Name Whistler’s history!

Posted on February 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

Local historian Florence Petersen has been quietly working away on her book on Whistler’s pioneers for the last three years and with the help of the Whistler Museum, she hopes to get it published in the next few months. There’s only one problem…. it doesn’t have a name!

Whistler's pioneers searching for a good name

The book tells the story of Whistler before skiing came to the valley. Myrtle Philip and Rainbow Lodge are of course featured, but there are many other early residents whose tales are told here, including trappers, loggers, prospectors and summer cottage owners. It covers the period from about 1900 to 1965, the year the ski-hill was built.

The book can’t be published without a title, so we are running a competition in the hope that you lovely people in internet-land might be able to help us out.

If you have a good idea for a title then we would love to hear it.

There are lots of ways to enter!

-       post a comment on our blog post here

-       email collection@whistlermuseum.org

-       write on our Facebook wall at http://www.facebook.com/WhistlerMuseum

-       tweet us at @WhistlerMuseum

If we select your title you’ll win a free museum membership and a copy of the book signed by the author, and, of course, the GLORY of naming a book! Closing date for entries is March 1st.

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Posted in Beyond Skiing, Characters, Pioneers

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Love and romance — Whistler style

Posted on February 11, 2012 | 1 Comment

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we thought we would share one of Whistler’s lesser known love stories.

Bob Jardine first came to Whistler around 1921 with his family. He spent his childhood here, attending the first school in what was then Alta Lake. Later, at the age of 21, he joined the Air Force, where he spent the next 28 years. It was during his time with the Air Force that he met Stella Stracken.

Bob Jardine: quite possibly the handsomest Whistler pioneer

Bob worked in the fire department and Stella worked in the air man’s canteen as a steward. Although Bob knew Stella slightly, they never really spent a lot of time together.

One day, Bob received a telegram from his brother, which stated that he was going to be in Vancouver and asked if Bob would be able to go and meet him. The Jardine brothers hadn’t seen each other in five years, but the Air Force wouldn’t give Bob the time off.

During an argument with his superior over the matter, he was asked if he wanted a discharge. Bob said yes and he was given $100 for clothes and 30 days leave. So Bob went to Vancouver and had a month-long party with his brother. However, Bob became lonely and began looking for some work to fill up his time away from the Air Force. He ended up getting a job as a telephone lineman with the PGE Railway.

One day he went to work on a telephone pole near Function Junction. His boss asked him to climb the pole and make sure the lines were properly hooked up by calling the Vancouver operator and then ask to be connected to an outside number. Jardine pulled out his address book and happened across the name Stella Stracken. He couldn’t even remember who the girl was.

Bob decided to call the number anyways and her mother happened to answer the phone. He asked where Stella was and was informed that she had gone to work. He asked Stella’s mother to inform her daughter that he was coming to Vancouver that weekend and intended to take her out to dinner. That’s right — Bob Jardine scored a date with a girl he barely knew from the top of a telephone pole without even speaking to her directly.

So, Stella showed up for the date and Bob took her to a café. Not long into the date, Bob said, “This is a helluva time to mention this, but why don’t we get married?” At Stella’s justifiably shocked expression, Bob went on to say that they were never going to make a better connection with anybody else like the one they were making at that very moment, with each other.

Somehow, over the next two hours Bob convinced Stella to marry him. They were married for 58 years until Stella passed away.

Bob and Stella on their wedding day

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Posted in Beyond Skiing, Characters, Pioneers

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A short history of the Whistler Museum

Posted on February 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday to us!

In the summer of 1986 Florence Petersen began fulfilling a promise. You see, Florence had made a promise to Myrtle Phillip and Dick Fairhurst that their stories would not be forgotten. Phillip and Fairhurst were concerned that the early days of the valley would be forgotten entirely as skiing became the dominant activity.

That summer Florence, with a group of dedicated volunteers, set to work in creating a museum in Whistler. Unfortunately, Myrtle Phillip passed away in August of that year, and did not get to see the new museum become a reality.

Florence (at left) and Myrtle share a laugh

As items for the museum were gathered, a temporary showcase was constructed in an 11 by 14 foot room in the back of the Whistler Library. In February 1987, 25 years ago, the Whistler Museum and Archives Society (WMAS) became an official non-profit organization.

By January of 1988 the WMAS, located in Function Junction, had its own temporary space in the old municipal hall building, renovated through the generosity of the Whistler Rotary Club. The museum, which officially opened in June of 1989, showcased replicas of Myrtle Phillip’s sitting room, information on Whistler’s natural history as well as exhibits on skiing and pioneer life.

