CONRAD KAIN

CONRAD KAIN Letters from a Wandering Guide, 1906–1933

Edited with an Introduction by ZAC ROBINSON

Translated by MARIA AND JOHN KOCH

1 THE UNIVERSITY OF PRESS Published by Index available in print and PDF editions.

The University of Alberta Press First edition, first printing, 2014. Ring House 2 First electronic edition, 2014. Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1 Copyediting and proofreading by www.uap.ualberta.ca Brendan Wild. Maps by Wendy Johnson. Introduction and annotations copyright © 2014, Indexing by Judy Dunlop. Zac Robinson. Book design by Alan Brownoff.

Mountain cairns: a series on the history and All rights reserved. No part of this publica- culture of the Canadian Rocky tion may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any Library and Archives Canada means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Cataloguing in Publication recording, or otherwise) without prior written Kain, Conrad, 1883–1934 consent. Contact the University of Alberta [Correspondence. Selections. English] Press for further details. Conrad Kain : letters from a wandering , 1906–1933 / edited with an The University of Alberta Press gratefully introduction by Zac Robinson ; translated by acknowledges the support received for its Maria and John Koch. publishing program from The Canada Council for the Arts. The University of Alberta Press (Mountain cairns) also gratefully acknowledges the financial Includes bibliographical references and index. support of the Government of Canada Issued in print and electronic formats. through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) and the Letters translated from the German. Government of Alberta through the Alberta ISBN 978–1–77212–004–2 (pbk.).— Media Fund (AMF) for its publishing activities. ISBN 978–1–77212–016–5 (epub).— ISBN 978–1–77212–017–2 (Amazon kindle).— This book has been published with the help ISBN 978–1–77212–018–9 (pdf) of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, through 1. Kain, Conrad, 1883–1934—Correspondence. the Awards to Scholarly Publications Program, 2. guides (Persons)—Rocky using funds provided by the Social Sciences Mountains, Canadian (B.C. and Alta.)— and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Correspondence. 3. Mountaineers—Rocky Mountains, Canadian (B.C. and Alta.)— Correspondence. 4. Mountaineering—Rocky 6 7 Mountains, Canadian (B.C. and Alta.). I. Koch, W. John, translator II. Koch, Maria, translator III. Robinson, Zac, 1975–, editor IV. Title. V. Title: Correspondence. Selections. English VI. Series: Mountain cairns

GV199.92.K34A3 2014 796.522092 C2014-905576-5 C2014-905577-3 For the campfire, and the carefree life

