Items from Revelstoke newspapers, as gleaned and edited by Cathy English, curator of Revelstoke Museum & Archives.
130 years ago: Kootenay Star, July 25, 1891
The Kootenay Smelter and Trading Syndicate smelter at the end of Campbell Avenue started operation. The furnace was fired for two days, and tons of bar lead was thrown into it, followed by charcoal, coke, limestone, and sand. The air from the bellows helped the fierce fire, and on July 23, 1891, the first bullion was drawn from the big crucible.
120 years ago: Revelstoke Herald, July 20, 1901
The Revelstoke, Big Bend & Trout Lake Telephone Co. made improvements to the telephone line between Revelstoke and Arrowhead, and announced that they would extend the line from Thomson’s Landing (Beaton) to Camborne.
110 years ago: Mail-Herald, July 19, 1911
Work was commenced on the first piece of permanent road building ever undertaken in the city. The city had purchased road machinery to build the macadam road on First Street West between Connaught and Mackenzie Avenues. Ten-inch water main was being laid throughout the city as part of the improvements.
100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 21, 1921
The official opening of the Cricket Club’s new pavilion at the Recreation Grounds (now Queen Elizabeth Park) took place on this day in 1921. A cricket match was held between the CPR team and the City team.
90 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 24, 1931
A warning was printed in the paper asking people to stop picking flowers from the gardens of the local schools. The Board indicated that they had clues which would lead them to the identity of the thieves, but they hoped that the warning would be sufficient to stop the flower thieves.
80 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 24, 1941
H.G. Garner of the Mount Macpherson district supplied the Revelstoke Review office with two apples which were almost entirely baked on the trees during a recent heat wave. The apples were cooked more than a third of the way through.
70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 19, 1951
Revelstoke Rotary Club was staging a Barrel Derby on the Columbia River between Revelstoke and Sidmouth (about 24 miles south.) The barrel was to be sent down the river, and participants could buy tickets betting on the amount of time it would take for the barrel to complete the trip. The ticket money was to be divided between the winner and the Rotary Club, who planned to use the proceeds to fund further improvements at Williamson’s Lake.
60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 20 1961
The anticipated construction of the High Arrow Dam at Castlegar was expected to create big losses for farmers in the valley. An article discussed the history of Hall’s Landing, 24 miles south of Revelstoke, which was settled by the Hall brothers in 1890. In 1961, the farm still had more than 425 acres of rich farm land under cultivation, with a working cattle ranch, and another 75 acres of standing timber. Mrs. Noah Hall stated that if the High Arrow Dam was built, all those years of hard work would be lost, and their home would be under 30 feet of water.
50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 22, 1971
David Williams was presented with a cheque for $100 for his winning design in the Revelstoke Symbol competition, as part of the Provincial Centennial celebrations. The design was a large R with a stylized version of Mount Begbie in the centre of the letter.
40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 22, 1981
The screen at Revelstoke Drive-In collapsed in a windstorm. The drive-in had opened in May of 1963. The screen was not replaced, and the drive-in never reopened. It was located at the top of the hill on Airport Way, bordered by McKinnon Road and Park Drive.
30 years ago: Revelstoke Time, July 24, 1991
Revelstoke was taking its first steps toward recycling. Starting on August 17, a recycling truck would be set up for two hours at a time twice a month in a public site in Revelstoke. Only newsprint, clear glass bottles, and tins were accepted at that time.
20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, July 25, 2001
The Millenium Gateway bear sculptures on Victoria Road near the Trans-Canada Highway junction were beginning to take shape. Nelson sculptor John McKinnon and his apprentice were plastering on layers of concrete to create the bodies of the bears, and sculpting the details of the faces.
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