125 YEARS AGO: NOV. 6, 1897
Damage: Monday night or Tuesday morning, some of the boys who were out on a time, broke one of the panes of glass in the bow window of the new annex of the Ashcroft hotel. The people who cut up late at night should be more careful, in the future, as tricks of this kind put people to great inconvenience.
The Skating Rink: All those interested in the skating rink are requested to meet at the Recreation Club today at 12:45 to discuss business matters connected with the rink. It is hoped that as large a crowd turns out at this meeting as there does on the rink when the ice is good. With a little work on the rink before the ground freezes it can be put in first class condition and thereby save money during the winter months. A committee will be appointed to look after affairs, and those who are not on the committee, but who wish to have good ice, should get in and do a little work occasionally besides kicking.
Stage Line: The B.X. stage line will only run one through stage a week to Barkerville for the rest of the winter, leaving every Monday morning. The steamer Charlotte is laid up for the winter and stages will run between Soda Creek and Quesnelle.
100 YEARS AGO: NOV. 4, 1922
Auto And Horse Stage Give Way To P.G.E.: Tomorrow will see the passing of the mail stage from the old Cariboo road. After that date the mail will be carried straight through from Squamish to Quesnel by P.G.E. trains. Residents of the Cariboo district, especially those living along the roadside, will view the disappearance of the mail stage with deep regret. In the early days “stage day” was an event to be looked forward to, the gay and dashing stage driver was a wonder to outsiders and a hero to the girls along the way. The bull team driver and the “jerk line” teamster had to take a “back seat” when the stage pulled in to the stopping places. Later on when the horse stage gave way to the big mail cars most of the old-time stage drivers took their places on the driver’s seat. Having quickly mastered the peculiarities of the new machines, as they had the tricks of the “ornery” broncos, the “straw boss” of the stage company would ring in on one of them from time to time just to keep their “hand in”. The genial Fred Mcleod, who has driven the mail car and horse stage on this end for the last few years, will be sadly missed in town and along the road where his coming was always an event.
Arctic Is Getting Too Hot For Seals: The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer, and in some places seals are finding the waters too hot, according to a report to the commerce department from Counsul Ifft at Bergen, Norway. Reports from fishermen, seal hunters, and explorers, he declared, all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic zone, exploration expeditions reporting that scarcely any ice has been met with as far north as 81 degrees, 29 minutes. Soundings to a depth of 3,100 metres showed the Gulf Stream still very warm. Great masses of ice have been replaced by moraines of earth and stones, the report continued, while at many points well-known glaciers have entirely disappeared.
Crooks Are Raising P.O. Money Orders; Department At Ottawa Issues Warning To The Public At Large: Crooks have been raising money orders on such a scale as to necessitate a general warning by the federal post office department. The public are warned that money orders should not be cashed for unidentified strangers, particularly orders made payable at other places. The department advises that in a majority of cases the frauds have been perpetrated through the crooks purchasing money orders for small sums, such as 25 cents, afterwards raising the amounts and obtaining payment through business firms cashing the orders.
75 YEARS AGO: NOV. 6, 1947
Children Hand Over $41 To Swimming Pool Committee: The committee of young ladies who had planned for the Hallowe’en party, concert, and banquet for the youngsters of Ashcroft last Friday night, are to be congratulated for the success of the affair. The proceeds which amounted to $41 was turned over to the Swimming Pool Committee in appreciation of the efforts being made to provide swimming pool facilities for the Ashcroft children. The children, eager to help out the pool, took this opportunity to raise funds, and they did a splendid job of it. The hall was filled to capacity, and it was the largest gathering of Mommies, Daddies, have been, and would like to be, to enjoy such an affair. There were around 400 in attendance, and there were 83 children in Masquerade costumes, representing every character imaginable.
Sugar Freed From Control: Housewives can now throw their ration book away, or keep it for a souvenir, as removal of rationing restrictions on sugar and molasses, last remaining rationed goods, became effective Monday, November 3rd. Now that the sugar is off the ration list the ladies of [Ashcroft] are planning a sale of home cooking and a tea to be held in the Community hall on Saturday, November 15th.
Juvenile On Murder Charge At Clinton: The preliminary hearing was held on November 5th at Clinton, in the case of the fifteen year old boy juvenile, held in connection with the shooting of Douglas Davey, on October 28th at the Big Chief Ranch, 12 miles north east of Clinton. The case has now been transferred from Juvenile Court to Criminal Court on a murder charge. Douglas Davey died in Lady Minto Hospital last Thursday, and burial took place in the Ashcroft Cemetery.
The Legion Adds Up The Score: With Remembrance Day again approaching and thousands of citizens across Canada preparing to attend memorial services, the Canadian Legion reminds many to add up the score. It is just over two short years ago that the final shot in the recent conflict was fired. It is well for all to stop and think what would be our position today had we been on the short end of the Armistice terms. We wouldn’t have any labour troubles today. There just wouldn’t be any existing unions with the right to strike or bargain. Everyone would work for “the Party” or else there would not be any food coupons handed out to live on. There would be no such thing as a free press, truth would be stifled, our literature abolished, and in a generation our perspective considerably changed. Our children would grow up in a school chanting the praises of Der Fuehrer who would be their God. Children thus indoctrinated would eventually turn even against their parents. We wouldn’t have to worry about any by-election; that would all be arranged for us. Today we have freedom and democracy as we live it. It might have cost the taxpayers many millions of dollars to buy this right, it also cost [Canada] in two wars more than 100,000 young lives and well over 200,000 wounded bodies. That’s a lot of life and a lot of suffering. Surely it’s not asking much that we give one day a year to revere their memory.
50 YEARS AGO: NOV. 2, 1972
$4 Million Industry For Ashcroft: Du Pont of Canada will build a $4 million commercial explosives plant near Ashcroft to serve Western Canada’s mining and construction industries, according to a joint announcement made today. The plant is scheduled to open late in 1973. The capacity was not disclosed. The Ashcroft facilities will incorporate major technological advances in both manufacturing process and product. Output will be largely newly-developed products, including small diameter water gel explosives, regarded as safer than the traditional nitroglycerin-based types. The 700-acre site, on the south bank of the Thompson River about two miles from Ashcroft, was selected because of its location on excellent transportation facilities in the heart of the B.C. mining area. Employees will be drawn largely from the surrounding district. [The DuPont facility was on the site where the Ashcroft Terminal is now located.]
Cache Creek Locals: The residents of Sands & Sage Trailer Court enjoyed the huge bonfire, refreshments, and fun arranged for them by Ken Lien on Hallowe’en.
Cache Creek Rink: The open air rink at Cache Creek is all in readiness, all that remains is the co-operation of the weatherman for the ice. About 300 youngsters turned out for registration last Saturday morning at Cache Creek and Ashcroft, so it should be a good season.
Do you want to read more from the Journal archives? An expanded version of this story is available on the Journal website at https://www.ashcroftcachecreekjournal.com/.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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