Category: Museum Musings

These articles have also appeared in the Whistler Question or Pique Newsmagazine in the Whistler Museum’s weekly column.

Building on FilmBuilding on Film

July 1, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Last month (June 18) the Whistler Museum and the Point Artist-Run Centre hosted a film screening that featured 8mm film from our archives. The films, mainly from the 1950s and ’60s, included snippets of sailing on Alta Lake, pie eating contests at Cypress Lodge (today the Point), and even the 1958 hike where stew was burnt on Whistler Mountain, along with footage of a under construction.

The house in question was built in September 1966 for Florence Strachan (Petersen). Florence first came to the Alta Lake area when she, June Tidball (Collins), Betty Atkinson (Gray), Jacquie Pope and Eunice “Kelly” Forster (Fairhurst) bought a cabin together in 1955. They named the cabin Witsend and would visit often throughout the summer. The following year, four of the five purchased the lot next door for $500. Over the following years, the other three sold their shares, leaving Florence as the sole owner of the lot.

(Left to right) Florence Strachan, Jacquie Pope, June Tidball, Fido, Betty Gray and Eunice “Kelly” Forster at their Witsend cottage in 1955.

Florence then decided to build a summer home overlooking Alta Lake, as she was till teaching full-time in Burnaby and spending her summers at Alta Lake. First, the lot had to be cleared, both of trees and, as can be seen in the 8mm footage, a couple of structures. The project was headed by Andy Petersen (who Florence married in 1967) and he was helped by Florence’s friends and family, who can be seen moving what appears to be an “explosive” outhouse while wearing shorts and sandals. Once cleared, construction could begin on the house.

Florence ordered a prefabricated house designed by Greenall Bros. Ltd., who in the 1960s produced prefabricated structures including houses, schools and construction camps. According to their advertisements in 1964, their buildings offered solid construction, good value, almost immediate occupancy, and “conventional appearance.”

Florence’s house arrived at Alta lake in September 1966 with all of the pieces cut to size. Like the clearing of the lot, the house was constructed by friends and family under the supervision of Andy. While the construction was sound, some of the practices would not be accepted today, such as the group working on top of the roof with no harnesses or safety gear (including children).

While the Alta Lake community was small, friends and neighbours were often willing to help with projects from chopping and stacking firewood to building a house. Petersen Collection

While the house was considered “built” in 1966, according to Andy it took them 25 years to finish it. For the first year, the house was uninsulated and had no power, making it very cold and uncomfortable in the winter. The Petersens would come up to check on the house but it wasn’t until after they installed electric heating that they started to visit more regularly throughout the year. Built on posts, Andy added a “proper foundation” and continued to work on the finishing touches.

In the spring of 1968, Andy moved up to live in the house full time as he and Dick Fairhurst of Cypress Lodge were constructing the Scotia Creek water line. Andy recalled that during this time, he accidentally put some holes in the roof while blasting the path for the line down to the house. He had to go down to Vancouver to get the tools and materials to fix the roof and, when Florence asked what he was doing home, told her “Oh, well, I have to go and get some stuff, something broke.” According to Andy, “I didn’t say I blew the roof off the house!”

Florence moved up to join Andy in Whistler full-time after retiring from teaching in 1983. After Andy retired, having finally finished working on the house, he turned his attention to the garden, building three terraces between the road and the house. In 2006, Florence wrote that she and Andy “can’t imagine living anywhere else and never tire of the view across the lake.” The Petersens continued to live at the house until Florence’s death in 2012, after which Andy moved away from Whistler.

It is always exciting when we find archival films, like many of the films in the Petersen Collection, that give us a better view of stories that are told to us through letters, interviews and more. You can view some of the film that has been digitized online – check out the Whistler Museum YouTube channel to see more.

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Holding CourtHolding Court

June 24, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the late 1960s, when Al and Nancy Raine first bought property in White Gold, there had been multiple years of talk about building tennis courts in the Whistler area but none had yet materialized. Wanting to play tennis, the Raines (who had purchased two lots) built a clay court next door to their house. According to a 2018 interview with Al, as the owners of the only tennis court in the valley (the clay courts at Rainbow Lodge no longer being maintained), he and Nancy soon found that they “had more friends for some reason.” In the spring, summer and fall months, friends (and maybe some acquaintances) would come over for a game frequently.

A few years later, John Taylor, then the owner of over 160 acres in today’s Creekside area, built tennis courts at Jordan’s Lodge on Nita Lake. These courts were used by residents, visitors, and even campers from the Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camp. When Myrtle Philip School opened in 1976, four tennis courts were built next to the school. Clearly, the appetite for tennis in the valley was growing.

