125 YEARS AGO: MARCH 3, 1900
Tea Theft: Stealing is a very serious offence, and there is no doubt if the person who stole tea from D. McLeod’s freight wagon at Clinton is caught, that the full penalty will be imposed, Another robbery is reported from a wagon left on Clinton hill.
Dance: Ashcroft citizens who attended the dance at Savonas last week say they had a most delightful time. The dance was held in the school house, which was trimmed up with evergreens and tastefully arrayed cosy-corners. Refreshments were passed around at midnight, after which dancing was resumed until the early hours of morning.
Beef Shipment: The Western Canadian Ranching Co. shipped on Thursday to Vancouver two cars of splendid beef cattle. Their average weight is 1,600 lbs. One weighed 2,150 lbs. and another 1,940 lbs. They came from the Gang Ranch, Chilcotin, the chief cattle raising ranch of the company, but have been wintered at the Perry Ranch under Manager Blair’s supervision.
Visitor: J. Mundorf, who always gives you a good meal and takes good care of your horses at the 20-Mile House, was in town this week.
Mining Party: This morning the Ashcroft Hotel is pretty well filled up with the 43rd Mining and Milling Co.’s party and their outfit. Each member of the party is provided with snowshoes, which will be used after leaving Quesnelle.
100 YEARS AGO: FEB. 28, 1925
Cannery Assured For Ashcroft; B.C. Express Company To Convert Present Buildings Into Plant For That Purpose: W.J. West, who formerly managed the affairs of the B.C. Express Co. in the good old Cariboo stage days, was in Ashcroft on Thursday making arrangements whereby the property of the company here will be converted so as to accommodate a plant for the canning of vegetables. A company has been formed to take over and operate the plant and the stock is all owned by B.C. Express Interests. Arrangements have been made with the growers to furnish the requirements of the plant for the first year, and it is the intention to add the capacity as business may warrant. Mr. Chas. Miller, of Toronto, is president of the new company, and Mr. West will be manager in charge of operations here. The C.P.R. will build a spur to the building that will be used to house the plant. The building of a cannery in Ashcroft by the old and reliable company is assurance of a confidence in the future of Ashcroft by ones who have been in the field. And, as Mr. West says, “We have faith in the district, and we are prepared to back it with our money.” The B.C. Express Co. never does things half way, so we may expect from them a plant and business for Ashcroft that will be a valuable asset and a boost for the town. It is the purpose of the company to brand all their outfit with “Ashcroft” trademark. The capacity of the first unit is to be 40,000 cars, which will be increased from time to time if anticipations are to be realized.
Court House: Although there is much uncertainty attached to the building of a new court house in Ashcroft, the Journal has information that a new building is assured.
Money In Beer: In this issue are two more applications for beer licences in Ashcroft. Must be money in beer? A.F. Hautier of Lytton, and Mrs. Eagleson and E. Santini of Lillooet are also applying for beer licences. What’s the matter with Clinton?
C.P. Wreck At Cherry Creek: Alexander Belleck, engineer, was killed, and C.W. Pulham, fireman, was injured when No. 2 Canadian Pacific train, eastward bound, struck a rock slide at Cherry Creek at 6:40 o’clock Wednesday. The mail and express coaches and the locomotive were derailed. Except for the locomotive crew no one was injured. The passenger list was not heavy. The rock slide took place at the western end of a rock-cut, and the train, travelling at a high speed, ricocheted between the walls of the cut, which prevented the forepart of the train from falling into the river. The track at the point where the accident occurred has always been a difficult one, and 15 minutes before the derailment, a track-walker had passed and reported everything “all right”. Two hobos travelling on the tool box of the locomotive are reported to have got off without a scratch.
Rail To Kelowna: The C.N.R. has begun the laying of rails on its Kamloops–Kelowna branch into the Okanagan. A start was made at Monte Creek.
75 YEARS AGO: MARCH 2, 1950
Amateur Night: Clinton walked off with the laurels in the Amateur Hour in Ashcroft last week, winning in both senior and junior competitions. Miss Joy Kellow and Miss Jacquie Riecken (pupils of Miss Elizabeth Gillespie), won first prize in the senior division with a practically flawless rendition of their duet “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” while Judy MacDonald and Beverley McLaughlin (coached by Mrs. Ken Nelson) tap-danced their way to a tie for third prize in the junior division. A large number of Clintonites motored to Ashcroft to take in the show.
Clinton Locals: Dawson Wade and Co. have moved their camp from the 20 Mile to a site one mile south of Hat Creek. They have moved considerable heavy machinery down the road in preparation for a start in the very near future on that part of the highway.
Savona: When the cold spell broke, the men of the village began the tedious job of putting up ice. It was thawing rapidly, which made it impossible to finish.
50 YEARS AGO: FEB. 26, 1975
Ashcroft-Cache Creek Transportation Needs: A week or so ago a public meeting was held in Ashcroft to discuss a transportation system between Ashcroft and Cache Creek. A few years after Greyhound Lines had moved their offices out of Ashcroft to Cache Creek, the (then) Board of Trade, now Chamber of Commerce, tried a similar tactic. The feeling of the people at that time was that as Greyhound held the franchise for the area it should supply service to the people of Ashcroft. The Greyhound personnel stated we had a poor roundabout highway approach out of town which would slow down the schedule, also that the population did not warrant a bus coming into Ashcroft, so we lost the battle. Since that time our population has almost tripled and Greyhound (we understand) still holds the franchise. A town of almost 3,000 persons deserves better treatment at the hands of a public utility. Now we have good approach highways from both the Ashcroft Manor and Boston Flats. There seems no valid reason why a bus could not come into town in the morning and return in the evening to accommodate travellers, or [send] a 10- to 12-seat bus that could transport people to the bus depot at Cache Creek to meet buses.
FebFest To Bolster Local Recreational Funds: A first “FebFest” will be held in the Ashcroft Community Hall on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28 and March 1. Proceeds of the event will be used for recreational activities in connection with the Ashcroft Recreational Commission. It is like a beer garden, entertainment, games of chance, just about everything that means fun for everyone. It is hoped to make this FebFest an annual event to buy equipment which the youngsters can enjoy. The program includes the Bavarian Beer Garden, Casino Night fun, music till 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Saturday’s fun begins at 12 noon. There will be Casino games all day with the added fun of Peanut Pushing, a drinking contest, and a big Saturday night dance to N.L. Radio’s Wild Country. No one allowed under 19 years.
Ashcroft RCMP Weekly Report: Since the new year, on about four occasions this detachment has had to make patrols to downtown Ashcroft to investigate complaints of shoplifting. These complaints resulted in either a juvenile being taken home to his parents and the family having to appear before the court, or an adult person being lodged in the detachment cells pending court proceedings. On all occasions the value of the items taken was well under $5. An adult person apprehended for shoplifting will be fingerprinted, photographed, and in fact is marked for life with a criminal record. Some of the items taken during the past month include garlic sausages and cigarettes, and even if the culprit is not sentenced to jail, their record alone is a very high price to pay for so small a theft. Further to this, small communities are a long time forgetting who steals. The detachment is in contact with the local businessmen, who have suffered a fairly substantial loss from shoplifting every year in this area, and they have very little sympathy for persons caught stealing from their stores. If a person is caught, they can expect the merchant to call the police and we will certainly recommend charges. The majority of shoplifting in this area involves juveniles, and the detachment would request that parents warn their children of the consequences of stealing things from stores.