… and for Elizabeth, who still writes letters

CONTENTS

IX Foreword Conrad Kain, Guide and Mountaineer chic Scott

XIII Acknowledgements

XV Maps

XXI Introduction Letters from the Archives

1 Part One A Young Guide in Europe, 1906–1909

57 Part Two Your Friend in the Western Woods, 1909–1912

173 Part Three The Wanderer, 1912–1916

355 Part Four With Greetings, from Wilmer, 1920–1933

421 Epilogue The Kain–Malek Correspondence: Provenance, 1934–2005 don Bourdon

429 Bibliography

439 Index

FOREWORD

Conrad Kain, Guide and Mountaineer

Chic Scott

Conrad Kain was one of the world’s greatest guides in the early ix decades of the twentieth century, and one of its greatest mountain- eers. Unlike those of his contemporaries, Kain’s exploits ranged across the globe, from the European to the Rocky and of Canada, and on to the Southern Alps of New Zealand. He was a master of rock and a master of ice. Despite his short stature, he was of prodigious strength. He loved to build cairns and linger on summits. He was also a master storyteller. Kain’s climbing achievements in Canada are fairly well known to the climbing community, but most people do not realize that he was already a star when he came to Canada in 1909. Kain began his guiding career in 1904. Although he had almost no instruction in the moun- tain arts, within a year he was leading clients on some of Europe’s most challenging climbs. In 1905, for example, he twice led the Delago Tower, one of the breathtakingly spectacular Vajolet Towers in the Dolomites. The following year, in the Range, high above , , he led the Aiguille du Grépon, twice. First climbed in 1881, the Grépon had a reputation as the hardest climb in the world at that time. In Switzerland, he twice led ascents of the Matterhorn, still a very notable climb in those days; the complex and difficult Weisshorn; and the ice-covered Lyskamm. In 1907, in the Dolomites, he led the spectacular Guglia di Brenta, an impressive spire that sticks up like a pencil from the surrounding meadows and screes. Kain was only the seventh guide to lead the climb. “To this day,” he wrote, “I have never done another bit so exposed.” Finally, in the Dauphiné region of France, Kain led the complex and difficult x Foreword traverse of Le Meije occasions,theBarredesÉcrins, onseveral and traverse ofLe Institute in Washington,Institute reaches DC,hecontinued tothefurthest Petersburg.St. Then,withNed HollisterfromtheSmithsonian hosted himLondon, afterwhich briefly in hetravelled bytrain to one ofthemostprominent ofthe mountaineers Longstaff, day, train toQuebec City, wherehecaughtaboat for England. Dr. Tom most remarkable.InMayof1912,heleftfromBanffandtook the one ofthehighpoints ofhislife. Buthistravels of1912–1913arethe for Canada in 1909was andhisdeparture Gerngross, with Albert tite for foreign lands toCorsica waswhettedonhis1906excursion as oneoftheir own. andrespect and welcomedZealand—treated him him withcourtesy in theTyrol, Piaz Tita in theDolomites,andPeterGrahamofNew Mattias ZurbriggenfromSwitzerland,Petigax, SeppInnerkofler hand, in theworld—men someofthebestguides like Italian Joseph and wasdamaging their Ontheother businesses andreputations. themupasguides factitwasbecausehehadshowed but in actual Austrian andtherefore apotential birth threattonationalsecurity, imprisoned during theFirst World War, ostensiblybecausehewasof and challenged hiscredentials. InNew Zealand, hadhim localguides threatening tobeathim. felt InCanada, theSwissguides threatened theFrench chasedChamonix, guides him back tohishotel room second rate.IntheDolomites,hegotinto afghtwiththem;in Kain hewent. madethemlook wherever bles withthelocalguides summits. demanding clients totheir whoexpectedtobeledwithouthesitation not yet beendeveloped. And, ofcourse,alwaysbehind him were climbersallowed theropewithrelative toslideback down ease,had to protectone’s progress,andthedulfersitz rappel technique, which littlein thewayofclimbingmade ofhemp, hardware therewasvery guidebooks thatwe for take the detailed grantedtoday. Ropes were being unabletospeakthelocallanguage andwithoutthebeneftof theseroutes the Pelvoux. Itmustberememberedthatheguided Kain spirit totravel. hadamostadventurous andloved Hisappe Kain wassuch andsocharming, agoodguide, thathehadtrou

