125 YEARS AGO: OCT. 21, 1899
150-Mile House Races (Special to the Journal): The race meet is a decided success and there has been a large crowd in attendance from all parts of the country, Chilcotin, Cariboo, and the Lillooets being particularly well represented. The ball at the Cariboo Trading Company’s, held on Thursday night, was well attended and a great success in all respects.
Ashcroft Businesses: The Ashcroft Trading Company have done a very successful season’s trade the past summer, despite the fact that it is what we call dull in Ashcroft. . . F.W. Foster’s store, since it has been changed about inside, presents a neat appearance, and the large stock is displayed to advantage.
Soccer Match: Quite a number of our “kickers” took advantage of the holiday Thursday to turn out and exercise themselves. Scratch teams were chosen, and an exciting game of Association football followed, with honours even: two goals each. Ashcroft has excellent material for a football team, and with plenty of good, systematic practice, should be able to more than hold her own with the best of them. Several of the players are still kicking, re: the referee’s decision on several points.
Nicola News: A snow storm visited this locality last week. The farmers are busy threshing their grain and gathering in the roots and tubers.
Big Game: British Columbia probably offers greater inducements to hunters and sportsmen for big game than any other part of the Dominion. The game laws are more liberal here than in the other provinces, owing, no doubt, to the large number of deer, caribou, elk, moose, mountain goat, and mountain sheep. Bears are still to be met with by the hunters. Licences are issued to non-residents by the provincial government for $50 each season, and restrictions as to the number of the bigger game killed are as follows: caribou, 5; deer, 10; bull wapiti, 2; moose, 2; mountain goat, 5; mountain sheep, 3.
100 YEARS AGO: OCT. 18, 1924
The Races In Review: With a stiff wind blowing and the sky overcast, the races of this year were perhaps more marked with action than on former occasions. The events came in quick succession, and there was always a bucking bronco ready to step out in its efforts to throw its rider between the various races. Some good horses were entered for the various events. The fifty cents price of admission was nominal, and the races were well patronized. There were Indians from Clinton, Lillooet, and Deadman’s Creek, as well as other points of the Interior. The dance last night was a grand finish to Friday’s event, and the fireworks and balloon ascension in the evening were a feature not before shown.
Kamloops’ Advantages Featured In Novel Form: The health bureau of the Kamloops Board of Trade has issued a circular, in card form, calling attention to the sunny climate of the Interior city and its adaptability for the curing of chest diseases. The city’s many advantages are emphasized on one side of the card, while the other is devoted to a map of Canada showing the distance to several large cities of the Dominion and the United states. Meteorological records for 1923 for Kamloops and the amount of rainfall for the year are also given. These cards have been placed in the hands of physicians so that sufferers of chest diseases may learn of this health-giving centre.
Walhachin: Mr. Devine has men at work taking down the “old bungalow” — the first house built here, and occupied at first by Mr. and Mrs. Barnes — for removal to the ranch.
Woman And The Church: Unless it is stagnation, the lay mind of the twentieth century cannot fathom the attitude of the church toward our women. Just why the Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, which sat in London, Ont. recently, denied women the privilege of preaching, does not appear justified on any other ground. In every conceivable way woman is the superior half of the human race. It is not so long ago that women were not permitted to enter the field of the medical professions; now, through their own efforts, mind you, there are numerous lady doctors. And why not? And, if lady physicians, why not lady preachers? The action of the Anglican Synod is only obstructive and can only be a temporary obstacle to feminine progress toward the pulpit, and when the church begins to view things through twentieth century eyes instead of those of the thirteenth century, such stagnation as exists will be converted into pure running water.
Here And There: It’s funny, but the people of Ashcroft go to Clinton to get cooled off, and the people of Clinton come to Ashcroft to get warmed up.
75 YEARS AGO: OCT. 20, 1949
Ashcroft Legion: The Canadian Legion Work Bee held last Sunday on their new auditorium turned out very successful. Over 12 members turned out and helped put in the concrete steps leading to the basement. The ground will now be levelled off around the structure ready for the top floor, which the committee except to get busy on shortly.
