take place on November 21 and will see Chic interviewing Jim Davies, a pioneer pilot in the fields of helicopter skiing and mountain rescue. The first Fireside Chat planned for 2019 will see somewhat of a change in format. For that Chat in April, Zac Robinson, Associate Professor, Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation at the University of Alberta, will interview Chic. Regarding being interviewed Chic commented, “when I was young, time was static and I was interested in the adrenaline and adventuring in the mountains— now I am a storyteller and I have plenty of stories to share both about my climbing days and about how I was inspired to become a writer.” And he adds, “my stories will always be about the mountains.” The Whyte Museum sincerely congratulates Chic Scott on receiving the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration and thanks him for his continuing contribution to preserving Banff’s history through his books and the Fireside Chat series. Back to The Cairn

In September 2018, Renate Belczyk shared her tales of adventure with Chic Scott. A very adventurous women, in the mid 1950s Renate and her friend Sigrid Hirte travelled around the world: climbing mountains in Mexico and Canada, riding bicycles around Japan, driving motor scooters across India from Calcutta to Bombay and walking to Kathmandu in Nepal before there were any roads or cars. #renatebelczyk #oralhistory #heritage Click to View

By Anne Ewen, Curator of Art & Heritage Back to The Cairn The exhibition Perfectly Precious will delight children and adults alike with selections of dollhouse rarities, antique toys and miniatures. Fine craft, function and whimsy combine to invoke awe, delight and humour. Hundreds of one-of-a-kind and vintage collectables represent a scaled-down version of actual objects. Serious collectors or hobbyists normally collect thematically and by size but Catharine Robb Whyte’s collectables, from whom the majority of this exhibit is curated, are random and varied, addressing perhaps, her many eclectic interests and particular fascination with things small. Staff were charmed by Catharine’s actual storage containers. Objects less than a metre in height are meticulously stored in small chests of drawers, tiny cartons and tin containers. A three-centimetre Beatrix Potter figurine dwarfs minuscule mice, kittens and puppies. Japanese ceramics, intricately woven baskets, a tiny silver tea set and other assorted treasures are some of the other precious objects chosen for the exhibition. Included with appreciation from the Luxton Museum on Beaver Street in Banff, is a two-dimensional doll-house, and a toy featuring two swinging acrobats. The content of Perfectly Precious provides a fitting contrast and balance to the commanding presence of the art in the Large and in Charge exhibition. Perfectly Precious will be on display in the Whyte Museum's Rummel Room from October 26, 2018 to January 27, 2019. Read more about the Whyte Museum's exhibitions here. Back to The Cairn