Florence poses with the new Museum sign in 1988 - this same sign adorns the side of the Museum today

Between June and September of that year, the brand-spanking-new museum had attracted over 2,000 visitors. That number increased to over 3,800 visitors the following summer. Not too shabby Florence!

In 1995 the Whistler Museum and Archives scored temporary space in a prime location on Main Street beside the library. The new space was 1,000 square feet smaller than that in the Function Junction location, but was definitely more accessible and visible. In the first month alone of operating in the new space, the Whistler Museum welcomed 2,168 visitors.

Thirteen years later, in 2008, WMAS closed its doors to prepare for its fourth move — a new home in the adjacent structure that had previously housed the Whistler Public Library. By the end of 2009 WMAS had re-opened with a brand new interior and brand-new permanent exhibit, with support from the municipality, the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, the Community Foundation of Whistler, the American Friends of Whistler and the community at large.

If you haven’t seen the new Museum, you really are missing out.

So thank you Florence and thank you to the army of volunteers over the years. Without you we wouldn’t have the awesome museum we have today and, frankly, we wouldn’t have these sweet jobs!

To celebrate our birthday, we will be holding a fundraiser at Creekbread. Please click here for all the details.

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Posted in Beyond Skiing, Characters, Inside History, Museum Musings, Pioneers

Forget the Glass Slippers: Whistler Chicks Wear Ski Boots

Posted on January 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

The tale of Tony and Irene Lyttle really is a ‘Made in Whistler’ story.  The couple first met in the mid 1960s and while it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, sometimes things are just meant to be.  Tony worked for BC Hydro and was also a ski patroller.  Irene was a skier, subletting an apartment from Paul Burrows in Whistler while he was in Europe.  In a 2003 interview Irene was asked how she first met Tony, and romance isn’t the first thing that comes to mind:

“[…] the long and the short of it was that I hitched a ride in the back of Tony’s car, so I basically met the back of his neck.  I wasn’t too impressed, actually, by the back of his neck.  So that’s how we met.  Tony was on the Patrol and I was ‘just the skier’ and he gave me a drive up to go skiing.”

Whistler Skiers' Chapel in 1989

Despite this inauspicious beginning, Tony and Irene soon became a couple and later engaged in 1967.  They chose Whistler as the perfect place for a wedding. When the Lyttles were asked why they chose to be married in Whistler, they said it just seemed like the natural place to do it. Irene elaborated:

“I don’t know whether it [getting married in Whistler] had been done at all.  I didn’t do it because it was popular.  I didn’t have any church affiliation and I loved mountains and the outdoors, and it didn’t make sense to get married in a church in Vancouver when none of us spent much time there.”

Tony and Irene Lyttle getting married in the Skiers' Chapel, January 1967.

In fact, the Lyttles may have been the first couple married in Whistler. It certainly wasn’t easy.   Tony wasn’t even in the country at that point  — he was working for the Aspen Ski Corporation at the time.   Also, everything had to be brought up from Vancouver – a treacherous 2.5-hour drive in the best weather.

The challenge was how to get all the guests up to Whistler in January.  Some guests travelled all the way from Nanaimo to attend the wedding.  One of Irene’s friends was only two weeks away from delivering a baby and still managed to make the trip. Tony himself brought the priest up to Whistler in a sports car during a snowstorm!

Irene Lyttle on her way to the wedding alter, January 1967

While all their friends joked that Irene would wear ski pants to the wedding she was determined to wear a white wedding dress. However, one of the wedding ushers placed her white mid-calf ski boots in the aisle.  As the now married couple prepared to make their exit, Irene stopped, pulled up her skirt, removed her fancy white satin heels and, like the Whistler version of Cinderella, placed her newly married feet into the ski boots. She then proudly left the chapel with her patroller prince.

Wow – a wedding on the mountain and a bride wearing ski boots.   Maybe there’s hope for romance after all.

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The milkman’s vehicle of choice? A dugout canoe!

Posted on January 21, 2012 | 2 Comments

Ever wonder where you got things like fresh milk, eggs and whipping cream living at Alta Lake in the early 1900s? Keep reading…

Originally from London, England, Alfred Barnfield caught his first glimpse of the Alta Lake area on his way to the Klondike gold fields from his home in Squamish in 1895. In 1903, he formed a prospecting group with other Englishmen called ‘The London Group’ that prospected in the Garibaldi/Black Tusk area. They are credited with the original name of Whistler Mountain – London Mountain.

