125 YEARS AGO: NOV. 27, 1897
Incorporation: Will the town of Ashcroft be incorporated is now an important question to some. [Ashcroft would not be incorporated until 1952.]
School Inspectorates: With a view to more frequent supervision of the schools of the province, which are now growing rapidly in number, the provincial government have deemed it advisable to divide the province into three inspectorates for the present with an inspector stationed in each. These distributions are Vancouver Island and adjacent islands; Westminster, Lillooet, Cariboo and Cassiar districts; and Yale, East and West Kootenay districts. It must be remembered that during the last five years the schools have doubled in number.
Klondike Bound: Four Philadelphia women are going to Klondike, with the intention of establishing coffee houses, circulating libraries and temperance boarding houses in the new mining towns. They announce that their every movement “will tend to create more of an atmosphere of refinement than now exists in certain almost lawless towns.”
Winter: It looks now that winter has set in for good, although the thermometer has only gone down to about zero.
100 YEARS AGO: NOV. 25, 1922
Funeral: Ah Song, a well-known Chinaman in Ashcroft and surrounding district for more than twenty years, died in Ashcroft on Tuesday, the funeral taking place on Thursday afternoon at the Chinese cemetery. Song was for many years janitor of the Ashcroft school. He had been ailing for some years. In his younger days he conducted a laundry in New Westminster.
Women’s Auxiliary Sale: The annual tea and sale of work to be given by the ladies of the Women’s Auxiliary to St. Alban’s church, will take place in the town hall on Wednesday, the 29th of November. There is to be a musical programme at 4 o’clock, and there will be raffled a carving set and centrepiece. Guessing contest will also take place for Christmas cake and Pudding.
Fraser Canyon: Unless the present Minister of Public Works gives as thorough consideration to the possibilities of re-establishing the road by way of the Fraser River from Hope to Spence’s Bridge, as he has given to the obtaining of a route from Hope to Princeton, there will be great dissatisfaction amongst the great majority of the people of the interior. There appears to be some particular insidious influences working against the Fraser Canyon route. There is no question of the responsibility of the Dominion Government to re-establish the portion of this highway, which was destroyed when the railway was built by the Dominion Government. If the Dominion Government would make a grant of say, $600,000 to $700,000 to re-establish the destroyed section, viz., from Hope to Spuzzum, and from Lytton to Spence’s Bridge, the opening up again of the Cariboo road would be a matter well within the financial resources of British Columbia at the present time.
Kills Husband: A well known charter member of the Kamloops Elks lodge met a tragic death at his Albreda ranch 180 miles north of Kamloops on Nov. 16 when he was shot dead by his wife. No details are procurable, although word was received here at 3:15 this afternoon that Mrs. Frye had been found guilty of murder by a coroner’s jury at Albreda and had confessed to the shooting. Fred Frye, who was also a tie contractor at Swift Creek, was very well known here and came regularly to town with Mrs. Frye and his seven children. Those who knew him state that he was very good to his family when on those trips. He was 45 years of age and well liked, a hard worker and expected his wife and children to take their share in the duties of the camp.
75 YEARS AGO: NOV. 27, 1947
PGE To Pay For Beef Killed: It was announced recently that the PGE railway directorate had agreed to pay compensation for stock killed by PGE trains, retroactive to 1941. A representative was in Clinton recently settling all claims. This marks the end of a long fight between ranchers and the PGE in which Clinton and District Cattleman’s Association played a prominent part.
Ratepayers Meeting: There was a small attendance on Saturday night at the meeting of the Clinton ratepayers to discuss school affairs. After considerable discussion, at times a little heated, a resolution was passed authorizing the representatives to urge the Board of Trustees to budget for a two room addition to the present Clinton school building and to modernize the building with regard to heating and sanitation.
Xmas Bazaar: Come to the Xmas bazaar in the Ashcroft Community Hall, November 29. See what the Ladies Guild have to offer in the way of fancy work, sewing, home cooking, etc. See the Remembrance table with its gifts from old friends. The children will have a table with candy and a fish pond. Have a cup of tea as you visit with your neighbours.
