Whistler: A Town – Whistler Museum and Archives Society

A Hollywood Start for The Plaza GalleriesA Hollywood Start for The Plaza Galleries

November 4, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Whistler has seen its fair share of celebrities over the years, from accomplished athletes to movie stars. These days, celebs tend to keep a low profile, but some past visits were not so under-the-radar.

The 1980s saw Arnold Palmer at the opening of the Whistler Golf Course (which he designed) and Sean Connery filming a Japanese commercial for Biogurt on that same course. Actor Tony Curtis also made a splash in 1996, and he didn’t just come to visit Whistler; he came to showcase his artwork.

By the mid-1990s, Whistler had several commercial art galleries; some included local artwork but the majority showcased well-known Canadian and international artists. Another commercial operation was slated to open in 1996 on the north side of Whistler Village, which was under development for most of the 1990s. An April 1996 advertisement in Pique Newsmagazine presented the new Town Plaza, featuring a variety of businesses: Caramba, Escape Route, Escents, Levi’s, Maze, The Plaza Galleries, and Rogers’ Chocolates. Of these businesses, only The Plaza Galleries and Caramba remain. As the non-winter seasons were quieter and that side of the village was fresh, the gallery immediately sought ways to draw people in.

The Plaza Galleries, originally operated by Dave Helfrich and Ann-Marie Little, boasted works from alto-relief sculptor Bill Mack, realist painter Adolf Sehring, and comedian and oil painter Red Skelton. Mack—who is known for his sculptures of cultural and sports Halls of Famers and for creating artwork from pieces of the original Hollywood sign—was one of the first artists to make a featured appearance at the gallery on April 19, 1996. Then came what Mayor Ted Nebbeling dubbed “Tony Curtis Week.”

Tony in front of The Plaza Galleries. Bonny Makarewicz collection.

Though known for his film acting—Some Like It Hot, Spartacus, or The Defiant Ones—Tony Curtis also painted for most of his life. Influenced by Van Gogh, Picasso, and Matisse, his paintings were bright and bold. He had a preference for landscapes but also painted still lifes and portraits.

In a 1996 interview with the Pique, he emphasized that painting was a passion: “The fact that you can make money off it is not necessarily the achievement that one does with painting. Painting is a language unto itself. It’s an unspoken language.” Though Curtis’ style was not for everyone, his arrival made for a great party.

Celebrations ran from July 1 to 7 with two public receptions on July 4 and 5. Advertised as “A Magical Weekend,” Curtis travelled from the Chateau Whistler to The Plaza Galleries by horse and carriage. Magician Randy Charach warmed up the crowds before Curtis performed his own magic, inspired by when he played Harry Houdini. There were also V.I.P. events throughout the week featuring champagne and hors d’oeuvres. The exhibit was on until the end of July, but a few pieces remained on display for a few years after.

In true Hollywood fashion, a cement plaque of Curtis’ handprints was revealed to inaugurate the gallery’s “Walk of Stars.” It can still be seen in front of the gallery today, where it is the sole plaque on display.

Tony’s handprints. Image taken in August 2026 by staff.

Since its inception, The Plaza Galleries has featured a variety of artwork from Canadian and international artists, such as Robert Bateman, Kal Gajoum, and even Picasso and Rembrandt. This work continues under the current owners, the Rozenvains, who purchased the gallery in 2016.

The Arrival of Bear-Proof Garbage Bins in WhistlerThe Arrival of Bear-Proof Garbage Bins in Whistler

October 25, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Featured photo: Whistler Mayor Hugh O”Reilly (L) and Village Foreman Ted Pryce-Jones trying out one of the prototype bear-proof garbage bins. 1998. Makarewicz collection.

Today, bear-proof garbage bins are a familiar sight throughout Whistler, but in the late 1990s, they were a relatively new addition to Whistler’s built landscape. As Whistler continued to grow, managing garbage and reducing conflicts between people and black bears became an increasingly important issue.

In 1997, concerned citizen Sylvia Dolson helped establish the Black Bear Task Team, bringing together conservation officers with representatives from the municipality, Whistler Blackcomb, environmental organizations, and waste management companies. The team began developing a comprehensive management plan to reduce conflicts between people and bears. A central concern was the availability of human garbage as a food source, which often brought bears into populated areas. Although Whistler already had regulations prohibiting garbage from being left unattended outdoors, many existing containers remained easily accessible to bears.

Bears in the garbage dump (future site of Whistler Village), ca. 1965. Petersen Collection.

By December 1997, the task force outlined plans to introduce bear-proof commercial containers and smaller pedestrian bins throughout the village. The goal was to have the village area bear-proofed by the summer of 1998. However, the task force recognized that replacing municipal containers alone would not solve the problem. More than half of the garbage bins in the village area were privately owned, making cooperation from businesses and property owners essential.

