Glimpses of the Past: March 27, 2025
Compiled by Jaimie Reynolds, Collections Manager
Gathering at Revelstoke Legion for Vimy Day, 1961. Photo courtesy of Estelle Dickey. Revelstoke Museum and Archives Collection, P-4466.
130 years ago: The Kootenay Mail, March 23, 1895
A party that left Kootenay rapids the previous week came up the river in small boats. They had found several miles of ice over which they had to drag their canoes, at the upper end of the Lower Arrow Lake and in the narrows. The Lytton steamer had since made an effort to reach the upper lake, but was turned back by the ice.
120 years ago: Revelstoke Herald, March 23, 1905
Mr. J O’Brien, of Revelstoke was arranging to form a company to operate a large brewing and malting establishment in the city, and was meeting with great success in carrying out his plans. At the time, no malt was made in BC, and there seemed to be a good opening for such an industry to supply the coast breweries, who were currently importing from the east. The company would be capitalized at $50,000, in shares of $100 each.
110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, March 27, 1915
Burglars took advantage of the absence of street lights and pried the lock from the front door of the Revelstoke Wine & Spirit Company and stole three cases of whisky. Wheel tracks indicated that the thieves used a wagon to take away the spoils. It was said that the burglars were connoisseurs of liquor as a case each of the three best whiskey brands were stolen. Nothing else was touched.
100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, March 25, 1925
St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated at the St. Francis Church hall by holding a “Shamrock Tea”. Home cooking, Irish Potato Cake, and other refreshments were served to all attendees. The hall was appropriately decorated with shamrocks and other green décor items. In the evening, a game of court whist was played at about 15 tables.
90 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, March 29, 1935
The Revelstoke Branch of the Canadian Legion planned to observe Vimy Day with a dance in the Masonic Hall. 1935 marked the 18th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the dance would provide an occasion for veterans and their friends to meet together and recall the chilling days of April, 1917, where 12 Revelstoke men were among the many casualties.
80 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, March 29, 1945
The Wartime Prices and Trade Board officially announced that the butter ration would be increased from six ounces to seven ounces weekly, beginning April 1st. It was the previous January that the allowance was cut down from seven to six ounces. Validity dates for rationing coupons would be announced later in the month.
70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, March 24, 1955
The Revelstoke Drug Company was advertising all of its delightful Easter delights and treats for sale. 12 chocolate marshmallow eggs were 49 cents, a fruit and nut cream egg was 69 cents, and chocolate marshmallow bunnies, hens, eggs and roosters were 10 and 20 cents each. For the Easter artists, there was also an Easter egg colouring set complete with a magic writer for only 15 cents.
60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, March 25, 1965
Members of Revelstoke’s Teen Town staged a dance marathon, once popular in the 1930’s. A total of 30 couples were in attendance. After 11 hours of continuous dancing, five couples were left on the dance floor, and to ensure that everything was fair, all of the couples stopped dancing at the exact same time.
50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, March 27, 1975
The unofficial opening of the Neighbourhood Pub, a new restaurant in the Big Eddy, took place on March 21. Cars jammed the area, with customers excited to check out the new establishment. The pub had a dance floor, and the owners were hoping to have live music available on Friday and Saturday nights. Despite a packed house, it was reported that service was very efficient. The official opening was set to take place on April 4th.
40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, March 27, 1985
Craft-a-Mania had officially arrived in Revelstoke! The annual spring display and sale featured 45 displays of handcrafted items, with vendors coming from as far away as Sylvan Lake, Alberta. The theme for the 1985 display was “In Heritage Style”, and many favourite booths were back, including burl clocks, ceramics, porcelain paintings, flower arrangements and needlework. The Aero Modellers and Vintage Car Club also hosted booths as well.
30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, March 28, 1995
Two German shepherds were very grateful for the aid of some construction workers. Building crews working on the Akolkolex River power project found the dogs hanging around the job site. They both appeared to show signs of abandonment, so members of the crew took them home to care for them. In a surprise twist, revealed in the following week’s paper, the dogs were not actually abandoned and the owner, who had been called from town due to an emergency, considered the taking of the dogs to be a theft. The Revelstoke SPCA took the dogs back and was waiting for the owner to arrive to bring them back home.
20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, March 23, 2005
Premier Gordon Campbell signed the long-awaited Master Development Agreement, officially allowing construction to begin on the Mount Mackenzie Ski Resort. The project was expected to take up to 25 years to complete over 5 phases and would, at build-out, cost about $800 million. Despite the excited cheers from about 200 crowd members, a band of protestors also gathered to shout insults during the event at Grizzly Plaza.