By Vincent J. Varga, Museum Director Back to The Cairn In 2018, with the help of our community the Whyte Museum celebrated its 50th Anniversary by presenting a vigorous series of exhibitions, educational and community outreach programs. The centre piece of our anniversary program was an exhibition and publication dedicated to our founders Artistry Revealed: Peter Whyte, Catharine Robb Whyte and Their Contemporaries. This exceptional initiative was made possible through the efforts of many. This legacy and celebrations emanated from Peter and Catharine’s enduring vision. In addition, what has been accomplished by the Museum over these past five decades is a testament to the passion and commitment of our Board, volunteers, community members and professional staff. There are far too many friends and supporters to list here. Thank you to all! I would like to thank the Whyte Museum staff for its commitment to Artistry Revealed that celebrates the work, life and legacy of these two remarkable Canadian artists and founders of this extraordinary gem. Our Curatorial team consists of Anne Ewen, Pamela Knott, Ciara Linteau and Michael Cameron; Exhibition Design & Photography, DL Cameron and Digitization, Brittany Watson; the Archives and Library with Elizabeth Kundert-Cameron, Nicole Ensing, Lindsay Stokalko, Dagny Dubois, Amie LaLonde and Lena Goon. Thank you to all the contractors who supported the project; Enza Apa, Multimedia Producer; Don Murchison, Calgary Art Conservation; Jarvis Hall of Jarvis Hall Gallery & Fine Frames and Douglas MacLean of Canadian Art Gallery. To our dedicated volunteers, we extend a special thank you. Many external contractors were engaged to fulfill specialized roles from developing a digital tour of the Whyte home (Enza Apa); frame replication by Jarvis Hall; conservation evaluations by Douglas MacLean; essays by Lisa Christensen and Monique Westra. For their work on this publication, we extend much gratitude to editors Pat Myers and Haijo Westra, translator Nicole Giguère and to book designer Linda Petras. For the generous support of Artistry Revealed and the accompanying publication, the Whyte Museum acknowledges and thanks numerous financial contributors including the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Museums Assistance Program, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundation and the Canadian Rockies Annual. Special thanks to Grit and Scott McCreath who provided an extraordinary donation in support of this publication. To complement Artistry Revealed the Museum organized a series of events and openings and a Community BBQ to honour our 50th Anniversary. The Whyte Museum is deeply appreciative of the guidance and support of the Board of the Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundation, the Fund Development Committee of the Board and the 50th Anniversary Special Event Committee to these landmark projects. To the 50th Anniversary Committee a heartfelt thanks to Honorary Co-Chairs, Anne and Glen Sather; Chair, Marty von Neudegg and committee members Roy Andersen, Marino DiManno, Grit McCreath and George Schwarz. We are also very appreciative of the 25 individuals who purchased tickets for this exclusive dinner held on July 10 at Peter and Catharine’s home and on the Museum grounds. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the Town of Banff, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff YWCA, Wild Bills Legendary Saloon and the Rocky Mountain Outlook and our many community partners for helping us prepare for and host the Community BBQ. A very special thanks to all of our volunteers, Board members and staff who supported our 50th Anniversary activities. In particular, I would like to acknowledge volunteer Kurt Bagnall who was instrumental in giving shape to and delivery of the Community BBQ on June 17. I would also like to extend deepest thanks to Monte Greenshields and Nathalie Delbecq for their instrumental roles in overseeing the 50th Anniversary events. Thank you to Brett Oland, Foundation CEO for his financial and logistical oversight. Special thanks to Pam Marks, Meghan Walsh and Kayla Cazes for marketing and communications for the 50th Anniversary celebration and to the Visitor Services and Museum Shop team including Janet Boger, Sayoko Kagitani, Jacqueline Dolan, Junko Yokura and Marion Berchold for welcoming our guests and visitors, making them feel at home. Ryan Linskill, Ariel Manalaysay and Jay Ocampo have provided extraordinary maintenance and event facilitation support for our day-to-day operations and for our 50th events. Thank you to all for helping us keep Peter and Catharine’s vision for the museum alive into the future! Back to The Cairn

April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 Back to The Cairn The Dashboard provided below presents a snap shot of our activities in our 2017/2018 fiscal year and illustrates the Museum’s achievements in support of its mission and its contribution to the quality of life and life-long learning in the Bow Valley. The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies has welcomed visitors from across Canada and beyond our borders for 50 years. Our founders, Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte were artists, business people and philanthropists who through their accomplishments and generosity embody the values and aspirations of Alberta and Canada. Consistent with Peter and Catharine’s vision, the Whyte Museum is a gathering place, dedicated to telling the stories of mountain communities, peoples and cultures. Our diverse collection offers focused insights into the accomplishments and character of our Canadian Rocky Mountain communities. The Whyte engages with topics relevant to the Bow Valley including climate change, conservation and urban development within Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. We are enhancing our contribution to K to 12 education in the Bow Valley, including the Stoney Nakoda youth east of Banff. The contribution the Whyte Museum makes to the Bow Valley is made possible through the generous support of our volunteers, funders, donors, members and the community. The Whyte Museum is grateful to the Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundation for their extraordinary on-going commitment to supporting our core operational costs. We also thank the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for its support of our visual arts program. At a Glance • Operating Budget - $2,111,863 • Attendance - 38,490 • Admissions - $217,114 • Archives & Library Researchers - 1,137 Browsers - 1,748 • Exhibitions In-house Exhibitions - 22 Travelling Art Exhibitions - 6 • Community Engagement Public Programs - 47 People in Attendance - 3,997 • Education School Programs - 43 Students in Attendance - 853 Tours - 135 Tour Participants - 1,822 • Digital Media Facebook Reach - 306,280 Twitter Impressions - 451,100 Instagram Followers - 1,033 Website Sessions - 27,618 Revenue Expense Back to The Cairn