As task team co-chair Sylvia Dolson explained at the time, “We need to get public support to make all the bins bear proof.”

By April 1998, the first shipments of new containers had arrived in Whistler. These included 70 commercial garbage bins and 16 smaller pedestrian bins. The commercial containers were designed by the Black Bear Task Team to be both bear-resistant and accessible to people. Constructed from heavy-gauge steel, they featured sloped lids, smaller access doors, hydraulic closing mechanisms, and animal-proof latches.

The first commercial containers were destined for Function Junction, Whistler Creekside, and other areas experiencing problems with bears accessing garbage. Of the approximately 360 commercial containers serving Whistler’s multi-family residences, hotels, and businesses, 50 could be retrofitted to meet the new standards. The remaining containers were to be replaced once the new design had proven successful. Carney’s Waste Management had already invested nearly $100,000 in the initiative at the time.

Some Whistler residents could do with a few lessons in tidiness and cooperation. This scene at the Mons garbage compactor tells a story (1982). Whistler Question Collection.

The smaller pedestrian bins, known as Hid-A-Bag containers, were fitted with cedar facing to complement the village’s appearance. The first three were to be installed outside municipal hall, with others distributed throughout key village locations.

There were also efforts to encourage private businesses to participate. The Jennifer Jones Whistler Bear Foundation (known now as the Get Bear Smart Society) offered a $250 incentive toward the approximately $700 cost of a new pedestrian bin, while Whistler Resort Management and Sea to Sky Real Estate had already adopted the containers for Marketplace area of Whistler Village.

The new bins were only one part of the strategy. The task team emphasized public education, proper garbage disposal, habitat protection, and improvements to the landfill. Even the strongest container would be ineffective if its lid was left open or garbage was placed beside it.

The transition continued beyond 1998. In November 1999, Whistler passed a new garbage disposal bylaw requiring wildlife-resistant containers or enclosures throughout the valley. The proposed regulations also addressed the outdoor storage of garbage and increased fines for improper disposal.

The arrival of bear-proof bins in 1998 marked an important step in Whistler’s approach to managing human-bear interactions. What began as a coordinated effort involving the municipality, waste management companies, local businesses, and community organizations helped establish the garbage management practices that remain an important part of living alongside bears in Whistler today.

Challenged Books at the Whistler Public LibraryChallenged Books at the Whistler Public Library

August 25, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Written by Anna Donaldson

Photo: Joan Richoz with a collection of challenged and banned books during Freedom To Read Week in 1994. Whistler Question Collection.

This year marks the 40th birthday of the Whistler Public Library. To celebrate our friends at the library, we at the museum thought we should highlight some of the amazing work the library has done for the community. Known as Whistler’s Living Room, the library provides crucial services, resources, and programs to community members. One of the ways the library does this is by making sure everyone has access to knowledge. Every year around the last week of February, the Whistler Public Library recognizes Freedom to Read Week. Freedom to Read Week, spearheaded by the Canadian Library Association, has been taking place in libraries across Canada since 1984. It sheds light on books, magazines, and other pieces of media that have been challenged or even banned.

As Canadians, our right to intellectual freedom is guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter was signed in 1982, only two years before Freedom to Read week was established. Freedom to read week encourages us to explore books that were challenged, and learn about why they were challenged, and the action that was actually taken by the organization that housed them. Ignorance can bloom when we don’t learn about these books, despite their controversy. Reading these books is how we can learn about the controversial topics they may contain, and how we can better ourselves from it.

Many books that are deemed as classics have been banned in places all over the world. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding have all been banned in specific libraries across Canada. In the ‘90s, the Whistler Public Library staff would cover the books for Freedom to Read Week in plain paper bags to draw interest. People are always shocked at which books have been banned in Canada, the U.S.A., or other countries. Joan Richoz, one of the founders of the Whistler Public Library, states that it is a “great way to teach the public that not everyone likes all the books in the library”, and that different people will have different opinions on what is acceptable.

Joan Richoz reading to a group of children at the Whistler Public Library in 1991. Whistler Question Collection.

Whistler is a very progressive community, as Richoz states. However, the Whistler Public Library is not immune to challanged books. Since its creation in 1986, the library has had very few books be challenged. The first book to be challenged was Headhunter by Michael Slade. It was challenged under the belief that it did not promote “good Christian values”. In an interview with the museum, Joan remembered that the classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak was issued a complaint by a parent for being too violent. Lots of challenged books are children’s books that have not aged well. Joan herself says that while these books shouldn’t be kept in the kids section, it makes sense to put them in a different section to reflect the socio-cultural ideas of society at their time. These books should be read not with the intent to take their messages to heart, but from a sociological perspective. Challenges are always taken very seriously, but ultimately the Whistler Public Library has not formally removed any books from its shelves.