Hallowe’en Party: Plans were completed at the regular monthly meeting of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Canadian Legion for the Children’s Hallowe’en party which will be held at the Ashcroft Community Hall on Monday, Oct. 31. The party will commence at 7 p.m., with the Grand March at 7:45 p.m. An admission of 25c for adults will be charged to defray the cost of prizes. All children admitted free. Mothers are also requested to bring refreshments for the children’s lunch. Music will be supplied by local talent and games will be arranged for the younger children.
Paving Completed: To celebrate the completion of the paving of the highway from Clinton to 100 Mile House, the General Construction Co. held a banquet and party at 70 Mile House on Saturday night. The catering was in the capable hands of “Ma” Porter, who provided a turkey dinner with all the fixings, rounding it out with pie and jello, heaped with whipped cream. Informality was the keynote of the evening, and after dinner a sing-song and dancing was enjoyed. About 52 sat down to dinner. The road between Clinton and the 100 Mile House is now a “super” highway, wide, straight, and paved.
Will Open Hope, Princeton Highway November 2: Premier Byron I. Johnson will officially open the 83-mile long Hope-Princeton Highway on Nov. 2. The highway is the Provincial Works Department’s current standard, with a 40-foot overall width, carrying a 24-foot surface. Bridges are mainly of steel and concrete. Except in two places the maximum grade is 5.5 per cent. The Hope-Princeton Highway will mean a 100-mile saving for traffic from Penticton to the coast. It is estimated that motorists will be able to cover the 255 miles between Vancouver and Penticton in six to eight hours’ driving time. The highway will be kept open in all seasons.
50 YEARS AGO: OCT. 17, 1974
Ashcroft-Clinton Rail Link Assured By M of T: Following remarks by Mr. Armstrong of the Canadian National Railway about the uncertainty of a rail link between Clinton and Ashcroft to connect the CN Rail and the BC Rail, the Hon. Jack Pearsall, Member of Parliament for the Coast-Chilcotin, has been given assurance by the Ministry of Transport that the rail link will be established in the near future. This connecting line would facilitate trains from both the CNR and CPR to be diverted via Clinton and Lillooet going to or from Vancouver in case the Fraser Canyon would be closed, and to handle freight from Kamloops going north to Prince George. Executives of both the CN Rail and the BC Rail have expressed their doubt as to the future of this link.
Cache Creek Village Probes Fire Protection: The Village is sending out letters to all those property owners within a radius of 1/2 mile of the Village boundaries asking whether they would agree to fire protection through Regional District taxation. When replies have been received the Village will go into the costs involved and request approval of the property owners. It is expected the rate for fire protection will be very nominal and that fire insurance savings will be of real benefit to the owners concerned.
Groceries Galore: Wow, six shopping carts of groceries for $1. That’s what Mrs. Carol Killduff managed to pick up at the Safety Mart on Friday evening after having won the Lions Club Shopping Spree. Baskets loaded with a turkey, ham, sirloin tip roast, steaks, canned meats and hams, dog food, detergent, sugar, coffee, canned salmon, juices, pork and beans, cheese, and more. Husband Rod and two sons cheered Carol on, as well as the many townspeople watching the caper. Carol was restricted to $50-worth of meat and no smokes. She was allowed three minutes to do her thing, which she did very well, to the tune of $616.31 [about $4,089 in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation].
Points System To Stay, Barrett Warns Drivers: Bad drivers will still have to pay “through the nose” for penalty points even if the B.C. government eliminates the driver certificate part of Autoplan insurance, Premier Barrett said Wednesday. Barrett said bad drivers are “going to have to pay through the nose until they smarten up and become better drivers.” He said the penalty points will be maintained in order to assess financial penalties against drivers with bad records. He said there may be complaints about his position on this penalty point policy, but “frankly, my answer to anyone who complains is: Don’t get penalty points.” Under the present Autoplan scheme, penalty points are assessed against drivers for traffic violations. Anyone with more than six penalty points in a year is forced to pay a special assessment to get his driver certificate, which could cost $420 for maximum penalty points.