Alfred atop Wedge Mountain, with what appears to be a rock pick

Alfred's high-end prospecting digs, location unknown

In 1905, Alfred returned to Alta Lake to settle 160 acres near the northeast end of Alta Lake. The same year, Daisy Hotchkiss arrived, riding on top of a wagonload of potatoes bound for a logging camp. Despite their vast age difference (she was 19 and he was 42), they married in 1910. By all accounts, it was a happy marriage, and they had four children – Fred, William, Vera and Charles.

Daisy Barnfield

The Barnfields worked hard to establish a dairy farm on their Alta Lake property. Within the next few years, the railway from North Vancouver extended up to Alta Lake, opening up a thriving tourist trade. In the right place at the right time, Alfred and his son became a familiar sight as they paddled a dugout canoe, delivering milk, cream and eggs to lakefront lodges. They also passed along the local news/gossip – the valley grapevine had begun.

This dugout canoe is similar to the one Alfred and Fred would have used. It may in fact be the one they used, but we have no records to confirm or deny that.

By 1920, they had 14 cows supplying the local population with fresh milk. Rainbow Lodge was their biggest customer – our records indicate that their daily order consisted of 80 quarts of milk, four quarts of whipping cream, and two quarts of table cream!

In 1926, the Barnfields moved the farm south to Brackendale, but every summer they loaded cows and chickens onto the train and made the trek back to Alta Lake for the tourist season.

Daisy (on right) is seen feeding the chickens with a little help

When London Mountain became Whistler Mountain everything changed. The focus shifted from Alta Lake’s fishing lodges to the mountain serviced by Creekside and eventually farther north to Whistler Village. Today, Barnfields is one of Whistler’s residential communities.

Things change, it’s not a bad thing, but who wouldn’t want fresh-from-local-cows milk delivered by canoe?

We couldn’t resist including this one last photograph taken on the Barnfield property at Alta Lake:

This puppy looks a bit unsure about his perch on the back of a cow


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Posted in From the Archives, Pioneers

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Toad Hall Woes

Posted on January 13, 2012 | Leave a comment
The infamous Toad Hall poster (with the kind permission of Terry Spence)

Everyone in Whistler has seen the Toad Hall poster – the iconic picture of Whistler ski-bums posing naked outside the squat they were about to be evicted from, but few people hear of the other side of the story – that of the legal owner of Toad Hall.

The building itself (which was not called Toad Hall at the time) was built by a logger, Alf Gebhart, who first moved here in 1936.

In the mid ‘60s Alf sold his cabin to Charles Hillman, a teacher from Ontario who was working in a high school in Vancouver.  Charles rented it to a respectable-looking divorced father with two daughters. The rent kept coming in, but as time went on the cheques mysteriously began to bear different names to the man he had originally rented to. When Charles was ready to use the cabin for himself to ski on Whistler Mountain, he discovered, to his horror, that it had become a squat and renamed ‘Toad Hall’.

Toad Hall itself, at the time of its occupation by the ‘Unemployment Insurance Ski Team’. (George Benjamin collection)

When he first re-entered his property one of the inhabitants was cooking breakfast and Charles asked him where he was from. The squatter replied “Montreal”. Charles asked him – “How did you find this place?” the squatter breezily answered “Oh, it is known all over Canada!”

Charles could not believe how many young people had invaded his cabin.  He felt: “It was as if the entire ‘Unemployment Insurance Ski Team’* had squeezed into my cabin without even keeping the place clean.”  On a night of substance abuse, some had even lit a campfire in the middle of a bedroom floor.

The squatters slept everywhere – in the chicken house, sheds and shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor.  To finally get possession of his own place, Charles, with the assistance of the police from Squamish, entered his Nita Lake home with a court order for the squatters to leave. The eviction seemed to be fairly amicable however, as Charles even granted them an extension so they could have a big farewell party.

The carefree life of the Toadhaller. (George Benjamin collection)

Charle’s last words on the subject are “Toad Hall was almost a finishing school for the young of that area and many went on to be successful entrepeneurs of world-famous Whistler.”

*‘Unemployment Insurance Ski Team’ was how many ski-bums of the time jokingly referred to themselves.

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Posted in Inside History

Announcing our full Winter 2012 Speaker Series Line-up!

Posted on January 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

We are excited to announce our full line-up of speakers for our Winter 2012 Speaker Series! Taking place the third Wednesday of the month, each evening will feature a presentation from a knowledgeable and engaging long-time local full of stories that are sure to entertain and inform. Representing an array of mountain culture professionals and enthusiasts, this winter’s line-up was chosen to inspire our audience to get outside and play!