By Nicole Ensing, Archivist Back to The Cairn In honour of Remembrance Day, the Archives and Library have selected photographs and documents from the Sid Unwin fonds for digitization. This is one of many digitization initiatives that are taking place in the Archives and Library at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. Digitizing archival items increases access and helps preserve items in our holdings. Sid Unwin (1882-1917) was a Canadian Rockies guide and outfitter in the years preceding World War I. He came to Banff from London, England in 1901. Photograph in Guiding Album, [ca.1900–1905], Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Sid Unwin fonds (V25/I/B/PD/1/18/1). Military Career, [1914–1917], Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Sid Unwin fonds (V25/I/A/PA-2). Sid Unwin enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces and took up with the 22nd Battery (Howitzer), 6th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery 2nd Division. In 1916 he saw his first action in France. He fought in the battle for Vimy Ridge, was injured May 3, 1917 and died on June 29, 1917 at the East Leeds War Hospital. The story of Sid Unwin and his experiences during the World War One are discussed in the Whyte Museum's Peaks & People blog. Sid Unwin recorded his observations about duties on the front, gun positions, prisoners and gas warfare during World War One within his extensive diary, available as a pdf - Sid Unwin World War One Diary. Military Career, [1914 – 1917], Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Sid Unwin fonds (V25/I/B/PA–12). The postcard reads, “I am in the centre. Some of the boys who are nearly well, carried my bed into centre of ward for the photograph. Sid. Four are Canadians.” Back to The Cairn

Written by Amie Lalonde Back to The Cairn In February 2017, a project to reintroduce wild bison to Banff National Park began with the introduction of a small herd to a paddock in the remote Panther Valley. This summer, thirty-one bison were released from the paddock and are now free-roaming in the Park for the first time in over 100 years. The roots of this story stretch deep into the past and have connections with one of Banff’s more colourful characters and a bison roundup in Montana that began in 1907. With support from the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation and a plan left behind by former Whyte Museum Head Archivist, Jennifer Rutkair, I was able to delve into the materials in the Luxton fonds to create the digital exhibition Bringing Back the Buffalo that showcases a classic wild-west bison roundup that was responsible for reinvigorating Canada’s bison population. Michel Pablo and his cowboys, Luxton Foundation fonds, LUX/I/D2/4/12 The story begins as this: by the late 1880s the wild bison population in Canada and the United States had been decimated by overhunting. On the Flathead reservation in Montana two ranchers – Charles Allard and Michel Pablo – bought ten bison from a man named Walking Coyote in the mid-1880s. In 1896 Allard died and his half of the herd was sold and dispersed. Meanwhile Pablo’s herd continued to grow and eventually began to range wild along the Flathead River. This herd of bison was bought by the Canadian Government in 1907, rounded up, and shipped by train to Alberta. Bison being rounded up, Luxton Foundation fonds, LUX/I/D2/4/49, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies Banff’s Norman Luxton was part of the group that travelled to Montana to oversee the roundup and in photographs, letters to his wife Georgina, and a narrative document he recorded the difficult task of corralling and loading the bison that roamed wild on the Flathead Reservation. In a letter to Georgina, written from Ravalli on September 19, 1907, Luxton writes about the difficulties in rounding up Pablo's herd. "We have had very poor luck with the buffalo, so far only 80 have been corralled, they are just too wild for any thing charging right through a line of horsemen to get back on their range. They are going to give them one more trial, and then commence to load what they have got which means a week or 10 days more." In his written narratives he tells of the ways in which the bison attempted to break away from the cowboys. One of my favourite stories involves a group of corralled bison scaling a vertical cliff to escape in the dead of night. Another describes how Luxton, lying in wait by the Pend D’Oreille to take pictures of bison swimming in the river, got trapped in a tree for over an hour when a large bull stationed itself near the base of the tree he had been sitting in. "Buffalo at rest early in the morning in the corrals at Ravalli," Luxton Foundation fonds, LUX/I/D2/4/15, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies The roundup of the Pablo-Allard herd took three years to complete. In the end, 709 buffalo were shipped from Montana to Alberta. The original plan was to ship the buffalo to the newly formed Buffalo National Park at Wainwright, Alberta, but the fences and outbuildings were not yet ready in 1907. The first loads of Pablo’s buffalo were instead shipped to Elk Island National Park, via the railway station at Lamont, Alberta. The buffalo became an enormously popular attraction at Elk Island and, when the buffalo were set to be moved to Wainwright in 1909, Frank Oliver ordered 30 to 50 buffalo left behind at Elk Island. This small herd left at Elk Island flourished and buffalo from it have since helped support conservation projects in Canada and the United States. It is this herd at Elk Island that the new Banff herd is descended from. Click here to visit the digital exhibition Bringing Back the Buffalo. Back to The Cairn

