125 YEARS AGO: JUNE 2, 1900
Record Trip: Another proof of the excellence of the service provided for its patrons by the B.C. Express Co. was given last week, when the record trip on the Cariboo Road between Ashcroft and Barkerville was made by a special stage, in charge of the well-known driver A.C. Minty. Mr. F. Carter-Cotton was to address a meeting in Barkerville on Friday of last week, and it was important that he should be back in Vancouver by Monday last. Leaving Ashcroft Wednesday morning, Barkerville was reached in time for Mr. Cotton to address the meeting. The arrival at Ashcroft on the return trip was made at midnight on Sunday, May 27, thus completing a record trip. The total distance is 570 miles, and the actual travelling time made on the trip was three days, 15 hours. It was necessary to use 16 relays of horses in order to accomplish the remarkable time made. These relays, it might be mentioned, were not especially provided to make this trip, but are the changes of horses in ordinary use by the company in carrying on their regular business.
Picnic: The residents of Upper Hat Creek celebrated the 24th by a picnic. About 25 were present and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, so much so, that it is proposed to repeat it on the 1st of July. In the evening dancing was begun and continued until the early hours of the morning. This gathering was considered by all such a success that it is proposed to have a picnic every year.
Tramp: The tramp who spent a day or two here this week, and finally located himself in Mark Dumond’s house (it is not yet occupied), received a three-months’ sentence at Kamloops.
Fine Display: Stewart & Crozier’s covered surrey with their matched team of bays makes the most stylish turnout ever seen in Ashcroft.
100 YEARS AGO: MAY 30, 1925
Quesnel-Prince George Highway Opened: Thirty-two automobiles filled with 150 boosters and supporters escorted the Prince George baseball team over the new highway when their team motored down to Quesnel to play a series of two games with Quesnel on Victoria Day and Monday. The majority of the cars made the 83-mile trip in 4.5 hours, some arriving as early as 8:30 Sunday morning, thus establishing a record. Prince George won both games, the scores being 9–8 and 8–7.
Cannery: Work is progressing on the part of the C.P.R. on the spur from the main line to the new cannery.
Mosquitoes: The annual school picnic was postponed last week on account of an epidemic of mosquitoes, which threatened to take possession of the country for a few days last week. However, they disappeared almost entirely with the change of weather, and on the 25th the pest had almost disappeared. That’s one time we got stung — but not by mosquitoes.
75 YEARS AGO: JUNE 1, 1950
Rows And Rows Of Tulips: About a mile east of the Big Horn Auto Camp and a few miles west of Spences Bridge on the Trans-Canada Highway, Mr. Ernest Empey, a veteran of the last war, has begun the growing of plants on virgin soil, which he hopes will develop into a commercial nursery. He has rows and rows of tulips of all colours, which attract the tourist coming and going to the Interior. He has other flowers in blossom, a number of fruit trees, and strawberries, and the flat that has been growing sagebrush for centuries will no doubt develop into a paying concern. Mr. Empey was in the garage business at Spences Bridge but severed connections there, and is going into the gardening and the raising of nursery stock, which may develop into one of the best-paying concerns of its kind in this section of the drybelt.
Truck Damages Pumps: Tom Polombi, who operates a garage and gas station a few miles west of Spences Bridge, was awakened one night by what he thought was an explosion in front of his place of business. Going out to investigate, he found that, presumably, a truck had collided with his gas tanks and damaged them severely, then went on its way. Tom never knew who did the damage, and by dint of much work, lots of time, and the addition of new parts that were hard to get, he got back to business after a week or so of repair work. Will the culprit please report?
Locals: Found in the attic of a home in Ashcroft, a pipe for smoking opium, “A Peace Pipe.” There is the name of the supposed owner and a date as follows, written on the pipe, “Sing Wo, June 12, 1910.” Did anyone in Ashcroft know Sing Wo?
Weather: At last warm weather is coming our way, and we hope it is here to stay, as gardens are far behind schedule.
