THE FIFTIES
Our parents were buying these when
we were a few years old.
Imagine.......
waking up to music.
1950
Out with '78's In with
LP's
Korean War
McCarthyism adversly affects 1000's of innocent US residents.
Like a mystery?
In Feb 1950 the US had its first (of
60) 'broken arrows' (lost nuclear weapons). While in flight from
Alaska to Texas a B36 bomber (the largest in the world... 6 props
mounted on the wings backwards... called the Peacemaker) carrying
a nuclear warhead (larger than those dropped on Japan) crashed
near Smithers/Terrace BC. All but one of the crew bailed out before
the crash and the wreckage wasn't descovered until 1954 while
seaching for another lost plane. NO NUCLEAR WARHEAD WAS FOUND.
There has been a Canadian produced special on the 'Discovery Channel'
attempting piece together many of the curious bits of (mis)information
and a few theories were suggested. One suggestion....... the bomb
was detonated in the waters off the coast of BC.
for more info go to:
http://www.abxzone.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-83916.html
OR
http://www.oliviacheng.com/articles/nuke.html
OR
do a Google search for 'lost B36'
1951
Rosemary Clooney releases
This Old House & Half As Much
Heather Lodge
... closed after operating as lodge & restaurant for over
10 years.
Built by locals Craig Rutherford & Don McCrae.
I remember my folks talking about spending their honeymoon there.
1952
Olympics in Helsinki
Christine Jorgenson's sex change
School located down south near 12 mile
ferry.
Selkirk School
located on the 300 block between 6th & 7th
1953
3D Movies
Cinemascope
End of Korean War
Hillary conquers Everest
Queen Elizabeth crowned
This is one of my earliest photos.
It was taken in the summer of 1953 just before I turned 4.
Most Revelstokians will remember the "oil pond", south
of the CPR tracks about 200' east of 4th.
Unless you lived nearby you probably never witnessed this spectacular
blaze.
It would probably make national news today!
Anyone who did live in this area of town can remember animals
getting stuck in the tar and often dying or
being carried home by us kids in hopes of saving them. But mostly
it was a place to throw rocks (only the huge
bolders would sink, slowly) and get REALLY dirty. We learned butter
worked well to remove the tar from our hands.
Apparently the oil/tar was waste from CPR Steam Locomotives and
was dumped into the ravine for years.
You can see a fire hose spray on the left and part of the black
pond on the right.
There is nothing left of it today; probably buried.
"Campbells Hill" is hidden from view behind the smoke.
No highway along the mountain then....
Also just behind the smoke was "the corral" where livestock
was loaded onto the trains
and where we played, of course. Exploring a Caboose was always
a huge thrill.
There was talk of some kids (from a different neighbourhood, wink)
innocently sliding shut
the door of a box car while a hobo was sleeping inside. Much to
their horror, the train
headed up thru "the pass" a short time after. This
was just talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (
I think )
1954
1st Kidney transplant
Huge dam planned on the Big Bend Highway
Bannister breaks 4 minute mile
Revelstoke Court House and Jail.
1955
Disneyland opens
James Dean killed in car crash
Coonskin caps
USSR tests H bomb
Birth of Rock & Roll
Graduation Day at kindergarten.
A far as I know there were only 2 kindergartens back home;
Catherine & I were among those who attended the one at the
old Catholic Church.
United Church Kindergarten class.
Recognize a few faces ? .... Kelly, Shelagh, Meredith, Margaret...
thanx Chelan :-)
Not as many fellas
here.
Interesting.... then it was a church function but today the state
has taken it over.
This was given to me by a coworker who happened to be travelling
thru Revelstoke with her family in 1956.
They were on their way to the Calgary Stampede from Prince Rupert
& of course drove the Big Bend Highway.
June of 1955 was when
Revelstoke lost many of her Horse Chestnut trees along
MacKenzie Avenue. The next morning, after the wind storm, we went
out picture taking.
The location of the top one is obvious but the bottom is a bit
more elusive.
This is "the old Ministers" house at MacKenzie and 6th.
1956
The last time Ringling
Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus perforrned under a tent....
...remember when was it in Revelstoke? (out in the Big Eddy)
Certs arrived !
"You'll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your
teeth with Pepsodent" introduced.
Plans unveiled for a new school on 1st Street in lower town.
Elivis on appears on Ed Sullivan
Peyton Place
Remember the "Maggie
Muggins Show" on CBC? I
don't !
This is a mid 50's photo. Revelstoke had cablevision by the winter
of 1957.
The only other station on the dial was KXLY from Spokane
(remember Sky King or Twilight Zone?).
The only place to get a TV was from
Rays Radio store located on 1st Street across from Mac & Mac.
This was the same store we bought the latest 45's for 99 cents
(+5% pst) a few years later.
One of my first was "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door" in
1961...
ouch, that does challenge the worn memory cells, please pass the
Ginkgo Biloba.
