Myrtle Philip is Whistler Valley’s most significant female pioneer. Born in the Eastern United States in 1891, Myrtle migrated to the west coast of British Columbia in her early twenties with her husband Alex Philip.

The couple fell in love with British Columbia’s Coast Mountains and decided to carry out their dream of building a holiday retreat. With the guidance of an old trapper, the Philips travelled north of Vancouver up the Pemberton Trail to a place called Alta Lake. Adventurous hiking, fishing, and fresh mountain air soon made the Lodge the most popular resort destination west of the Rocky Mountains. Guests participated in a number of outdoor activities such as horseback riding, swimming, boating, hunting, skiing and skating.

Edgar Baynes was born to Harriet Amelia and George Baynes on Fens Farm in Brocking, Essex England. He had 5 brothers and sisters: Hetty, Kate, Alfred, Jim, and Lila. He and his family moved to Stisted Hall, Essex in 1874 and were educated at Braintree Board School.

Edgar ran away from home in 1883 and joined a firm of builders in 1884. He spent 5 years learning the building trade.

On April 4, 1889, he left for Liverpool on the S.S. Sarnia for Halifax as an apprentice to Mr Joseph Franklin. He arrived in Halifax on the 14th, took a train to Vancouver, and arrived in Vancouver on the 22nd.

On March 7, 1890, he left for Squamish from Vancouver at age 19 with his friends Harry Judd and A.J. (Bert) Crysler and their friend Drummond. They left in a sailboat that Crysler and Judd had made. He pre-empted on an island in the Squamish River, now known as Baynes Island (in the area of an Indian graveyard).

In 1892, Edgar left Squamish to become a carpenter in Vancouver. During his time he placed long firm beams in the Christ Church Cathedral.

In 1893, he established Baynes and Horie Construction Company with William Horie. The office was in the Baynes house at 634 East Georgia. They would build many of the early buildings on Water and Cordova Streets and more schools than any other contractor in the province. His company also got a contract to erect Entrance Island Lighthouse near Nanaimo (paid $2308).

On April 15, 1899, he married Margaret Anderson McAlpine in First Presbyterian Church at Gore and Hastings. She was born at Lindsay, Ontario in 1874 and came to BC in 1889.

In 1901, he took a trip back to England to see his family. His first two children, Doris Lillian (Mrs Ewart Woolliams) and Jean Hetty (Mrs Alan King) were born between 1901 and 1905.

In 1906, Edgar organized and became president of Port Haney Brick Company. His family moved from West Pender to Fairview (1200 West Broadway) to a house he had built. His other children, Ted and Margaret (Mrs Harry Cannon) were born here.

By 1907, Baynes and Will Horie owned Hany Brick Co. which would continue to run for 70 years (the only brick company in BC to do so). They supplied drain tile for the Fraser Valley and partition tile for the larger buildings in the province. It ceased production in July 1977.

Baynes and Horie built the factory building for Canadian Carbonated Co. from 1909 to 1910. In 1913, he built Grosvenor Hotel (840 Howe). He had to take over ownership himself during the depression that preceded World War I. He was the largest shareholder and operated it until his death. His family continued to manage it until 1973 when it was sold to Dutch family interests.

In 1925, he built the Douglas Lodge on Stewart Lake at Fort St. James and operated it for many years.

In 1946, Edgar was involved in a scandal where $28,000 was missing from the books at Grosvenor Hotel. Baynes charged his accountant Frederick Denis Whyte with theft. Whyte accused his employer of ordering him to "fix the books".

He died at age 86 in 1956. Mrs Baynes donated the house at 1200 West Broadway to the YMCA. The gift included 100 feet of land on Broadway and 125 feet on Alder. The YCMA bought an additional 50 feet on Broadway in 1968 for $28,000. This was used as a home for teenage girls and a cooperative for single parents. It was also Vancouver's first Indian center (1963), a day center housing Dutch immigrant families, and as a temporary main YWCA headquarter. The terms of the gift was that the YWCA had to keep the house for 20 years. It was used. In 1977 the house sold for $650,000. The money was used to help finance YWCA programs.

Mrs Baynes died in 1967. She had been living in the Arbutus Private Hosital.

