Plans for 2010

We have lots of events and programs coming up for this year. To begin with, we are collecting stories on behalf of the Revelstoke Olympic Committee for the Revelstoke Torch Relay Story Contest. Submit a story of 1000 words or less on Winter Fun in Revelstoke, Past, Present or Future, and be eligible for cash prizes. Stories must be submitted to the museum at revelstokemuseum@telus.net by 5 pm, Monday, January 18th.

There are a few significant annivesaries in 2010. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Farwell townsite, and the 125th anniversary of the Driving of the Last Spike. We will be holding a Farwell Tea on March 6th to begin our celebration of these events.

The Brown Bag History series commences on January 13th with a talk on the SS Minto, and we are adding a new program beginning January 20th. The "Memories" evenings will give everyone a chance to share their stories of the history of this region. The series will kick off on January 20th at 7 pm with "Memories of Arrowhead," led by former Arrowhead resident Sherrian Van Goor. Whether you lived there and have stories to share, or whether you just want to come to hear everyone else's stories, you are welcome.

100 years ago on March 4, 1910, Canada's largest avalanche disaster occurred at Rogers Pass when 58 men were killed. There will be a series of events this year marking this tragic event. Here is the schedule of events planned by the committee:
January 21, 2010: Avalanche safety awareness film night—Lessons from 1910, Revelstoke United Church at 7:30 pm.
March 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. 1910 Avalanche Memorial Service at Grizzly Plaza.
March 4, 2010 at Noon: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit on the history of avalanche safety in Canada at the Canadian Avalanche Centre.
August 13 – 22, 2010: Railway Days History Field Trips to Rogers Pass National Historic Site.
August 13, 2010: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit at the Revelstoke Railway Museum.
August 14, 2010: Opening ceremony for a special exhibit at the Revelstoke Museum & Archives.
August 15, 2010: Memorial Service at the site of the 1910 slide in Rogers Pass National Historic Site.

Call us at the museum at 250-837-3067 for any information on these events or to find out how you can get involved.

Christmas 100 years ago

Here are a couple of stories from Revelstoke Mail-Herald issues from December 1909.

December 15, 1909:
"Mrs. T. Kilpatrick, President of the Revelstoke branch of the BC Anti-Tuberculosis Society, just received usual supply of 2000 Christmas and New Year stamps issued by the Society. Sales will support indigent patients at Tranquille Sanitorium, Kamloops. Price is one cent per stamp. The idea originated, under royal patronage, and was developed by the National Red Cross Society during the Boer War. “It is felt that it will give pleasure to many when sending Christmas greetings to friends, to feel that they are at the same time contributing in a small way to a national cause.” Stamps available for sale in the drug stores and post office. “If the public as a whole buy these stamps, and attach them to their Christmas parcels, the idea of this, the chief festive season of the year, of good will, of charity and brotherly love, will be made doubly strong, and by giving pleasure to a friend, a great cause will be held and valuable lives saved that must otherwise be lost to the province."

I found it interesting that Christmas Seals had originated during the Boer War!

December 29, 1909:
"Christmas at the Edison: Management of Edison Parlor Theatre reports large houses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and excellent programmes were provided on each occasion. The S.R.O. sign was conspicuous on Christmas night and the matinee that day was well attended. The picture illustrating whale fishing was particularly good and instructive, and the scenes in the Civil War of America showing “Brother against Brother” were stirring and realistic. Several high class comedies made up a good programme."

Didn't those people have Christmas dinners to go to?

However you are spending your holiday time, we at Revelstoke Museum and Archives hope that is a happy one for you. We wish all of you the very best for the coming year.

Masquerade Ball

On Wednesday, December 8, 1909, the Revelstoke No. 1 Fire Brigade held their second annual Masquerade Ball at the Opera House on Second Street West. The Revelstoke Mail-Herald newspaper of December 11, 1909, said, "Seldom has there been witnessed such a gala scene as that portrayed in the elegantly decorated hall. Several new ideas in decorative schemes were carried out, the whole being tastefully lavish and artistic. Bunting and flags were used ad libitum while ropes of colored electric lamps gleaming like gigantic pearls among the gracefull festoons of variegated streamers gave a bright and flashy appearance to the hall. An enormous electric sign suspended over the stage bearing the letters 'R.F.B. No 1' caught the eye on entering the ballroom, while trophies of firemen's apparatus added to the business side of the fireman's calling."

