Travel to the past through these items from Revelstoke newspapers, as gleaned and edited by Cathy English, curator of Revelstoke Museum & Archives.
120 Years Ago: Revelstoke Herald, July 13, 1898
Police Constable McRae traveled to Vancouver to arrest “Mother McKenzie,” who was described as one of the most notorious women in Vancouver, and who had recently spent several weeks in Revelstoke. After searching her premises, they found several articles of clothing that she had stolen from Revelstoke, and she was sentenced to one month at the Kamloops jail.
110 Years Ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, July 11, 1908
C.B. Hume and Co. department store was advertising men’s padded baseball pants for $1.50, and pure wool sweaters in Revelstoke green for $2.50.
100 Years Ago: Revelstoke Review, July 11, 1918
An inquest was held into the death of William Joseph Phillips, a CPR locomotive engineer who died on July 3 in the CPR yards, when the engine he was working on exploded. The water gauge was not registering correctly, resulting in a shortage of water in the engine boiler and the subsequent explosion. The impact caused the whole upper structure of the locomotive to be lifted high in the air, where it turned a complete somersault before landing about 100 feet way, burying itself into the roadbed upon impact. The drive wheels of the locomotive remained on the rails. Phillips was found about 75 feet away from where the explosion occurred.
90 Years Ago: Revelstoke Review, July 11, 1928
A pet donkey was being housed in the Children’s Playground (now Queen Elizabeth Park.) A small shed was built for him, “and he wanders around the park as happy as the many children who find enjoyment there.”
80 Years Ago: Revelstoke Review, July 15, 1938
Mr. A. Pendlebury, 25, of Lancashire, England, was in town on July 14th en route from Vancouver to Montreal, on the last lap of a round-the-world tour on a bicycle. Since leaving England in June, 1936, Pendlebury had travelled 25,000 miles and passed through 26 countries. He expected to reach Liverpool on October 22.
70 Years Ago: Revelstoke Review, July 15, 1948
A flotilla of seven power boats with a total of 30 people onboard came to Revelstoke from Spokane, Washington, for the fourth year in a row. One of the boats, captained by Clyde Stricker, ventured through Death Rapids, in the Big Bend region north of Revelstoke. The boats were from 17 feet to 33 feet in length.
60 Years Ago: Revelstoke Review, July 10, 1958
Contracts were being awarded for the Trans-Canada Highway bridge over the Columbia River at Revelstoke, and for sections of the highway through Rogers Pass. The bridge opened in 1961, and the highway opened in 1962.
40 Years Ago: Revelstoke Review, July 12, 1978
Bids were being studied on two contracts for the Revelstoke Dam, covering construction of cofferdams, as well as catering and housekeeping for the onsite labour camp.
30 Years Ago: Revelstoke Review, July 13, 1988
The Revelstoke Food Bank was closing for two months, as food distribution was down to just 35 bags. Many of the recipients had found work for the summer. The Food Bank opened in 1985 when Downie Street Sawmills shut down, at which time about 200 bags were being distributed each week.
20 Years Ago: Revelstoke Times Review, July 15, 1998
Conservation officers tranquilized and trapped a young male grizzly caught dining at a camper’s table at the Canyon Hot Springs campground. The grizzly was released into the wild far from the area. The officers also received a call about a cougar sighting near Nichol Road.