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- xi Foreword - - rst - nding, diffi nding, ) on both the Alberta–BC boundary survey and at the ) (ACC camps. His most loyal client in Canada was Albert MacCarthy, was Albert Canada in camps. His most loyal client MacCarthy, His solo ascent of Mount Whitehorn is a bit of an anomaly in his is a bit of an anomaly in His solo ascent of Mount Whitehorn In fact, it is worth noting the calibre of Kain’s clients. Men and clients. In fact, it is worth of Kain’s the calibre noting But Kain’s reputation rests primarily upon his achievements in in reputation upon his achievements rests primarily But Kain’s career. But what an anomaly! Climbing alone all day to the remote, to the alone all day But what an anomaly! Climbing career. and storm across a rain summit, in then descending yet-unclimbed strikes. of lightning his path lit only by flash the crevassed , and MacCarthy were joined by W.W. “Billy” Foster, who was deputy Foster, “Billy” and MacCarthy by joined W.W. were legis Columbia and a member of the British works of public minister the very all people who expected lature. These were from best, and, theyKain, got it. hand man of A.O. Wheeler (one of the founders of the Alpine Club of Club of the Alpine (one of the founders Wheeler hand man of A.O. Canada ACC with whom he and naval captain from Summit,a banker New Jersey, Kain climb, made most of his great ascents. Robson On the Mount women like Dr. Erich Pistor, director of the Chamber of of the Vienna Chamber director Pistor, Erich Dr. like women languages;in Commerce, who was fluent Alberttwelve Gerngross, sisters, and the Malek Viennese businessman; also a prominent upper crust. he was the right- In Canada, among Vienna’s who were Robson, , , , and Farnham Howser and Farnham Mount Louis, Spire, Spire, Robson, Bugaboo f with complex route all outstanding were climbs Tower and unknown cold bivouacs, and ice work, descents. And rock cult They had confdence in always he made all these ascents with clients. safely. and he always brought them back him, boarded a ship in Wellington that took him to San Francisco via to San Francisco via that took him Wellington in boarded a ship to back a train where he boarded there to Vancouver and from Tahiti, in the f of stones” “breaker for the self-proclaimed Not bad Banff. of the twentiethyears century. His ascents of Mount to a lesser extent, Zealand. New and, Canada return trip took him back to St. Petersburg, then to Vienna by then to to St. train, Petersburg, back return took him trip he trav From there, family. friends and long-time where he visited Paris to London, via then by through the Mediterranean boat elled he where Zealand, to New and on Canaland the Suez to Australia the bush. After all this, he in a slave like months working spent four c research. His fc research. scienti for animals he trapped where of , xii Foreword being. Kain asConrad thehuman andmountaineer Kain thegreatguide and, all, above histerribleloneliness. Intheseletters we seeConrad world, forhaustible love thenatural hisangerattheinjustice oflife, hisalmost ofspirit, inex ofpeopleandlife,his love hisgenerosity Moreimportantly,great adventures. hischild-like hereveals nature, to his dearest of friends, Amelie Malek, Kain tells us of his travels and the loneliness andfailings thatwe areallsubject to. Intheseletters hisgreatclimbingthat—despite achievements—he washuman,with to match Kain’s effort. athisphysicalpeakhewouldconfded thateven nothave beenable Canada’sis now (andnoslouch leading guide mountain himself), Blanchard, achievement. Barry who sions. Thisisamonumental weeks, fourmountain times bivouacking in onlytwo onthreeocca distressed thelocalguides. client would notslip. Perhapsitwasthisparticular ascentthatso confdentthathis ButKainthe teamfromabove. ledthewaydown, andtheotherwould themountain have safeguarded cut stepsdown during wasthedescent, which wouldThe crux oneguide have to amuch guides—and younger client. before, buttherehadbeentwo Thistraversehis client, hadbeendone andhewastheloneguide. annals oftheSouthernAlps.” Fifty-nine-year-old Jane Thomsonwas that heledin 1916:“A feat unequalled marvelous for daring in the as well. climb Buthismostnotable isthetraverse ofMountCook In NewZealand, hisf But the key tofullyBut thekey appreciating Kain Conrad istoacknowledge At the ACC ’s 1924campatMountRobson, Kain ofthe ledascents rst ascents are a testament tohisskill, areatestament rst ascents - - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Like most books, this one has a long history and has accumulated a xiii long list of debts. First, I wish to express my gratitude to Gerhardt Pistor—the son of Kain’s long-time friend and client, Erich Pistor (“Dr. P,” as he’s called in Where the Clouds Can Go)—for recognizing the worth of the Kain– Malek correspondence and bequeathing it to the Whyte Museum of the . That acquisition got the ball rolling. I wish to heartily thank my collaborators on this project, Chic Scott and Don Bourdon. I could not have wished to work with two better colleagues. Both have supplied this volume with wonderful essays of their own. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Maria and John Koch, whose careful translation and transcription was simply splendid. As well, I am grateful to the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation, and partic- ularly Peter Poole, for fnancing the translation project. Accessing research materials in archives scattered around the world—from Banff, to New Jersey, to Vienna, to Dunedin—required considerable assistance from archivists and librarians, all of whose efforts I greatly appreciated. From the Whyte Museum, I particularly wish to thank Elizabeth Kundert-Cameron, Lena Goon, and Jennifer Rutkair. For detailed comments, close readings, and other kinds of critical help and advice in the creation of this edition, I wish to thank Steph Abegg, John Allen, Zoe Avner, Ernst Bergmann, Ted Bishop, Renate Buchner, Suzan Chamney, Isabelle Daigneault, Ron Dart, Karen Fox, Bob Harris, Brad Harrison, Ted Hart, Sean Isaac, xiv Acknowledgements Conrad Janzen, Arnor Larson, Ian MacLaren, HermannMauthner, IanMacLaren, Janzen,Conrad ArnorLarson, the Social SciencesandHumanitiesResearch ofCanada. Council Awards toScholarly Publications by Program,using fundsprovided Federation for theHumanitiesandSocial Sciences,throughthe Thompson, andBrendan Wild. Piper, ManfredRotter, Karin Schmid, StephenSlemon,Anna Peter Midgley, PatMorrow, BarbNeraasen, Joseph Patrouch, Liza This bookhasbeenpublished withthehelp ofagrantfromthe MAPS

