SkiBig3: How Did We Get Here?
Lizzie Rummel’s Legacy at Skoki Lodge
One of the things that you might notice while reading SkiBig3: How Did We Get Here? series is that at
each step of the way someone made a unique impact on a place. For Mount
Norquay, it was Cliff White whose determination to develop skiing in the
Canadian Rockies shone through to build that first cabin and establish the
first ski club. Cliff then shifted his gaze towards Lake Louise and the Skoki
Valley where he would, once again, launch a dream; this time of a backcountry
ski lodge.
In 1931, Skoki Lodge opened and was initially run as a club
operation. The first season saw 48 signatures in the register, almost all of
them Banff residents. At this point the lodge did not appear to have a manager.
Over the years, and for many different reasons Skoki would be managed by a
number of different people, including our founders Peter & Catharine Whyte.
However, this post will celebrate a woman whose hospitality, knowledge of the
mountains and charm left a lasting impact on visitors to Lake Louise and Skoki
Lodge: Lizzie Rummel.
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| V554/PA-952, "1944, Skoki", Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
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| V554/PD-1421, Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
Lizzie
Rummel (Born Elisabet von Rummel in Munich in 1897) first came to Canada with
her mother, step-father and two sisters in April 1911. Her mother Elsa had
purchased Gate Ranch, twenty miles southwest of Priddis, Alberta. The family adapted
well to ranching life despite having come from aristocratic roots in Germany (Elisabet and her two sisters were baronesses, titles inherited from their father Baron Gustav von Rummel). The three sisters Elisabet, Johanne, and
Eugenie adjusted especially well to life in Canada. All three girls fell in love with horses and Elisabet learned to cook
from Mrs. Gillespie who ran the boarding house in Priddis.
All of these skills, developed from a
hardworking life of running a ranch, would serve Elisabet well when in 1937/38,
after her sisters had married and her mother gone to travel the world, she
decided to follow her dreams of running her own guest ranch in the mountains.
“I just wanted to do something on my own. Perhaps run a
guest ranch. I knew how to cook and how to operate a place where there are no
stores.” (Lizzie Rummel, from Baroness of
the Canadian Rockies by Ruth Oltmann, p.27)
Elisabet came to Banff and quickly made friends
with many locals including Margarite Rutherford who first told her about Mount
Assiniboine, Erling Strom, and his cabins in the mountains. Elisabet tracked
down Erling Strom and ended up working for him at Mount Assiniboine Lodge from the
summer of 1938 to the summer of 1941, cooking, cleaning and guiding. During
this time Elisabet developed her skiing skills at Mount Norquay and around
Mount Assiniboine, as well as learning to rock climb with the Alpine Club of
Canada. From here she worked for a summer at Temple View Bungalow Camp, two
kilometers east of the Village of Lake Louise, and finally in 1943 began
managing Skoki Lodge at the age of forty-six.
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| V554/PA-953, [Skoki Lodge], Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
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| V554/PA-926, Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
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| V554/PA-929, "Skoki Lodge", Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
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| V554/PA-927, "Looking through the cabin window", Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
Elisabet’s first ski into Skoki speaks to her positive attitude and determination to pursue her dreams. Her first ski was in the
winter of 1943 and she described it thus:
“And I followed that fellow and I fell and I got up, and I
fell and I got up. I couldn’t ski for sour apples. And I got to Skoki and you
(Jim Boyce) came out the door with this hot rum. You bent down and undid my
skis. I’ll never forget that. That’s real hospitality.” (Lizzie Rummel, from Baroness of the Canadian Rockies by Ruth
Oltmann, p.38)
And she never did. It was here at Skoki Lodge
where Elisabet became “Lizzie” and where her charm and hospitality shone
through to her guests and friends.
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| V554/PA-875, The Mountaineers at Skoki and personnel, "First from left Lizzie, 3rd from left Ray Legace, kneeling 2nd from left Maudy Glaister", Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
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| V554/PA-905, "Jean Vallance, 1943", Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
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| V554/PA-893, Ken Jones and Elizabeth Rummel leaving Mount Temple Chalet enroute to Skoki, Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
“One
thing which impressed me was that she was at home with any type of person: the
party who drank in the morning and the people who were teetotalers. She just
fitted in with anybody. […] She always greeted people with a cup of tea or
something hot to drink when they arrived. Tea was always served in the
afternoon when they came in. I know whenever anybody arrived they were always
greeted. Anyone who came was welcome.” (Jean Vallance Gill, from Baroness of the Canadian Rockies by Ruth
Oltmann, p.46-47)
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| V554/PA-931, "Dr. & Mrs. Benfield", Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
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| V554/PA-933, Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
Guests would leave comments in the guestbook attesting to
her kindness and dedication:
“Food like this takes not only art, but genius!”
“Elizabeth going out to ski with us in the morn.”
“Many thanks to a perfect hostess”
Throughout her years in the backcountry Lizzie acquired her ski guide licence for the 30 km radius around Skoki Lodge, as well as a National Parks' licence. Lizzie's 'territory' around Skoki included Douglas Glacier (now Bonnet Glacier), Merlin Ridge, Skoki Mountain, Fossil Mountain and Deception Pass.
In 1950, Lizzie bought her own mountain lodge at Mount Assiniboine called Sunburst Lake Camp. She retired in 1970 but continued working, managing hostels and lodges around Banff and Mount Assiniboine. She made a trip to the Canadian Arctic in 1973 at the age of seventy-six. In April of 1980 Lizzie received the Order of Canada:
In 1950, Lizzie bought her own mountain lodge at Mount Assiniboine called Sunburst Lake Camp. She retired in 1970 but continued working, managing hostels and lodges around Banff and Mount Assiniboine. She made a trip to the Canadian Arctic in 1973 at the age of seventy-six. In April of 1980 Lizzie received the Order of Canada:
“She has enriched her country by sharing
her deep love of the Rocky Mountains with all who meet her.”
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| V554/PA-940, "Skoki 1945", Elizabeth Rummel fonds |
If you want to learn more about Lizzie Rummel and her life check out the following books and resources:
Lizzie Rummel: Baroness of the Canadian Rockies (1983) by Ruth Oltmann
Alberta Originals: Stories of Albertans Who Made a Difference (2001) by Brian Brennan
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