The tennis courts at Jordan’s Lodge on the shores of Nita Lake, 1978. Whistler Question Collection

In 1978, Michael D’Artois remembers getting together with other tennis players at JB’s and forming the Whistler Valley Tennis Club. Using the courts at Nita Lake, they began hosting lessons and tournaments, including the first tournament of the 1978 season over the May long weekend. The tennis tournament (part of larger celebrations that weekend that included the Great Snow Earth Water Race and a belly flop competition) cost $3.50 to enter and, according to the Whistler Question, the winner got to keep the balls used and was presented with a “Whistler original perpetual trophy.” Over the following year, the Club would continue to host a tournament over the May long weekend, as well as other events throughout the season.

From stories from members of the Club, players were competitive (some more than others) but also friendly and social. Al remembered that the deck of JB’s (today Roland’s Pub and the Red Door Bistro) was located alongside the courts, which meant that people could sit on the deck to have a drink and watch the tennis games below. According to Al, this was “actually pretty ideal.” In order to play a game, you didn’t necessarily have to organize with a partner ahead of time; instead, a member of the Club could go over to JB’s, go out on the deck, see who was playing and who was around, and pick a partner.

The tennis courts overlooked by JB’s patio. Whistler Question Collection, 1979

Tennis grew throughout the 1980s and over time John Taylor (also a member of the Club) added an additional two courts and added a small building that could be used by the Club (he also added a fifth covered court in the 1990s). Club membership grew and the Whistler Valley Tennis Club became officially recognized as a non-profit society. Members paid dues, a pro was hired, and volunteers maintained the courts (some years the Whistler Fire Department would help out by washing the asphalt).

Esther Gorman moved to Whistler full-time in 1985 and joined the Club in the summer of 1987. Looking back in 2018, she recalled that the Club was where she met most of her “lifetime friends.” (She also remembered playing in a mixed doubles tournament with John Taylor and that, after they won, he named one of the courts after her.) Her husband, John Koenig, echoed her feelings. He joined in 1992, when the Club had 250 adult members and a waitlist, and made many close friendships through tennis, as well as meeting Esther.

A friendly game on the courts. Whistler Question Collection, 1980

Through the 1990s, after the new tennis facility opened next to the Whistler Village, members began to move to the new tennis club, through some maintained memberships in both. In the 2000s, Nita Lake Lodge was built on the site of Jordan’s Lodge and John Taylor’s tennis courts and today a house sits atop the Raines’ clay court. Though it eventually stopped hosting tournaments or organizing lessons and camps, the Whistler Valley Tennis Club maintained its non-profit status for many years in order to act as an advocate for the sport in Whistler. Today, tennis and other racket sports continue to be competitive and social (and often both) pastimes in the valley.

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Digitizing Alta LakeDigitizing Alta Lake

June 17, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Long before the Whistler Museum and Archives Society (WMAS) was officially founded in 1987 – when it was just a few shelves tucked away in the basement of the Whistler Public Library inside Municipal Hall – the idea of preserving the valley’s summer resort history was already taking root. Even then, the vision was clear: to safeguard and share the stories of the people who helped shaped this community, and to make sure they would not be forgotten.

That vision was driven by a promise. Florence Petersen, the founder of WMAS, made a personal commitment to Myrtle Philip who, alongside her husband Alex, opened Rainbow Lodge in 1914 and brought the first wave of tourism to the Alta Lake and later Whistler area. That promise was simple yet profound: to ensure that Whistler’s history and the lives and experiences of its residents would not be forgotten.

One of the many photos in the Philip Collection.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, efforts to collect oral histories, photographs, and films documenting life in the valley were already underway. The first items added to the museum’s archival collection reflect this early work, including 1,700 images related to Myrtle and Alex Philip and Rainbow Lodge, spanning from 1895 to 1986. These mostly black-and-white photographs, along with various 16mm films, capture a transformative period in the valley’s history, showcasing the growth of the Alta lake community and the broader evolution of Whistler as a tourist destination.

Preserving these materials is a responsibility we take seriously. Following Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) standards, we handle photographs using cotton gloves and store them in acid-free, archival-safe sleeves. These simple yet essential steps ensure that these fragile items remain in good shape for future generations.

Florence Petersen chats with Myrtle Philip. Philip Collection

Of course, preservation is only part of the job. Sharing Whistler’s history with the public, without risking damage to delicate originals, means creating digital copies of these items. Over the years, we’ve steadily expanded our capacity to digitize our collection. Today, we can convert a wide variety of media, including 16mm and 8mm film reels, colour slides, photographic prints, VHS tapes, Hi8, and DVCam formats.

Digitization is carried out using lossless formats like TIFF (Tag Image File Format), which preserve every pixel of the original image. A single high-resolution TIFF can be as large as 150 MB – about the size of 14 JPEGs on a modern smartphone. Unlike JPEGs, which compress data and average out similar pixels (sometimes causing those “blocky” images you see when streaming video on a slow internet connection), TIFF files retain the full fidelity of the original image.

