The Whistler Museum and Archives Society was founded in 1986 as a non–profit organization for the purpose of collecting, cataloguing and conserving artifacts and photographs of the pioneer history of the Whistler Valley.
Its focus has since expanded to include the resort development and natural history of the Whistler region.
As Whistler prepared to co–host the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games the Museum continued to play a vital role as an advocate for the heritage community and as an ambassador for our country as international requests flowed in for information and photographs from its archives.
The Museum developed a new exhibit on Whistler’s Olympic Journey, reflecting our community’s soul and depicting its transformation from quaint fishing resort to Host Mountain Resort, 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
By showcasing Whistler’s unique local culture and heritage, the exhibit engaged both the local community and visitors.
The exhibit includes the period extending from the early 1960’s, when the idea of hosting a Winter Olympics was first envisioned, to fulfillment of this destiny almost 50 years later with the hosting of the 2010 Games. It is a story of Olympic proportions and one that needed to be told.
The exhibit focused on the people who had the vision and courage to make things happen, on the underlying principles that drove them forward, and on this place of natural beauty that inspired them.
At its August, 2008 meeting the AFOW approved a grant of $20,000 to the Whistler Museum and Archives Society. This money combined with grants from others will be used for the design and fabrication of this important new exhibit.
In 2014, a grant of $20,000 was given to the Whistler Museum and Archives Society to go toward the development of a decision for a permanent museum.
The Whistler Museum is located at 4333 Main Street. 604.932.2019 http://www.whistlermuseum.org
American Friends of Whistler 