Charles Barbour was born in New Brunswick to Robert Barbour and ? Newton (both originally of Scotland). His stepdaughter Beebe Fowles (would be Mrs Ruddock) was born on August 16, 1895. He later married Dora Woodward.

In 1900, he came to the west coast with his brother Allan. They would own logging operations together in Squamish.

His family came to Squamish in 1901. Charlie Woodworth Barbour was born on January 27, 1905. On May 24, 1906, he brought his wife and stepdaughter up the Pemberton trail by horseback (they had come to Squamish on the Defiance). He had bought land from Sylyanus Pettit. It was reported that Dora and Beebe were the first white woman and child to go up that trail.

In 1907, he came to Squamish with his brother Allan to log. On March 26, 1907, Reba Alexandra (would be Mrs Johnson) was born.

Charles Barbour later lived in Vancouver while the Barbour home in Pemberton was used as a stopping house, first by the Bauers, and then by McLauchlan (Charles Barbour's nephew).

In 1913 he returned to Pemberton with his family.

Gertrude Ruth was born to Henry and Barbara Anne (nee Edwards) Judd.

She worked for MGM in Hollywood and met many movie stars including Greta Garbo.

Gertrude Ruth married Lawrence Holmes and they had two children: Jeannie (Mrs Pickthall), around 1934, and Peter in 1945.

She lived in Los Angeles and died in Oregon in 1970 of Leukemia.

James Neil was born in Ontario. His father was Mathew Neil.

In 1900, he married Jean Matheson. Before coming to Squamish in 1907, he worked for many logging companies. In Squamish, he worked as a donkey "puncher".

He had a son named James Douglas.

In 1914, he logged with Earl Judd. Together they hauled a steam donkey on the Squamish River (2 miles above Pemberton).

He died at age 80 on December 6, 1953.

Allen Rae came from Scotland at age 21. He married Kate Robertson and they had a son (Oswald) and two daughters (Retta and Minnie). Minnie was born on January 17, 1888. The family left their farm in Manitoba as the wheat froze each winter. They came to Squamish in February 1889 where Kate's parents had alrady pre-empted. Allen hoped to find gold. They pre-empted near the present day railway shops.

Allen and Kate had seven more sons in Squamish: Thomas Edgar was the first white child to be born in the Squamish Valley (March 8, 1889), Wilfred (1891), Robert Stewart (1893), Herbert Lawson (June 15, 1894), Maurice (1896), Lawrence Johnson (1900), and Jimmie (around 1902).

Allen joined the hop industry around 1894. He grew hops in an area now known as North Yards. The farm would be 160 acres and was separated in 1921 when the Mamquam River changed its course.

In 1904, Allen sold 20 acres of land to Jimmy Neil.

Allen died when he was blasting stumps on his farm. He did not wait long enough after he thought the fuse had gone out.

The house near the railway shops was destroyed by a flood in 1908.

Memorial: Rae Creek.

Jimmie was born the youngest of 10 Rae children. He married Grace Braiathwaite and he died in 1981.

Minnie was born to Allen and Kate Rae on Junary 17, 1888 in Balmorl, Manitoba. She came to Squamish with her parents in 1889. She worked as a practical nurse for Doctor N.V. Paul.

She married Herbert Armstrong in 1912. He and D. McCallum owned and operated a store in Squamish. He was also a part owner of the post office which used to be located where the Seven Seas Restaurant later stood.

Minnie and Herb had 6 children: Mabel (Mrs Keith), Gertrude (Mrs Wilson), Margareta (Mrs McLeod), Bob, Jim, and Les. They lived on the corner right of the Spiral Trailer Court in an area known as "Armstrong's Corner".

Herbert Armstrong fell off a roof and died in 1925. Minnie continued to live at "Armstrong's Corner" in the area across from Mamquam School on Government Road. In 1953, she built an "Armstrong Barn".

Minnie died at age 78 on January 5, 1966.

Wilfred was born in Squamish to Allen and Kate Rae. He married and spent most of his life in the Cariboo.

Wilfred died in Squamish at age 77 on October 29, 1968.

Charles was born in Port Heron, Ontario. He married Maude Colliday in Flint Michigan (Maudes' hometown) on August 16, 1904. They homesteaded near Hanley, Saskatchewan.