Tickets for Speaker Series evenings are $7 each, or $5 for Museum members. If you sign up as a new member, we will include a free ticket!

Doors open at 6:15pm and seating is first come, first serve.

Complimentary tea and coffee will be provided by local companies the Namasthé Tea Co. and the Whistler Roasting Company, and there will be a cash bar.

January 18th, 2012 7-9pm

Roger McCarthy presents, “From Alta Lake to Sochi: An insider’s view on the 2014 games”

Journey from Whistler, British Columbia to Mont Tremblant, Quebec to Sochi, Russia and back again with Roger McCarthy as he shares photographs and stories from his fascinating career in the mountains. McCarthy will focus on his experiences in Russia, working to create a brand new ski and snowboard area for the upcoming Games. You won’t want to miss this one!

Roger McCarthy

February 15th, 2012 7-9pm

Jayson Faulker presents, “Huts in the backcountry, now more than ever”

This talk will cover the Spearhead Huts Project – an important initiative to build a hut system in the Spearhead Range. It will also examine the history of huts in the Sea to Sky Corridor, and look at why we need this now – more than ever.

Ski Touring in the Spearhead Range

March 21st, 2012 7-9pm

Frank Salter presents, “Frank’s World of Skis: The History of Skiing in a 500-pair Collection”

Journey back in time with Frank as he shares his amazing collection of retro ski equipment (hundreds and hundreds of pairs) and what collecting means to him. This is your chance to see some really unique pieces of ski history up close as they travel from Salter’s elusive Creekside stash to the Museum for an evening.

Frank Salter shows off a unique split tail ski

April 18th, 2012 7-9pm

WORCA presents, “WORCA – more than just Toonie rides”

Get stoked for bike season with WORCA as you hear about the history of this great local organization! This is a chance to learn about all of the different programs WORCA organizes – including the Toonie rides, youth camps, bike maintenance clinics, trail advocacy and more. Donations to WORCA will be gladly accepted at the door.

Sliding Centre Toonie Ride, Patrick Hui photo

The Speaker Series will be on hiatus over the summer, and will return in October 2012. Check back in September for details on October and November’s presenters.

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Posted in News & Events

Squatters and Ski-bums

Posted on December 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

This month sees the completion of the project to catalogue the George Benjamin collection.  This collection is definitely different to any other that I have encountered in my career in archives before, but it is certainly of great significance to the history of Whistler. George Benjamin moved to Whistler in 1970 and took up residence in “Tokum Corners”, a roughly made cabin with no electricity and no running water. Many of you will find the name “Tokum” familiar from the eponymous ski-run on Whistler Mountain – and this is no coincidence – one of George’s roommates at Tokum Corners named it while working on the mountain as this was his route home from a hard days work. “Tokum Corners” was also used to refer to a part of Dave Murray Downhill – the downhill ski racing run that was used during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.  As you can gather from these accolades, Tokum Corners was an institution in 1970s Whistler, and was host to many parties and a hub for the “ski-bum” population of Whistler.

George Benjamin outside Tokum Corners

George or “Benji” as he was more commonly known was also a semi-professional photographer. His family, back in Ontario, owned a photo finishing business and this allowed him to develop his photographs for free – a handy asset in the days before digital photography.

Awesome 70s skiing

In 2009 when I was working on the Museum’s new exhibit we were looking for material to use in our squatters and ski-bums display and it became apparent that there was actually very little material relating to that aspect of Whistler’s history in the Museum.  The pioneers were well covered, as was the history of the development of the ski-hill, but the history of the ‘counter-culture’ of squatters in the 1970s, which was actually more like the main-stream culture at that time was pitifully under-represented. This provoked a search for material and we were rewarded with the donation of a huge collection of photographs from Benji.  Although I was very excited to receive the collection I was also a little overwhelmed. Working as the Collection’s Manager for the museum is busier that I could ever have imagined and finding the time to sit down and catalogue five thousand photographs was extremely daunting. Luckily, a grant from the National Archives Development Program was forthcoming and we were able to hire Bradley Nichols for four months to catalogue the collection, re-house it in acid-free boxes to prevent deterioration and to digitize 50 of the photographs for our website.

Part of the Benjamin collection in its swanky new archival-quality housing

You can see these photographs on the Museum’s website at http://www.whistlermuseum.org/georgebenjamincollection and the catalogue is available to view on the museum’s own online database at http://ica-atom.org/whistler/benjamin-fonds;rad and on MemoryBC at www. http://memorybc.ca/

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through Library and Archives Canada, and administered by the Canadian Council of Archives.