Tragedy In Forest Grove: A tragedy occurred in the Forest Grove district last week. Young Roderick McDougall, aged 19, only son of Harry McDougall of Forest Grove, on November 19th went out for a few hours hunting squirrels. When he failed to return that evening his father set out to look for him. He eventually found him ten miles from home lost in an area of dense underbrush. They started home but the boy was too weak and exhausted from wandering to continue and Mr. McDougall lit a fire and left him while he himself went for more help. But on the return trip he got lost. More searchers went out and early on Friday morning found the body of Roderick beside the cold embers of the fire. They later found the father, who was by that time delirious. Warmth and nourishment later restored him. The funeral took place at Forest Grove on November 24th. Roderick is survived by his parents and one young sister.
B.C. Tourist Harvest Tops $35 Million: British Columbia’s tourist harvest for this year 1947 has topped the $35 million mark. This preliminary estimate was made based on travel figures for the first nine months of the year. Up to the end of September customs ports had checked in 172,064 cars at B.C. border points, compared with 147,645 for the same period of 1946, giving an increase of more than 15 per cent.
50 YEARS AGO: NOV. 23, 1972
Bonaparte Reserve Wins Interior Basketball Tournament: On Saturday, November 18th, the St. George’s Residence Senior Basketball Team travelled to Kamloops to take part in the Interior Indian Basketball Tournament. Representative teams participated from the following Reserves and organizations: Chase, Barriere, Bonaparte, Merritt, Lillooet, Lytton Native Youth Club, Kamloops Native Youth Club and St. George’s Residence, Lytton. The tournament was of the elimination variety. With all other teams eventually eliminated, St. George’s and Bonaparte played an exciting game, with Bonaparte winning 56 to 40. This is the first of a series of tournaments to be organized under the auspices of the Interior District Athletics Council.
Special Report By The Mayor [by A.F. MacLean, Cache Creek mayor]: It has come to my attention from two people definitely not connected to the issue, that certain members of an organization in this village have made utterings that the administration of Village affairs is not being handled with integrity. I would very strongly suggest that if these persons have knowledge of such that they present the same directly and personally to me. I would further suggest very strongly that these persons make absolutely sure of their remarks and ensure that they are able to swear in court without perjuring themselves, as I will have no hesitation whatsoever in placing this matter with the Village’s solicitor. If the remarks that have been passed are in the nature of malicious gossip it is suggested that they keep their remarks to themselves as again they could find themselves in court.
Turkey Shoot: The Ashcroft and District Fish and Game Association will be holding a Turkey and Chicken Shoot on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. This will be an all day shoot giving shiftworkers the chance to come out and compete. The shoot will be held at the Club Range across from the Sands Motor Inn, Ashcroft. Guns and ammunition will be supplied by the club. There will also be a concession for refreshments. We would like to see enough men, women and children (12 years and over) out to compete and make this first shoot a big success. Come out and support the club and win your Christmas and New Year turkeys. (Kenneth A. Brown, secretary)
Ashcroft Inter-Church Choir: This is about the time of year when choirs get down to serious work and start rehearsing music for Christmas. Ashcroft is no exception, for Frank Mierau, whose contribution to choral singing here over many years is well known, has got together once again the members of the Inter-Church Choir, drawn from the choirs and congregations of the three churches, St. Gerard’s R.C., St. Alban’s Anglican, and Zion United. A first presentation will be given at Spences Bridge Community Hall; then the choir may be heard twice in Ashcroft, at St. Gerard’s R.C. Church and at Zion United Church. The Christmas music under rehearsal is attractive and it is hoped that there will be good attendance at all presentations both to hear the choir and to join with them in singing the favourite carols.
Do you want to read more from the Journal archives? An expanded version of this story is available on the Journal website at www.ashcroftcachecreekjournal.com.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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