125 YEARS AGO: JULY 10, 1897
Heavy Rains: The wagon road along Cache Creek was badly washed by the heavy rain of Wednesday. Irrigating ditches were filled up, and boulders rolled down the mountain. Such an amount of rain as has fallen in the vicinity of Ashcroft for the past month, has never been known here before. So says the oldest inhabitant.
Ashcroft Climate: From the present outlook Ashcroft will have, within the next few months, a good water system, electric lights, and a first-class hotel. If a plentiful supply of water is furnished the people of the town at a moderate price, the looks of the place will soon change very materially. Shade trees, lawns, and orchards will soon be grown, and a beautiful place can be made. For climate, probably no place in the world, take the season through, can be found better or healthier.
Lytton News: Miss Anthony, a sister of our townsman Mr. J. Anthony, is here on a visit from England. Her pleasant manner and amiable disposition have set the hearts of the young beaux of Lytton “all aflutter”. It is to be hoped that she will choose to make this her future home.
For Barkerville: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe sleeping car, No. 220, is standing on the siding at Ashcroft awaiting the return of a distinguished party who left on Wednesday by B.X. special for Cariboo. Messrs. J.W. Gates and J.A. Drake are capitalists and will look after suitable investments in a mining way, and Messrs. J.R. Wood and E.R. Poole are mining men. They were well treated by the stage company, as although the company had no notice of their coming and all of their teams were out, extra horses were procured of Collins & Haddock and the Lord Dufferin coach gotten out with orders to the employees to send the parties through with dispatch. [They] or any other parties can not fail to find suitable investments in Cariboo if only time is taken and a fair chance given the country. The story is not as yet told, only the opening chapters have been written and the gold production will increase for a hundred years to come.
100 YEARS AGO: JULY 7, 1922
Locals: The Ashcroft movies have been closed until further notice owing to hot weather, short nights and other sundry reasons. We will appreciate a show when the theatre opens up again.
A Fishing Story: A party visited Kelly Lake from Ashcroft on Dominion Day, and enjoyed the outing fishing, boating, swimming, and making merry generally. Mrs. Ward claimed to have caught four fish, but she must prove this before we can make an official announcement.
Another Fishing Story: A few days ago Messrs. Melville, Bryson, and J.W. Gurling, returned to Ashcroft in triumph with a 5½ lb. fish which had been trolled from the Marble Canyon Lake. This is more of an achievement than may appear on the surface, as it is only on rare occasions that the fish in that lake take kindly to the spoon or hook.
Was Injured At Spences Bridge; J.A. Long Awarded $5000 Damages Against C.P.R. And K.V.R.: Following an hour’s deliberation a Supreme Court jury Monday evening returned a $5000 verdict in favour of J.A. Long, a Jura* farmer, and against the Kettle Valley Railway Company and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The verdict is compensation for injuries sustained March 1, 1922, when Mr. Long was transferring from a C.P.R. to a K.V.R. train at Spences Bridge. The transfer was occasioned by a blockade of the Coquihalla Pass. The plaintiff was returning to Princeton after a visit to the Coast. During shunting operations the K.V.R. train was jolted with considerable violence, throwing Mr. Long against the side of the car. His teeth were loosened, the tendons of his neck were torn, his body was wrenched, and he is still feeling the effects of the shock, according to Dr. R.E. McKechnie. [*Jura is northeast of Princeton on the Princeton-Summerland Road.]
Fire Warning: Forest fires destroy inheritance: help to prevent them. Be sure your camp-fire is dead. Then bury it. Game and fish depend on forest and stream. Both are destroyed by fire.
75 YEARS AGO: JULY 13, 1947
Loon Lake Notes: Mr. and Mrs. Howard A. Dent and son, Edmonds, Wash., flew to Loon Lake and spent a couple of days fishing at Baker Ranch. The Seattle Airways are getting organized to fly fishermen into the camps to speed up business. The camps on Loon Lake have been filled up with fishermen for the past month, all getting their limit, and enjoying the best of a holiday here.
Harvey Bailey Store Sold: Mr. P.M. Russell of Vancouver, recently traveling salesman for the W.H. Malkin wholesale grocers in this section of the interior, has bought the historic Harvey, Bailey Company general store as from July 1st, and will continue business under the old name. None of the firm’s prestige or popularity of the past will be lost, and there is no business in the interior so well and widely known as Harvey Bailey at Ashcroft. In early days it served the whole of the Cariboo road and adjacent districts. Harvey, Bailey Company has been in operation in Ashcroft since 1887 when they bought out the late J.G. Kirkpatrick, pioneer storekeeper of the town on the completion of the C.P.R. in 1885 when Ashcroft became the Gateway to Cariboo, which strategic importance it still holds. Messrs. Oliver Harvey and W.B. Bailey, original owners of the business, were employed in the bookkeeping department of the C.P.R. during construction days in the west; and, on completion of the railway, the two formed a partnership and bought up all the “left-over” supplies from the contractors and disposed of same in stores they opened at points along the line including Ashcroft.
Railway Street To Be Paved Here: Officials of the Department of Public Works who flew from Victoria to attend the North Thompson Caravan, paid Ashcroft a visit in connection with the paving of our front street or Railway Avenue, and indications point to a commencement of this work in the near future.
Improvement: Ed. Siebel is having his garage stuccoed and looks very attractive at the end of the bridge as one comes into Ashcroft. Ed built his Cariboo Garage last year and is a decided improvement to the town.
50 YEARS AGO: JULY 9, 1972
Been Up To Clinton Lately?: If you haven’t been up to visit Clinton lately, you would enjoy it now some evening! The old historic Cariboo road has been straightened, levelled, widened to three lanes and hard surfaced as smooth as a billiard table. It is a splendid strip of road and the contractors are to be complimented. From Clinton the road has been straightened and widened and fine gravel applied out to the Bethlehem loading ramp, which make this a more enjoyable trip to Kelly Lake. This paving job just about completes the widening, three-laning, straightening, and surfacing the Highway 97 from 20 Mile to the top of Clinton hill north. A splendid job well done.
Ashcroft Museum: Mrs. P. Wiebe of Sardis, B.C. was the receiver of the silver spoon being the 1,000th visitor this year. She was the 57,000th visitor since the museum was opened in 1960. There have been quite a number of visitors from Ontario and Vancouver, Holland, Germany, England. Visitors probably will not surpass last year’s 4,000. But as this is only July you never can tell what it will be like by September. Hope Ashcroft gets lots of tourists and business.
Wagon On The Move?: The Ashcroft Recreation Commission proposed that the historic wagon and grinding stones be moved from their present location to a location near the Museum or the Community Hall. Council was in agreement that these items should be moved to a location beside the Museum, provided Mr. Cumming is contacted and in agreement, otherwise they will be left in their present location.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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