Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • The Great Outdoors
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Loungin’ With Myrtle: The First Lady Of Whistler

  • February 19, 2018
  • Ben Osborne
Total
1
Shares
1
0
0
0
0
0
Total
1
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

Alta Lake was a summer destination in the 1930s, and a damn fine one at that. Outings for guests at Rainbow Lodge included fishing, swimming, boating, hiking and riding in the Whistler Valley. These excursions were often in the company of the legendary Myrtle Philip (seventh from the front of the log), who pioneered the valley and opened Rainbow Lodge in 1914 with her husband Alex.

 

Myrtle (7th from the right) and guests saddle up at Lost Lake. Courtesy WHISTLER MUSEUM & ARCHIVES

words :: Allyn Pringle

Raised in New England and trained as a teacher, Myrtle’s early life did not suggest that she would end up running a fishing lodge in a then-remote area of British Columbia.

Myrtle and Alex first came to the valley from their home in Vancouver in 1911, three years before the Pacific Great Eastern Railway arrived. Despite a lack of experience with horses or packing, the pair rented packhorses in Brackendale and headed up the Pemberton Trail. Two days later they arrived at Alta Lake and found the fishing perfect for their dream of opening a fishing lodge.

After buying land in May of 1914, Myrtle, her father and her two brothers started construction on the lodge. As Myrtle later recalled, “Mr. Philip (Alex) stayed in town and kept working to make money enough to buy food to keep us alive while we were building. We came to the property and pitched our tent on the side of the hill, and started in with a saw and axe to clear the land where Rainbow Lodge now sits.” With a lot of determination on everyone’s part, Rainbow Lodge opened that same year.

Myrtle embraced her new life, waking before dawn to make breakfasts and collect the mail packet from the train in her role as postmaster. In the 1930s, she, Lizzie Neiland (whose family was being taxed for the schooling of her four children despite not having a school to send them to) and other members of the small but growing Alta Lake community lobbied for and collected materials to open Alta Lake’s first school.

For her new lifestyle, Myrtle also made her own clothing. As she said, “I tried to wear dresses, but they were not practical because I used to have to go out and do outside work and maybe go out and harness the horse or something … you just can’t do things in skirts.” With no women’s pants available at the time, Myrtle made her own.

We came to the property and pitched our tent on the side of the hill, and started in with a saw and axe to clear the land where Rainbow Lodge now sits.

By the time this photo was taken in 1931, Rainbow Lodge was the most popular resort west of the Rockies and Myrtle was completely at home in the mountains, even chasing off a bear and cougar from an unlucky crew of young boys recruited to work on a trail.

In 1948, Myrtle and Alex sold Rainbow Lodge but both remained active in the community. Myrtle served as a school trustee for over 35 years (one of Whistler’s elementary schools still bears her name) and was a contributing member of both the Alta Lake Community Club and the Alta Lake District Ratepayers Society. Through their hard work, the Philips and Rainbow Lodge put Alta Lake on the map as a tourist destination. And Myrtle proved from day one that women could, and would, thrive in the wilds of Whistler.

For more on Myrtle Philip or other pieces of Whistler history head into the Whistler Museum & Archives next door to the library or hit up whistlermuseum.org. 

Total
1
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Ben Osborne

Previous Article
  • The Great Outdoors

On The Frontlines: Indigenous Women Are Playing An Integral Role In The Efforts To Protect Sacred Places

  • February 15, 2018
  • Mountain Life Media
View Post
Next Article
  • CLIMBING
  • Clif Bar
  • The Great Outdoors

Gord McArthur on Life After Completing the World’s Toughest Dry-tooling Climb

  • February 20, 2018
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
River-crossing-Cambria-Icefield-ABBY-COOPER
View Post
  • Features
  • Skiing

Kwhlixhoosa’anskw: A River Runs Through

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 19, 2022
Jamie-Mocrazy-portrait
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Skiing
  • The ML Interview

Jamie MoCrazy: Thriving after Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 17, 2022
View Post
  • On The Trail
  • The Great Outdoors

Helly Hansen Presents: Adventure Planning 101 with Squamish SAR

  • Sarah Bulford
  • May 16, 2022
Dynafit-Sea-to-Summit-Delphi-harbor-revised
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Videos

Friday Flick: Skiing with the Gods of Delphi

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 13, 2022
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • The Great Outdoors

Blower Pow and Disappearing Pants

  • Sarah Bulford
  • April 26, 2022
Skiing-the-Chief-North-Gully-Chris-Christie-pano
View Post
  • Photography
  • Skiing

Behind the Photo: Skiing the Chief’s North Gully

  • Mountain Life Media
  • April 4, 2022
View Post
  • In This Issue
  • The Great Outdoors

ML Launches Mushroom Life

  • Sarah Bulford
  • April 1, 2022
Red-fox-snow
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

The Underworld: What’s Going on Beneath our Skis and Snowboards?