The newspaper reported that over 90 couples in fancy dress were present, and began dancing after a Grand March headed by Fire Chief Charles Abrahamson. The reporter continues, "The conglomeration of color was seen to advantage in the many intricacies of the fascinating circle, the general effect being superb. It is safe to say that such an exhibition of art, taste and decorative skill and variety in the many new and original costumes worn, that mingled together blending in an ever changing kaleidoscopic galaxy, has rarely been witnessed in Revelstoke."

The music was supplied by Revelstoke's Independent Band, led by Richard Sawyer, and the Revelstoke Symphony Orchestra , dressed as pierrots, also provided several dance numbers.

Costumes were judged by all of the participants, and the winners were as follows:
Best Lady - Mrs. C. Holten, dressed as "Egypt". Prize: a garnet and gold sunburst brooch.
Best Gentleman - Mr. E.S. Butler, dressed as "Viking Chief". Prize: Briar pipe.
Best Comic - Guy Barber, dressed as "Babe". Prize: Silver Mounted Clock. (This is a little bit funny, as he was the local jeweller, and sold clocks in his store!)
Special - Mrs. T. Lawrence, dressed as "No. 1 Fire Brigade". (I'd love to have seen that costume!) Prize: Pair of Tiffany Glass Vases.

From the CPR Accident Files

In the archives, we have about 40 file boxes full of Canadian Pacific Railway Accident Reports from the Revelstoke Division from 1909 to 1935. Every single accident had to be reported, even if someone got a boo-boo on their finger, so there are hundreds of reports about minor accidents as well as a smaller percentage of major accidents, including fatalities. The March 4th, 1910 Rogers Pass Snowslide was the largest loss of life in any accident on the Revelstoke Division, with 58 men killed. The file for that event alone comprises about 600 pages of letters, memos, invoices and telegrams.

At tomorrow's Brown Bag History talk, I will be sharing some of the stories from the files. Obviously, there were some terrible tragedies. In 1919, two brakemen were knocked off the top of a train by a derrick on a spur line to the sawmill. One of the men, Thomas Ernest Root, died of a fractured skull, and the other, William Clay, survived, but died nine years later in an engine boiler explosion at Glacier. The story was very tragic, but there was one item in the file that made me smile. When Thomas MacNabb, Superintendent at Revelstoke sent a memo to Mr. Cotterell, the Assistant General Manager of CPR at Vancouver, the agent who sent it left out a crucial period. This incorrect punctuation caused Mr. Cotterell to call the local office for clarification, and he was so annoyed that he asked the local superintendent to discipline the agent who sent the memo. The unfortunate man was given two demerit marks for "using incorrect punctuation and altering the meaning of a memo."

Riding on the Cowcatcher

Last Friday, we had a party at the museum to mark the end of our year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Revelstoke Museum & Archives Association. Close to 80 people came out to enjoy refreshments, see our new panel on the history of the museum and take part in a challenging scavenger hunt. We were pleased to present 13 of our long-standing volunteers with certificates and Williamson's Lake posters to thank them for their many years of outstanding service.

During the evening, I told a story regarding Sir John A. Macdonald and Lady Macdonald's trip across the newly-built Canadian Pacific Railway in 1886. They arrived in Donald, B.C. (just this side of Golden) in July 22, 1886. Their visit was described by Elsie Spragge, a journalist and wife of Arthur Godfrey Molson Spragge, a lawyer who was establishing his practice in Donald and Golden. This account was written by Elsie Spragge in her book, “From Ontario to the Pacific by CPR” published in 1887.

“They arrived by special train at two o’clock, Lady Macdonald creating an immense sensation, as the engine drew near the crowded platform, by her occupancy of a well-cushioned seat immediately above the cow-catcher; she had made the whole trip from the summit down the Kicking House Pass on this commanding post of observation, and subsequently continued her journey to Port Moody without any change of base (they not travelling by night), a feat which will doubtless become historical. Sir John and Lady Macdonald spent only half an hour at the station, just long enough to receive a handsomely engrossed address presented by Judge Vowell, Stipendiary Magistrate and Gold Commissioner of the Kootenay District, on behalf of the residents of Donald." The cowcatcher was the metal grille or frame projecting from the front of a locomotive which served to clear the track of obstructions.

