Glimpses of the Past: August 20, 2026

By Brennan Patry, Archival Assistant, Revelstoke Museum & Archives.

Union Hotel at First Street and Connaught Avenue (where Home Hardware is in 2026). P-171.

130 years ago: Kootenay Mail, August 22, 1896

The Union Hotel had an ad in the newspaper. The ad said that the hotel was conveniently located between the railroad station and the steamboat landing. The rooms were strictly first class and cost between $1.50 and $2 per day (roughly $60 to $80 in 2026).

120 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, August 18, 1906

A dance was held at Selkirk Hall the previous Wednesday. The dance was for the Revelstoke Lacrosse Club and ended around 3 am. The music was performed by the Revelstoke Independent Band, and it was said that the band had an excellent selection of dance music.

110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, August 19, 1916

A public meeting was held at the Revelstoke Opera House. Premier Hon. W. J. Bowser of the conservative party was in attendance along R.F. Green, a member for Kootenay. Not in attendance was liberal candidate Dr. W. H. Sutherland. The speech that was provided on behalf of Dr. Sutherland was called “the same old story that the public is tired of hearing”.

100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 18, 1926

The Revelstoke Band Returned from their trip to Vancouver to play in a band contest. The one rule of the contest that no band agreed with was that no members could be playing a reed instrument. When the Revelstoke Band arrived, they realized they were the only band not playing under protest, all other bands had a reed section in protest of the rule.

Curator’s Note: We aren’t sure what, exactly, they had against reed instruments…

90 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 21, 1936

Two men were sent on a long day trip to get video footage of an eagle for a movie being filmed in Revelstoke. The two men, one an international photographer and the other a mountain guide, set off on a trek through a thick forest with heavy camera equipment. The men had to wait six hours to get the shot, but in the end they got a clip of not one but two eagles flying over them.

80 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 22, 1946

The Knights of Pythias and Pythian Sisters held a picnic at Williamsons Lake. There was a large turnout of adults and children. They suspected this was partially due to the gorgeous summer weather and the promise of refreshments and snacks.

70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 9, 1956

Over 100 people gathered at Revelstoke Machinery to watch 19 of the top loggers in Revelstoke compete in a logging competition. The saws used in the competition were provided by the Terry Machinery Co. in Vancouver. All 19 competitors finished within 30 seconds of each other. The winner was awarded a $25 cash prize.

60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 17, 1966

Revelstoke Secondary School was under renovations, and the school board was concerned that the school would not be finished in time for the start of the year. Carpenters had not been working on the job since early August when a lockout had happened. The school board wrote to the Minister of Education to try and find a solution so that kids in Revelstoke would not lose out on their education.

50 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 18, 1976

Residents of Revelstoke were concerned with the proposal of the Revelstoke Dam. There was some concern with how the dam would affect the people of Revelstoke. Mayor Sid Parker wanted assurance that Revelstoke citizens would not have to suffer financially. Revelstoke citizens were pushing for a two-dam concept to reduce the height of the dam.

40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 20, 1986

Some community members planned to do tours of Revelstoke in horse-drawn wagons. The wagon was expected to be large enough to fit 15 people and have two horses pulling them. The plan was to advertise in places that tourists go such as hotels and other tourism related businesses. The hope was that these tours would be enough to help bring more tourists into town.

30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, August 21, 1996

The Mica Dam had been spilling water for an extended period as the water in the Kinbasket reservoir was too high. The hope was to have the water fill up the Revelstoke reservoir and lower Kinbasket. The water levels had risen so much due to the above average snowpack from the previous winter.

20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, August 16, 2006

The public opening of the Queen Victoria Hospital care cottages was pushed back until September 5. The opening was pushed back due to “delays with construction”, said Hospital Director Dorothy Schiller. The specific time of the opening was to be announced at a later date.