Whistler Museum

06/06/2026

Logging operation at Parkhurst Mill (between 1927-1929), on the edges of Green Lake. The photograph shows the railcar, a spar tree, and the steam donkey. The man standing on the log in the foreground is Ross Barr.

Photo: Barr Collection

06/05/2026

Special Exhibition closes on June 14th ... less than a week-and-a-half remains for you to come in and view Through His Lens: The Bruce Rowles Photography Collection.

Bruce Rowles was a celebrated Whistler photographer. His collection both captures and expresses several positive emotions – celebration, humour, excitement, and curiosity, to name a few – while also making space for absence. The Whistler Museum was donated over 70, 000 of Bruce's photographic slides and this Special Exhibition is an opportunity to share some of them ...

Admission is by donation.

Photo 1: Johnny Foon near Disease Ridge in the Blackcomb backcountry [1994]
Photo 2: Climbing Up the "Blowhole" on Blackcomb [1990s/2000s]

Rowles Collection.

06/04/2026

Group exercise and stretching at Rainbow Lodge. [1930]

Pictured here is Ivan Ackery leading a group exercise session with chorus girls at Rainbow Lodge around 1930. A close friend of Rainbow Lodge owner Alex Philip, Ackery was a frequent visitor to the area. Better known as a theatre manager than a fitness instructor, he managed some of British Columbia's most prominent venues, including Vancouver's Capitol Theatre and later the Orpheum Theatre.

As Tourism Whistler's Nourish Whistler Wellness Series gets underway this month, this scene reminds us that organized group exercise has been part of life in the Whistler Valley since at least a century, whether for recreation, wellness, or simply an excuse to gather outdoors.

06/02/2026

This week's Museum Musings explores the geological history of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, from their formation millions of years ago to the rocks that make up their slopes today.

The geology of the Whistler area has shaped much of the region's human history - from mining and prospecting to mountaineering, trail building, and the development of ski runs. Long before Whistler became a resort community, the landscape itself was influencing how people interacted with the mountains.

Photo: Blackcomb Mountain. 1994. Blackcomb Collection.

https://whistlermuseum.org/2026/06/02/blackcomb-is-50-70-million-years-older-than-whistler/

06/01/2026

Whistler used to have a mascot: Willie Whistler!
Back in the 1980s, the Whistler Resort Association (today known as Tourism Whistler) made it official. A contest was held to name the new marmot mascot and the winner, eight year-old Tammi Wick, chose the name Willie. Willie Whistler became an active community member, attending ski races, giving out awards, and entertaining locals and visitors alike. Willie Whistler the marmot served as a mascot at local events into the 1990s.

Photo 1: Charlie Doyle with Willie. Doyle Collection
Photo 2: Whistler Question Collection, 1982.

05/30/2026

Participants at the Whistler Marathon, August 1982.

Today, runners lace up for Run Comfy Numb, often described as "Whistler's OG trail race."

The race began in 2004, shortly after the completion of the Comfortably Numb Trail. The 19 km trail, designed and built by local legend Chris Markle and crew, was originally a point-to-point route with no shortcuts, no exits, and no cell reception. Once you were committed, you were all in. It has changed a little over the past 20 years, but it remains the longest point-to-point trail in the Whistler Valley.

While we don't currently have photographs of the early Run Comfy Numb races in our collection, Whistler's running history stretches back much further. The community's first marathon event, the Whistler Marathon, was held in 1982. Since then, Whistler has embraced trail running, ultramarathons, and other endurance events. Running also formed a key part of the Great Snow Earth Water Race, which began in 1975 and combined running with skiing, canoeing, and cycling.

Today, we cheer on everyone taking to the trails for the 22nd running of Run Comfy Numb.

Have you ever raced Comfortably Numb, or do you remember the early years of trail running in Whistler?

Photos: Whistler Question Collection

05/28/2026

The seasons are changing... bikers (and hikers) avidly wait for the snow to recede to reveal more terrain.

Photograph from the Blackcomb Collection, photographer Chris Speedie, 1992.

05/27/2026

The Whistler Museum is hiring guides for our Valley of Dreams Walking Tours...be part of making local history come alive!

Tour run from June through the end of September.
Flexible Shifts. 2 hours each. 10:30-12:30.
Tours last 1+ hour.
Wage: $21/hour.
Work one or more days per week.

www.whistlermuseum.org/employment/

05/26/2026

"Dairy Delivery by Dugout: Local Cream and Cow’s Milk Carted by Canoe" is the title of this week's article looking at the Barnfield Farm.

Photo: A dairy cow at the Barnfield Farm [1920s]. Whistler Museum collection.
https://whistlermuseum.org/2026/05/26/dairy-delivery-by-dugout-local-cream-and-cows-milk-carted-by-canoe/

Featured Image: A dairy cow at the Barnfield Farm [1920s]. Whistler Museum Collection. The lay of the local landscape was much different in the early 1900s. The area’s epicentre was Alta Lake. Pros…

05/25/2026

Aerial photograph of the Spearhead Range, 1947.

The Province of British Columbia has been capturing aerial photographs of the Whistler area since 1931. In 2004, the Whistler Museum worked with Don Maclaurin and John Hammons on the Whistler Forest History Project, a community-led initiative that explored how the Whistler Valley changed between 1914 and 2004 through logging, development, wildfires, and other natural and human impacts.

As part of the project, the Museum acquired a large collection of provincial aerial photographs dating from 1931 to 2001. Today, these images remain an important research resource within the Museum’s archives and reference collection.

Photo: BC Government

More information on the BC aerial photography collection can be found at gov.bc.ca