125 YEARS AGO: OCT. 28, 1899
New Housing: It is expected that quite a number of new houses will be erected in Ashcroft during the next season, arrangements to that effect having been made in several cases.
School Days: It is now expected, we are informed by a member of the school board, that school will begin some time next week, perhaps on Wednesday. The new schoolhouse thus appears to be approaching completion.
Ashcroft Curling: Secretary Smith of the curling club is rounding up the town catching all who look likely to be able to twirl a stone, and making them inscribe their names to the list. Stones have been ordered from Toronto, and now Kamloops or Revelstoke, or any other old town, we will fight you to the finish on the icy arena next winter.
Roads: Freight shipments are moving very slowly this fall. The roads are simply almost impassable in some sections.
New Bakery: A bakery is being established at the Hawthorne house, and all kinds of pies and pastries will be on sale. It will be neatly and well conducted, and should receive a good patronage.
Good Entertainment: The Stuart & Bird Comedy Company gave a good entertainment at the Town Hall on Monday evening, to a fair-sized audience. The farce, “Pa-Pa”, was well given and caused much amusement.
Clinton: At Clinton there will be some losses among the farmers, as owing to the wet fall they have been unable to thresh their grain at the usual time.
Weather: The weather is again finer after a disagreeable day or two. Old timers say we will have a late and pleasant fall, and all hope that we may — but old timers are not always good guessers.
100 YEARS AGO: OCT. 25, 1924
Ashcroft Race Meet Results: The Ashcroft race meet ended on Friday last, although some races took place on Saturday. The Point-to-Point race on Friday afternoon ended in a spill and the injuring of one of the riders, but the Saturday race was a beautiful one to watch coming down the steep sandy hill facing the grounds. The fireworks in the evenings after the show was a drawing card which was new to this section, and the balloon ascensions attracted great interest, some of them going nearly out of sight before coming to grief. The dances on both nights were the delight of those who attended, and many say they were the “best ever”. The movie management had arranged for good pictures, and the theatre was packed to capacity each evening.
Zion Church; Harvest Home And Splendid Lantern Lecture: The lantern lecture on Monday will be “A tour through Canada” from Niagara and the land of Evangeline to the snow-capped Olympic of beautiful Victoria, with over a 100 pictures of the loveliest historical and picturesque scenery of “Glorious Canada”. Admission 25c and 10c.
Walhachin: Mr. R.A. Maine “presented his latest Musical Revue” in the Hall Monday evening. This description of the worst show we have seen for years rather amused us. In the first place, it wasn’t a present, as he soaked 50c per person for it; if it is his latest, we would hate like the very deuce to have to sit through his earlier attempts. If it was his idea of music, well, it wasn’t ours, and if it was a revue it was like no other we have ever seen. The dance which followed was O.K. though, and put a good finish to the evening.
Cow Catcher: When the cat’s away, the mice will play. Since the departure of our pound officer, the cows are roaming the streets again. A new appointment should be made immediately.
75 YEARS AGO: OCT. 27, 1949
Clinton Klondyke Night As Big As Clinton Ball: Klondyke Night in Clinton proved to be a real bonanza, filling the coffers of the skating rink committee and rivalling the annual ball as the big night of the year. The huge crowd “bought” their phoney money at the door and then found plenty to spend it on. Bingo, with an alluring array of prizes, occupied one side of the hall and various games of chance were ranged along the other wall and found no lack of customers. The coffee stall presided over by the ladies of the town did a brisk trade all evening. Auctioneer B. Evans got good prices when he auctioned off various cakes. Their money gone, the big crowd then enjoyed dancing till 3 a.m. It was music by the Clinton Music Makers. The sum of $590 was taken in at the ball, half of which goes to the skating rink and half to the hall committee. The $240 taken in by the raffle goes to the skating rink.
Ashcroft To Have Skating This Winter: About 25 adults and students met in the Ashcroft Theatre last Friday evening and decided to have a skating rink this season. On Saturday afternoon 25 gathered at the rink and a general cleanup was accomplished. On Wednesday the grounds were all levelled off, to make a rink approximately 80 by 160 feet. A work bee is being held this weekend to build a 10-foot section fence around the rink, and lights will be installed. A skating rink house will be erected in two sections with heat. So for the 1949–50 season there will be skating and hockey games. We understand there will be preparations made for curling this season too, as old timers are itching to trim some of our neighbours. This all makes good news, because the general trend in Ashcroft for the past two or three years is progress.
