About

Our Mission

To collect, preserve, document and interpret the natural and human history of mountain life – with an emphasis on Whistler – and to provide a forum in which to present an innovative range of exhibitions and education programs to enrich the lives of residents and guests.

Our Vision

Our (Whistler) Museum will be a leading centre for the collection, preservation, documentation, interpretation and celebration of Whistler’s mountain life.

Our History

It was the chance for a weekend get-a-way spot that spurred Florence Petersen and four friends to purchase a small cabin at Alta Lake in the mid-1950s. At the time, the valley contained a quaint summer fishing resort with only a handful of year-round residents. In the years following, the area would transform from its humble beginnings into the internationally renowned four-season resort we know today. With so much change taking place in the 1970s, Rainbow Lodge operator Myrtle Philip and Cypress Lodge operator Dick Fairhurst confessed to Florence a worry that their stories and experiences would soon be forgotten. Florence eased their fears by promising them that their stories would be remembered. True to her word, in 1986, after retiring from teaching, Florence started the Whistler Museum and Archives as a charitable non-profit society. Over thirty years later, Whistler has grown beyond the early trail-blazers’ wildest dreams and the Museum is proud to continue to collect, preserve, and tell the stories of mountain life and the people who live it.

Board of Directors 2019/20

President – John Hetherington
Vice-President – Colin Pitt-Taylor
Treasurer – Roger Lundie
Trustee – Dave Kirk
Trustee – Roger McCarthy
Trustee – Andrew Ross
Trustee – Jinny Ladner
Trustee – Kathy Macalister
Municipal Representative – Cathy Jewett

Staff

Executive Director and Curator – Bradley Nichols
Head Archivist & Collections Manager – Alyssa Bruijns
Events & Community Manager – Allyn Pringle
Discover Nature Coordinator- Kristina Swerhun