Photograph of the Hudson's Bay Company store in Kitimat City Centre, likely during the late 1950s or early 1960s. There is a large snowdrift in front of the building, and two cars parked in the foreground.
Photograph of the Hudson's Bay Company store in Kitimat City Centre, likely during the late 1950s or early 1960s. There is a large snowdrift in front of the building, and two cars parked in the foreground.
This fonds consists of materials created or collected by Gisela Mendel throughout her time in British Columbia, particularly during her tenure as the Museum's first curator (1969-1981). It is divided into three series:
Series 1: Photographs - approx. 330 photographs, negatives, and slides taken by Gisela Mendel, showing the local area, flora and fauna, Museum displays, Kitamaat Village and its residents, traditional Haisla cultural activities, etc.
Series 2: Kitimat Flora Collection - 12 boxes of pressed and dried flora from the local area, with associated information.
Series 3: Logbooks and scrapbooks - logbooks from Clague and Squirrel Mountains (1957-1969), accounts of Mendel family outings (1963-1968), scrapbook/photo album from Stikine road trip (1999), textual material and photos on regional hiking rails from binder on assembled by Gisela.
Series 4: Maps - 23 regional maps collected and annotated by Gisela.
ca. 10.5 cm textual material (logbooks, scrapbooks)
23 maps
History / Biographical
Gisela Heimbach Mendel was the first curator of the Kitimat Museum and Archives (then known as the Kitimat Centennial Museum). She was born in Germany in 1922 and worked as a pharmacist in East Prussia when the Russians invaded. She fled the Russians and immigrated to Canada in 1952 with her husband, Hans, and their children. Unhappy with the geography of Southern Ontario - in her words, she was a "mountain woman" - she chose Kitimat as her home.
In her earliest years in Kitimat (beginning 1956), Gisela collected botanical specimens for the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. She served as the first curator of the Kitimat Centennial Museum from the building's opening in 1969 until her retirement in 1981, when she and Hans moved to Smithers. Gisela was responsible for not only showcasing local art and history, but building a strong and varied permanent collection of artifacts and archival items upon which future curators could build.
As she was working in a relatively young community, town history was not considered a priority so much as regional history, natural history and Haisla First Nations cultural traditions, which Gisela documented with great intensity. One of her projects was creating an ethno-botanical dictionary with the help of Haisla elders, identifying the Haisla names and traditional uses for various plants. In 1972, the Northern Sentinel reported that each weekend Gisela made the rounds of her secret botanical hunting grounds to replace the display of floral specimens in her exhibits. She was a tremendous record-keeper and journalist, had a great life of the outdoors, and developed many close friendships in Kitimat and Kitamaat Village. Her thirst for information was incredible, and the Museum and the community benefitted immensely from her passion for gathering and recording knowledge. In the 1990s she received the Award of Merit from the BC Museums Association in recognition of her work. She passed away in 2008.
Custodial History
Materials in this fonds were created by Gisela Mendel during her time as Museum Curator, or donated by her, her family members, or other community members following her retirement.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of materials created or collected by Gisela Mendel throughout her time in British Columbia, particularly during her tenure as the Museum's first curator (1969-1981). It is divided into three series:
Series 1: Photographs - approx. 330 photographs, negatives, and slides taken by Gisela Mendel, showing the local area, flora and fauna, Museum displays, Kitamaat Village and its residents, traditional Haisla cultural activities, etc.
Series 2: Kitimat Flora Collection - 12 boxes of pressed and dried flora from the local area, with associated information.
Series 3: Logbooks and scrapbooks - logbooks from Clague and Squirrel Mountains (1957-1969), accounts of Mendel family outings (1963-1968), scrapbook/photo album from Stikine road trip (1999), textual material and photos on regional hiking rails from binder on assembled by Gisela.
Series 4: Maps - 23 regional maps collected and annotated by Gisela.
Collection of meeting minutes, scrapbooks, and Tamitiks from Mount Elizabeth Secondary School.
1- Minutes of School Government Meetings 1964-1965, 1965-1966, and 1966-1967.
2-Kitimat High School P.T.A. 1957-58
3- Archives- Scrapbook. Mt. Elizabeth Secondary School 1957-60
4-Scrapbook- Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1964
5- Secondary Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1965
6- Scrapbook Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1966
7- Scrapbook Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1967
8- Scrapbook Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1968
9- Record book of the P. T. A. May 16/57. April 7/59 Tamitik duplicates for the following accession numbers P. J. A group
74-55-3: 4 copies of 1956 Tamitik
74-55-6: 2 copies of 1959 Tamitik
74-55-4: 4 duplicates of 1957
78-10-3:3 duplicates of 1958 yearbook
78-10-6: 1 duplicates of 1967 Tamitik
78-10-7:1 duplicates of 1967 Tamitik
78-10-8: 1 duplicates of 1969
78-10-9: 8 duplicates of 1970 Tamitik
74-55-4: 4 duplicates of 1957 yearbook
78-10-3: 3 duplicates of 1958 yearbook
78-10-6: 1 duplicates of 1967 Tamitik
78-10-7: 1 duplicate of 1969 Tamitik
78-10-8 1 duplicate 1969
78-10-9 8 duplicates of 1970 Tamitik
Collection of meeting minutes, scrapbooks, and Tamitiks from Mount Elizabeth Secondary School.
1- Minutes of School Government Meetings 1964-1965, 1965-1966, and 1966-1967.
2-Kitimat High School P.T.A. 1957-58
3- Archives- Scrapbook. Mt. Elizabeth Secondary School 1957-60
4-Scrapbook- Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1964
5- Secondary Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1965
6- Scrapbook Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1966
7- Scrapbook Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1967
8- Scrapbook Mt. Elizabeth Sec. 1968
9- Record book of the P. T. A. May 16/57. April 7/59 Tamitik duplicates for the following accession numbers P. J. A group
74-55-3: 4 copies of 1956 Tamitik
74-55-6: 2 copies of 1959 Tamitik
74-55-4: 4 duplicates of 1957
78-10-3:3 duplicates of 1958 yearbook
78-10-6: 1 duplicates of 1967 Tamitik
78-10-7:1 duplicates of 1967 Tamitik
78-10-8: 1 duplicates of 1969
78-10-9: 8 duplicates of 1970 Tamitik
74-55-4: 4 duplicates of 1957 yearbook
78-10-3: 3 duplicates of 1958 yearbook
78-10-6: 1 duplicates of 1967 Tamitik
78-10-7: 1 duplicate of 1969 Tamitik
78-10-8 1 duplicate 1969
78-10-9 8 duplicates of 1970 Tamitik
Storage Location
Archives Bay 4 Shelf 2 Box 84
Archives Bay 4 Shelf 5 Box 93
