McLane first published ‘Squamish, the Shining Valley’ in 1994, but much has changed in town since then. The great changes of the years from 1980 to 2009 created a very different town from the one portrayed in the history and photography of the 1994 edition, he says.
The first part of the hardcover coffee-table book tells the story of Squamish from the past to present, while the second part is a photo essay of life in town and the natural beauty that has made it an outdoor recreation mecca.
From the first European settlers to the building of a new Highway 99, the book takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the making of Squamish as we know it today. The modern history of Squamish is also covered in detail and addresses the challenging times of the 1980s to the 2000s.
What sustains and nourishes the reader’s interest are three photo-essay galleries and over 140 photographs that provide a glimpse into life in town, as it was and as is today. Extended descriptions on the photos draw the reader inside the story of a life in town, the landscapes, and people in action on the trails, the climbs, the water and the mountains.
McLane says the story of the Skohomish people has been considerably expanded beyond the first edition of 1994. In this edition, short story-vignettes beside the photos describe what’s happening in the image.
“There are over 100 of them in the book. This is a significant content change. In the 1994 edition, captions were one-liners,” McLane says.
The book can be purchased at Nesters Market, the Squamish Adventure Centre, Tantalus Bike Shop, The Zephyr Cafe, Climb On, the Sea to Sky Gondola and Valhalla Pure in Station Square.