  • Mountain Life Media
  • March 31, 2022
Featured Posts
  • Jason-Hardrath-Journey-to-100-standing-peak 1
    Friday Flick: Journey to 100
    • May 20, 2022
  • 2
    Friday Flick: Waterproofing 101
    • May 13, 2022
  • Jamie-Mocrazy-portrait 3
    Jamie MoCrazy: Thriving after Traumatic Brain Injury
    • May 17, 2022
  • River-crossing-Cambria-Icefield-ABBY-COOPER 4
    Kwhlixhoosa’anskw: A River Runs Through
    • May 19, 2022
  • Relic-The-Beachcombers-Ben-Tour-illustration 5
    Requiem for a Relic
    • May 16, 2022
RECENT POSTS
  • Helly Hansen Presents: Adventure Planning 101 with Squamish SAR
    • May 16, 2022
  • Dynafit-Sea-to-Summit-Delphi-harbor-revised
    Friday Flick: Skiing with the Gods of Delphi
    • May 13, 2022
  • Nick-Gottlieb-Pereval-Dzhuku-pass
    Touching the Mountains of Heaven
    • May 12, 2022
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
#ThrowbackThursday 👉Rhythmic raindrops pounded on the truck’s canopy. Wet snow avalanches growled down the slopes, and the river echoed its roar—evidence the Nass Valley’s spirit was very alive. According to the Nisga’a people, K’alii-Aksim-Lisims (the Nass River, one of BC’s richest river systems) is as much a part of them as their own flesh and blood, flowing through their land and lives.
Join us to hear from the Squamish Search & Rescue on trip planning, outdoor safety, outing ideas, and tips for backcountry travel while enjoying local beer and good company at @hellyhansenwhistler tomorrow eve! #Linkinbio to register!
@jamiemocrazy’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurred on her second competition run in slopestyle skiing at the finals of the World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler in April, 2015.
Reel Rock 16 is coming to #Squamish! There are two showings 👉 May 20th and June 1st at the Eagle Eye Theatre, Howe Sound Secondary School, in beautiful Squamish supported by @climbonsquamish! #Linkinbio to get your tickets! #climbing #film #filmfest #climbers #adventure #climbon #adventure #squamishbc #tickets
Finding that picture perfect moment with @sweenyj #mountainlifer
The winter that just keeps on given-er! 🤘#mountainlifer
FRIDAY FLICK 💥 This past March, speed mountaineer Benedikt Böhm @benediktboehm rocked a five-hour sea-to-summit expedition up Mount Parnassus in central Greece. Starting at sea level on his road bike at the village of Itea on the Gulf of Corinth, he climbed up to an altitude of 2.414 metres. #linkinbio to watch the film!
I had no idea what to expect from this trip, neither from bikepacking, a fancy term for cycle touring and a sport I’d never done before, nor from Kyrgyzstan, a country most people cannot find on a map. Carl, who I’d only just met recently after moving to Canada—I’d flagged him down after backcountry skiing after seeing his Montana license plate—had invited me on this trip while on a mountain bike ride. I said no. A few weeks later I figured, “Why not?”
The @rab.equipment  dynamic Cirrus Flex is a soft, lightweight hybrid synthetic insulation for mountain-friendly layering. Keeping you warm and perfectly suited to journey in the mountains. #TheMountainPeople #WeAreRab
"@normhann and I lashed paddleboards to the roof of his truck and headed north along the Island Highway, towards Telegraph Cove. Norm had invited me to tag along on a commercial paddleboard group he would be guiding in the Broughton Archipelago. Despite a long history of SUP expeditions, I harboured some reservations."
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

#ThrowbackThursday 👉Rhythmic raindrops pounded on the truck’s canopy. Wet snow avalanches growled down the slopes, and the river echoed its roar—evidence the Nass Valley’s spirit was very alive. According to the Nisga’a people, K’alii-Aksim-Lisims (the Nass River, one of BC’s richest river systems) is as much a part of them as their own flesh and blood, flowing through their land and lives.
Join us to hear from the Squamish Search & Rescue on trip planning, outdoor safety, outing ideas, and tips for backcountry travel while enjoying local beer and good company at @hellyhansenwhistler tomorrow eve! #Linkinbio to register!
@jamiemocrazy’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurred on her second competition run in slopestyle skiing at the finals of the World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler in April, 2015.
Reel Rock 16 is coming to #Squamish! There are two showings 👉 May 20th and June 1st at the Eagle Eye Theatre, Howe Sound Secondary School, in beautiful Squamish supported by @climbonsquamish! #Linkinbio to get your tickets! #climbing #film #filmfest #climbers #adventure #climbon #adventure #squamishbc #tickets
Finding that picture perfect moment with @sweenyj #mountainlifer
The winter that just keeps on given-er! 🤘#mountainlifer
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.