Glimpses of the Past: November 12, 2026
Cenotaph at Old Legion Building. Revelstoke Museum & Archives Collection, P-9185.
By James Janzen, Museum Assistant, Revelstoke Museum & Archives
130 years ago: Kootenay Mail, November 14, 1896
The sleigh road from Ferguson to Trout Lake was expected to be finished by the following week. This was especially important as winter snow had begun to fall, and the road ensured that mail was still delivered during the snowy season ahead. Unfortunately, an unexpected foot of snowfall had stalled work, and some men had quit on account of accidents caused by the weather.
120 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, November 14, 1906
Sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary, Miss Mignon Duke performed in the Y.M.C.A. gymnasium hall. The Canadian-born singer was met with a warm reception and large audience during the wintery evening. Despite a horrid cold, Miss Duke’s singing was reported as “ringing true with bell-like clearness.” Accompanist Mrs. T. F. Bernard was also given high praise on her playing skills by the newspaper editor.
110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, November 11, 1916
Sir Herbet Ames, honorary secretary of the Canadian Patriotic Fund, visited town this week to speak at the Empress Theatre regarding the work of the fund. To begin the address, Mr. R. Gordon, honorary secretary of the Revelstoke branch of the fund, explained the finances of the local branch, and Mr. F. Nation, honorary secretary of the provincial branch, spoke on the finances for the whole province.
100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, November 11, 1926
Dreary weather marked the well-attended Armistice Service this week, which included the parade from City Hall to the cenotaph. The president of the Canadian Legion, among other city officers, presided over the occasion and gave brief solemn addresses. The following Annual Armistice Ball that night was said to be beautifully decorated in the colours of the Canadian Legion and was largely organized by the newly formed Ladies Auxiliary.
90 years ago: Revelstoke Review, November 13, 1936
A regular meeting of City Council passed many topics this week, including the potential rental of the skating rink to the Hockey Club, increasing the number of fire truck drivers in the city from one to two, reaching out to provincial Public Works for support on the dangerous condition of a bridge over the Illecillewaet River, and an information request from the Schroeder Timber Products Company on how much it would cost for the city to supply electric power to their yard.
80 years ago: Revelstoke Review, November 14, 1946
Two new plaques were unveiled during the annual cenotaph services for Remembrance Day, one of which was dedicated to the fallen of the parish. The parade this year was also led by the Rotary Air Cadet Squadron, who was praised by the editor and the Rotary Club for their fine showing. The memorial at the cenotaph was followed by a Remembrance Day Luncheon at the Rotary Club, where Dr. Sutherland delivered an address to conclude the memorials.
70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, November 8, 1956
The annual Parent-Teacher Association-sponsored Halloween Party in Malakwa last Wednesday was a successful event. The editor reported “weird creatures” flitting about the Community Hall all evening, enjoying the costume parade, jack-o-lantern contest, and other games. No Halloween damage was reported, other than harmless pranks. By Friday, the PTA was reportedly already working on their Christmas Tree concert and planning for a dance and raffle to raise funds for the event.
60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, November 9, 1966
The Ladies Auxiliary to the Revelstoke Ski Club held their first annual talent show in the auditorium of the Secondary School this week. A large audience showed up to support the talented youngsters, who showcased their singing, dancing, instrumental skills, and more. The program began with singing by five classrooms from Selkirk and Mount Begbie School, and was concluded by the awarding of the Bernard Nelson Memorial trophy for best overall performance.
50 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, November 10, 1976
The four-day Walk a Measured Mile event, whose goal was to encourage fitness and exercise, took place a few days prior. After all participants were awarded a certificate, designed by Mike Wilkey, all that was left was to tally the total number of miles that were walked by each organization and individual throughout the event. Further programs advertising fitness badges upon completion were also recommended by the article’s author to those who enjoyed the walk.
40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, November 12, 1986
Revelstoke Little Theatre’s rendition of Fred Carmichael’s play “Done to Death” premiered at the Roxy Theatre last week to near capacity audiences. The entertaining murder mystery was a two-and-a-half-hour production starring 16 actors, who all put on wonderful performances. An attendee also pointed out the added comedy of local people performing for a local audience, noting the comment made by actor Mark McKee about a less-than-stylish suit, knowing that McKee is the owner of a local menswear store.
30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, November 13, 1996
A retired espionage agent who worked in the field for three decades was set to speak at the Revelstoke Community Centre, hosted by the Canadian Club of Revelstoke. Mike Frost spoke on how the same patriotism that led him to become a spy eventually pushed him to expose the Communications Security Establishment and its freedom to spy on Canadian citizens. His speech was planned to describe his experiences in undercover operations, electronic monitoring, and decoding foreign intelligence signals.
20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, November 8, 2006
This week, the Revelstoke Times Review started its page of regular film reviews, beginning with a review of one of the films that had been playing at the Roxy Theatre at the time: “Flushed Away”. The reviewer gave the film a solid three and a half stars, comparing its slap-dash comedy style to that of the old “Batman” television series and its cleverness to what he calls DreamWorks “most popular creation” (Shrek).