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In 1972, Kumsheen Secondary School in Lytton destroyed by fire

School was located on site of current K–12 building on the Trans-Canada Highway

125 YEARS AGO: MAY 22, 1897

Tree Trouble: Last Sunday morning a large tree came sailing down the Thompson river and caught on one of the piers of the bridge. Through the efforts of J.B. Bryson and another man it was finally loosened shortly after noon. The tree was about three feet through at the butt, and would no doubt have caused incalculable trouble had it not been freed.

Canada’s Population: The population of Canada steadily progresses. As estimated by the department of agriculture for the last fiscal it is 6,125,436. The census of 1891 showed that the figure was 4,833,239. The estimates that are made from year to year are based on the immigration returns and the average birth and mortality rate. [The 2021 Census of Canada shows Canada’s population at 36,991,981.]

100 YEARS AGO: MAY 19, 1922

Baseball Match: On Sunday a baseball game was played on the “park” between Ashcroft and a team composed of boys on their way to Cedar Creek. The scoring was large, 14 to 6, in favour of Ashcroft, of course.

How Forest Fires Start: Do your part in preventing fire becoming master. Look after your camp fire, see it is dead out. Do not throw matches or burning material or ashes where they might ignite leaves or twigs or rubbish, and thus set fire to the forest.

Recreational Use Of Forest Reserves: The forest reserves are steadily coming into more general use for recreative purposes. Each year shows an increase in the number of cottages erected at the various summer resorts. Camping and picknicking parties find healthful pleasure on the shores of the various lakes, and those resorts which are accessible by automobile are visited by considerable numbers each week-end and holiday during the season.

75 YEARS AGO: MAY 22, 1947

Canvass Next Week For Swimming Pool: Commencing next week the Ashcroft Swimming Pool Committee will canvass the town of Ashcroft and district for funds to complete the pool across the river. This pool is something that Ashcroft has been wanting for a good many years. Your support is urgently needed and when the committee calls on you, for a donation, be generous to them. Don’t waste their time arguing. They want all the funds they can get now, not tomorrow or next week. We are on the verge of having one of the greatest recreation facilities any town would wish for. Let us not fail to back it up 100 per cent.

TU Auto Camp Improvements: A modern, clean homelike atmosphere is what Mr. Brooks of the T-U Auto Camp at Cache Creek believes in. Not satisfied with the way the camp looked, he has been doing extensive building and decorating lately. He has had an up-to-date shower building erected for tourists, and has installed running water taps and sinks in all his cabins. Other facilities here are dining room where the appetites of the traveling public can be satisfied, and a large, well-stocked store full of everything required by tourists or householders around the district. Besides all these conveniences he has two gas pumps ever ready to fill the tanks with Imperial gas. This camp is ideally situated on the banks of the Bonaparte river, where there is fishing. The place is well shaded for cooling off purposes during hot summer travelling.

Women’s Softball Club Formed: A meeting was held May 20 in Ashcroft to form a women’s softball club. The first practice will be held on May 22 at the ball park. All interested girls (married or single) should turn out.

Martel News: Mr. and Mrs. Tom Pitfield have purchased the Martel orchard at Martel [north of Spences Bridge] and are getting the orchard in shape for the summer harvest. They have put in a gasoline service station, have two tourist cabins and intend building two more. They are both veterans of the last war and bought the property under the Dominion Veterans’ Affairs plan.

Rush On For Alaska Road Sites: All along the Alaska Highway people are preparing to cash in on the tourist rush which is bound to develop when the road is thrown open for general travel. B.C. Lands Department reported at Victoria nearly three dozen applications for leases of land along the highway have been received from those who want to start anything from hot dog stands to gas stations and hotels.

Volunteer Fire Crews Will Get Government Instruction: Volunteer firecrews in British Columbia small towns soon will be taught the latest in fire-fighting techniques by a mobile school of experienced instructors to be set up by the provincial government. They will train small town crews in the most effective use of their equipment, and give practical instruction by setting off controlled blazes as “homework” for the volunteer firemen.

Kept In Tunnel By Mother Moose: Arthur Haddock was kept in the Cariboo Nickel Mine tunnel by an infuriated moose cow for three hours on May 11. He did not appreciate the cow’s attitude. According to information in the Williams Lake Tribune, Arthur went out to examine the mine property when a moose cow with a calf charged him near the entrance of the mine tunnel. Arthur ran into the tunnel and when the cow tried he kept her out by shining his flashlight in her face. He was in the tunnel for three hours and then came down over the mountain to the road and returned by road to the cabin where he had left his car.

50 YEARS AGO: MAY 18, 1972

Kumsheen Sec. School Destroyed By Early Morning Fire: Kumsheen Secondary School at Lytton completely burnt to the ground early Friday morning of May 12th, 1972. The school and contents were valued in excess of $700,000. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained as yet. Emergency accommodation has been set up in the vacant classrooms at the St. George’s Indian Residential school, located a few miles north of Lytton. Classes for senior students, who must write government exams, resumed on Monday, May 15th, in the Parish Hall in Lytton. All classes will resume on Thursday May 18th at St. George’s. The full programme which was offered during the present school year, will be offered in Lytton during the 1972/73 school year. The Board of School Trustees have already commissioned their architects to prepare plans and specifications for the immediate rebuilding of the Kumsheen Secondary School. While the design will be practically the same as before, the new school will be built, where feasible, of non-combustible materials and have gas fired rooftop heating-cooling, rather than large oil fired hot water boilers. The building and contents were covered by replacement cost insurance.

Public Notice: With much higher than average snow yet to come down, flooding appears to be imminent. The Bonaparte has not yet reached its crest but the Cache Creek is dangerously high and appears to be presenting some problem where it meets the Bonaparte River causing the river to back up and threaten a few homes and trailers near the Cache Creek Drive-in. Word has been received that Cut-Off Creek and Clinton Creek do not present any problems at the present time. Civil defence coordinator Tom Johnson is keeping a close watch on all creeks and rivers in the Ashcroft, Cache Creek and Clinton areas and will issue further bulletins as conditions arise. The Canada Manpower Centre will be used as Emergency Headquarters if the need arises, but persons in low lying areas should be preparing for flooding now.

Found At Savona: Prehistoric Burial Discovered: A prehistorical burial recently unearthed at Savona is now under study by Cariboo College archaeologist Arnold Stryd. The bones were accidentally uncovered by workmen during excavations on property owned by Evans Products Co. Ltd. Stryd said that, based upon a preliminary inspection, the skeleton appears to be that of a young female in her late twenties who suffered considerably from tooth wear and tooth decay. “We are always pleased to receive archaeological materials,” Stryd added, “especially when they will provide important information on the prehistoric peoples of this area.”



editorial@accjournal.ca

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