July 2004 – 10 years ago
Wildfire arson starts three fires in EK
Elk Valley – Three wildfires the Southeast Fire Centre actioned last week are suspected to have been started by arson. One was set in the rest stop near Elko.
Fire Information Officer Carolyn Mitchell said officials “have found enough information that leads them to believe it is arson.
July 1989 – 25 years ago
5 campsites closed following bear attack
Five forestry camps have been closed following a bear attack late Monday night at Rock Creek Campground three miles east of Jaffray.
A 10-year old girl was mauled in the leg by a grizzly while sleeping in a tent at the site.
The 10-year old had heard the bear outside and had covered the mouth of her younger sister until the bear went away. When they began to shout for their parents, the bear returned and began attacking the tent. The girl sustained only minor injuries.
July 1964 – 50 years ago
Gopher poison set in Farming Areas
Farmers of the Fernie and South Country areas will likely find their gopher problem a bit lighter this year. Brian Clapp, rodent control officer with the Fish and Game Branch of the Department of Recreation and Conservation has been hard at work during the past number of weeks distributing poisoned oats in the gopher-infested areas.
The service is sponsored by the provincial government and is provided free of charge to farmers and ranchers.
July 1939 – 75 years ago
Burglars who raided the Haddon Hotel beer parlor between 6 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. Monday dragged a heavy safe containing $260 from the building. The burglary was discovered by Wong Wing, janitor, as he arrived at 3:30 to clean up. The safe, which had been strapped to the floor, was about two feet square. The burglars also took about $40 worth of cigarettes and a box of cigars.
July 1914 – 100 years ago
While Chief McDougall and Neil McCallum were refilling batteries from a 30-gallon carboy of sulphuric acid in the basement of the firehall on Monday afternoon, the container burst, or rather melted to pieces, and the fiery liquid splashed about like so much molten lava from Vesuvius. The Chief “gev wan lep” and landed in a bucket of water with both feet. It was a fairly commodious bucket. His boots and the cuffs of his trousers were burned off but his feet were left.
Neil was wearing a pair of rubber boots, which probably accounts for the fact that he is now studying catalogues of artificial limbs.