| Alex and Myrtle Philip first came to Alta Lake
on a holiday in August of 1911. For the first two summers they camped at
the lake, spending their vacation fishing, swimming and hiking. The Philips
liked the area so much that they decided to build a fishing lodge and by
1913, had saved enough money to buy a piece of land. That summer they purchased
10 acres of land on the west side of the lake from an old trapper named
Charlie Chandler. The purchase price, $700, was quite expensive for those
times so Alex remained in Vancouver working while Myrtle and her
family, who had joined her from Maine, began clearing the land and building
the lodge. Using rudimentary tools that they had packed from Vancouver,
the logs were hand-cut and dragged down the hill by horse. The logs were
then cut with a crosscut saw and peeled by hand. A broadaxe was used to
cut notches and finally, the logs
were fit together to construct the main walls of the lodge. |
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| By autumn the outside of the building was finished
and the winter was spent finishing the interior.
Upon completion it included a large living room, a kitchen, 2 bedrooms and
a dormitory. That winter the Pacific Great Eastern Railway also reached
Alta Lake, allowing supplies and mail to reach Rainbow Lodge on a regular
basis. It also meant that train crews would stop at the lodge for meals.
In the spring of 1914 the PGE contacted the Philips about hosting a fisherman's
excursion during the first week of April. Myrtle planned the food, ordered
the provisions and charged $2.00 for the week – all-inclusive. Although
the lodge had only one boat and two rafts, each man caught many fish and
returned to Vancouver ecstatic. News of the successful fishing excursion
spread, and from then on the Philips had all the business they could handle
at Rainbow Lodge. |
| After the first summer it became apparent that more
room was needed. The Philips contacted Ernie
Archibald from across the lake to build some more cabins and add to
the main lodge. Over the next 10 years many more amenities were added; a
side
veranda, clay
tennis courts, a horseshoe
pitch, boardwalks,
an icehouse, a railway
station, barns
for the animals, and elaborate bridges.
As well, a general
store was built in 1916. The store supplied residents with essential
products such as flour, sugar, oats, beans, cured meat, and dried salmon
as well as fishing tackle and cooking supplies. It also housed the local
post office and Myrtle was the first postmistress of Alta Lake. In 1928
a family
home was built for the Philips on the west side of the train tracks.
Eventually Rainbow Lodge consisted of 45 buildings able to accommodate up
to 100 people. |
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| Throughout the 1920's and the 1930's Rainbow Lodge
was the most popular summer retreat west of Jasper. People also came in
the winter for the excellent cross-country skiing and skating. However,
in the 1940's business at the lodge began to level off as the interior of
British Columbia became more accessible and camping became more popular.
After much deliberation the Philips sold Rainbow Lodge in 1948 to Alec
and Audrey Greenwood for $100,000 and retired to a cabin further down the
lake. The lodge was still open for business but never regained the popularity
that it had enjoyed under the Philips ownership. In 1972 the lodge was
sold again, this time to Joan Saxton. The lodge remained mostly unused during
the early 1970's and slowly fell into disrepair. This was a painful process
for Myrtle to watch from her cabin down the lake. An even sadder day for
Myrtle came on April 27, 1977 when Rainbow Lodge burned
to the ground. The fire
started when a plumber accidentally dropped his torch. Although fire crews
did their best to save the lodge, it was badly damaged and had to be demolished.
In 1984 The
Resort Municipality of Whistler bought the land from Mrs. Saxton and
decided to build a park. Today that area is known as Rainbow Park and is
used by many to swim, boat and simply relax. Although most of the land has
been cleared, four of the original cabins remain to give us a glimpse into
Rainbow's fascinating past. |
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