| Although Myrtle and Alex never had any children
of their own, they enjoyed the company of a close-knit community at
Alta Lake made up of both friends and extended family. Myrtle's family,
the
Tapleys, were an instrumental part of the construction of Rainbow Lodge.
A year after Myrtle traveled out west to join Alex, her brother Philip
followed, settling in Squamish.
By 1912 he had established a successful business using packhorses
to service settlers and rail crews bringing loads of supplies to their camps
along the Pemberton Trail. More of Myrtle's family came to help out at Alta
Lake when she and Alex bought their land. Her father, Sewell,
brother Frank,
and two sisters Jean
and Margaret
came to help clear the land and construct the lodge. Sewell loved the area
so much that he bought his own property across the lake, although he remained
living in his cabin on the lodge grounds. In 1925, Phil Tapley decided to
leave Squamish and joined the rest of his family at Alta Lake with his new
wife, Dorothy,
and daughter Doreen.
They settled on Sewell's land and started a productive farm that grew a
variety of crops. The area is still known today as Tapleys Farm. |
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| Alex's family was also intrigued by the rustic life
at Alta Lake. His brother John
moved out west to work as a granite cutter on Nelson Island. He and his
wife Mariah, known more familiarly as Rhi, and their two children, Anne
and Maison, spent many summers at Rainbow Lodge. Rhi helped out in the General
Store while the children joined in many of the summertime activities with
the other young guests. Rhi and Myrtle became very close friends. |
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| As the years passed, many other families came to settle
at Alta Lake. As it was such a small community, neighbours quickly became
acquainted with each other and depended upon one another for various supplies
and support. The Barnfield
family settled on 160 acres of Crown land on the northeast end of the
lake. They operated a thriving dairy farm with fourteen cows and supplied
the local population with milk, including all the guests and staff at Rainbow
Lodge. In the early 1920's Bert
and Agnes Harrop bought land on the point just south of the lodge. They
built a floating
tearoom that became a meeting spot for members of the community and
tourists alike. Bert also made furniture for many of the residents, including
Alex and Myrtle's furniture for the lodge. Russell Jordan opened the Alta
Lake Hotel at the south end of the lake. Unfortunately it was not very successful
and he ended up developing a
lodge further south on the shores of Nita Lake. The Linehams
lived on the south end of Green
Lake and ran a lucrative mink farm. Other locals included the Jardine
family, the Archibalds,
Charlie
Chandler and Harry
Horstman. Members of the Alta Lake community would get together as much
as possible, often gathering at Rainbow Lodge for parties, dances, picnics
and card games. |
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