Elsie and Arthur Spragge later settled in Revelstoke, where Arthur continued to practice law. His law office was at the back of the Molson's Bank building, at the corner of Mackenzie Avenue and First Street. In June of 1898, Arthur Spragge went missing, and when it was discovered that he had retreived his gun from the provincial constable and had been last seen near the river bank, it was assumed that he had committed suicide. His body was not found until September of that year. In the meantime, Elsie Spragge moved to Toronto, and later to Banff, where she continued to make a name for herself as a journalist.

Remembering Revelstoke's Fallen Soldiers

On May 23, 1917, the Women’s Canadian Club planted several maple trees on the courthouse grounds as a living memorial to all of the men who were serving overseas and those who had already paid the supreme sacrifice. After the war ended on November 11, 1918, the Women’s Canadian Club decided that they would create an honor roll for the approximately 100 war casualties from Revelstoke and the surrounding area. The Club started a fundraising campaign, and on September 20, 1919, Edward, Prince of Wales officially unveiled the plaque on the Revelstoke Court House.

According to the Revelstoke Review of September 25, 1919, “The Prince was surprised at the large number of names recorded, and while he regretted so many noble lives had been thus sacrificed, he said he was proud of this patriotism and loyalty.”

By 1922, Revelstoke had a branch of the Great War Veterans’ Association, the organization that later became the Royal Canadian Legion. The War Memorial Committee of the GWVA felt that there should be a permanent cenotaph in the city, and they set about raising funds for the project. The original plan was to place the courthouse plaque on the cenotaph, but it was decided that a new plaque would be made, as the courthouse one contained some errors.

There was some controversy regarding the building of the cenotaph. Some people felt that the memorial at the court house was sufficient, and that the Great War Veterans Association should instead fundraise for a public facility such as a library or a children’s playground. The project did have a lot of local support, however, and many organizations and individuals contributed to the cost. The War Committee also raised funds through a benefit play and by running a refreshment stand at the Ski Festival. The total cost for the Cenotaph project was $3,370, including $2,600 for the cenotaph itself and $475 for the bronze tablet. The Monument was made of white hammered granite by the B.C. Monumental Works of New Westminster, and the bronze tablet was made by O.B. Allan, Jeweler of Vancouver. The tablet listed the names of 92 men from Revelstoke and Arrowhead who had died during the war.

The new cenotaph was unveiled on September 2, 1923 by Brigadier General Victor W. Odlum. After World War II, another memorial tablet was added with the names of 32 men who died during that conflict. Another plaque was added after the Korean War, although there were no Revelstoke casualties from that conflict.

Arrowhead

The Brown Bag History talk this week was on Arrowhead, and 25 people showed up to hear the talk! Some of the people who came had grown up or gone to school in Arrowhead, so they were able to contribute their own stories.

Arrowhead was a small community south of Revelstoke, where the Columbia River widens into the Upper Arrow Lake. It was established in 1895, when the Canadian Pacific Railway built a branch line to that point from Revelstoke. From Arrowhead, there was steamboat traffic south to West Robson, near present-day Castlegar. The town developed quickly, with several hotels and stores popping up along Front Street. Two large mills were established there, and by 1911 the population was close to 500. The community had a school, two churches and a hospital, as well as a community hall.

On July 1, Dominion Day, in 1906, Arrowhead had a big celebration, and a photograph of Front Street shows it decorated for the event. Twelve days later, a fire broke out in one of the stores on Front Street, and within a few short hours, much of the business street was gone. The community had a water system, but no hydrants, and the hoses of the SS Minto and the two mills could not reach as far as the fire. The townspeople were forced to use a bucket brigade against the fire, and to try to salvage as much stock and furniture as they could from the buildings.

By the 1960s, there were less than 100 people living in Revelstoke, and with the opening of the Hugh Keenleyside Dam at Revelstoke, the remaining residents were bought out and forced to leave. The last remaining building was the old school house, located above the high water line, which was used as a church camp until it too was removed several years ago. The Arrowhead cemetery also remains, and in the museum we have a list of the burials there.

People who lived in Arrowhead have many fond memories of their days there. They describe it as a friendly community, where everyone knew each other and helped each other out. To hear more about people's memories of their lives in Arrowhead, we are starting a series called "Memories." Our first session, on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 7:00 pm, will focus on Memories of Arrowhead, and will give people who lived, worked or went to school there a chance to share their stories. Other "Memories" sessions will feature Sidmouth, Mount Cartier, and other outlying communities, as well as a session during Heritage Week in February 2010 to share stories about participating in sports in Revelstoke and the surrounding area. Watch for more details on these coming events.