• European Alps, pre–First World War (1914) xv • Rocky and of Canada • Central Part of the Southern Alps of New Zealand Vienna THE WIENERWALD GERMANY Wiener Mariazell Neustadt Nasswald SCHNEEBURG Gstatterboden THE RAXALPE THE THE PLANSPITZE Payerbach WEICHTAL Schladming ENNSTAL Reichenau KAISERGEBIRG GESÄUSE ALPS Semmering Ramsau THE THE Zürich DACHSTEIN ZILLERTAL Mayerhofen ALPS xvi LIECHTENSTEIN THE FRANCE Graz FLUCHTHÖRNER SWITZ ERLAND -HUNGARY VAJOLET TOWERS Villach FÜNFFINGERSPITZE THE ROSENGARTEN Geneva THE THE DOLOMITES WEISSHORN GUGLIA DI BRENTA Chamonix Zermatt LYSKAMM AIGUILLE DU GRÉPON THE Riva del Garda MATTERHORN MONT BLANC BREITHORN

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^ European Alps, pre–First World War (1914) Vienna THE WIENERWALD GERMANY Wiener Mariazell Neustadt Nasswald Salzburg SCHNEEBURG Gstatterboden THE RAXALPE THE THE PLANSPITZE Payerbach WEICHTAL Schladming ENNSTAL Reichenau KAISERGEBIRG GESÄUSE ALPS Semmering Ramsau THE THE HOCHTOR Zürich DACHSTEIN ZILLERTAL Mayerhofen STYRIA ALPS LIECHTENSTEIN xvii THE FRANCE GROSSGLOCKNER TYROL Graz FLUCHTHÖRNER SWITZ ERLAND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY VAJOLET TOWERS Villach ORTLER FÜNFFINGERSPITZE MARMOLADA THE ROSENGARTEN Geneva THE THE DOLOMITES WEISSHORN GUGLIA DI BRENTA Chamonix Zermatt MONTE ROSA LYSKAMM AIGUILLE DU GRÉPON THE Riva del Garda MATTERHORN MONT BLANC BREITHORN

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^ Central Part of the Southern Alps of New Zealand

INTRODUCTION

Letters from the Archive

According to travel writer Ted Bishop, “what governs all archival xxi events is serendipity.” Bishop should know. The English professor/ motorcycle vagabond has spent enough time in archives the world over to accept that while we often speak of sound research methods and good detective work, “the real discoveries seem to come from nowhere, to be handed to you, after days or weeks in which (it appears in retrospect) the insight has been perversely denied, as if there were not just curators but some other power controlling the archive.”1 Bishop was referring, of course, to Sheshat (Sesheta, Sefkhet-aabut, and half a dozen other spellings), the ancient Egyptian goddess of writing, libraries, mathematics, and architec- ture, as well as archives. In the spring of 2005, Chic Scott and I had both the Goddess and Don Bourdon on our side. Don was the head archivist at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff. He’s the type of person who, if he calls to say he’s acquired “something you’ll want to see,” the chances are that what he has is good. Really good. We got the call. And we descended upon the archive like junkies to the source—Chic in his old rusty truck, me in my equally decrepit hatchback. Iron oxide couldn’t sway our course. Don had a set of letters written by Conrad Kain (1883–1934). Of course, mountaineers familiar with the Canadian Rockies and Purcells need no introduction to Kain. The Austrian moun- tain guide was perhaps the singular, most superlative fgure of climbing’s earliest age in Canada. He was Esther Fraser’s “prince of Canadian alpine guides”; Hans Gmoser’s “master of the art of xxii Introduction mountaineering”; even Canada’s even mountaineering”; poetandnovelist distinguished incomplete. Now in duplicate Museum,thecollection attheWhyte rich, collection, however existed atPrinceton; was theThorington next becameoftheKain material remained unclear. No recordofit and hisnoteswere senttoPrinceton University, his alma mater. What died inthe traceendedwithhim. 1989,attheage of94, Thorington and published Kain’s autobiography, them in 1935,when,aftertheKain’s death,thePhiladelphian edited nals, anddiary. Kain’streasure in Canadian mountaineering”: missing letters,jour inpecting needofachallenge. students unsus Itawaits Alberta. the wallin of myofficeatthe University the inside ofmyhighschool locker. Thearticle isinstead tacked on in stuckwere theearly1990s,mighthave itwritten beenreverently to rian in thisneck ofthewoods. Itwasthekind of“todo”listthat, Canadian tick list—the ofCanadian Mountaineering Story author, stillbasking ofhis in thewarm glow the 2001 decade earlier. Mysteries,” Inanarticle titled“Mountain printed in all themoreremarkable. with theAlpine Club ofCanada age of25,withnothing tohisnamesave thepromiseofemployment f guide Bugaboo Robson, Spire….That Louis, heart: therollcallby know this routesandotherclimbs 60.Hisnew exceeded arecountless.Many splendours. Hisnumberoff climberstreatment ofover-zealous disinclined toappreciate natural anddiscreetin his weight, hewaspatientwithnovices for carrying manandcookwithagreatcapacity taining storyteller. axe Anexpert the trail, hecould becharming, andanenter harmlesslyflirtatious, ders; hismoustache andpipe were regular Incampandon features. fveStanding feet fve inches, buildwithbroadshoul hehadastocky man” (1904–1995)honouredthe“mountain Earle Birney in poem. High onChic’s listwaswhathecalled“perhapsthegreatestsingle Chic Scotthadnotedthesignifcanceoftheseparticular lettersa rst arrived in Banff, Alberta, a little over 100 years agoatthe alittle rst arrived inAlberta, Banff, Canadian AlpineJournal 3 We J. knew (1894–1989)had MonroeThorington grand coursgrand rst ascents inrst ascents theRockies andPurcells (ACC) ( (2000), had set down theultimate (2000),hadsetdown CAJ , sotospeak—for anyalpine histo ) Where theClouds CanGo , the writer andguidebook , thewriter , makes hisaccomplishments Pushing the Limits: The Pushing theLimits: . But - 2

