50 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Fire Committee called a public meeting to request support and permission to obtain a loan for purchase of a fire truck and some firefighting equipment. Verla Capostinsky donated a half-acre of land for a fire hall. Ten women turned out to form a women’s auxiliary.
45 YEARS AGO:
One of two inmates who had held guards at Bear Creek Camp at knife point was sentenced to seven years in the penitentiary. The second escapee was still at large.
40 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Camp Two juvenile softball team brought home the gold from the first B.C. Summer Games, held in Penticton.
A large number of friends and relatives turned up at Evergreen Acres to wish two of the most beloved residents happy birthday. Nettie Dewitt celebrated her 95th birthday, and Ada Pearse entered her 85th year.
35 YEARS AGO:
The first service was held at the new Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall in Clearwater. The building had been constructed by 2,000 volunteers in two days.
Clearwater Airport Society was awaiting word regarding an application to lease 1,000 acres of Crown Land near Spahats Creek Park to build a 5,000 foot airstrip.
30 YEARS AGO:
Tim Klotz and Bob McKenzie were winners in the men’s event in the Can-U Canoe contest at Dutch Lake. Sherry Jacobson won the ladies’ event.
25 YEARS AGO:
A truck driver used a tire to drive off a black bear attacking a female European tourist at the side of Highway 5 north of Blue River. She and a male companion had followed the animal into the woods to get a photograph.
A mud slide into the White River muddied the Blue River water system to the point where businesses had to close down. The North Thompson was brown as far as McLure.
Clearwater hosted several women’s softball games as part of the Canada Games. Almost 900 persons came out to watch, and 143 volunteers helped things run smoothly.
20 YEARS AGO:
A forest fire caused the evacuation of 18 campers near Dunn Lake. The blaze had been spotted from Little Fort. “Within an hour it was five times its original size,” said LFVFD chief Dan Dawe.
The Elevator fire north of Avola was completely contained by fireguards, but there had been a 150-hectare escape. Provincial Emergency Program officials were considering getting a locomotive to provide electricity for Blue River if the fire cut the power-line, said PEP coordinator Tracey Wynnyk.
15 YEARS AGO:
For the first time in 54 years the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo had to be cancelled, due to a proliferation of forest fires in the area. The fall fair pageant, however, including the crowning of the fair’s Queen and Princess, was to go ahead as scheduled in Barriere.
The Wells Gray Park road up to Clearwater Lake was closed for two days while air tanker crews fought a blaze north of Helmcken Falls.
A nineteen year-old from Clearwater was killed in a car crash when his GMC Jimmy left the road and flipped on Highway 5 three kilometers south of Vavenby.
10 YEARS AGO:
About 40 ATV riders and supporters in chase vehicles stopped for the night in Clearwater. The group was on a Trail Blazers Ride from 100 Mile House to Revelstoke and were on their way to the provincial association’s AGM in Revelstoke.
A body was discovered on the shore of the North Thompson River north of Barriere. Police believed the body to be that of a 45 year old female weighing approximately 100 pounds.
Star Lake Women’s Institute was planning on circulating a counter-petition in Blackpool to determine the level of support for a small tax increase to fund upgrades and upkeep to the hall. The group felt the hall was a heritage building and important gathering place for the Blackpool community.
5 YEARS AGO:
Television personality Dr. Art Hister talked about healthy living during a seminar at Clearwater Legion Hall. He and his wife also spent the day touring the area, including a hike to Moul Falls.
An alternative approval process held for a proposed co-terminus fire protection service for unprotected areas in the North Thompson Valley failed to get the 50 per cent of names on a petition it would need to pass. Under the proposal people living in Birch Island, for example, would have received fire protection from Clearwater and Vavenby fire departments.
TRU researcher Rob Higgins talked about ants and botanist Andy MacKinnon led a field trip to the Trophy Mountain flower meadows as part of Wells Gray Heritage Year.
1 YEAR AGO:
Clearwater RCMP (Traffic Services) fined two motorists $575 each for discarding cigarettes butts from their vehicles.
TNRD was looking at controls for vacation and short term rentals. “The development services have experienced an increase in concern from various communities and residents regarding the use of cabins and cottages as AirBNB and other short term rentals,” reported Carol Schaffer, TNRD director for Area A (Wells Gray Country).
The TNRD board approved spending up to $10,000 to fund power redundancy upgrades for the Blue River water system. The money would be used to buy a backup power connection for the pump-house.
A total of 22 pilots took part in the ninth El Nido para-glide fly-in. The smoky conditions made for a “mystic” feeling when in the air, said Willy Rens, one of the organizers.
newsroom@clearwatertimes.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