The Whistler Public Library has been very outspoken about their belief in intellectual freedom. Every February, the staff at the library curate a list of books that have been banned or challenged across the country, and promote them. Freedom to Read week encourages us to expand our knowledge, and learn about why these books were banned so that we can better ourselves and our minds. The next Freedom to Read week is from February 21 to February 27, 2027. The current Freedom to Read list can be found below.

https://whistler.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/915621879/2473631239

Anna Donaldson is the Summer Program Coordinator at the Whistler Museum through the Young Canada Works Program.

Train Wreck turns 70!Train Wreck turns 70!

August 11, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Combine a speeding train going more than twice the speed limit with a heavy load of logs and a narrow section of track and one might say you have a recipe for disaster. Seventy years ago on Aug. 11, 1956, that’s exactly what happened on a portion of rail near Function Junction.

Today, the Train Wreck is one of Whistler’s most popular and family-friendly attractions: a site accessed by a one-kilometre-long trail through forest and over a Cheakamus River suspension bridge, where one happens upon a scattering of derelict, rusting railway cars all covered in bright and ever-changing graffiti. A suite of ruin, also very much alive!

The story of what actually happened that fateful day seems to have remained quite hush-hush for some time. The reasons for this can only be speculated: was it because the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) tried to deflect attention from the matter? This is neither confirmed nor dismissed—but what we do know now, from first- and second-hand accounts, is that not only was the PGE responsible for the accident, the company also could not clean it up itself.

Train wreck in 2013. Photo: Kristina Swerhun

In 2013, the Whistler Museum’s executive director Sarah Drewery published a piece in the Whistler Question about the “mysterious” Train Wreck. The piece served as a public query and resulted in two members of the Valleau family—who ran a large logging operation based out of Mons—reaching out to the museum and sharing what they knew.

In honour of the anniversary, we share an excerpt from Drewery’s article “Train Wreck Mystery Revealed,” the piece we subsequently published in 2014 about the conversation had with the two Valleaus. Rick Valleau remembered his father talking about the wreck. Rick’s uncle Howard actually remembered the incident first-hand.

“The crash occurred in 1956 shortly after the Valleau family had moved to the area. The wreck happened on an area of track constricted by rock cuts, and there were three boxcars loaded with lumber jammed in there, blocking the line. The PGE Railway’s equipment couldn’t budge them so the company approached the Valleau family,” Drewery wrote.

“The Valleaus took their logging machinery (a couple of D8 Cats) down to the site, put a hitch (luff) on with two moving blocks to the boxcar and pried them out. They then dragged the cars up the track and into the forest, where they lie today. To all those who were confused by the fact that there is no damage to the trees around the wreck, this is because the train did not come off the rails at this point, but the boxcars were moved there after the fact.

“The train had been assembled in Lillooet by John Millar, a conductor for the PGE. Millar told the story to Howard Valleau, as follows: The train had four engines. There was a mistake made on the tonnage of the train, making it too heavy, and they had to split the train to get up the grade to Parkhurst (on Green Lake). This put them behind schedule, and they tried to make up time by travelling a little faster than usual. The speed limit on that section of rail was only 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h). The fourth engine turned a rail, causing the train wreck. They checked the tape in the engine, which told how fast they were going—the crew had thought the speed was 15 m.p.h., but in fact it was 35 m.p.h. (56 km/h).

“Millar told Howard Valleau that had they known the actual speed, they would have taken the tapes out. The engineer and crew were subsequently fired after the investigation into the wreck.”

Ted Tempany riding Train Wreck [1999]. Insight Photography Collection.

It just so happens that the week of the Train Wreck’s 70th anniversary also coincides with the Whistler Museum’s 30th annual Building with Lego Bricks Competition! To celebrate both, this year’s competition theme is “Build Your Best Rescue Machine.”

On Sunday, Aug. 16, the museum invites children ages three to 12 to register for the exciting event, held in Florence Petersen Park: blending imagination, colour and innovation! There will be prizes and activities. For more info click here.

Category: Whistler: A Town

A Hollywood Start for The Plaza GalleriesA Hollywood Start for The Plaza Galleries

The Arrival of Bear-Proof Garbage Bins in WhistlerThe Arrival of Bear-Proof Garbage Bins in Whistler

Challenged Books at the Whistler Public LibraryChallenged Books at the Whistler Public Library

Train Wreck turns 70!Train Wreck turns 70!