Ashcroft Locals: Ashcroft will be a busy town on Friday, Nov. 11 when the Canadian Legion members will hold service at 10:45 in the community hall. At 1 o’clock a turkey shoot will be in full swing at the ball park and in the evening the annual Ball will be held. So plan to spend Friday, Nov. 11 in Ashcroft.
Canyon Highway To Close: The Fraser Canyon highway north of Hope will likely be closed for about a month this fall. Traffic that would normally use the section of the Trans-Canada Highway from Hope to Spences Bridge will be diverted over the Hope-Princeton Highway via Princeton and Merritt. The closure is necessary to permit widening and re-decking the roadway on the bridge across the Fraser River at Hope. No date has been set for the closure, and it will not become effective until traffic is flowing smoothly over the new Hope-Princeton Highway, which will be opened on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
Hell’s Gate Ladder Help To Salmon Industry: The rich sockeye salmon run in the Fraser River this year is already 300,000 fish higher than the cycle year 1945. The salmon returns to the rivers every four years to reproduce and die. In 1945, the total answering the homing instinct was 1,685,000. This year’s big increase is credited largely to the fish ladder at Hell’s Gate in the Fraser Canyon. Built in 1945 to help the fish surmount changes brought by a 1913 slide from railway blasting, the fishway received its major test this year: did enough extra fish get up the river in 1945 to yield a bigger run in 1949? Lacking any other answer, this year’s increase says that is what happened.
Little Red Bugs: The little red bugs that are crawling all over the sunny sides of buildings, fences, and under doors onto the living room rugs, walls, and ceilings are called “Boisea rubrolineata”. In other words, elder bugs. They are found breeding on the foliage of box elder and maples in B.C. They hibernate about buildings on autumn days. The bug is strictly western. Control is best effected by destroying the hibernating adults when they appear in large numbers on the tree trunks, fences, etc.
Weather: Ideal dry belt weather is prevailing in and around Ashcroft, as only this part of the province can produce.
50 YEARS AGO: OCT. 23, 1974
Fireworks And Hallowe’en: At this time both in Ashcroft and Cache Creek there are bylaws prohibiting the sale and use of firecrackers within the Village boundaries, unless permission has been granted by the respective Assistant Fire Marshal for the Villages. Outside the Village boundaries, the sale of firecrackers is summarily prohibited by Regional District Bylaw No. 11. In other words, your children should not be in possession of firecrackers. Any violations of this will result in seizure of firecrackers and/or possible charges.
New Stop Sign Erected: A stop sign has been erected at the south end of the Ashcroft bridge, next to the Esso garage. This sign replaces the Yield sign, and motorists are cautioned that they have about a week to obey this sign, after which time traffic tickets will be issued to those who fail to obey this new sign. It has been in place about three weeks.
Ashcroft Dog Owners: We have been requested to remind dog owners that people like to sleep at night, not be kept awake by barking dogs!
Walhachin News: There is some news which many not please everyone. The quarry is to be closed down, we understand, and those who have become addicted to dust, dirt, and noise will likely feel its absence. We offer, though not too sincerely, our condolences to those who really don’t mind the local industry at all.
Spences Bridge News: Why is our part of the Trans-Canada Highway, that is within the Electoral Boundaries, in such a neglected state? The shoulders of the highway seldom come in level contact with the pavement. Could this be to blame for the many highway accidents lately? What a hazard this will be when the ice and snow arrive. It is of great concern, for our school children have to travel these highways five days a week. In places there are up to five-inch drops. Come on, Highways Dept. How about a little action?
Weather: Summer is clinging tenaciously to the autumn months. It surely took its time to arrive, but we have been more than compensated by the glorious and unusual autumn weather. The garden is still productive: the flowers are blooming and still no threat of heavy frost. A light frost burnt off the tender tomatoes and cucumbers, but the rest of the garden seems to be thriving.
