50 YEARS AGO:
Ladies of the Clearwater Fire Department Auxiliary gave the keys for the community’s new fire truck to the Clearwater Improvement District. Verla Capostinsky turned the sod for Clearwater’s new firehall. She and her husband, Frank Capostinsky, had donated a half-acre of land on Steggs Hill for the building. One advantage of the site was it allowed a downhill start for the fire engine in either direction.
45 YEARS AGO:
Lyle Robinson, James Harrop and William Anderson, members of the Employees and Local Citizens’ steering committee, met with Lands, Forests and Water Resources Minister Tom Waterland regarding the transfer of timber assets from CTP.
A guitar trio of John Collison, Bill Waterhouse and Ron Rutley performed at the Wells Gray Hotel, the first live entertainment ever in the beer parlor. It came about due to changes in provincial legislation.
40 YEARS AGO:
The B.C. government would not allow Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital to close, said MLA Rafe Mair. The hospital had a $40,000 deficit in May, said hospital board treasurer Lois Moss.
The board of School District 26 approved $30,000 worth of renovations for Avola School plus providing a locally based principal. The school had only 14 students the previous year, but could have 33 next year, said trustee Ronaye Havisto.
https://www.clearwatertimes.com/news/back-in-time-90/
35 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Timber Products announced that Camp 2 sawmill, previously shut down for maintenance, was to close indefinitely. The planer would enter an indefinite lay-off once finished with its rough inventory, estimated to last about two months. A total of 125 workers would be affected.
Bob Gledhill had the biggest catch in the first annual CTP fish derby, held at Mahood Lake. The fish weighed seven pounds, 15 oz.
30 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Secondary School principal Dr. Jim London announced that he was leaving to take a position with the University of Victoria at Malaspina College in Nanaimo.
Two mountain bike riders from Whistler split the $1,000 purse in the 100-mile Foggy Mountain Bike-Down.
Times reporter Keith McNeill, in southern Ontario on an attempted walk around the world, announced that the World Federalists of Canada had endorsed using his walk to promote a petition calling for United Nations reform.
25 YEARS AGO:
Vavenby volunteer firefighters preferred to be governed by an elected committee, despite a draft of a new TNRD bylaw that would have all five members of a committee appointed. Those interested in sitting on TNRD committees must write to apply, said Area A director Carol Schaffer.
Emergency 911 service is “highly expensive and not appropriate in a rural community,” said TNRD Area B director Steve Quinn.
20 YEARS AGO:
Several days of hot weather heated up the flood situation in the North Thompson Valley. Many roads were covered with water. The water level at Blue River went up by one foot overnight.
Dentist Bob Rishiraj, a graduate of Clearwater Secondary School, returned to his alma mater to tell students of the link between tobacco and oral cancers.
15 YEARS AGO:
After 26 years with the RCMP Sgt. Steve Giesinger was about to retire. He had been in charge of the Clearwater Detachment for just about five years.
Four teams from Kamloops, Quesnel and Clearwater took part in the Les Neufeld Memorial Fastball Tournament. The Clearwater Team was made up of players who had been coached by Les Neufeld.
The five federal candidates met in Clearwater for an all-candidates’ forum sponsored by the Times. Topics covered included health care, softwood lumber, gun control and foreign ownership. “I know there’s a better Canada out there, and the Conservative party is ready to deliver it,” said M.P. Betty Hinton in her opening remarks.
10 YEARS AGO:
TNRD issued an evacuation alert to the residents of Upper Clearwater as high water threatened the crossing at Second Canyon.
Wells Gray Park has a unique geological history that deserves designation as a UNESCO Geopark and even a World Heritage Site, said Dr. Cathie Hickson during a presentation at the Info centre. Formerly with the Geological Survey of Canada, Hickson had done her Ph.D. thesis on the park’s volcanoes.
Local residents were being invited to sign a petition to keep convicted killer David Shearing (Ennis) from being released on parole. In 1982 he had murdered her uncle, his wife, two daughters and his wife’s two parents, said Tsawwassen resident Shelley Boden.
Members of Simpcw First Nation and Canim Lake Indian Band joined others to celebrate the grand re-opening of the Wells Gray Info centre and Art Gallery. The displays had been renewed and now included more about local First Nations history and culture.
5 YEARS AGO:
About 40 people took part and three fish were caught dur- ing a Free Family Fish Day at Hallamore Lake.
“This large, sprawled area has unique challenges in terms of providing cost effective local government services, particularly for pipes and pavement,” said a service capacity report done for District of Clearwater.
1 YEAR AGO:
Tuesday June 12 saw an eventful day down at Raft River Elementary School. First there was a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new pollinator garden created by Mrs. Shook’s Grade 3 class.
Crews started trail work in late April this year and have constructed an additional five km of multi-use hiking and biking trails. One of the new trails connects the Ridge area down to the Raft Canyon viewpoint at Raft River Forest Service Road (Road 9).
newsroom@clearwatertimes.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
