History of Whistler

For many thousands of years, the Coast Salish people of the First Nations lived off the land around Whistler, hunting, gathering and living a nomadic lifestyle, long before European settlers arrived.

The native people

The Whistler Valley was a remote wilderness inhabited by the Lil'wat Nation from the Mount Currie area and the Squamish Nation, who lived in an area stretching from present day North Vancouver to the Squamish River watershed and the northern area of Howe Sound (Gibson's Landing). 

Whistler was a regular rest stop for First Nation trading routes between the Squamish and Lil'wat nations because of its rich wildlife and resources. At one point in time, tens of thousands of Coast Salish natives lived, traded and prospered in the areas between Vancouver, Howe Sound and the Lillooett areas.

The Europeans

Whistler’s European history goes back to the 1860s, when British Naval Officers surveyed the area and gave Whistler Mountain the name London Mountain. These early settlers called the place Whistler because of the shrill whistling sound made by the western white marmots that lived amid the rocks.
 
In 1877, the Pemberton Trail from the top of Howe Sound through the Coast Mountains, linking the Pacific Coast to the Pemberton Valley north of Whistler, was completed. As a result, many trappers and prospectors began to settle in the area. They were soon followed by Alex and Myrtle Philip from Maine in 1912. In 1914, they began construction on what would develop into the famous Rainbow Lodge on Alta Lake, catering to fishermen and outdoors people.

Skiing

In 1965, the highway from Vancouver was finally completed, and Whistler Mountain opened for skiing that same year. The two-lane gravel road to Whistler, built in 1965, was sealed to Pemberton by 1969. In 1977, the new municipality was given 53 acres of Crown land to develop into a town centre. Construction on the new town centre began the year after, and this would eventually become Whistler Village. 

In 1980, Blackcomb Mountain opened, developing into one of North America’s biggest ski resorts. Five years later, Blackcomb Mountain enlarged its territory and became North America's only ‘mile high mountain’. In 1992, Snow Country magazine voted Whistler the ‘Number One Ski Resort in North America’ and the trend continued for nearly a decade. Whistler and Blackcomb mountains merged under Intrawest Corporation in 1998.

Olympics

In 2002, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) put Vancouver/Whistler on the short list as a Candidate City for hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter and Paralympic Winter Games. The following year, Whistler (and Vancouver) won the bid to host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games. Today, Whistler is a bustling town catering to hordes of winter sport enthusiasts, but it still remembers and celebrates its past.