130 years ago: The Kootenay Mail, August 4, 1894
A large forest fire threatened to wipe Revelstoke off of the face of the Earth. Fires had been raging in the bush for nearly two months following a period of heat and drought but they stayed on the north side of the track until the wind brought the fire close to the city. Revelstoke was then enveloped in smoke and it may have been destroyed had it not been for the hard work of many firefighters.
120 years ago: Revelstoke Herald, August 4, 1904
It was announced that The Great Floto Shows Circus would be coming to Revelstoke on the coming Friday. The circus would include such acts as Herr Litzen’s Dutch elephants, a troupe of funny clowns, Fairyland for the children, Black Belle ‘The Smallest Horse Ever Born’, an ‘international” leaping contest, and an aggregation of human freaks.
110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, August 1, 1914
540 adults and children attended the picnic of the merchants association. The picnic involved a trip down the Columbia River on the S.S. Minto and the S.S. Kootenay to the hotel at St. Leon, about 80 km down the river from Revelstoke. There were contests held once the boats reached St. Leon such as races and pie eating contests, and many prizes were given out to the winners.
100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 30, 1924
F.G. Bews’ Jewelry and Optometry business advertised a contest to see who could distinguish real pearls from fake ones. Bews had ninety-nine blue bird pearls and one real pearl placed in his front window and whoever was able to pick out the real pearl would be given a string of blue bird pearls valued at $25, which is close to $450 today.
90 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, August 3, 1934
J.J. Hugg, former Revelstoke resident and former sergeant during WWI, passed through the city on his hitchhiking tour around the world. He started his journey in Halifax in June of the previous year and made his way through the Maritimes, Quebec, and Northern Ontario before coming to the west coast. He planned to leave for Australia in the coming September.
80 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, August 3, 1944
Boyd McMahon had beef with The Revelstoke Review. He refuted an article in the previous week’s paper that claimed that a cow giving birth to twin calves was a rare occurrence in the district. McMahon informed the paper that over the span of nine years, his cattle had given birth to eleven sets of twins.
70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 29, 1954
Earle Dickey, lifelong local born in Revelstoke in 1893, died following three months of illness. His illness began after he passed out during a ceremony held for the final trip of the steamboat, the S.S. Minto. Dickey worked for the city electrical department and photographed Revelstoke in his spare time, taking photos of the city that were featured in publications across the continent.
60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 30, 1964
A twenty-seven year old man named Douglas Berrie was killed in Glacier National Park when a rock fell on his head while he and a friend were descending Mount Sir Donald. Berrie, who was an experienced mountain climber, was killed the instant the rock hit his head. His body was later recovered and brought to Revelstoke.
50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 1, 1974
Four portable classrooms were built on the Farwell School grounds after delays in the construction of what would become Columbia Park Elementary. The new school was supposed to open in the coming September but delays pushed its completion to the late spring.
40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 1, 1984
The steps of city hall were covered in garbage and broken bottles after many young hooligans allegedly tore open nearby garbage cans and spread the trash. The police suspected it was the young people who did this because the city hall steps were frequented by teenagers in the late hours of the night.
30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, August 2, 1994
An 86 year old man driving out of Revelstoke on Highway 23 drove into a ditch after falling asleep at the wheel. The man and his wife, who was in the passenger seat, were taken to hospital in Revelstoke. The man suffered mild injuries and his wife suffered a cracked sternum.
20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, August 4, 2004
The provincial government approved plans to build a ski resort on Mount Mackenzie. A report compiled along with these plans stated that Revelstoke could expect substantial growth over the next 20 years and that the locals could anticipate increases in real estate prices, housing, and the cost of living.
