| Agriculture was a very important part of life
at Alta Lake. Because the community was located in a remote location, far
from Vancouver, most perishable supplies were difficult to keep fresh and
expensive to obtain due to the long train journey up. At the same time,
there was no way to keep such provisions fresh for longer than a couple
of days as modern refrigerators did not yet exist. For this reason the Philips
decided to cultivate a large
garden next to Rainbow Lodge. They grew potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce,
rhubarb, onions, berries and apples. As well as the garden at Rainbow Lodge,
Tapleys
farm provided the lodge with a variety of fresh produce. In addition
to fruits and vegetables, the Tapley’s cultivated wheat and hay for
the animals to eat. It was important to harvest as much food as possible
during the summer months because the produce had to last not only through
the summer season, but also through the long, cold winters. To prepare for
the winter, Myrtle would can many different kinds of vegetables, fruit,
jams and jellies in the autumn months. She was famous throughout the valley
for her tasty jams! |
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| Fresh food could be preserved for a certain amount
of time in the icehouse. During the late winter when the ice on the lake
was at its thickest, large blocks of ice were cut, moved into the icehouse,
packed in sawdust and sealed tightly. This provided refrigeration for perishable
food long into the summer months. |
| Dairy products were made available at Alta Lake with
the many cows that were brought up by cargo train. One year Alex decided
that it would be a good idea to tend his own cows at Rainbow Lodge. However,
when he realized that he had to milk them everyday, he decided that dairy
farming was not to his liking. After that the Philips got their milk from
the Barnfield's dairy farm. The deliveries were done daily by Alfred Barnfield
and his son Fred, who rowed the milk around the lake in their dugout
canoe. The usual order for Rainbow Lodge was 80 quarts of milk, four
quarts of whipping cream, and two quarts of table cream. |
| When asked the reason why she enjoyed life so much,
Myrtle replied, "I always remember the good times!" |
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