Written by Anne Ewen Back to The Cairn Large and In Charge showcases a multimedia selection of contemporary works by some of Canada’s top artists. These large-scale creations captivate and command through their artistically impressive content, style and genre. Learn about the artists below and don't miss the exhibition Opening Reception on Friday, October 26 at 7 p.m. Michael Cameron, Searching for Elvis 2 (variations on Catharine Whyte’s painting “House near Tofino”, detail), 2018, oil and spray paint on canvas, private collection Michael Cameron’s Searching for Elvis 2 is adopted from Catharine Whyte’s 1940s painting of a house in Tofino. Cameron is always drawn to it perhaps because it is a reminder of his time working across the street from a yellow house in that same village. Cameron’s painting is a continuation of his series Searching for Elvis, and this quest to find that one elusive image or idea to incarnate into the perfectly-completed canvas. Thirteen Moons, painted by renowned Canadian artist Alex Janvier, is a circular mural that tells the story about time and space with each panel representing one month of the traditional Indigenous lunar calendar. Painted in true Janvier-style, the colourful panels further celebrate the relationship with the earth, traditions and a connection to the future. London, Ontario’s Wyn Geleynse humorous situational installation Just..., displays on a monitor the artist’s face regurgitating children’s wooden letter blocks. On the floor in front of the screen are hundreds of blocks signifying his height. This self-portrait represents a persistent character determined to realize challenges in the best interest of himself and the viewer. Ann Goldberg, Underwater, 2017, oil on canvas, private collection Underwater, the huge canvas by Vancouver-based artist Ann Goldberg conveys a woman submerged in a tiled pool, swimming close to the surface toward the viewer. At a distance, this larger-than-life canvas reads like a hyperrealistic piece but up-close transforms into an abstract expressionist. Toronto-based, South African-born sculptor Evan Penny is widely known for his lifelike, hyperrealist sculptures. Self Portrait, Variation #3 is a three-dimensional artistic likeness created out of silicone, pigment, hair and aluminum. Jay Senetchko, Fire Sermon Jay Senetchko once commented, “If you can’t make it good, make it big. If you can’t make it big, make it red.” His painting The Fire Sermon is big, has red and is good. Depicting clean-up after a fire, the image is reminiscent of the trials experienced by home owners in Canadian cities struck by massive fires. Born in New York, Adad Hannah spent his childhood in Israel and England but now lives and works between Montreal and Vancouver. The Raft of Medusa (Saint-Louis), produced in Saint-Louis, Senegal, combines photography, video, installation and performance to recreate and contemporize Théodore Géricault’s famous painting bearing the same title. Sebastian Hutchings' Reliquary + Nocturne, for Norma is an interactive sculpture that acts as a container for a communication between the artist and his paternal grandmother. The foundation of the piece is Hutchings' grandmother's violin, letters he has written to her, and a violin composition dedicated to her. The piece is an ode to her in thanks for the encouragement and support she has given the artist. Large and In Charge is on display from October 26, 2018 to January 27, 2019 in the Main Gallery. Read more about the Whyte Museum's exhibitions here. Back to The Cairn

Longtime Banff resident Rob Crosby (1921-2017) was interviewed on Oct 14, 2012 by historian and author Chic Scott. #robcrosby #banff #heritage #oralhistory Click to View

A war bride from Reading, England, Dorothy Carleton sat down with Chic Scott in February 2013, to share stories about raising her family in a one room log cabin in the backcountry of Banff National Park. #dorothycarleton #Banff #heritage Click to View

Ralphine Locke (1925-2014), one of Banff’s foremost pioneer ladies, was extremely proud of her pioneer roots. She was the first person of European descent to be born at the lake in Lake Louise. In April 2013, Ralphine shared some of her favourite memories with author and historian Chic Scott. #ralphinelocke #Banff #LakeLouise #heritage Click to View

Don Mickle joined the National Park Warden Service in the 70s, during a time when wardens lived and raised families in rough and remote back country cabins, travelling countless kilometres on horseback. Don shared stories of his life with Chic Scott, when they sat down for a Fireside Chat outside the Windy Warden Cabin in October 2013. #donmickle #parkwarden #heritage #BanffNationalPark Click to View