125 YEARS AGO: AUG. 28, 1897
Lillooet: A special wave is still rolling over the district giving a temperature that makes the ice-house sweat. Nearly all the people have gone into liquidation with free baths.
Ashcroft Reading Room: “Editor, Mining Journal; Sir: As a further means of extending the usefulness of the reading room now established in the town, I would venture to suggest the delivery from time to time, of lectures on subjects of popular interest. I would gladly promise to give, at some future date, one such lecture on ‘South Africa, Past and Present,’ and there are doubtless others who might be willing to devote their talents and energies towards the achievement of so laudable an object. Yours faithfully, A. Anstey Dorrell, St. Alban’s Vicarage, Ashcroft.” [The suggestion is good and should be acted upon. ED.]
Clinton School: The foundation for the new school house at Clinton is being laid nearly opposite the court house. It will be built of brick. Robert Stoddart has the contract.
Clinton Hotel: Joseph Smith, of the Clinton Hotel, has got an addition nearly completed to his hotel, which is 29 x 34 feet, and two storeys high. Down stairs will be used as a kitchen and an extra dining room. Up stairs consists of five nice large rooms. The addition throughout will be plastered. Mr. Smith runs a good house and guests receive the best of attention when stopping at the Clinton Hotel.
Clinton Visitors: Misses Wilson and Faulkner of Victoria, went up to Clinton as guests of Mrs. F.W. Foster and daughters, on Monday last. Clinton is a pleasant place now to spend a few weeks in. The climate is all that could be desired.
100 YEARS AGO: AUG. 26, 1922
Track Washed Out By Cloudburst At Savona, Walhachin: Some 100 feet of track was washed out by a cloudburst near Savona, on Saturday, and Canadian Pacific trains were delayed for four hours that night. The wrecking crew reached the scene of the washout from Kamloops shortly after the burst and had the track repaired in a remarkably short time. The track was undermined in several places and covered with mud, practically the whole of the yards at Savona being inundated. The eastbound and three westbound trains were held up all night. When the track became clear the Trans-Canada, the first train to clear from the slide, ran into another mudslide in the vicinity of Tranquille, derailing the engine and causing a further tie-up. No passengers or crew were reported injured. The Canadian National Transcontinental train No. 1 also ran into a mudslide near Walhachin, derailing the engine. No one was injured.
Liquor Store Again Robbed: The Ashcroft liquor store was broken into for the third time on Saturday night last and four cases of whiskey were stolen. Three of the cases were recovered later lying on the platform indicating perhaps that the robbers had been disturbed in the act. Several bottles were also stolen from the shelves. The thieves gained entrance through an adjoining building the door of which was opened without much difficulty. No trace of the thieves has yet been found.
Big Bar People Decide To Build Community Hall: At a recent meeting of the farmers and ranchers of Big Bar district it was unanimously agreed to go on with the erection of a community hall, where all gatherings of the people, including religious, educational, and social meetings, may be held. The need of a place of meeting like this has been keenly felt for some time and the people are enthusiastic over the prospect of the realization of their dreams.
Lone Butte Decides To Change Its Name And Build A Church: At a public meeting of the citizens of Lone Butte, a few days ago, it was agreed to ask the postal authorities at Ottawa to change the name of the post office from Lone Butte to MacPhee. The name had to be changed because there is already a Lone Butte in Alberta, and the powers that be at Ottawa insisted that there should not be another one in Western Canada. The choice of the name MacPhee is a tribute to the popularity of Mr. George MacPhee, a veteran of the Great War, and owner of the townsite here. At the same meeting at which the town’s name was agreed upon, it was decided to proceed with the erection of a Presbyterian Church, to be known as St. Andrew’s, and application for a grant of $350 was made to the church and manse building board.
75 YEARS AGO: AUG. 28, 1947
Bagged A Grizzly: Sonny Collins and his helpers who have recently returned from his hunting camp above Gang Ranch where they were building two new cabins, bagged a 10-foot grizzly which wandered into camp just at dusk. Probably smelt the bacon ’n eggs sizzling in the pan.
C.P.R. Installs Block System: Adding to its network of rail lines under control of the latest automatic block signals, the Canadian Pacific Railway is now establishing automatic signalling on the 72-mile line stretch from Kamloops to Spences Bridge, it has been announced. This will bring to 2,695 miles the Canadian Pacific track equipped with automatic signals.
