Margaret Fleming and the Alpine Club of Canada: A Woman’s Place in Mountain Leisure and Literature, 1932-1952

Abstract

This study examines the life history of Margaret Fleming (1901-1999) — a Canadian mountaineer, editor, school teacher and single woman who lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fleming, a lifetime member of the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC), was introduced to her first mountaineering camp in 1929 by Elizabeth Parker. Through the ACC, Fleming climbed in the Rockies, participated in early ski-mountaineering explorations into the Yoho National Park backcountry, served as the first woman editor of the Canadian Alpine Journal (1942-1952) and cultivated long-lasting friendships with other climbers. As a professional woman who juggled the responsibilities of work, family and leisure, Fleming’s mountaineering life was shaped by the gendering of physical and social culture. Fleming integrated her pursuits as a genteel mountain woman and literary editor, within the context of an ongoing process of negotiations over women’s place in mountain leisure.