Glimpses of the Past: July 31st, 2025
Compiled by Adam Carter, Collections Assistant, Revelstoke Museum and Archives
Reverend W. Calder, his wife Alice, and their family at Tonka Farm, their home in Big Eddy near the Tonkawatla (Tum Tum) River, circa 1915. P-54.
130 years ago: The Kootenay Mail, July 27, 1895
Someone came across a small bit of gold in the hills across the Columbia River Bridge, prompting a wave of amateur prospectors to begin scouring the area for their fortunes. The newspaper took the opportunity to make fun of these prospectors, pointing out one trio in particular—two men and their dog—who set out early in the morning and secured nothing but “a little exercise”. No one else found any gold either.
120 years ago: Revelstoke Herald, July 27, 1905
The editors of the Revelstoke Herald took issue with two letters published anonymously in previous week’s papers that attacked Reverend W. C. Calder. Their problem was not with the fact that the Reverend was being attacked but rather it was with the way the letters were addressed. Hate mail was perfectly acceptable, said the Herald, as long as whoever wrote the mail attached their real name to it.
110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, July 31, 1915
Renowned local trapper and private in the army, Hart Munro, almost lost his head on the European front. Munro was at headquarters reading a book with his back against a tree when a German bomb landed, exploding not far from where he was sitting. He turned his head to look and another bomb fell, sending shrapnel into the tree where his head had been mere moments ago. Munro was completely unscathed.
100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 29, 1925
Munro made news again for the praise he received for a fur exhibit he brought to Wembley, England. His exhibit included a wide selection of the furs he had trapped and it attracted more attention than any other exhibit there aside from an exhibit that featured a pile of butter in the shape of the Prince of Wales. Imagine how Munro must have felt, nearly dying in the war and then bringing his hard fought-for furs across an ocean only to be overshadowed by a pile of butter.
90 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, August 2, 1935
The Board of Trade discussed strategies for attracting tourists. Suggestions offered were road signs, pamphlets, and ads for Revelstoke in other newspapers, but all ideas were hindered by the lack of sufficient funds that the Board had at their disposal. If only Revelstoke had that butter statue.
80 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, August 2, 1945
Large crowds gathered at the train station platform to welcome back Revelstoke soldiers who had been fighting on various fronts of war. The soldiers had landed in Halifax and, for the first time since they had entered the war, they were able to return to their homes. They were met at the station by droves of friends and family.
70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 28, 1955
Revelstoke born William Taylor was accused of being disloyal to the United States. Taylor worked for the U.S.’ International Monetary Fund, and, for whatever reason, the IMF became convinced he had engaged in espionage and subversive activity against the United States. They also strongly suspected he was an adherent to “the Communist ideology”.
60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 29, 1965
Two escapees from New Haven Borstal Institute in Burnaby were apprehended by RCMP Constable, Fred Zaharia, on the highway east of Revelstoke. The two escapees were juveniles who had been tried in adult court that escaped from the facility the previous day using a car stolen in Vancouver.
50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 31, 1975
Postmaster Ed Bacon and his employees were honoured with a special reward recognizing more than three years of accident-free work. They worked 71,848 hours and handled 142,789 bags of mail without so much as a sprained ankle or a paper cut. As a reward, each employee was given a holiday safety kit which seems unnecessary considering they were the people who needed safety kits the least.
40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 31, 1985
The city bought the Mt. Mackenzie ski hill for a whopping $1. The deal was not as good as it sounds; it required the city to relieve the previous owners of the hill—the Mt. Mackenzie Alpine Sports Society—of $200,000 worth of liabilities. The city council was unsure if the purchase was a wise investment but history has erased their doubts. Today, the ski hill would likely cost at least twice its original $1 price tag.
30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, July 28, 1995
A tournament for the card game, Magic the Gathering, was cancelled after local critics alleged the game had satanic overtones. Norm Peters, owner of On Cue Family Games Centre, and Hans Settler, owner of Darryl’s Card Shop, both refused to sell the cards in their stores because they felt the artwork was evil. According to tournament organizer, Kevin Piatelli, the criticism was misguided and the cards were harmless.
20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, July 27, 2005
An innovative approach to trapping bears was being used by researcher Cam McTavish to sample bear DNA in Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks. The strategy involved setting barbed wire fence around a mixture of rotten cow’s blood and fish to attract bears. After the bears left, McTavish would collect bear hair snagged on the wire to test DNA. He hoped the technique could replace the method of tranquilizing bears.