Glimpses of the Past: June 5th, 2025
Compiled by Cathy English, Curator, Revelstoke Museum and Archives
Revelstoke Board of Trade members at Arrowhead preparing to leave for Beaton on a barge towed by the SS Beaton, June 1935. Revelstoke Museum and Archives Collection, P-3948.
130 years ago: The Kootenay Mail, June 1, 1895
A special offer was given to locals by H.N. Coursier. If customers purchased in cash $10 worth of goods and a picture frame, H.N. Coursier would present them with a three-quarter life size crayon portrait for free.
120 years ago: Revelstoke Herald, June 1, 1905
A group left Revelstoke to explore the recently discovered caves in Cougar Valley in Glacier National Park. The caves were located by Charles Deutschman and were later known as the Nakimu Caves. Among those visiting the caves were Superintendent Douglas of Banff National Park, and W.S. Ayres, mining and consulting engineer, who later drew the first maps of the cave system.
110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, June 5, 1915
The first Farmers’ Day was held on June 4th, and included a parade of decorated floats, bicycles, and automobiles, as well as the recently imported Clydesdale stallion provided by the provincial government to the stock breeders association.
100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, June 4, 1925
The Blue Bird Beauty Parlors, over the Columbia Hardware store, (currently Roxy Theatre) got away to a good start on Saturday.
90 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, June 7, 1935
Thirty-five members of the Revelstoke Board of Trade made a goodwill visit to Beaton, Ferguson, Trout Lake, and Camborne to strengthen ties between the communities, and to see the mining opportunities of the Lardeau district. The group caught the SS Beaton at Arrowhead, which made a special trip across the north-east arm of the Upper Arrow Lake to Beaton. The group visited the mining operations at Camborne and heard of renewed work being done there.
80 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, June 7, 1945
J.H. Stephenson reported that a big black bear raided his chicken pen at his poultry farm in Columbia Park for three nights in a row.
70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, June 2, 1955
Under the supervision of the Revelstoke fire brigade, the old tennis pavilion on Victoria Road was burned to the ground the previous week. The area was disposed of recently by the city for residential purposes. Plans called for new tennis courts in Queen Elizabeth Park.
60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, 1965
A fire on May 29th completely levelled the Mt. Rogers Motor Hotel. The fire started in the beer parlour, and was discovered at about 1:30. The hotel manager and staff woke up the 59 guests and helped them to safety. Twenty-four members of the fire brigade fought the fire for six hours. The hotel opened in October of 1963 and cost $800,000 to build. It was located at the junction of Highway 1, where the Sandman Inn is now located.
50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, June 5, 1975
The City of Revelstoke planned to create a centre boulevard on Campbell Avenue, complete with trees, and create one way traffic in opposite directions. Sixteen local business owners attended a special meeting to express their concerns with the lack of parking in the downtown core. One of the owners said, “Beautifying the city is a good idea, but let’s add more practical aspects.” At that time, parallel parking was planned for the new boulevard, as it was felt that angle parking created a blind spot for cars backing out.
40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, June 5, 1985
Trees lining Ninth Street between McArthur and Robson streets were scheduled to be removed within two weeks to make way for a sidewalk, and for replacement of a water system under the trees. Some residents objected to the removal of the trees, saying they provided shade for their homes.
30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, June 2, 1995
After four years of development, the Begbie Bluffs recreation area officially opened the previous week, thanks to the work of the Mount Begbie Recreation Improvement Association, who built the hiking trails and marked scaling routes on the bluffs for rock climbers. The bluffs are located on the left-hand side of Highway 23 South about 10 minutes south of Revelstoke. The estimated height of the bluffs is about 45 meters, and there were 45 developed climbing routes.
20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, June 1, 2005
The Friends of Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks held the first annual Chickadee Nature Festival. The weekend event offered presentations about chickadees and the surrounding forests and geology, as well as children’s activities and guided hikes. Approximately 220 people attended the various walks and field trips, and at least 50 children dissected owl pellets and participated in a kid’s art program.