In 1912, they left Saskatchewan. They stayed in Portland, Oregon until they located a home in Squamish. In 1913, Charles came to Squamish with his wife and three daughers: Thelma (Mrs S. Murphy), Sylvia (Mrs A. Musto), and Evelyn (Mrs W. Malm). In Squamish, their other children were born: Alta (Mrs J.E. Aldridge), Vera (Mrs J. Gulewich), Frances (Mrs A.L Pierce), Russel, Aileen (Mrs Hagglund), Esther (Mrs G. Audet), and Mavis Lamport. Betty (Mrs D. Stewart), the 2nd youngest, was born in Vancouver.

Mavis drawned in 1944 at 19 years of age.

Charles retired from the railway at age 65. Mrs Lamport died at age 81 on December 30, 1966 and Charles died in 1968 at 87 years.

Hank was born on Boblo Island on the Detroit River. He logged in Ontario as well as the the Southern United States. He was a strong liberal all his life. In the 1978 election, he voted twice; in Canada and the States.

He arrived in BC in 1900 with a survey party. In 1917, he came to Woodfibre where he worked as head boom man. He retired from Woodfibre in 1942.

In 1947, he moved to Squamish and lived in the home of Mrs M.G. Armstrong.

It was rumoured that when his doctor told him it give up smoking and drinking in 1958, he cut down to 3 shots of rum a day.

He applied for his last hunting license in 1958 and was given it "on the house".

Hank went blind in 1961. He would have his friends lead him to the polls on election day.

Hank died on October 21, 1963 as Squamish's oldest resident at 102 years old.

Norman was born in Squamish in 1915. He was the fifth of five sons (John, Alex, Scott, and Allan). He graduated from high school in Squamish around 1933.

Norm left Squamish to go east for a career in the aircraft industry from 1933 to 1944. He started out as a pontoon builder. Later, he worked as an aircraft inspector at Winnipeg, Montreal, and Amherst for the "Canadian Car and Foundary" and "MacDonald Bros Aircraft".

Norman married in Amherst in 1945. He came back to Squamish to live with his son Bill and daughters Heather (Mrs D. Tresierra) and Mrs G. Griffin. He worked in the logging industry and bought land from James Day.

In 1948, he worked for John Drenka of Howe Sound Timber. Norman began to work for Squamish Mills in 1949. He had this job until his death.

Norman died at age 61 on January 24, 1977.

Charles was born in Austria but emigrated from Italy. He married Alice Claire Smith, daughter of railway roadmaster Hugh Smith in Massachusetts on August 24, 1904.

Charles Midnight Jr was born in 1907. He would become an engineer on the railway. Charles Midnight Senior had 14 children in total, including Hazel Armstrong.

Charles came to Squamish around 1919 and lived in both Squamish and Cheakamus. He became a section foreman of the PGE in Cheakamus. He changed his surname to Midnight (possibly from Menzanotte).

He died at 77 years of age on March 5, 1949. Mrs A. Midnight died at age 85 on June 25, 1971.

Henry Alexander was born in Quebec to Alexander and Annie (nee Hudson), both of Quebec. He was married to Christina Mcleen Dunlop.

He came to Squamish in 1912 to repair the Newport Hotel. He decided to stay so his wife and 3 sons joined him 3 months later.

Henry Alexander carried on a freighting service, had a livery stable, and a blacksmith shop. He would also make coffins and dig graves. He founded the Squamish Fire Department. Beginning with a bucket brigade and developing it to a $10,000 investment. He was the fire chief right up until he retired a few months before his death. He also advocated for parks in Squamish.

In the 1920's, he logged at Birken. Then he returned to Squamish to frieght material for the Utopia Mine at Britannia by packhorse (Dray Business). In 1934, he was in the dray business for the Asloo Mines. He later began a packhorse service into Black Tusk Meadows of Garibaldi Park.

After his wife died, one of his sons, Alexander ("Young Alex"), died when a locomotive #53 plunged into Seton Lake on january 23, 1950. After he retired as a Fire Chief he was awarded a Good Citizenship medal in March 1950.

He died on June 15, 1950 at age 81.

Kenneth is the third son of Frank and Doris Buckley. His eldest brother, David Franklin, died in Squamish on August 30, 1932. His other brother Brian Buckley was born in Vancouver on October 20, 1930.