125 YEARS AGO: NOV. 7 and 14, 1896
Lytton Church: An Indian church is being built at Lytton which will cost $1,800. The frame work is up, and when completed will be a credit to the interior.
Buchanan Players: The Buchanan dramatic players, consisting of 16 artists, are billed to play in the town hall, Ashcroft, for four nights commencing Monday, November 9th. This company comes with good recommendations, and will probably have a good audience to see them here. They have played all along the road from Chicago, two or three nights at each place, putting one week in at Kamloops with a change of programme each evening. They have their own brass band, and will give a street parade each morning at 11:30.
Accident: Arthur Haddock had a very nasty accident Tuesday afternoon, which might have been worse than it was. Leaving Ashcroft with a four-horse team with a load of lumber for the mine on the Bonaparte, and while going down a little hill to the mine, on turning a curve the wagon scraped too much and the horses became unmanageable. The result was an upset, Arthur narrowly escaping being covered up with lumber. The horses dragged him for a distance, and were stopped by some men in the vicinity. A couple of the horses hurt, a broken wagon and Arthur with a lame leg is the result.
Fine Stock Of Sleighs: E.G. Prior & Co. of Kamloops have a fine stock of Canadian and American sleighs. Any kind you wish they have in stock, bob sleighs, pleasure bobs, long sleighs and cutters.
New House: G.E. Johnson, proprietor of the Cargile house [hotel, Ashcroft, at Railway and 2nd], has started the building of a house, 30x30 feet, on the corner of his lot. It will be used for two stores, and is a much needed want.
100 YEARS AGO: NOV. 4 and 11, 1921
Basket Ball: A very interesting game of basket ball took place in the gymnasium on Thursday last, between the local ladies seniors. The Whites defeating their rivals Reds by seven points. Final score 16-9. Miss Mitchell for the Whites and Miss Bennie and Miss McAbee for the Reds were the outstanding stars of the evening, while Miss Howie and Miss Richards for the Whites and Miss Sutherland for the Reds, played a very consistent game. Miss McDonald and Mrs. Glover, guards for the Whites and Miss Gammie and Mrs. Kenning guarding the net for the Reds, deserve special mention. A large crowd witnessed the game, and judging from the enthusiasm shown, basket ball is to receive the full support of the sport loving public.
Many Die In Britannia Floods: In one of the worst Cloudbursts in the history of the Pacific slope, which occurred last Friday night, the mining town of Britannia has been half swept away. Many of the miners with their families were caught unaware when a wall of water swept out of the midnight darkness, swept through the place, carrying houses on its crest and depositing them on the beach further down. More than half of the houses were swept to destruction, in many cases with their occupants with them. There was little or no warning. About forty persons have perished, only a few of whom have yet been recovered.
No Train For Three Days: Port Coquitlam Flood Means Worst Tie-Up on C.P.R. Line In Division’s History: Floods, slides and washouts on the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National lines created a condition absolutely unprecedented in the railroad history of this sector of the province. The Canadian Pacific were faced with a tie-up that will necessitate a vast amount of expense and labour in reconstruction. The damage in the neighbourhood of Port Coquitlam from yesterday’s flood is roughly placed at $200,000, the major part of the loss being in damage to bridges and to the railway line.
New School: The new Ashcroft school building is beginning to loom up in all its imposing importance. Most of the frame work is already in place, as is also some of the outside sheeting. Arrangements have been made for the heating.
Cariboo To Be Served From Ashcroft Again: Owing to the utter breakdown of the P.G.E. service Mr. Robinson [Cariboo election candidate] has been active in securing resumption of the mails to the country north of Ashcroft, and on Sunday the first auto truckload was despatched from Ashcroft. Arrangements have been made to continue this service so that the district will not be isolated this winter.
Dewdney Trail Is Favoured: A definite announcement of the government’s proposals regarding the construction of the last link in the transprovincial highway was made by Hon. J.H. King, minister of public works, in the legislature Wednesday afternoon. He outlined the situation in detail and said that four routes have been carefully considered by the department. The first was the Fraser Canyon route which had been advocated by a great many interested in the new highway. Another was by way of Harrison Lake and Pemberton Meadows. A third way by the Cleveland Survey from Hope to Princeton and the fourth the old Dewdney Trail. Hon. Dr. King said that the last route was the one selected by the government engineers. This is seventy miles long and extends from Hope to Princeton. The minister said that the cost of this road would be approximately $500,000, against $1,229,302 for the Fraser Canyon route.
