33 Years Ago (1985): After nearly three years in the making, 100 Mile’s new $1 million water treatment plant was almost ready for operation. Although a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held with Mayor Ross Marks and MLA Alex Fraser, the plant wouldn’t be in operation for another six weeks. The delay was partly due to a holdup in filtering sand delivery and bacterial action would need time to build up.
28 Years Ago (1990): Several Watch and Green Lake residents were up in arms about what they felt was a lack of sufficient road maintenance in their areas. Velma Malmberg of South Green Lake said she could not understand why a truck and crew were out painting new lines down the middle of Watch Lake Road and Green Lake Road when “the potholes in the road are so bad you can easily damage your vehicle.”
READ ALSO: Indecent act at the 108 Mile Heritage Site
22 Years Ago (1996): A hero’s welcome was set to await Olympian Theresa Luke upon her return to the South Cariboo. The Forest Grove resident was a key part of the women’s team that won silver with a furious late charge in the eights rowing final. According to organizers Luke would be escorted from her home into town in a limousine and then transported from Overwaitea to the Infocentre in a horse-drawn buggy where crows would be singing O Canada.
15 Years Ago (2003): The South Cariboo was playing host to fire evacuees. “When they phoned me at three o’clock and told me we could get 1,000 people, I said ‘oh goody,'” said then-Mayor Donna Barnett. After putting out a call for help on CKBX radio, Barnett received at least 300 offers to billet people. The hotels and motels were filled first. In addition, many people brought along their RBs or campers to use and other had friends willing to take them.
9 Years Ago (2009): West Fraser was shutting down its 100 Mile House, Chasm and Houston sawmills for at least two weeks starting Aug. 4 The company, in a press release, said the decision to restart operations was dependent upon market conditions, adding that they would be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The mills had been shut a number of times in the then past year. The news was disappointing but market were just terrible, according to United Steelworkers spokesperson Bob Matters.