- - - - Introduction xxiii

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc The Glittering The Glittering ’s rich archival fonds, it was established 1966 fonds, in archival rich ’s rst mountaineering guidebook; guidebook; rst mountaineering (1925), in which Thorington laid to rest what little Thorington laid which (1925), in ACC A Climber’s Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada Mountains to the Rocky Guide A Climber’s (1934), a biography of Albert (1934), a biography renowned Smith (1816–1860), a Erst nach längerer Zeit kemme ich dazu, Ihnen mitzuteilen,dazu, dass Zeit kemme ich längerer Erst nach Ihnen meinen besten wefür habe, Sendung erhalten ich Ihre ich Dank ausspreche…. Nasswald, 8. November 1906. 8. November Nasswald, Fräulein, geehrtes Sehr We sat and yakked about skiing. The archive was nearly empty. was nearly empty. The archive about skiing. sat and yakked We The archives and libraryThe archives place. of the Whyte is a special Museum flipped open the cover: flipped storage with loaded trolleys of requested material. storage with loaded trolleys of requested 300 pages.” the room. “Nearly into strolling Don said, “Here they are,” on the table us. I nervously folder before He set the thick my wiped turned out to be cold and dryhands, which and with anticipation, giant 1:200,000-scale maps of Banff and Jasper national parks on the Jasper national parks 1:200,000-scale maps of Banff and giant is done. Here, white-glovedwalls—where the real work researchers projects. Others respective to one another about their chatter quietly in lost lantern slides, or sit alone, often bent old parchment over only by broken busy returning from silent contemplation archivists to the south, the Peace River to the north, River to the south, the Peace the in the Front Ranges west. the The Eleanor Luxton Reference in east, and the Columbias it hardly covers 1,000 long and narrow, grand: is nothing itself Room feet. Cataloguessquare of Byron Harmon photographs near the visitors museum the wandering front entrance are enough to keep the of the room—windowless but for the back in but it’s occupied; Sideshow showman, Club. member of The Alpine and founding mountaineer, of the Custodian to serve the mountain by region bounded the forty-ninth parallel diaries, photographs, maps and scrapbooks, as well as the manuscripts as well maps and scrapbooks, photographs, diaries, three books: for f region’s (1921), the of Canada Mountains of the century-oldremained Brown-Hooker problem; and consisted primarily of literary of primarily consisted and correspondence other works, xxiv