Editorial Comment: Dewdney Trail: It is a matter of school-boy knowledge that the best interests of the province cannot be served via the summit of the Hope Mountains where snow lies nearly twelve months in the year and the elevation is 5,800 feet above sea level … There is only one natural and logical route for the Coast-Interior highway, and that is via the Fraser and Thompson valleys; and it can only be a matter of time when such a road will be built, because the people both of the south and north will demand it. Why not now?
75 YEARS AGO: NOV. 2 and 9, 1946
Clinton Has New Power Service: Clinton will have a new power service. In the past it has been served by the surplus power generated by diesel engine plants in two garages. The place is growing and the available power is taxed. Proprietors of the garages with others have formed the new company.
Hat Creek Coal May Come Back: Plans for full scale development of the Hat Creek coal mine have been announced. [Mining engineer Ridgeway R. Wilson] predicts the project would give the province a tremendous new industrial undertaking which would last at least a century… Hat Creek coal mine is nothing new to the residents of the district. It was first discovered in the early days of the interior, but was not developed to any extent until the middle nineties when the late George Finney brought coal from a pit he dug by hand and hauled to Ashcroft by wagon.
New Arrival: Mr. Murray Kane, of Gibson’s Landing, arrived a few days ago and will be employed in the M. Dumond hardware store as plumber.
Checking Up On Hunters: At Cache Creek, the junction of the Cariboo road and Trans-Canada highways, during the past month four game wardens have been stationed stopping all motorists going and coming in efforts to check up on hunters shooting out of season, killing more than their bag limit and having loaded shot guns and rifles in their cars. About fifty cases have come before Stipendiary Magistrate T.Y. Scott at Ashcroft during October — all offenders from the coast and the U.S. No local sportsmen have been before the magistrate, which speaks well for their anxiety to have our game preserved. The check-up on loaded fire arms is a valuable protection because many do not realize the danger, and a number of accidents having occurred in B.C. owing to that carelessness.
Christmas Tree Season Is Here: The Christmas tree industry for export is in full swing at Ashcroft, and the C.N.R. shipping yard is piled high with the familiar assortment of trees graded and bundled in sizes in readiness for shipment to the various markets, chiefly United States points. In the consignment there are about 5,000 from up Highland Valley way cut and delivered by the Berry boys, and some thousands from Clinton and from Chas. Dougherty at Maiden Creek on the Cariboo road.
50 YEARS AGO: NOV. 4 and 11, 1971
Logan Lake: The Hon. P.A. Gaglardi will present a gavel to the Council of The Village of Logan Lake on the occasion of the official opening of the new town, Saturday, November 13. Logan Lake, built to accommodate Highland Valley mining employees, is in Mr. Gaglardi’s constituency. At the same ceremony, the Logan Lake Elementary School will be opened. The new Logan Lake Community Centre, a gift from Lornex Mining Corporation Ltd., will be the site for the ceremonies.
Clinton: The annual Meeting of the South Cariboo Historical Museum Society was held in the Clinton museum October 28th, with 12 members and 1 visitor present. The meeting discussed the possibility of finishing off the No. 2 display area at the back of the museum, so Mr. McTavish’s wagons and sleigh would be protected from both the elements and vandals. A decision was made to go ahead with the project just as soon as workmen could be found.
Ashcroft Council: Fire chief H. Negoro held a discussion with the Council regarding a new lease on the CPR property for an addition to the firehall. The Clerk was instructed to write CPR regarding the leasing of an area situated between the old firehall and the new firehall, size approximately 30 ft. wide by 70 ft. deep.
Cache Creek Council: A serious problem is the heavy demand being placed on the water system during the summer tourist season. As the community caters to a very great extent to services for tourists, the amount of water used during the late afternoons and evenings is unbelievable. Added to the water demand by businesses is the demand by domestic users in a semi-desert region. Gardens and lawns require great quantities of water. Council does not object to these uses, but the people do have to realize that there is a heavy demand that can only be met thru additional costs. We would recommend that all leaky faucets etc. be repaired and kept fully maintained. Waste of water should be watched carefully. Cooling of buildings and excess sprinkling where water runs down the road are examples of mis-use which should be curbed.
Canada Taking More Japanese Oranges: Imports of Japanese Mandarin Oranges coming into Canada this year are expected to set a new record. Indications are that Canada’s 1971 imports will total 3.8 million boxes. The first shipload of 440,000 boxes is scheduled to arrive in Vancouver on November 11, aboard the 5,675 ton “Puna” which left Japan on October 31. Other ships will be landing Japanese Mandarin Oranges on Canada’s west coast between now and the end of November, so that oranges can reach retailers across the country in time for holiday season shopping. Demand for the imported fruit continues to increase with Canadians consuming more fresh Japanese Mandarin Oranges than the people of any country outside Japan. Fresh Mandarin oranges have become a traditional part of the Christmas season.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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