Glimpses of the Past: July 3rd, 2025

Compiled by Adam Carter, Collections Assistant, Revelstoke Museum and Archives

Mayor Walter Hardman congratulating Toby Belinski, second place winner in the Beard Growing Contest for Golden Spike Days, July, 1944. First place winner was red-headed Archie Irving, just behind Belinski, to his right. Revelstoke Museum and Archives, P-6934

130 years ago: The Kootenay Mail, June 29, 1895

Revelstoke was insulted by the Nelson Tribune who stated that Revelstoke did not import goods, had no need for a warehouse, and barely made enough to pay the custom officer’s $300 salary. The Kootenay Mail rebutted the claims by saying Revelstoke did not import goods because it had not had the facilities to do so until the previous year and by pointing out that it made $1070 in customs from May to June alone.

120 years ago: Revelstoke Herald, June 29, 1905

Local mining man, Edward Adair, made news province wide for a tool he had invented and patented. It was called the Adair stump burner and it was a large furnace that could be placed over tree trunks so that they could be burned and safely removed. The enclosed design made it so that burning tree trunks could be done in any weather conditions and it made it so that the fire would not spread.

110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, June 30, 1915

Revelstoke had its second ever farmer’s market at the newly erected market hall on the corner of Connaught and Second Street.  Revelstoke’s first farmer’s market was the week prior and I would have wrote about it last week but there were more important things going on so you will have to settle for hearing about the second ever farmer’s market. Fresh produce, meat, and dairy products were sold.

100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 2, 1925

The mysterious “wild man” who had been reported at large two weeks earlier was caught in the bush on CPR hill by police. The man was about fifty-five and appeared to be having hallucinations that someone was trying to kill him. He was held in the city jail until a doctor came to assess his sanity and then he was committed to the insane asylum at New Westminster.

90 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, July 5, 1935

Big things were happening in the exciting world of local street maintenance. The city purchased a power spraying pump to be used in the spraying of asphalt mixture or oil. They intended to spend the season using the new gadget to oil spray as many gravelled streets as possible and spray asphalt mix on streets which had been pre-coated the previous year.

80 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, July 5, 1945

Gerry Carten was standing on the train station platform when he was tapped on the shoulder by an unknown man. He turned around to see a stranger he did not recognize but he shook the man’s hand nonetheless. Then, the stranger told Gerry that he was his brother. He showed Gerry identification and pictures, proving that he was Fred Carten, Gerry’s brother who he had not seen in twenty-five years. 

70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, June 30, 1955

Revelstoke’s mayor, Walter Hardman and his wife, Mrs. Hardman, arrived in England after a six-week voyage from Vancouver. After they arrived, they were guests on a daily BBC television programme featuring celebrities in London. Film actor, Tyrone Power, was on the same episode. Walter Hardman served as Mayor of Revelstoke for 24 years, from 1937 to 1961.

60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 1, 1965

Locals with letters to send were left in confusion after they arrived at the CPR station to find that their mailboxes had a new destination. The mailboxes were moved after the new highway service replaced the

Railway mail service but many locals continued going to the railway station with their mail out of force of habit because the boxes had been at the CPR station since it was built in 1905.

50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 3, 1975

Harvey McKay was given an award and $500 for attempting to save a co-worker’s life. McKay was working as a flagman near the Columbia River when the truck that his co-worker, Antonio Nunes, was driving slid down an incline towards the river. Nunes tried to jump out but was struck and fell unconscious into the water so McKay came and pulled him to shore. Nunes had unfortunately passed.

40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 3, 1985

Two suspects, a male adult and sixteen year old female, were arrested after a high-speed chase east of Revelstoke. They had come from Golden where they were accused of stealing a wallet and the car they were driving. The suspects were chased for 24 km before they got out of the car and fled into the bush. A nine hour manhunt followed but the suspects were not found until the following morning.  

30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, July 1, 1995

A head-on collision between a car and van twelve kilometres east of Revelstoke killed three and injured nine. The incident occurred at 10 am when the car crossed the centre line and collided with the eastbound van. Three occupants of the car were killed and nine others, seven of which were in the van, were taken by helicopter to Kelowna General Hospital. 

20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, June 29, 2005

The school board discussed plans to build a new high school. Originally, the plan was to renovate the old building but an architect’s analysis found that building anew would be the more cost effective option, especially considering the fact that the old school was built for a larger student population than was necessary. The project was estimated to cost $16.3 million but it ended up costing $39.9 million by the time it opened in 2011.