River of Golden Dreams
Encyclopedia
The River of Golden Dreams, officially Alta Creek, is a short river in Whistler, British Columbia
, Canada
, connecting Alta Lake
(south) to Green Lake
(north), which is drained by the Green River
.
The river was named in emulation of the popular song Down the River of Golden Dreams
which was on the hit parade
during the heyday of the Rainbow Lodge
, popular with Vancouver-area entertainers as a weekend railway getaway. The river's gentle current, compounded with a golden sunset on the day, is said to have inspired the name, which was popular with boating parties from the Lodge, the original location of which was at the river's egress from Alta Lake and is now a heritage park preserving the lodge's original cabins.
Because of its meandering course, the river's full length is over 5 km, while in absolute terms of the distance covered between Alta and Green Lakes is only 3 km.
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, connecting Alta Lake
Alta Lake (British Columbia)
Alta Lake is a lake in the Resort Municipality of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.Originally named Summit Lake, Alta Lake was renamed to avoid confusion with the many other Summit Lakes in British Columbia. The name is derived from the Spanish for "high up" or "upper". The lake's southern end...
(south) to Green Lake
Green Lake (Whistler)
Green Lake is the largest and most northerly lake in the Resort Municipality of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. It is the source of the Green River, a tributary of the Lillooet River, and is fed by the River of Golden Dreams, which issues from Alta Lake, which is at the height of land dividing...
(north), which is drained by the Green River
Green River (British Columbia)
The Green River is a tributary of the Lillooet River in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 25 kilometres in length, it begins at the outflow of Green Lake in Whistler and joins the Lillooet River a couple of kilometres above where the river flows into Lillooet Lake...
.
The river was named in emulation of the popular song Down the River of Golden Dreams
Down the River of Golden Dreams
-External links:**...
which was on the hit parade
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
during the heyday of the Rainbow Lodge
Rainbow Lodge
right|400px|Rainbow Lodge sat centre left at far end of lakeby grove of orange poplars on Alta Lake; Whistler sits out of view at right.Rainbow Lodge was the first fishing and weekend retreat cabin on Alta Lake, which is now metropolitan Whistler, British Columbia, and stood from 1914 to 1977...
, popular with Vancouver-area entertainers as a weekend railway getaway. The river's gentle current, compounded with a golden sunset on the day, is said to have inspired the name, which was popular with boating parties from the Lodge, the original location of which was at the river's egress from Alta Lake and is now a heritage park preserving the lodge's original cabins.
Because of its meandering course, the river's full length is over 5 km, while in absolute terms of the distance covered between Alta and Green Lakes is only 3 km.