Peaks and People

If you haven't read Our Mission: Part 1 start Here .  V683/III/A/1/PA-74, [Catharine Whyte seated at desk in home], ca. 1950, Peter and Catharine Whyte fonds. We are fortunate to have many different resources that connect us to our founders Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte. Our Archives and Library (which was the founding department of the Whyte Museum) holds all of Peter and Catharine's photographs, letters, books, sound recordings and videos. Over the years, our Archives staff have sifted through and processed 25 metres of textual records, 46,000 photographs (in various forms), 178 sound recordings, and 6 motion pictures. Needless to say, through all that sifting, our staff in the Archives have had ample opportunity to learn and explore what Pete and Catharine's lives were like here in Banff, and around the world during their many travels. This post will share some of our staff's favourite archival materials that have given them a glimpse into who Peter

As we draw nearer to the 50th anniversary celebrations of our beloved museum we'd like to take some time to reflect on our Mission and what that means to us in 2018. In the spirit of Peter and Catharine Whyte, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies acquires, preserves, interprets and makes accessible the history and culture of the Rocky Mountains of Canada by inspiring and cultivating the exchange of knowledge and ideas through our collections, programs and exhibitions. The part of that statement that resonates most with a lot of the staff at the Whyte Museum is the very first phrase "In the spirit of Peter and Catharine Whyte". If you could be a fly on the wall of the offices and meeting spaces at the Whyte Museum you would hear a variation of a question pop up quite often when staff discuss new programs, exhibitions, and the future of the Whyte Museum: "What would Catharine do? What would Peter think of that? I wonder what Pete 'n' Catharine