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. |
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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. |
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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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