The Life of Myrtle Philip Rainbow Lodge Recreation Alta Lake Adventures Way of Life Then & Now Photo Album
 
 
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Myrtle Frances Tapley was born to a family of New England seafarers on March 19th, 1891 in the eastern United States. She studied at Bluehill - George Stevens Academy to become a schoolteacher. Her first teaching post took her to Brooksville, Maine where she boarded with the Philip family. It was there that Myrtle met her future husband. Alex was working on the West Coast of British Columbia with his father at the time but was returning home for the holidays when he and Myrtle literally ran into each other as he entered the front hall. They were inseparable for the week that he was home, going on hikes or having picnics together every day. For the next four years Alex and Myrtle corresponded faithfully by letter and in 1909 Alex sent for his bride-to-be. The two were married in St. Helen's, Oregon and decided to settle in British Columbia.
Tea at the Philip's home in Brooksville, Maine, c. 1905 - 06. Myrtle Tapley (Philip) with her students in Brooksville, Maine, 1908. Newlyweds Myrtle and Alex Philip in a hammock in Vancouver, c.1911.

Alex worked in Vancouver at the Horseshoe Bar and Grill and it was there that he first heard of Alta Lake. One evening a rough looking trapper called John Millar stopped by the grill for a bite to eat. He lived in the bush north of Vancouver but was in town for a few days selling his furs. As living in the wilderness didn't give him much opportunity to converse, Millar was eager to tell Alex stories of his life in the mountains. The old Texan trapper captivated Alex with tales of clear lakes, filled with fish and surrounded by breath-taking mountains. It had been Alex's lifelong dream to open a fishing lodge in the wilderness and this place seemed to be the perfect spot.
Myrtle Philip and Lou Penniston with their packhorse on Bear Mountain on the Pemberton trail, c. 1911. Charlie Barbour, Lou Penniston, John Millar and Myrtle at Millar's cabin, August 1911. Myrtle Philip standing in front of Rainbow Lodge beside boat rental sing, c. 1914.
The following summer, August of 1911, Alex and Myrtle decided to go visit this place called Alta Lake. Back then it was a three day voyage to get to Alta Lake – traveling first by steamship to Squamish, then by packhorse north along the Pemberton Trail. Alta Lake proved to be the paradise Millar had promised. The Philips camped on the lakeshore for the remainder of that summer and returned again the following summer. By 1913 they had saved enough money to purchase property along the west side of the lake. While Alex remained in Vancouver to ensure a steady source of income, Myrtle and her family began clearing the land. By the summer of 1914 Rainbow Lodge was completed and open for business.
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The Life of Myrtle Philip ~ The Early Years ~ The Alta Lake Years ~ The Later Years
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