The lawn bowling green
was officially opened in the spring of 1950.
I can remember visiting my Grandparents home
(behind the Civic Center & across from "the castle")
and walking down to watch Lawn
Bowling.
Later a tennis court was built next to the bowling green.
One thing that seems to remain with me is quietness during a game;
there was very little talking and of course the balls on the grass
made no noise...
it was like visiting the library (remember where that was?).
My first memory of a library was upstairs in the City Hall.
I'd really like to think that's 'the cave' up
in the corner but it seems to me it was located
directly in line with MacKenzie Avenue. Considering the angle
of this shot, it could be.
1957
Earth's 1st artificial
satellite, Sputnick is launched by Russia.
Tang flavor crystals marketed.
Sputnick II, carrying a dog is launched .
Princess Margaret rides the rails thru Revelstoke.
Hulla Hoop is introduced
Fraser W, Ricky D, Gary C, David H,
Alvin F, Tommy C, ?
Jimmy H, ?, Danny F, Teddy A, ?, Pat H
Donna G, Diane K, Fraser Mc, Moi, Bill H, Val S, Val Mc, Miss
Mauser
Cheryl C, Francis B, Kelly R, Patti E, Yvette G, Sandra B, Susan
B, Ann C
Michael L, Dennis D, Catherine D, Barb C, Jane C, Geoffrey T,
Bob D
at Selkirk School
Netscape users can right click to view
pictures a bit larger. (or put your glasses on, hehe)
Submit
missing names here
I find this picture absolutely incredible. Here we
are eager to learn,
willing to accept all that was offered. Real childhood
innocence. Such friends!
Would love to get my hands on a 'Look and See' book
or was it 'Dick and Jane'
or 'Spot and Puff'
or 'Think and Do' ?
Look what showed up in an email.........
Apparently there were a few of these in the series. Stirring up
any memories?
I can almost remember the new smell of the books.
When I 1st saw the 'Work' picture, I remembered little wooden
wheelbarrows Dad made for us.
As always, place cursor over pictures for credits and comments
Thanks Barb!
Another surprise!
Here's the original, the first book we were presented with.
It was lent to me by a coworker & friend. I found some
of the pages wondrously familiar;
ie... Dick playing in the wicker basket of leaves, Spot running
from the frog under the bush, Puff popping the ballon.
Thanks Gilda!
Also reminded me of new boxes of crayons, pink pearl erasers,
new school clothes, and feeling a little more grown up.
We used smelly india ink with the pens & nibs and blotters,
then for a while, fountain pens... every desk had an ink well.
Finally the newer Biro became acceptable... the school supplied
us with those long curvey 'BIC' ball point pens.
The following memories.... compliments
of Lawren G.
Since our house was right across from the Court House I was privy
to the mass migration of these small critters as they swarmed
from their little underground tunnels on the two large Court House
lawns (the north one is a parking lot now).
Curiously, June Bugs actually swarmed in late May and were pretty
much on their way by the time June rolled around.
They remain, for me, one of the quintessential seasonal markers
- June bugs, meant summer had arrived.
Yes, we had large mason jars full of 'em - replete with the appropriate
amount of tall
grass stuck in for 'forage' and a climbing area. A proverbial
June Bug Jungle-Gym.
Other than their bugginess these guys (and gals) are really a
beautiful insect. They're about 3/4 of an inch long and are a
gloriously "shellacked-looking" mid brown color. They
have the appropriate grabby-hooky parts on their boney legs and
need quite a tug to get them off of your finger and into the jar
if they choose to hold on. They have the typical beetle head,
feelers and mandibles; but can't really bite. Protected under
a hard pair of wing covers are the most delicate, translucent,
brown flying wings which unfold and, after a momentary 'bbbvvvvrrrrrrRRRR'
, will slowly lift them off. Occasionally, after landing, these
small wings - improperly retracted - will stick out from under
the protective covers imparting a 'bad-hair-day" look to
M. Bugs normally pristine appearance. When on their backs, you
can see that the underside of their bodies are covered with the
most beautiful, well fur - for lack of a better word. (Placing
JB's on their back and watching their little legs wiggle as they
squirmed and tried to right themselves was part of the whole scientific
investigation.) This seems to be an object lesson that all creatures
on the planet, including us, are a combination of gross ugliness
and profound beauty.
We did many horrible things to these small beings in the name
of developmental science. ( I use the inclusive "we"
to lighten the load of my personal digressions). We left our jars
of them in the sun; not intentionally - yet they expired all the
same. We tied a length of thread to one back ankle and then 'walked'
our pets as they flew ahead of us like crazy trying to escape
their maniacal captors. We tossed them onto the hot coals of the
campfire - I suppose simply because we could.
As a final insult, we 'whacked' them with tennis rackets, badminton
rackets and baseball bats - it didn't seem to matter at the time
as there were so many of them anyway. After all when you're eight,
you ARE the master of your universe.
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