125 YEARS AGO: JUNE 10, 1899
The Cariboo Road: The village of Cache Creek proper has but few residents and nearly all Chinese, two Chinese stores being located at this point. A church at the Bonaparte rancharee [reserve] has lately been erected. Some 200 Indians make this their headquarters but spend much of their time at Hat Creek, where they have gardens and meadows… Clinton has a great advantage over most little villages in the fact that a mountain stream comes tumbling down the hill and is divided and subdivided into many little branches that go through the various gardens and to supply the residences with water for domestic use. The government buildings, under the care of F. Soues, agent, are well kept, and while not large are commodious enough for Clinton’s wants.
Street Repairs: Several months ago $300 was granted to the town of Ashcroft for street repairs. That this was an insufficient sum may have been noticed during the recent wet weather. Railway Avenue was graded from below the West End House to the Cariboo Exchange, a distance of about 500 yards, but teamsters would prefer driving around. From the Cariboo Exchange to the waterworks office the road is one mass of water holes in wet weather, as is also the road south from the West End House.
100 YEARS AGO: JUNE 7, 1924
Work Begins: Work is well started on both ends of the Fraser Canyon highway, gangs now being at work at Hope and Lytton. Additional camps will be started almost at once. It is expected that the lighter sections of the road, Lytton-China Bar and Yale-Hope, will be done by the Government road gangs this year and that the heavy work Yale to China Bar will be done by the contract system next season.
Walhachin: Somebody said Walhachin looked deserted the other day — maybe it did, with the me out at work, the women busy in their houses, kids at school and the Agent and the Postmaster asleep in their respective armchairs (making up accounts, they call it), but even at that it’s not so empty-looking as Aberdeen [Scotland] on a tag day. [A “tag day” is a day on which money is publicly collected for a charity, and donors are given tags to show they have contributed. Scottish people are popularly supposed to be stingy.]
75 YEARS AGO: JUNE 9, 1949
Notes On Incorporation: At a meeting of the Ashcroft Incorporation Committee, considerable discussion took place as to the boundaries of the proposed incorporated village of Ashcroft. It was decided for the time being the boundaries be confined to the present townsite east of the Thompson River.
Clinton Hardware Damaged By Fire: When the dread cry of “fire” was raised at 1:20 a.m. last Friday, Clinton turned out en masse, to find the Clinton hardware store a boiling mass of flames. Very fortunately Miss Elizabeth Gillespie, while on the community hall road, had noticed a small flame in the warehouse and at once gave the alarm. Had it not been noticed immediately it would undoubtedly have got out of control and nearby buildings would almost certainly have caught fire too. As it was, the flames spread with amazing rapidity from a small beginning. However, the dogged efforts of the firefighters, coupled with the high pressure in the water main, and a merciful absence of wind (an hour before there had been a high wind), enabled the men on the hoses to keep it from spreading to either the post office or the Central Motors, and to save the front of the store and considerable stock.
Slide Detector: A slide detector and automatic block signal system to warn CNR trains when danger threatens went into operation Wednesday between Spences Bridge and Lytton. When anything damages or blocks the track, a “stop” signal will go up. An electric fence will flash a signal when it is hit by a slide. Gangs of more than 400 men have been working on the program, which has included embankment strengthening, relocation and relaying of track, renewal of trackbed, tunnel lining, snowshed construction, bridge rebuilding, and work on flood-damaged sections.
Auto Courts Ass’n Formed: A meeting was held at the Aurora Auto Court, Clinton on June 4, and a branch of the Auto Courts Association was formed. This association has plans which will be of real value to all resort and auto court operators in the area.
50 YEARS AGO: JUNE 6, 1974
Bethlehem Team Awarded Prize: A Surface Mine Rescue team from Bethlehem Copper Corporation Ltd., consisting of Lawrence Stout (captain), Jack Byer, Gordon Lowe, Rod Craggs, Bob Rodford, Dennis Pugsley and coached by Gordon Begon, was awarded second prize in the regional Mine Rescue Competition held in Kamloops on May 25. All participants were congratulated for their fine performance and for their interest in Mine Rescue work, which involves many long hours of practice and hard work.
To Upgrade Drive-In Road: Surveyors are busy on that pesky strip of road leading to the [Cache Creek] drive-in theatre. We sincerely hope this means that it is to be straightened out and widened; especially those two blind corners which should be blown off. There are now quite a few children playing in this area who live in the trailer courts, making it doubly dangerous.
Weather Woes: Are we ever going to get any warm weather? Did someone put a jinx on our usual 80–90 temperatures at this time of year? And what’s more, sunny or cloudy, that wind never quits blowing. So far this spring it’s been mostly cloudy and cool.
