By Laura VanZant, Assistant Curator, Revelstoke Museum & Archives

Snow White Cleaning Centre, showing sign for The Coffee Pot café. Revelstoke Museum & Archives, P-9139.

130 years ago: Kootenay Mail, April 25th, 1896

Marie Joussaye was in town this week as part of her special correspondent travels across Western Canada and the Territories. Prior to Revelstoke, she had been wintering in Banff, and planned to continue on to the Arctic after leaving Revelstoke. Joussaye was a journalist in Toronto, and her travels made it into the Toronto Globe. She was also president of the Working Girls’ Union. Later in life, she was known for her poetry.

120 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, April 21st, 1906

A small note in the Local & General section announced that the Canadian Pacific Railway was intending to tear down the old station in Revelstoke. This referred to the original station, made of lumber, that was replaced by the red brick station in 1906. Of note, the CPR did not tear down the old station, merely relocated it and used it for new purposes before eventually tearing it down sometime in the 1930s or 1940s.

110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, April 22nd, 1916

The students and teachers of Selkirk School presented “one of the best entertainments ever given before a Revelstoke audience” during their vaudeville numbers and subsequent performance of the Japanese operetta Princess Chrysanthemum. The newspaper claimed the troupe’s presentation “would do credit to professionals,” and special praise was given to the tambourine drill and dance delivered by twelve tiny girls. Even more impressive, all of this was prepared in 6 weeks! I’m starting to wonder about the veracity of the praise…

100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, April 21st, 1926

The paper announced the death of Walter Stanley Fraser, proprietor of the Revelstoke Nurseries. Fraser had been suffering from tuberculosis for over 7 years as a result of having been gassed in France during World War I. Fraser had spent a year and a half in the Tranquille Sanatorium in Kamloops in an attempt at recovery, but unfortunately the only treatment for tuberculosis is antibiotics, which had not been invented yet. Fraser was described as “an ardent worker” and “a popular person to do business with.”

90 years ago: Revelstoke Review, April 24th, 1936

“West Road Will Not Open Until Middle of May” proclaimed the front page of this week’s paper! Due to the usual large number of snow slides between Clanwilliam and Three Valley, the highway was not expected to open any earlier than May 15th. Travelers would have to rely on the railway, rather than their own automobiles, if they wished to head westward before then.

80 years ago: Revelstoke Review, April 25th, 1946

Mrs. Johan Kolofsky, wife of Charles Kolofsky, became Revelstoke’s first “Good Citizen” and was presented with a certificate at a banquet held in the King Edward Hotel proclaiming her as such. The award was instituted by Gold Range Lodge No. 26 of the Knights of Pythias. Mrs. Kolofsky had been part of many local endeavors, from organizations to patriotic committees, dedicating her time and efforts to the City and the nation. In addition to the certificate, Mrs. Kolofsky was given a wrist watch and a bouquet of flowers as tokens of her award.

70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, April 26th, 1956

Fire destroyed a local landmark when the Johnson farm home, just east of the CPR yards, caught fire. The fire department was unable to quell the blaze, and a crowd of onlookers watched while it burned. The home was originally built in the 1890s by Fred Fraser, and was farmed for many years by Charlie Sing.

In other news, the recently destroyed bandstand in Mountain View Park served as an excellent practice blaze for the Revelstoke Fire Brigade on Tuesday night. It was set alight so the brigade could run to the scene and keep the blaze in check, practicing for future fires they may face.

60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, April 20th, 1966

Snow White Cleaning Centre received a Master Drycleaner award from the Sanitone Division of Emery Industrial Inc. The award recognized the company for its long-standing reputation for quality dry-cleaning and laundry services, expertise in fabric care, commendable business practices, and conscientious customer service. The business was originally founded by Roy Shoji in 1945, and was operating under the management of his son, Victor Shoji, in 1966. The business had grown to have a laundry and drycleaning plant, coin-op laundry, coffee shop, and beauty shop under the same roof, and employed 21 staff!

50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, April 22nd, 1976

Slow news week, but lots was happening in town! For those looking for a more… titillating experience, Big Eddy Inn was hosting the one and only Cher Champagne. Shows began at 12:30 pm, 6 pm, 8 pm, and 10 pm daily through until Saturday. Her dancing was best described as “exotic”, if you know what I mean.

40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, April 23rd, 1986

Revelstoke company Vic Van Isle Construction was awarded the contract for downtown revitalization work. The project would commence “almost immediately” and would eventually result in downtown’s famous Grizzly Plaza.

30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, April 24th, 1996

Revelstoke RCMP responded to a breaking and entering call at a house on Moss Street. Someone had entered the residence by prying open a window, but rather than stealing anything the trickster simply moved some items around and then left.

20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, April 19th, 2006

Mountain View Elementary School held a Science Fair competition, and the winning entry in the Intermediate Experiment Category was “Electric Poop.” Budding scientists Clara Suchy and Bronte Viznaugh demonstrated how to extract electricity from cow manure, a truly electrifying feat!

Glimpses of the Past: April 23, 2026

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