Glimpses of the Past: July 30, 2026

By Brennan Patry, Archival Assistant, Revelstoke Museum & Archives

130 years ago: Kootenay Mail, August 1, 1896

C.P. Rail started using cheques as their main form of payment. The cheques were sent from the Montreal office, and so far there had been no complaints. This change came after many of the leading railways in the United States started using cheques as well. Additionally, banks across Canada had started accepting cheques as forms of payment.

120 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, August 1, 1906

A man was told to leave and return “to the land he came from” after he promised to make it rain for $10,000. The man claimed this was the first time that he had failed and that he didn’t understand why the clouds would disappoint him.

When $10,000 in 1906 is about $372,359 in 2026, we understand why the lack of rain may have been a sore point!

110 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, July 29, 1916

A performance of ‘In Sunny France’ directed by Wilson Macdonald was coming to Revelstoke. Macdonald had already directed this play in many cities across Canada. The profits were going to the Red Cross. Women and children from Revelstoke were performing in the play.

100 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 28, 1926

Some residents of Revelstoke were pushing to have a hotel or chalet built on Mount Revelstoke now that the auto road was completed. Many visitors would come just to see the beautiful flowers on the mountain. Many residents were not fond of the visitors, but they had their minds on the money tourists could bring to Revelstoke if there was somewhere on the mountain for them to stay.

90 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 31, 1936

Anthony Jenkinson, a British writer, visited Revelstoke while travelling Canada. Jenkinson was on this Canadian tour because he was writing a book about Canada. He went up Mount Revelstoke to take photos and notes that he said he would incorporate into his book.

80 years ago: Revelstoke Review, August 1, 1946

Mount Revelstoke National Park had just over 1200 people register at the summit and 712 vehicles made the trip on the national park highway during the three weeks it was open to tourists in July. These numbers were higher than had ever been recorded. The road opened later than it had in previous years due to snow.

70 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 26, 1956

Medical professionals were predicting that “reviving the dead” was only a few years away. By this they meant that medical professionals would be able to revive people when their heart stopped before they reached the hospital. The methods of reviving were the same we see today including CPR, oxygen, and the use of defibrillators which at the time were mostly only available in hospitals.

Williamson’s Lake, ca. 1960. P-4520

60 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 27, 1966

The Rotary Club was preparing for their carnival to fundraise for the maintenance and operation of Williamsons Lake. At the carnival there was fortune telling, pony rides, bingo, and the grand prize was a 1966 Deluxe Volkswagen that you could enter to win when you bought tickets. Hopefully the issue after the event let’s us know who won!

50 years ago: Revelstoke Mail-Herald, July 28, 1976

It was announced that the Beruschi Park idea was officially accepted. The park that is now on Second Street East was proposed to the city under the Neighborhood Improvement Program. Many people believed this should have happened many years prior. The City was expected to be responsible for the park’s upkeep once completed.

40 years ago: Revelstoke Review, July 30, 1986

Southside Grocery celebrated nine years in business with free coffee and cake, along with store-wide sales. The Southside Grocery Store owners hoped to maintain small- town spirit, friendly staff, and competitive prices to keep customers coming back. This celebration was a chance for the owners to show their customers how much they meant to them.

30 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, July 31, 1996

Have you ever wanted a fridge that looks like a beer can?  Someone this week took the chance to steal a beer fridge that looked like a Kokanee beer can! The fridge was on display in the pub of the Regent Inn. Around 2 a.m. the hotel staff noticed the fridge was missing but they had no idea who could have taken it. We also have quite a few questions…

20 years ago: Revelstoke Times Review, July 26, 2006

With the development of Revelstoke Mountain Resort happening, a lot of residents were getting frustrated with the arising issues of the sewage treatment plan and then the affordability crisis. Residents were worried that housing costs would consistently rise as RMR was being built.