Once digitized, we render to more manageable JPEG versions for everyday use, including social media, educational materials, and exhibits. These smaller files are easier to handle and help us tell Whistler’s story more widely and effectively.

Acid-free boxes, sleeves and more help keep archival materials safe.

To ensure the safety of our digital archives, we back up all high-resolution files to offsite servers and secure long-term storage systems, including LTO (Linear Tape-Open) tapes, which provide up to 30 years of reliable “cold” storage of these digital items.

WMAS is proud to be able to continue Florence’s promise and Myrtle’s legacy. Every photo we scan, every film we digitize, and every story we preserve is another piece of Whistler’s remarkable history saved – not just for today, but for generations to come.

WMAS will be hosting a film screening tomorrow (Wednesday, June 18) at the Point Artist-Run Centre, featuring archival films shot around the Alta Lake community, including 16mm films from the Philip Collection. This screening will offer a fascinating look at films from the Whistler Museum’s archives, shown right on the shores of Alta Lake. Get your tickets for the event here!

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Starting Up Whistler’s CourierStarting Up Whistler’s Courier

June 3, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

When Cherie Chaffey took part in the Great Snow Earth Water Race in 1979, she was not expecting it to lead (in a roundabout way) to starting her own business in Whistler.

The Great Snow Earth Water Race was a relay race founded by Bryan Walhovd that included skiing, cycling, canoeing, and running. Cherie was the cyclist for Ken Hunter’s “Nearly Normal Racing Team,” which meant she met the running skier at the bottom of Whistler Mountain and then had to cycle along the highway to the north end of Green Lake, where the baton was handed off. Unfortunately, when Cherie reached Emerald Estates she was hit by a car coming out of the neighbourhood. While she doesn’t remember much about the aftermath of the accident, in a recent interview she recalled waking up to see Chuck Blaylock standing over her and that the driver of the car was an off-duty ambulance driver, which meant that he was able to provide assistance before she was taken to Squamish Hospital. Instead of finishing the race, Cherie returned to Ontario to recuperate.

A cyclist races along the highway while traffic follows behind. According to Cherie, helmets became mandatory in the race the following year. Whistler Question Collection, 1979

Cherie had first moved out from Ontario three years earlier with a friend from school, Cathy Jewett. Despite the slow start to the 1976/77 season that year, the two got jobs with Garibaldi Lifts Ltd. working for Ron Johnson on the lifts. According to Cherie, on her first time up Whistler Mountain, she managed to make it to the top of the Red Chair where she asked the lifites where she could find the T-bars, where she was supposed to be working. They pointed her in the right direction and she asked, “Ok, how do you ski?” She was told, “Go straight until you fall, get up, and do it again.” Although she soon switched to working the gondola, she did get better at skiing with more practice.

Over the next few years, Cherie worked on various lifts and at different jobs for the lift company, though her favourite was that of lift supervisor during the Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camps. She would drive up to Midstation in an “old army truck” to start up the gondola and the Red Chair and was usually done her shift by about 2 o’clock, when it was time for windsurfing on Alta Lake. During the day, she and a small team would do jobs such as painting lifts or removing rocks from runs.

Just before Cherie returned from Ontario in the summer of 1979 following her recuperation, her father gave her money to buy a car as he didn’t want her riding her bike on the highway anymore. She bought a Honda Civic in Vancouver and, after thinking about what she wanted to do upon returning to Whistler, decided that she would start a courier service and Whistler Courier Service was born.

Cherie when she answered the Whistler Question’s Whistler’s Answers Question in 1983. Whistler Question Collection, 1983

On Friday, August 10, Cherie began offering delivery and pickup services in Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler three days a week. She charged customers $15 for a delivery to Vancouver (with an additional $2 for each additional stop) and $7 to Squamish (extra stops were only $1). According to her advertisement in the Whistler Question, there was “No job too big or small” and she offered to drop off bank deposits, mail, tools to be repaired, groceries and more. She even took dogs to the vet in Squamish and remembered all of the dogs being very well behaved in the car.

According to Cherie, as the Whistler Village was developed her jobs became more professional and she had more work delivering documents such as plans and drawings between Whistler and Vancouver. By spring of 1981, she was operating two runs five days a week and even hired another driver, Brian McPherson, and moved from her own landline into an office.

Cherie continued to run Whistler Courier until she was approached by Jeff Wuolle, the owner of Twin Peaks property management company, who offered to buy part of her company in exchange for part of his. After that, Cherie was no longer involved in the operations of the courier service as she began to learn more about property management and later moved away from Whistler.

You can learn more about the Great Snow Earth Water Race, which Cherie took part in, at our temporary exhibit now on display at the Whistler Museum through June 19.

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