125 YEARS AGO: MAY 14, 1898
King Of The Packers: Cataline left town Friday afternoon with his pack train bound for the Quesnelle. This is his first trip this season.
Housing Shortage: There is a scarcity of dwellings in Ashcroft and enquiries are being made daily for houses to rent.
Yale: About 11:30 on Tuesday the town was startled by the cry of fire. It was soon discovered that the residence of Mr. William Teague, J.P., was in flames. Nearly all the citizens, including Mr. Teague, were at the court house, but court was soon adjourned and the crowd hastened to the scene of the fire. By this time it had gained too much headway and water was scarce. Seeing it was impossible to save the building, all hands set to work removing furniture etc. The contents of three rooms were saved but the dining room, where most of Mr. Teague’s private papers and mining utensils were, could not be reached on account of the flames. Fifty-five minutes after the fire was discovered what was once the nicest house in town, was nothing but a pile of ashes. Mr. Teague’s loss amounts to about $4,000; no insurance.
Rivers Rising: The Fraser river is rising very fast. The Thompson is coming up gradually. Indications are that there will be pretty high water this year.
More Protection Needed: This spring there has been a large number of strangers in town of dubious characters, and on the first opportunity they have been given their walking tickets, and therefore the town has been kept pretty clear of the tough element. Every one in town knows the need of an extra constable, and at the present the constable can not with justice to the community do his duty as he ought to. A constable on night duty is badly needed and it behooves the people to get in and make a strong kick in this matter.
Lost: Between Ashcroft and Cache Creek, a pocketbook containing six miners’ licences, one receipt, one note and one receipt of the I.O.F. The finder will please leave same with the Cargile House and receive $10 reward.
100 YEARS AGO: MAY 12, 1923
Disappearance: Ah Bock, a Chinaman well known in Ashcroft as a domestic help, has disappeared. Some say he has gone to Vancouver, others that he is working on the railway section, but nothing definite can be learned about him. According to accounts he was not one who would leave without advising friends.
A Divided Province: The province of British Columbia is divided in the middle, and each half is cut off from the other by a barrier that is unsurmountable. Especially does this apply to the upper portion which finds itself isolated from the south in such a manner as to render the two parts almost strangers to each other. It goes without saying that a highway connecting the coast with the interior would be of value to the province that could not be over estimated. Tourist trade is just what the anemic north is hungering for to put colour in its cheeks. The lower mainland is developing much rich blood through this influx of outside wealth. Why should the north be denied the opportunity to sup from the same dish?
Crime Road Not Built: Replying to a question from the Kamloops Board of Trade regarding his attitude to the coast-to-interior highway, Provincial Party leader General McRae said it was a crime that such a road had not been completed long ago to give the people of British Columbia a chance to drive through their own province. It was his personal opinion that if the Provincial Party were elected to power a highway from the coast to the interior would be built along a route to be of the greatest good to the greatest number. He felt that the highway would be built before the election over the Hope-Princeton route.
75 YEARS AGO: MAY 14, 1948
Bonaparte On Rampage: According to reports from residents who have lived along the Bonaparte valley for years, the river is higher this year than it has been for fifty or more years. Below the confluence of Loos Creek and the Bonaparte every farmer has suffered, some to the extent of lower hay fields, others have their roads cut off, their homes surrounded and practically their entire ranch under water. Several potato fields are submerged and ditches are overflowing and inundated everywhere. Some farmers have abandoned their homes, moved their furniture, trucks and cars to higher ground. Stock has also been driven to higher levels.The T.U. Auto Camp [located where the Cache Creek post office is now sited] has so far been fortunate, their dam is holding to date although swelled to overflowing. Two cabins on the island in the creek are standing but the floors are flooded. The field below the camp where the boys of Cache Creek play ball (girls are scarce out there) is flooded and the home recently built by Skeezy Collins is surrounded. Rumours are that there is plenty of snow near the sources of the river and its tributaries and that there is no hope of immediate receding of the waters. However, the weather for the most part is cool which may allow a run-off, but to add to the misery are the heavy showers which are occurring frequently.
School Board Notes: The School Board contemplates buying a 43-passenger school bus to carry students from Cache Creek and Ashcroft Manor to Ashcroft. Because the present accommodation is too expensive and inadequate and some children have to be left behind, this step was necessary. The Board will make a considerable saving each year, besides getting the children home earlier in the evening and they will not have to leave so early in the morning. They now have to leave about 7:30 a.m. This will also eliminate the hazard in overloading present cars.
Dramatic Club Presents Play: The Ashcroft Dramatic Society presented its first play and minstrel show at the Community Hall on Wednesday evening to a capacity house. A one act play “The Teeth of the Gift Horse”, being a skit wherein a favourite Aunt visits her favourite young people and misses her hand-painted vases which had been given to a rummage sale, was very well done, the costumes and setting were excellent, the diction on the whole was very creditable. The minstrel show was also well carried out and while we are not mentioning outstanding performances, the “Four Hits and the Miss” with their harmonizing pleased the audience.
Ninety-Five Per Cent Due To Carelessness: Supporting his plea for unrelenting activity on the part of every citizen of British Columbia in preventing and controlling forest fires, Hon. T.D. Pattullo, minister of lands, states that last year forest fires cost the province $32,000,000 in timber destroyed. The cost of fighting fires for the year was $750,000. The minister also contends that 95 per cent of last year’s fires were caused through carelessness. Logging camps were responsible for 12 per cent and campers about 33 per cent. Hon. Mr. Pattullo remarked that these figures should bring home to the people of the province a fuller realization of the greater need for care and the tremendous financial loss entailed through forest fires.
50 YEARS AGO: MAY 10, 1973
River Study Report To Be Issued May 15: An interim report on a major study carried out on the Thompson River system and Kamloops Lake by provincial and federal pollution and wildlife departments will be issued May 15. Residents along the Thompson River from Savona to Lytton complained early this year of poor water quality: the river had crests of foam and contained abundant algae growths and the water colour had changed drastically. Fish and wildlife and fisheries personnel were able to determine the water problem began downstream of Kamloops. The Thompson River, like any body of water, contains algae, but levels at the beginning of this year were so high that it posed a potential threat to salmon and steelhead spawning grounds. Officials do not expect to single out a specific source of the trouble.
Those Ghastly Freight Rates: In an effort to get at least a satisfactory explanation of the $18 charge for delivering freight in to Walhachin, the village witch spent several hours in the Vancouver area, interviewing [different carriers]. Chapman’s, the current holder of the licence to serve Walhachin, find it is just not feasible economically to deliver freight in here. To deliver just one item will take a truck at least an hour-and-a-half from the Boston Flats depot. They will deliver to the Walhachin turn-off via the 4:30 truck, provided someone is willing to meet the truck at the highway. All of this is part of the price we pay for the quiet and seclusion of a place like Walhachin. At least we can’t complain about noisy freight trucks keeping us awake at night!
Clinton News: Now that the Clinton Ball posters have rolled off the Journal presses, for which we have received many compliments (we have been printing the Clinton Ball posters for over 50 years), everyone can plan which events they will be attending.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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