50 YEARS AGO: MAY 28, 1975
Drylands Arena Burns Quickly: What ails skating arenas? It seems these structures are used from one to three or four years, then suddenly fire ravages these expensive recreational facilities. That is what happened to our arena in Ashcroft Monday night . . . totally destroyed by fire. Just around 5 o’clock Monday afternoon the fire siren rang for the second tragic fire in Ashcroft in seven months. The first destroyed the Ashcroft Hotel in November 1974, in which three lives were lost. Ten long years of dreaming of an arena went up in flames. Ten years ago a group of energetic women and their husbands decided to have an arena. They held many various events and banked close to $2,000. Another $1,500 was donated by a Union at Bethlehem when it was disbanded. Bethlehem Copper donated $60,000, as did the people of Ashcroft and Cache Creek, and the provincial government. Witnesses said there was no smoke or sign of fire, and all of a sudden there was a dull explosion and a ball of thick black smoke. Many residents gathered immediately to watch in shock and dismay. Smoke climbed over 300 feet in the air. Other explosions could be heard, one in particular. The walls of the building bulged out and then the centre of the walls were sucked in and partially collapsed. In just over 40 minutes our once proud structure was a mass of twisted metal. The arena went into full use late last fall with the installation of the ice plant later. The arena was used the year before with natural ice. The stampede dances were to be held there this year. A dance was held in the arena on Saturday night, and the firemen went in Sunday to clean up. There was no sign of smoke then. Volunteer firemen from Ashcroft and Cache Creek fought the blaze to no avail. The building was covered by insurance. The curling rink next to the building was saved. A Fire Marshal from Vancouver will be here to investigate the fire. Our fire brigade and their helpers are to be highly commended for the wonderful job they did of containing the fire to the arena. It was decided Monday night to rebuild the structure. The ice making machine is intact. The Zamboni unfortunately was lost.
Thompson View Manor Approved In Principle: At last we are in the planning stage for an Old Age Pensioners home or, if you prefer, a Senior Citizens’ Project. The first phase planned is for personal care units for elderly and handicapped people. When it was announced that Ashcroft would get a new hospital, the Ashcroft O.A.P. group immediately set about trying to secure the old building for a home and centre. However, as is always a problem, financing of the plan seemed impossible. The building had been condemned, the fire escapes were not adequate, the furnace was haywire, and the plumbing needed replacing. About this time too the Village of Ashcroft was interested in procuring the building for new offices, etc. They too were disappointed when the government decided to turn it over to a newly organized and incorporated group called the Community Resources Group, who were funded and sustained solely on government grants. It is ironical to note that the old condemned hospital building rebuilt with government financing now houses that same O.A.P. group, a day care centre for pre-schoolers, a drop-in centre for youths, and the Hospital W.A. Thrift Shop. A ray of hope appeared when the Lions Club began a movement to build a home for our senior citizens. A site for the building has been approved on the hospital grounds close to facilities already established. Older citizens who can no longer manage or care for their home can continue to live in the area where they have lived for years. Meet their old friends and relatives instead of being placed miles away from everything familiar to them and deprived of visits from loved ones.
Tingley Street — A Problem: Tingley Street: what to do with a street to make it safe for both children and adults. Alderman Ron Yates has been down there and seen the cars going by at speeds that are not conducive to safety. The RCMP have set up radar on different occasions and have only had a chance to pick up a couple of offenders before the word was out that radar was there, and all of a sudden everybody is a law-abiding citizen. We must find a solution to slow down the speeders before some child is either killed or maimed for life.
Oil Refinery Site In Two Months: It will be about two months before a decision on the site of the proposed B.C. oil refinery. Surrey is reported to not want the refinery there, while Quesnel has put itself forward as a likely place. Clinton and Merritt also want the proposed refinery.
Emergency Planning: An Emergency Planning Group is being formed in Ashcroft, to be on hand and ready for any disaster that should occur in the vicinity. Civil Defence, as it used to be known, has been streamlined to keep up with today’s fast pace, and is now known as the “Provincial Emergency Program.” This organization, which started out to cope with nuclear warfare, has been dealing the last few years with nature’s eruptions, such as floods, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. Now, under P.E.P., the stress is to man-made disasters, such as train, bus, and plane wrecks, oil spillage, gas leakage, and pollution in general.