Introduction meeting wasnotedin Kain’s autobiography: of1906.Their in theautumn nearGstatterboden, Alps, Ennstal up theHochtor (2,369m[7,772ft.]),thehighestmountain in the those letters. and letterswhich he[Kain] continued tosendher.” thescatterednotes had creditedherashaving “thewittopreserve and “a friendfromConrad’s youthful days in theAlps.” Thorington in Amelie Malek (1871–1941).FromwhatlittleattentionMalek received were ordered chronologically andaddressed toasingle correspondent, 1906and1933,thespanofKain’sbetween adult life, moreorless.They pages. yellowed typewritten Where theClouds CanGo “Er, caneither Iwhispered, ofyou readGerman?” atthe staring good people.good the firsttimeinthree weeks thatI had been onamountain with highly contented andIwasaswell. withtheexcursion, For itwas , andback inacarriage toGstatterboden. Bothgirlswere flowers which seen ornoticed. Ihadnever We went down to exclaiming about theview. happyattheEmesruhe, were very mountain andthey excursion, Hochthor. Idiscovered atonce thatthegirls hadseldom been ona morning andclimbed route, upthe waterfall toHessHütteandthe broad-brimmed hat.We left thehotel about four o’clock inthe impression upon themwithmypatched stockings, blue and shirt their momma,itoccurred tomethatIcould nothavemade agood introduced myself. Iwastobe ready atabout four o’clock. ladies requiring oftwo guidance inthemorning. I there wasaparty Kain f The correspondencebefore usconsistedof144letterswritten hadleftthebuilding.The Goddess One ofthewomenwasanexcellent botanist. Shecollected On leaving thetable where both young ladies were seated with theheadwaiter intheHotelIn theevening Gesäusetold methat rst guided Malekrst guided andheryounger sister, Flora(1873–1931), 5 (1935), we knew shewasanearlyclient (1935),we knew 4 Thesewere

A Young Guide in Europe, 1906–1909 xxv

Amelie Malek transcribed Kain’s original letters at Thorington’s request in 1935. Her Her in 1935. request at Thorington’s original letters Kain’s transcribed Amelie Malek ^ epilogue in this Bourdon’s See Don is all that remains. the letters of transcription typewritten Robinson. Zac by Photo transcription. further commentary for on Malek’s volume [WMCR, M160/7759] xxvi

Introduction And then, little by little,passages in Englishappeared.And then,littleby pages andofcorrespondence in alanguage we couldn’t read. flipping whileslowly through chuckled ofoursituation atthefutility carefully f stretched 27years. over readers,we hadaone-sided conversation that As replies remain lost. friend in thewestern woods,” “thewanderer,” Conrad.” “your Her “yourhe visitedthroughouthistravels. Hesignedoff in Englishas fromthedifferent ranges petals mailedherflower He nevertheless friendshipbeyond in themorallyrigidclimate ofpre-warEurope. Maleka guide, atourist—likely precluded much ofarelationship differences in social very class thatbroughtthemtogether—Kain climbed thePlanspitze via thePeternroute. “Why,and calledout, there’s Mr. Kain.” Aweek later, together they the dining roomoftheHotel Amelie Gesäuse, Malek recognizedhim later, when,fromacross again hewas overjoyed Alps, in theEnnstal ^ Flora (left) andAmelieMalek, unknown date. What would Surely would thelettersuncover? Thorington have A dear, lifelong friendship throughcorrespondenceensued. The Kain forgot never “theladies fromGstatterboden.” And, ayear nessed anyrevelations into Kain’s autobiography?We [Courtesy of Manfred Rotter] 6 A Young Guide in Europe, 1906–1909 xxvii [Princeton University Library, J. Monroe Thorington Collection, Thorington Monroe J. Library, University [Princeton , Kain expressed his “great anguish for the slip anguish the slip for expressed his “great , Kain Empress of Britain Empress “Ahh, look,” Chic said. “She’s teaching him how him to write.” teaching “She’s Chic said. look,” “Ahh, of Nasswald English from his birthplace in broken in Writing Conrad Kain and Amelie Malek on the summit of the Hochtor, the highest mountain in the Hochtor, on the summit of and Amelie Malek Kain Conrad accident in 1892 left his mother, Franziska Kain (1866–1944), alone Franziska Kain 1892 left his mother, accident in write scarcely could the eldest, Conrad, children. young with four the out and “korrekt” to point and begged Malek English” of the pen in to what he had English was limited his prose. Kain’s the pratfalls in venturesome tourists man leading on outings young up as a picked a mining death in of Vienna. His father’s the mountains southwest in the , near Gstatterboden, 1906. 1906. near Gstatterboden, Alps, the Ennstal WC005] voyage aboard to Canada his initial making months before 1909, just ^ xxviii

