Glimpses of the Past: October 30, 2025

Compiled by Benjamin Smith, Collection Manager, Revelstoke Museum and Archives

The home of Pete Peterson, at Laforme Boulevard and Columbia Park Drive, circa 1910. The home originally served as Peterson’s Hall on Front Street before being moved to Columbia Park. Revelstoke Museum and Archives Collection, P-5226.

130 years ago: The Kootenay Mail - November 2, 1895

A serial dog poisoner was mistakenly considered a threat put to rest. Revelstoke had struggled with an unknown individual who was targeting the canines of political representatives with fatal intentions. It seems as though townsfolk were convinced that the assailant had died or disappeared, but that was not the case, unfortunately.

120 years ago: The Kootenay Mail, October 28, 1905

There was once a man who single-handedly sought positive, everlasting impact in the village of Revelstoke through a commitment to ecological revitalization. Pete Peterson, originally from Denmark,  planted 1800 fruit, shelter, and ornamental trees on his 18-acre plot in Columbia Park.

110 years ago: The Mail Herald, October 30, 1915

Contention between the superintendent of Revelstoke Park, F.E. Maunder, and the provincial game warden, A. Bryan. Williams, over the legality of hunting in Revelstoke Park, made the newspaper’s front page. Williams asserted that everyone was entitled to carry a live firearm through the park, and hunt at their leisure. Maunder, countered this statement with a warning that any person who violates the ban on hunting in National Parks will be liable to conviction.

100 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, October 27, 1925

Cracking down on Halloween’s hooligans! The Chief of Police issued a warning to the kids who, last year, took more pleasure in pulling pranks than fishing for candy. I hope to read in the following issue that the pranks came in full force.

90 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, November 1, 1935

An alarm caught the fire department’s attention at 3:30 in the morning. Mrs. Kwong’s chicken coop had caught fire, and some chickens with it. The Kwong’s lived on property that is now the location of the Seniors’ Centre.

80 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, November 1, 1945

There’s only so much mention of victory bonds, elections and highway developments that one person should have to tolerate. For that very reason, I am most compelled to highlight the hospital shower that was covered sparingly. Over 300 lbs of food was collected by a rather small list of donors for at the Queen Victoria Hospital. What a tremendous act of generosity.

70 years ago:The Revelstoke Review, October 27, 1955

The Ladies Auxiliary to the Canadian Legion held their 29th birthday anniversary. They hosted a banquet, to which 44 members attended. The guest of honour was Mrs. E. Denison, third vice president of Provincial Command, from Lumby. Word has it, it was a wonderful time.

60 years ago: The Revelstoke Review, October 28, 1965

Revelstoke’s army cadets were awarded with certificates for their involvement in crowdfunding for the “Canada-Mysore Project” of the Canadian Freedom From Hunger committee. The project aimed to combat hunger in southeast Asia by establishing a workshop that coached locals on effective food preservation strategies.

50 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - October 29, 1975

Always consider that a chunk of land may be worth more than meets the eye. In 1975, the subdivision that is now Fourth Street, Moss Street, and Cottonwood Street, was up for sale in its entirety for $120,000. At the time that it was advertised, it was not yet considered to fall within Revelstoke’s city limits, but that changed only 6 years later, when the city's boundary expanded to incorporate Southside. Prior to that, Downie Street was the city boundary.

40 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - October 30, 1985

Every now and then, you’re bound to encounter someone romanticizing the period when smoking indoors was a widely accepted social convention. In 1985, Revelstoke began to crack down on this norm with clean air policies, starting with schools. It’s absurd that just 40 years ago your favourite 5th grader teacher would have had a pack of Marlboro’s on their desk beside the apple you gave them.

30 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - October 31, 1995

Word got around that an abandoned town somewhere in the Sale Mountains area north of Revelstoke, was haunted. What was once a bustling settlement that sprang during the Gold Rush of 1865, eventually became a source of several paranormal encounters. Even after the elderly woman who ran the only housing establishment in the settlement passed, it seemed as though the house was still being cared for..

20 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - November 2, 2005

Innovation finally paid off in 2003 when Revelstoke’s Community Energy Commission opened a bio-mass boiler in collaboration with the city of Revelstoke. The boiler consumed hogged wood and provided the necessary energy to produce hot water for several of the city’s core facilities, such as the arena, Aquatic Centre, and High school. The project’s cost was $5.3 million dollars, but eco-friend intentions earned it several grants.