It was the chance for a weekend get-a-way spot that spurred Florence Petersen and four friends to purchase a small cabin at Alta Lake, in the mid 50s. At the time the valley was a quaint summer fishing resort with only a handful of year-round residents. In the years following, the valley would transform from its humble beginnings into the internationally renowned four-season resort we know today. With so much change taking place in the 70s, early pioneer Myrtle Philip and Cypress Lodge owner, Dick Fairhurst confessed to Florence a worry that the early days would soon be forgotten. Florence eased their fears by promising them that she would somehow ensure that their stories would be remembered and true to her word in 1986, after retiring from school-teaching, Florence kept her promise by starting the Whistler Museum and Archives as a charitable non-profit society. Over twenty years later Whistler has grown beyond the early trail-blazers' wildest dreams and the Museum is proud to continue to collect, preserve, and tell the stories of mountain life and the people who live it. more... See more text