Glimpses of the Past: February 5, 2026

Compiled by Ben Smith, Collections Manager, Revelstoke Museum & Archives

130 years ago: Kootenay Mail - February 1896

A reminder was included for people leaving their horses on the street that they must leave them tied, as the Chinese community would soon begin their New Year’s celebration, and horses can be quite sensitive to sound. I chose to include this because I was entertained by the fact that parking notices existed for horses, not cars.

120 years ago: The Mail Herald - February 10, 1906

A gold brick found in a mine just off the Beaton trail was appraised for $5,000, I can imagine this raised some tension amongst the miners.

110 years ago: The Mail Herald - February 12, 1916

Another masquerade Ball was enjoyed during Revelstoke’s ski carnival. The opera house was rented out and flamboyantly decorated, a five piece orchestra was hired, and a costume competition was held. Still waiting on that invitation!

100 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 10, 1926

A petition circulated in the city asking the Attorney-General to grant permission to hold a plebiscite (a direct vote of all members of an electorate on an important public question) on whether or not beer parlours should be allowed to operate on licensed premises in the city. This would allow for locals to enjoy beer from a glass.

90 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 14, 1936

Jack Leslie, of Revelstoke, made his debut in the sport pages of Toronto’s daily paper following his entry as Revelstoke’s representative in several ski events. In a club with over 2,000 members, Leslie found no issue in bringing a little ski town from out west into the spotlight. Apparently Leslie’s success caused other competitors to withhold information about the next event.

80 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 14, 1946

J.H. Armstrong of the Revelstoke CPR Div. (Ret’d), returned a silver cup won by his late son, Jack Armstrong, to the city. The trophy had initially been presented by J.H. Munro to Nels Nelsen, but Nelsen donated it for a junior competition, where Armstrong took it home. This record of ownership is succinctly referred to as its provenance, and is ultimately what separates it from an everyday item.

70 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 9, 1956

It’s here! An advertisement for Nesbitt’s, a general store once located at 205 1st St, showcases its stock of revolutionary automatic washers at, get this, “a price every woman can afford”.

60 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 10, 1966

History presents itself in all shapes and sizes, but it is this very fact that poses a notoriously timeless problem to just about any museum. The Revelstoke Heritage Association came face to face with a grand dilemma when a 1923 Bickle International fire engine was generously offered by Dr. Hugh MacKay. The museum accepted it, because how often are you offered a fire truck? However, an off-site storage had to be rented to accommodate its size. The truck was later beautifully restored by the Fire Department, and now resides in their museum.

50 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 11, 1976

Mrs. Anna Huckle was elected Good Citizen of Revelstoke by the Lions Club. Huckle was an avid volunteer to the community, particularly with the Cubs, and the United Church. It’s not everyday that someone receives this kind of recognition, so I felt it should be echoed once more.

40 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 12, 1986

So journalists for the Review arranged to meet with a class of fifth graders from Arrow Heights elementary to discuss “nuclear war and child abuse”, apparently they felt these were topics that fifth graders weren’t being invited to weigh in on enough. Considering the general consensus was that nuclear war was “one way to keep the population down”, I say that’s a conversation better suited for sixth graders.

30 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 9, 1996

A man arrived in Revelstoke with just the clothes on his back, probably a suitcase with more clothes too, and a peculiar ambition. Coming from Berlin, Germany, this individual scanned a world map until his intuition spoke to him, and told him where his soulmate would be, here. The man proceeded to plaster the town with posters announcing his presence and his intention, until he was kindly asked to leave. Hey, shooter’s shoot.

20 years ago: The Revelstoke Review - February 8, 2006

Participants in Katimavik, a charitable Canadian organization that provides young adults with term-based volunteer opportunities away from home, were featured in this issue of the Review. I had never heard of Katimavik until now, but Cathy remembers it as an organization that was founded during the  Pierre Trudeau years, along with Canada World Youth.  

Katimavik is derived from an Inuktitut word representing the concept of a “meeting place”