50 YEARS AGO:
About 250 men and eight bulldozers were fighting a 400-acre fire at Long Creek east of Vavenby. The mills at Clearwater were closed for one day as the crew put out a fire near Mad River.
Valley communities were preparing for the 1967 Yellowhead Caravan from Manitoba to the Coast. Over 100 cars were expected. The first caravan was to Blue River in 1930, one year after the formation of the North Thompson Board of Trade. It was held to celebrate the opening of the highway from Avola to Blue River. The second caravan was in 1949, when cars went through to Jasper to meet people from Manitoba. The first caravan from Manitoba to the Coast was in 1959.
45 YEARS AGO:
At least 125 persons enjoyed a picnic provided by Wells Gray Women’s Institute in Upper Clearwater. The institute had organized the tour to draw attention to the poor condition of the road to Wells Gray Park. The tour group included School District 26 trustees Muriel Dunford and Velma Sollows, superintendent John Clack and driver Clayton Hicks.
40 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Secondary School was one of 10 in the province selected to take part in pre-apprenticeship training, said principal Eldon Cameron. Approval had been received to offer a millwright program.
“The people of Clearwater can be assured that the government, through its agencies, will be carefully studying the potential environmental effects of the proposed mine,” wrote MP Len Marchand. He was referring to a uranium mine proposed for near Birch Island.
35 YEARS AGO:
A police helicopter found two boys unharmed after they had been missing for about 24 hours in Wells Gray Park. The two, aged 14 and 17, were to join a group sponsored by the Clearwater probation office at Stillwater, at the end of a nine-mile trail.
At least 27 relatives helped “Gram” DeWitt celebrate her 99th birthday in Clearwater. They included daughter Buddy Johnston of Clearwater and son Don DeWitt of Kamloops.
Joyce St. John, owner of the Old Caboose Restaurant, created a province-wide furor after she questioned a RCMP policy that left communities of fewer than 10,000 population without early morning protection. Burglars had stolen several hundred dollars worth of seafood, steaks and other items from her business.
30 YEARS AGO:
A group of taxpayers formed a group, to be known as the Ratepayers Association, to oppose a proposed swimming pool for Clearwater. A small community could not afford such a facility they felt. Elected as president was Ronald Lehr, vice president T. Rudlang, and secretary Charlie Burman.
25 YEARS AGO:
“German Frank” was advertising bear-watching tours to Clearwater’s dump. He had a steady stream of people willing to pay a small gratuity to see and photograph the animals.
Campers were unable to sleep in the Rainbow Falls campsite by Azure Lake, reported longtime Clearwater resident Shorty Blair. Cause was an outbreak of hemlock loopers. Parks spokesperson Brian Carruthers said the infestation was expected to phase out the following year.
20 YEARS AGO:
Quick action and just plain luck averted a major disaster and possible death when a propane tank in a camper trailer exploded in North Thompson Park. An Alberta man, who had been trying to remove the tank from the burning camper, was blown into the ditch by the fireball. “He was really lucky. He could have been a dead man instead of just burned,” said Blackpool fire chief Garry Ruston. He said he planned to talk to Parks about establishing a secondary road to get people out of the park in an emergency.
Mike Wiegele’s Saddle Mountain would be a ski area with a difference, according to consultant Brent Harley. A low capacity lift would preserve the powder skiing for as long as possible. Eventually there would be five lifts and 1,850 bed units.
Vavenby archer Curtis Cornell won a silver medal at the North American Indigenous Games in Victoria. The 15-year-old competed in the 3-D Target Shoot.
15 YEARS AGO:
Nearly $5,000 was raised at a dinner and auction for Bill and Linda Brierly. The money was to be used for the community development work the couple was doing in Guatemala.
Building permits were down significantly across the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, including the North Thompson Valley. According to figures presented to the TNRD board, construction in the regional district during the first seven months declined 47 per cent from the same period the previous year.
10 YEARS AGO:
Two full-sized pickups and a Honda Civic owned by the MacLennan family from Kamloops were completely destroyed in a blaze near Raft River. The family was in town for a family reunion and was camping in the woods away from the vehicles.
A Surrey man and his 13-year-old son were lucky to be alive after they were pulled from the Kettle, a treacherous section of the Clearwater River. The two were reportedly trying to raft down the river in a store-bought inflatable dinghy, and had been unaware of the deadly rapids below.
5 YEARS AGO:
Lisalee Campbell sang O’Canada to open the first ever Clearwater Children’s Festival. Youngsters got their passports stamped as they participated in each of the activity tents set up around Weyerhaeuser Park.
A slow economy and an improved method of asking for tenders were saving the TNRD millions of dollars in solid waste disposal, said Wells Gray Country director Tim Pennell. Overall waste disposal in the regional district had declined by 55 per cent since the regional solid waste management plan was implemented in 2008.
1 YEAR AGO:
Jara Jules carried a Simpcw flag as she led a symbolic walk of about 80 people to the Tete Jaune Cache community hall to mark the 100th anniversary of the forced removal of between 60 and 70 band members to Chu Chua. Jules was descended from some of those displaced. Chief Nathan Matthew said First Nations peoples had lived too long in times and places of darkness. “It’s time to bring back the light,” he said.
Vulcanologist Cathie Hickson, one of those spearheading an initiative to have a large area of the North Thompson corridor declared a UNESCO Global Geopark, met with the TNRD about the proposal. The regional district was pursuing potential funding.