Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1923-1952 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1031 photographs
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Dan McCowan, 1882-1956, was born in Perthshire, Scotland. In 1907 he came to Canada to visit his brother in Banff, Alberta and decided to stay. He was a naturalist, author and lecturer who worked for the pubicity department of the Canadian Pacific Railway for 26 years. He promoted Banff and the Rocky Mountains by giving lectures illustrated with slides in Canada, the USA and Europe. During the Second World War he did a lecture tour to armed services camps across the country.
He published six books, including A Naturalist in Canada (1941), Outdoors with a Camera in Canada (1945) and Upland Trails (1955). He was made a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of England in 1938. He and his wife, Mary, had no children.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Gift of Mary McCowan and the Norman Luxton estate, 1956-1963.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The fonds consists of slides (536) and negatives (495) for photographs, taken by McCowan, which he used in his lecture tours. The views include Banff, mountains scenery, lakes, rivers, flowers, plants, birds and animals in the Canadian Rockies. There are also extensive images of the Stoney people, especially during Banff Indian Days.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
No restrictions on access.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
The material is in English.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Digital content is available
Related units of description
The bulk of the McCowan fonds is held by the Whyte Museum in Banff.
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents of records.
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Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
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Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Friday, October 05, 2018