Tag: Highway 99

Whistler Before the Sea-to-SkyWhistler Before the Sea-to-Sky

July 14, 2018 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Whistler’s steep, mountainous terrain is what makes it so attractive as a tourist destination. It’s perfect for skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking. However, those same rocky hills have been one of it’s greatest challenges, providing a frustrating barrier for tourists and residents alike. For the first non-indigenous settlers, the area was only accessible by a narrow path known as the Pemberton Trail, constructed in 1877. This trail, which ran from Burrard Inlet, around the far side of Alta Lake, and up to Lillooet, was intended to provide access to the Gold Rush.

FOR ARTICLE WMA_P86_1326 Philip copy.jpg — The Pemberton Trail would have ran around Alta Lake’s far shores. Photo: Philip Collection

Unfortunately, by the time the trail was constructed the rush was basically over. An attempt was made to take cattle down it, but most of them died, due to the lack of grazing and the difficult terrain. With no other use for it, the Pemberton Trail functioned as an occasional route for travelers. The trail took three days, by steamship and by foot, assisted by a packhorse. In those days, horses were an important asset. Travelers carried supplies on packhorses, as did Myrtle and Alex Philip, founders of the area’s first resort. They also used a series of workhorses to construct Rainbow Lodge- to simplify things, all the horses were called “Bob”.

The train tracks also provided a ready-made sidewalk for Alta Lake and Parkhurst residents. Photo: Philip Collection

Many of the area’s inhabitants hoped the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway would make access easier. The PGE had multiple false starts- a company was incorporated to build it in 1891, and by 1909 twelve miles of track were completed, when they ran short of funds and had to stop.

By the time construction began in earnest in 1912 the railway had acquired a number of despairing nicknames, among them “Province’s Great Expense”, “Past God’s Endurance”, and “Prince George Eventually”. Finally, in 1914, the railway was up and running from Squamish to Quesnel, and soon resorts, logging, and other industries began to spring up in the area. Transit was still anything but easy. The journey involved four to six hours on steamship from Vancouver to Squamish, and a further three to four hours to Alta Lake, as the train only went from 25 to 40 km/h and often had to stop to refuel. The train ride was upgraded through the years, including the addition of open-topped observation cars and a dinner service. Though the journey was long, it wasn’t unpleasant- travelers often enjoyed ice cream, or beer if they were older, as they waited in Squamish. There were also stops for afternoon tea at Rainbow Lodge, costing 35 cents.

FOR ARTICLE- ACCESS WMA_P86_0451_Philip (1) — The creation of the PGE made it easy to travel in style. Photo; Philip Collection

Despite these improvements, the journey was still a long one. In the sixties, the Garibaldi Lift Company, hoping to set up skiing in the area, realized that something more convenient would be necessary in order to draw in tourists. A “road” was built from Whistler to Squamish in 1962, although it was. Initially the track was mostly fist-sized rocks and dirt, and driving across streams was sometimes required.

The trail was plowed infrequently, making winter journeys treacherous. Tire punctures were common, and the first trips from Vancouver took five hours. Thankfully, the road was paved in 1966, and improvement has continued up to the present. The most recent upgrades were for the 2010 Olympics, cutting the travel time down to the two hours we enjoy today. Although travel time has ranged from multiple days to a matter of hours, people have always felt Whistler was worth the trip.

Highway 99, shortly after it’s creation- still not paved! Photo: Gord Leidal

This Week in Photos

This Week In Photos: July 12This Week In Photos: July 12

July 12, 2018 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

This week seems to be full of races! With the Garibaldi Cup, Molson’s Whistler Bike Race and the beginnings of the Whistler Half Marathon all making appearances, July would seem to have always been a very active month in Whistler.

1979

Paul Tattamanti and Eugene Rochfort at the Stage 1 turnaround at Whistler in the rain on Saturday. By the end of the weekend, Rochfort was celebrating as part of the Anglia-Norco team that won the Garibaldi Cup.

Mayor Pat Carleton and Alderman Al Raine with Minister of Municipal Affairs Bill Vander Zalm and his wife Lillian.

The Blackcomb view from the 4,000 ft. level looking down one of the runs towards the school and the Town Centre.

Vic Hurford’s crew at work on the Blackcomb Road.

1980

New location for Town Hall puts municipal buildings adjacent to the Public Safety Building (PSB) on the north side. Upstairs meeting room in the PSB will be used for Council Chambers.

Blackcomb’s mountain top restaurant takes shape before a shrinking backdrop of peaks and glaciers.

The wedding hall in Whistler set with finery ready for a post-nuptial feast.

Betty Vogler slams a service over to her opponent during the first women’s open tennis tournament on Sunday.

Dale Arsenault completing the first hang-glide journey from the top of Whistler to the base facilities near Highway 99.

1981

Cyclists climb as part of Molson’s Whistler Bike Race.

The $300,000, three-room addition to Myrtle Philip School begins to take shape.

Betty Vogler, winner of the women’s singles.

Birthday boys Murray Coates (left) and Doug Schull cut their giant cake.