Celebrate Labour Day In Ashcroft: Ashcroft will hold its 16th Annual Labour Day Celebration next Monday September 1st, when various events will be held for entertainment. The Baseball League Playoffs will be held between Merritt, Lytton, Spences Bridge, and Ashcroft. For bicycle enthusiasts there will be a decorated Bicycle Parade and Races. Games of Skill of every kind, novelties, and handsome prizes will be the feature of the Up-to-the-minute Midway on Monday. There will be two nights of dancing. The organizers guarantee not a dull moment all day. Something doing from early morning until late at night. Let’s all celebrate in Ashcroft this year on Monday, Labour Day.
School Is Back: The saddest words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: “It’s school again.” Monday being a holiday the schools in the district will open on Tuesday, Sept. 2nd. Two Public Health Nurses will be stationed in Ashcroft to take in Lillooet and Ashcroft School districts. They are not school nurses. Their duties will be to prevent sickness as much as possible, and visit homes of parents of young children and prenatal cases. A service which has been a long felt need.
Shoes For Britain From Schools: Shoes for children of Great Britain — 100,000 pairs of them — will be sent to England as a gift by British Columbia Junior Red Cross during the next months, it is hoped. Not new shoes, but shoes that have been used and are in good repair are required, since these can be accepted by British children without relinquishing clothing coupons. There is a great shortage of shoes in Britain today and the Junior Red Cross might alleviate the suffering of these British children who face a grim winter with insufficient food and clothing.
50 YEARS AGO: AUG. 24, 1972
Scotty Creek School To Close: The Board of School Trustees has received petitions, delegations, and opinions for the past three years from the majority of parents and residents of the Loon Lake, Maiden Creek, and 16 Mile areas, advocating the closure of the two-room Scotty Creek Elementary School. The parents felt that their children would have greater educational opportunity in the larger Cache Creek and Clinton Elementary Schools, which are equipped with libraries, gymnasiums, etc. Also that many of the students would spend less time away from home, and waiting after school, for the buses. The Board has received the approval of the Department of Education to immediately close the school. The teachers are being offered positions in other schools in the district. The Loon Lake bus will turn north at the 20 Mile, taking all grade 1 to 11 students enroute into Clinton. All students residing on the Cariboo Highway south of the Bonaparte bridge at 20 Mile, will embark on the Grade 12 bus which leaves Clinton at 7:50 a.m. and be transported into the Cache Creek Elementary and Ashcroft Secondary Schools.
Cache Creek Elementary School: The rebuilding of the Cache Creek Elementary School would quite likely have been fully completed by now had it not been for the construction lock-outs and strikes. As it stands, the school construction is approximately a month behind in schedule. Eight classrooms, administration area, library, and gymnasium are being constructed on the west side of the existing four open area classroom block. The building costs amount to approximately $343,000. This school will be two classrooms larger than when the major portion of it burned down a year ago. The school is being built of non-combustible materials and will have roof top gas-fired heating-cooling units. The students will no doubt appreciate the air-conditioning during the hot weather. The contractor feels that the gymnasium, at least, will be ready for school opening and that the classrooms themselves will be usable within two to three weeks after school opening. Four classes will be set up in the gymnasium, four in the existing open area block, and four in the Community Hall.
Ashcroft Secondary School: Construction of the new Ashcroft Junior Secondary School is well under way after various delays. The contract for $1,326,140 was let on May 1st, 1972. The new school will be a modern complex of classrooms, administration areas, three Science Rooms, two Industrial Education areas, two Home Economics rooms, Drafting, Art, Commercial, Music, and Practice rooms, Academic Shops, Library, and Gym.
Loon Lake News: A member of the Loon Lake Road Ratepayers Association had no roof on his home when he had the misfortune to be involved in a very serious car accident in the Fraser Canyon and has been confined to hospital for well over a month, leaving his furnishings exposed to the weather. This week his fellow members of the Association came up with the good old-fashioned “help one another” scheme, by moving his furnishings into the basement and putting the roof on. I am sure this act of kindness leaves the owner with a very warm feeling toward his fellow man.
Do you want to read more from the Journal archives? An expanded version of this story is available on the Journal website at https://www.ashcroftcachecreekjournal.com/.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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