| Animals were an important part of life at Rainbow
Lodge. Horses, dogs, cats and cows enhanced the lives of those living on
Alta Lake. Animals both helped with the work that needed to be done and
provided protection. |
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| The horses at Rainbow Lodge helped with much of the
heavy
work. During the construction of Rainbow Lodge they helped to haul and
drag enormous logs from the forest. They plowed the soil for the gardens
and pulled wagons and sleds filled with supplies all over the valley. In
photographs, it is always Bob the horse who is doing the work around Rainbow
Lodge. It would seem that Bob was a very hard worker! What most people do
not realize, however, is that Myrtle called all of her workhorses 'Bob',
thus many different horses are doing Bob's work. In addition, horses were
also the primary source of transportation around the valley as there were
no roads at that time. At Rainbow Lodge, horses were also used for recreation,
exploring the local forests and mountains, and by guests staying at Rainbow
Lodge for riding
the valley trails. In total, Myrtle kept twenty horses at Rainbow Lodge.
They lived in the stables and were cared for by the Rainbow wrangler, David
Esworthy. |
| The Philips also had pet dogs. While the dogs were
a source of company in the lonely wilderness, they were also good protection,
guarding against bears, cougars and coyotes in the wild. Some of the Philips
dogs over the years were Skookum,
Binkie,
Tippy,
Kihi
and Lassie.
Myrtle's father, Sewell Tapley, also had three dogs that he always kept
with him. While there were a couple pet cats at Rainbow Lodge, they are
not often pictured in the photographs as they preferred to sleep under buildings
and porches, away from people. The cats
were good to have around the lodge because they caught lots of mice. |
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| Although they were not kept as pets, there were also
cows in the valley at Alta Lake. They provided milk and other dairy products
for the residents of Alta Lake, as well as the guests at Rainbow Lodge.
The weekly order for Rainbow Lodge included 80 quarts of milk, 4 quarts
of whipping cream and 2 quarts of table cream. One year there was a special
pet at Rainbow Lodge - a baby bear. Myrtle rescued the orphaned bear from
the forest and nursed him back to health. He was named Teddy
Bear and quickly became popular with the guests. Teddy would climb poles,
chew on shoes, or just cuddle in a warm lap. When he became too big, Myrtle
sent Teddy to live at The Stanley Park Zoo in Vancouver. Although Myrtle
missed her friend, she knew that he would be well cared for, and each time
she took the train to Vancouver, she would go visit Teddy. |
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