Introduction his name when he left school at the age of 14. He took employment his namewhenheleftschool attheage of 14.Hetookemployment for-word, them,whilethosein have exactlyasKain German wrote Thesectionsin Englishremain, context. nearlyword- to provide entirety. Kain’s lettersareordered chronologically andannotated Δ walked outinto thebrilliant sunshine. stillroaring throughmyears,we calleditaday and With acentury Park.Thearchive’sMountains closing time joltedustothepresent. the pack train, within whenBanffwas town just afledgling Rocky century, backearly decadesofthetwentieth totheromanticdays of we hadbeenblasted backthat afternoon,but tothe in the interval were unbearablypersonal, tragic, andnotmeantfor us. description andanall-abiding passionfor Nature.Otherpassages wasraw,writing attimes clumsy, butalwaysexhibiting agenius for wements could. MountRobson. TheGreatWar. TheDepression. the oranintellectualization but not aninterpretation ofpastevents, closermuch becausethey’re asthat’s bring history possible.They in comparisontowhatyou have donefor me.” in English,hetoldher, Ido, “Remember whatever that, itwill belittle letters,” toMalek Kain wrote in 1909.Later, solely writing in 1933,now hardfor methatIhave nobodywhohelps melike youvery withyour usedaschaptersThorington in cles helater for magazines wrote andalpine journals,manyofwhich throughout hisletterstoher, butalsohisdiary, andthe arti stilllost, corrected, andeditedKain’s words—those Englishpassagesscattered tutorial throughcorrespondence.Malek carefully commentedupon, his f poachingsupplemented by game. Hepurchased padwith awriting alivelihood he work,sporadic guiding helaboured asaquarryman, Later, slopesoftheRaxalpe. as agoatherdonthenearby withonly This edition presents theKain–Malek Thiseditionpresents correspondencein its We quietly satwiththelettersfor hours nomorethanafew andarchivesLetters areameanstodirectly accesshistory, as What began asadesire becamealifelong tobetterhis writing actual stuff rst paycheque. of past events. We ofpastevents. satin silencereading whatfrag 7 Where theClouds CanGo (1935).“Itis - - Introduction xxix

- rst-hand Writing letters was incredibly important letters was incredibly exper- to the immigrant Writing Hundreds of thousands of immigrants came to western Canada Canada came to western of thousands of immigrants Hundreds across the Atlantic. For Kain, they the physical connection that Kain, were For across the Atlantic. and experiences with those at life to share his adult allowed him or money to send flowers to his to Malek by which home, the vessel more effective in populating the West were immigrants themselves, immigrants themselves, were West the in populating more effective family and friends to letters home, convinced through their who, them. join that connected families It was often the only link Canada. ience in c Railway, the Pacifc Railway, a role. The completion of the Canadian played of a more resilient wheat varietyinvention an “open on the prairies, of course, the hyperbolic outpouring and, door” policy, immigration served all of press agentry the “Last to Best West”—these selling new opportunitiesentice those seeking Perhaps even Canada. in from around the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth nineteenth the late in from around the world in part, was sparked, by a centuries. The unprecedented influx conditions working global economy and deteriorating changing too, Canada, within realities throughout Europe and Asia. Changing “You have an incredibly remarkable fellow here,” John excitedly wrote John here,” fellow remarkable an incredibly have “You Kain of life!” so full He was just “He did so much. a 2009 email. in purportedly his correspondence as he was in life. was as endearing in f detailed, the letters revealed a richly not surprisingly, And, account of that very life. remarkable another influential immigrant to the Rockies, Martin Nordegg (1868– Nordegg Martin Rockies, immigrant to the another influential taught1970), was born. Having German at the University Alberta of positioned for was well nearly twofor now retired, decades, Maria, regional Kain’s recognized immediately the task of translation—she language and of both his to retain flavour the and strived dialect style. grew. a warm affinity As Austrian for the the project progressed, of Edmonton. Belonging to a later generation of European immi of European generation later to a Belonging of Edmonton. common in share much and John Maria Canada, grants western to the in areas of Germany: Maria grew Both mining with Kain. up in of district the coal-mining in and John Ore Mountains of Saxony, fact, in from the town where throw, Lower a stone’s only Silesia, been carefully translated and transcribed by Maria and John Koch Koch John and by transcribed and Maria translated carefully been