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Posted in From the Archives

The Post of Whistler’s Christmas Past

Posted on December 24, 2011 | Leave a comment

Christmas has always been an hectic time here in Whistler, as so much energy goes into welcoming and entertaining guests. This was as true 90 years ago as it is today. Scanning through our archives this week, I was surprised by how few Christmas images we actually had. It seems as if everyone was always too busy to get the camera out! In any case I managed to find a few good ones for this week’s post.

Christmas was always a major production at Rainbow Lodge. Myrtle and Alex were renowned entertainers, and for Christmas they pulled out all the stops. These two images show calm before the storm that was the annual dinner. Although it would be nice to have pictures of the actual dinner and guests, these photos are especially valuable because, of the thousands (literally) of images we have of Rainbow Lodge, only a handful of them are actually inside!

Photograph of Myrtle Philip and two other women inside the dining hall at Rainbow Lodge, decorated for Christmas. 1920.

Here's the Rainbow Lodge dinner table, Christmas 1923

As gracious and popular hosts, the Philips always had a long list of friends and associates who sent them Christmas cards:

"Season's Greetings" from C. H. Highmoor" a Rainbow Lodge guest. The photo is from atop Rainbow Mountain. 1916.

A 1947 Christmas Card from Rainbow Lodge friend, Paulene Johnson, featuring Binkie the Dog!

In later years, Christmas was a more relaxing experience for Myrtle as she didn’t have the responsibilities of entertaining at Rainbow Lodge.

Myrtle Philip and friend Mollie Boyd at Myrtle Philip School to enjoy a performance of "Christmas at Rainbow" by local school children. It must have been the best Christmas present ever for Myrtle to watch the theatrical ode to her life's work performed in a school named in her honour!

And even though for most Whistlerites, Christmas is far more work than holiday. we hope you all have a chance to kick back with friends (and if you’re lucky enough, family too) and treat yourself as well. Happy Holidays!

Season's Greetings from Whistler Mountain staff, early 1970s.

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Posted in Beyond Skiing, From the Archives, Pioneers

Our Mountain Home

Posted on December 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

As some of you may know, last Sunday was International Mountain Day (IMD). In recognition of this, and in conjunction with the Whistler Forum’s efforts to raise the profile of IMD in Whistler, a very special event was held at the Whistler Museum on Saturday Evening. Three elder statesmen of the mountains were invited to share stories from their lives in the mountains, and to communicate what the alpine realms meant to them.

Our distinguished panel began with the 92-years-young Howard Rode, who has been climbing and skiing in our local mountains since he was a young man, and remains active today! His light-hearted recollections of early trips into Garibaldi Park recalled an era when far more effort was required of those seeking alpine adventures. Despite this, Howard spoke of his experiences with an undeniable fondness, clearly enriched from over seventy years playing in the mountains.

Howard was followed by well-known local Don MacLaurin. Don, a retired forester, educator, and parks planner, was an active mountaineer for half a century, achieving multiple first ascents in the area and even acting as President of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club for some time. Don was no stranger either to physical exertion in the name of mountain play, but his talk focused on his lifelong efforts as an educator, and his desire to share the wonder of mountain environments with others.

Our final speaker was the Honourable John Fraser, former Speaker of the House of Commons, Federal Environment Minister, and Canadian ambassador to many key international summits including the 1992 Rio Summit on Environment and Development.  Mr. Fraser gave a fascinating talk on his early adventures growing up in a forestry family and running a pack train in the Yukon before settling into his professional career as a lawyer and politician. Perhaps the most interesting moment came when he described his involvement in a committee tasked with identifying potential winter Olympic sites in the 1960s.

The distinguished legislator and statesmen concluded with several pointed suggestions for Whistler, which has been his part-time home for several decades, and more generally, for younger, environmentally minded citizens.

It was a pleasure to be able to take part in this event, and it was truly an honour to host such a distinguished and impassioned panel. Whenever you have the opportunity to listen to anyone with this much experience and accomplishment, let alone three, you should take advantage.

These three gentlemen had the great fortune (and foresight) to make the mountains a major part of their long, productive lives, and they made it quite clear that this was no coincidence. If I had to single out one lesson (among the many) to take away from the evening it has to be this : We live in a special town immersed in a truly inspiring and empowering natural landscape.  No matter how busy you find yourself this winter,  make sure you make the time to actually get up into the mountains and take advantage of all they have to offer.

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Posted in Characters, Environment, News & Events, Pioneers, Recreation