Peter Andrew, Willy Schaeffler, Nelson Bennett, Bob Bartley, Bill McCance, Lorne O’Connor, Boyd Stuwe and John Hanna discuss the new downhill course plan.

1982

Delta Mountain Inn’s General Manager John Pope surveys the main lobby of the hotel as workmen add finishing touches.

The guest rooms at Mountain Inn feature luxurious appointments, including original artwork. This one was decorated in tones of royal blue with beige and rose bright lights.

Molson’s Whistler Bike Race passes through the Whistler Village.

Phil Anderson of West Point Cycles could have stolen the show in the Celebrity Race with this two-star wheelie. Celebrities, including Whistler’s Mayor Pat Carleton, tested their skills on similar race vehicles during the Sunday afternoon race.

In honour of the first annual ‘sailpast’ of the newly formed ‘Whistler Yacht Club’. Commodore Jan Holberg takes the salute as the motley array of boats passes the reviewing stand on July 12.

With the families and godparents gathered together, Rev. Ed Wallace recites the baptism service to the Roberts family (left) and the MacKenzies on the occasion of the christening of their children on July 10.

Under a Rest lifted their voices in perfect harmony to give Whistlerites a taste of a capella singing on Friday.

1984

Whistler T.V. Society members Floyd Eclair, Richard Heine and Albert Bryjack went up to adjust the society’s channel 6 antenna atop Sproat Mountain last Sunday.

Whistler’s Bottlemaster Harry Carman with just some of the new-fangled bottle types that have flooded the market.

Ready to go! Finishing in a time of just over 1:12, Alan Carr won the second annual Whistler Half Marathon last Sunday, beating out a crowd of more than 200 other runners. Carr says that the course was as hilly as he’d ever seen, adding that he trains only about four or five days a week, one half hour a day. Neil Waken placed second in the 13.1 km race.

Stew Muir gets a shot of diesel from Art Den Duyf’s tank at Mons.

Someone is chopping down trees on Ruth Buzzard’s property. Buzzard recently received permission to build a campground on a 15.3 ha (38 acre) site between White Gold and Mons. But despite no trespassing signs and notices asking that trees not be cut, at least a dozen trees have disappeared. Now a large area of the future campground is almost bare.

Whistler landscaper Leigh Finck donated time, plants and energy over the weekend to spruce up the Chamber of Commerce Information Centre at the gondola.

Driving the Sea to Sky (when it was mostly dirt)Driving the Sea to Sky (when it was mostly dirt)

May 19, 2018 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

If you’ve ever taken a look at the Whistler Museum’s YouTube channel you might have seen a short film from the Petersen Film Collection that features the drive to Whistler in 1958. The footage makes it clear that the drive was an interesting one, full of steep hills, narrow roads and bumpy track. At one point the car obviously overheated, a problem solved with the help of a nearby river.

The footage from the Petersens is only one account of coming to Whistler by car when the area was still known as Alta Lake. Another well-known figure in Whistler, Don MacLaurin, also made the journey up the “highway” in 1958.

At the time Don was working in the forest service and was part of a cruising crew staying in Pemberton (cruising crews measure volume and quality of timber before it is harvested). In a 2007 interview with John Hammons and Karen Overgaard, Don shared photos of his trip that are now part of the Whistler Museum archives. As Don recalled, it took “two crews, two land rovers, winches, prayers and eight hours to go from Squamish to Pemberton.”

The road through the Cheakamus Canyon. MacLaurin Collection.

One shows a portion of the original road through the Cheakamus Canyon. When asked to describe the drive, Don chose the word “precarious.” The one-way road had a cliff on one side and, according to Don, “logs cabled through the road into the cliff… trying to hold the road in.” Another photo shows a cable running back to a land rover. It was a good thing the crews had two, as one would frequently be used to pull the other out when stuck.

A land rover is pulled up the road by another land rover – it’s handy to have two. MacLaurin Collection.

The road through what is now the Tapley’s Farm neighbourhood (and at the time would have been around the actual Tapley’s Farm) was “very, very wet and very soft and you were lucky to get through that as well.” Once past Alta Lake the crews still had to get past what they called “suicide hill” which was located “under the power lines on the railroad side of Green Lake when you made the descent back down to the Green River.” With a “so-called road” and “baseball-sized boulders” it’s no wonder Don described that section as “very, very tricky.” Despite these challenges, the crews did eventually make it to Pemberton.

The “roads” in Whistler. MacLaurin Collection.

This was not the first time Don had come through the Whistler valley. In 1951 he travelled through on the PGE on his way from Quesnel to Vancouver. By 1961, when he returned with Isobel and a couple of neighbours, there was still no dependable road, and certainly not one that could sensibly be used in the winter, so again they came by rail.

Going through the Cheakamus Canyon on the PGE. It still has quite the drop. MacLaurin Collection.

By 1964 visitors to Whistler could come along a gravel road called Highway 99. Two years later Highway 99 was paved from Squamish to Mons Station and to Pemberton in 1969. With changes made over the decades and work done prior to the 2010 Olympics, the road Don, the Petersens and others travelled in 1958 is almost unrecognizable in the road we travel today.