100 YEARS AGO: MAY 10, 1924
Skeleton Found In Summit Lake; Identified As That Of “Bud” Carpenter Missing Since March 1920: Discovery of a bleached skeleton and the decayed remains of a pair of rubber boots, lying in about six feet of water in Summit Lake [now called Gates Lake, southwest of Lillooet], solves a four-year mystery of what became of Bud Carpenter, who disappeared in the vicinity of Birken. Carpenter was a trapper and prospector, well known in the Lillooet and Pemberton districts. He was last seen on March 23, 1920, passing Summit Lake. Const. Higginbottom at Lillooet was notified, and on proceeding to Birken spent five days dragging the lake and searching the woods without discovering any trace of the lost man. Last week Const. Higginbottom received information that a skeleton had been seen in Summit Lake, and on arrival there was able to identify the remains as those of Carpenter. Frank Nath was able to recognize the snowshoes and pack-sack as being those of the missing man. An inquest, held at Lillooet, resulted in the finding of a verdict that the deceased met his death by drowning while taking a shortcut across Summit Lake. The remains were interred at Lillooet on Saturday afternoon.
Spring Backward In Cariboo District: The past winter was one of the mildest known in the Cariboo for a quarter of a century. The snowfall was light and there were only a few days of zero weather, which came at the beginning of the year. The spring season, however, is coming on very slowly. There have been two or three light snowstorms a day for the last two weeks, and the farmers, although glad because of the increased moisture in summer that these snow flurries mean, are afraid, from present indications, that spring work is going to be seriously retarded. Travelling is very bad on the roads and trails, as there is neither sleighing nor wheeling. Mail couriers have a hard time of it during this season of the year. In many instances mail drivers for Keithley Creek, Horsefly, Dog Creek, and remote sections of the Chilcotin section have to transfer mails from cars or wagons with which they leave Williams Lake and other points along the P.G.E. Railway, to sleighs and sometimes to pack horses before they get to their destination.
Clinton Clippings: Chief Constable Minty of Quesnel is busily engaged here this week in connection with a cattle rustling case.
Quiet Please: To ensure quietness at the Recital to be held next Wednesday evening in Ashcroft, children will kindly sit with their parents or some older person.
75 YEARS AGO: MAY 12, 1949
Board Of Trade News: A letter was received from the C.P.R. stating that settling the dust on their property will be looked into, but the Board will write asking them to look into the matter as soon as possible … Mr. Littler reported on a trip to Savona he and two other members of the board made. It was said that Savona would be getting electric power by 1950 … Thanks were extended to Mr. Foster for his efforts in eliminating the dangerous sharp curve at the top of the Highland Valley road, overlooking the river … The Ashcroft-Savona Highway was discussed at length, and it was learned that this route is eight miles shorter. It would be built from Ashcroft Manor to Ashcroft, thence along the east bank of the Thompson River to Savona. This will also open up new agricultural lands.
Lytton: Mr. A.C. Whitley, ex-Village Chairman of Lytton, and T.L. Taverna, present chairman, were in Ashcroft this week on business. Mr. Taverna said that Lytton people were quite satisfied with incorporation, and are on a three-year improvement plan of laying cement sidewalks. They intend taking over the water supply, and have the B.C. Power Commission coming in with a power plant on the Salmon River, to supply North Bend, Boston Bar, Lytton, and other places with power.
Spring Runoff: The continual hot weather sent Cache Creek up to last year’s high, and washed out several irrigation dams. The Bonaparte is running off nicely so far, but it takes six days for the melting water to reach Cache Creek from the source. The Thompson is gradually rising but not exceptionally high as yet.
Planting Time: Tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, and pepper plants are now available at Wing Chong Tai store.
Hope-Princeton Highway: When the Hope-Princeton Highway is opened a tremendous amount of traffic will come to the Interior. It will be opened on Sept. 2, 1949. This highway will be as good as, if not better than, any road to the south of us. It is a 162-mile highway, paved and modern in every way, and is going to be one of the busiest. The highway cost 12 million dollars.
Pasteurized Milk In Ashcroft? A survey is being made of milk consumers of Ashcroft, whether to switch to pasteurized milk or not. Mr. Muir will circularize his customers with letters explaining pasteurization, which is the scientific heating of milk to kill all virulent disease germs. It has been claimed that pasteurization destroys the nutritive value of milk. Such a claim has no basis of fact. Medical authorities state that none of the essential ingredients in milk are affected. The survey is being made to know the wishes of the people with regard to pasteurized milk.
Lilacs: Perhaps no town has such an array of Lilacs as has Ashcroft. Lilac time in Ashcroft, with the array of white and mauve flowers, is sweet and beautiful.
50 YEARS AGO: MAY 9, 1974
Du Pont Explosives Plant Postponed: Du Pont of Canada Limited announced today that completion of the Small Diameter Water Gel explosives plant under construction [at the Ashcroft Slough] is being postponed indefinitely. Plant manager Keith Zimmerman said that since the start of construction in 1972, the entire growth in the explosives market has been in bulk products rather than in cartridged explosives. Consequently the cartridged product capacity here is not required at this time. Production of the newly-developed water gels will be concentrated at a highly automated facility just completed at North Bay, Ontario. The exteriors of the buildings on the Ashcroft site have been completed, but no machinery has been installed. About 20 persons at the most were to have been employed at the plant. While this news is a bit disappointing there is no reason to become an alarmist and downgrade our town. The people are still here and the Ashcroft-Cache Creek area is a good place to live and will survive. Of this we are confident.
Lytton: There is still rumbling about the Royal Canadian Legion closing down due to the unsafe condition of the building.
Cache Creek: Exterior finish is now being completed on the Oasis shopping complex with the windows nearly all in place. The stores, including Jimmy Aitken’s Mens’ Wear, should be open in a couple of weeks.
Walhachin: Some of the residents are complaining about the racket, day and night, at the quarry. During the day it is impossible to hear oneself think… B.C. Telephone is still improving service, which is very good at present, by repairing heat damage caused by the fires last fall… The pipeline was inspected by Mr. L. Williams of the B.C. Water Resources board. It has been extrapolated that someday there may be water in the line (it seems a shame to violate the line with the brown fluid Walhachin is happy to call water).
Water Bomber At Clinton: A water bomber from Kamloops made three passes over a fire at Clinton that had begun to spread up the east hillside across from the Pioneer Cemetery on Tuesday night about 8:45. The red mixture fell like a curtain to shower the area a dark red colour which will remain that way for some time as the chemical retains its colour for a year or more after being dumped.
War Against Grasshoppers: The provincial government has advanced a total of $53,000 to seven local committees to help them fight grasshoppers. A cabinet order made public Friday announced the grant made under provisions of the Grasshopper Control Act, and said the money is to help the communities involved kill grasshoppers or otherwise control pestilence by the insects. Larger grants were $15,000 each to the Thompson Valley grasshopper control committee and the Nicola grasshopper control committee.
