When gazing around the world-renowned Whistler ski resort today, it is easy not to realize that there is more than 100 years of history in this shiny town.
Ask Leah Batisse, executive director of the Whistler Museum. She says that despite the mistaken perception that Whistler Village was built for the Olympics, there is, in reality, a rich history to the area.
"It's an incredible and unique history and it totally deserves to be recorded and celebrated and presented to visitors," said Batisse.
That is why local historian Florence Petersen founded the Whistler Museum in 1986 - to fulfil her promise to some of the first settlers who worried the early history would be forgotten.
That history actually extends back thousands of years, encompassing the Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations who were the ancestral stewards of the land.
The first pioneers followed, and although the area was first settled in the 1880s, a milestone in history was the arrival of Myrtle and Alex Philip who established Rainbow Lodge on Alta Lake in 1913. Back then the journey took three days; by steamship to Squamish, followed by a rough trek on packhorses. Better accessibility was made possible by the building of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in 1914, but real access didn't come until the first road was built in 1965.
It was during the 1960s, when events took place that would shape the future of the valley forever.
A group of Vancouver businessmen formed the Garibaldi Olympic Development Association to build a site to host a future Winter Olympic Games. In 1966, the mountain's name was changed from London Mountain and Whistler officially opened for skiing.
In 1978, the base for Whistler Village was laid, and Blackcomb Mountain opened in 1980.
More on the days gone by can be found in the Whistler Museum, and don't forget to add the Whistler Library to your tour of town. Located in the heart of the village, the library is a fantastic resource for books on the history of Whistler.
Because of this remarkable dedication to preserving our history, echoes of Whistler's past can still be seen and heard throughout town, ensuring that the land and the people will never be forgotten.
