Turning Back the Pages

It is that time of the year when everyone is looking back over the previous year to help remember the many things that happen. Most years the Golden Star does the Year in Review. I wanted to take it a bit further back, so here is the year in review from the Golden Era (name was later changed to the Golden Star) from 110 years ago.

Friday, January 10, 1902.

Golden is growing. Her progress is slow but sure. The volume of business shows a marked increase, and there is good ground for believing the current year will be the best in her history. We are placing before our readers this week a general review of the business of the year 1901 and a perusal of it ought to put blue-ruin critics out of business.

Improvements - During the past twelve months there have been considerable additions made to the business and residential portions of the town, the following buildings and improvements having been made:

- Imperial Bank and manager’s residence.

- Public School

- Queen’s Hotel - new story added, remodeled interior, new front.

- Hospital - isolation ward, new plastering, chimney, furnace and windmill.

- J.F. Deacon - confectionery store and bakery.

- F.M. Barrett - harness and shoe maker.

Residences were erected for the following:

- Messrs. Robbins, Patmore, Harrison, RF. Miller, Woodland, King, Mills, Olafson.

Vaults were put in for the Columbia River Lumber Co. and the Court House.

A large number of citizens made extensive improvements to their property in the way of fencing and, interior finishing all of which go to show the confidence our residents have in the town.

The Imperial Bank moved into new quarters on Monday of this week and the change was a welcome one to Manager Gibb and his staff. The offices are 30 X 30 feet, with high ceilings, and are fitted with fine oak bank counters and desks furnished by the Preston Office Furniture Company. The vault doors are from Goldie & McCullough, the noted safe makers of Galt, Ont., and in the vault is a beautiful specimen of the safe maker’s art, an aluminum finished burglar proof safe, with three steel compartments, the door of which is controlled by triple time locks. The managers’ residence, which occupies the remainder of the building, is arranged to splendid advantage and reflects great credit on the architect, who, in this case, is Mr. Gibb himself. The paper hanging has been done in good style and the artistic effect of Mr. Gibb’s selection of wall paper strikes one immediately upon entering the hall. The whole building is heated by a McClary coal furnace, and is supplied with all modem conveniences. All the work on the building was done by Revelstoke men, the contract being given to Mr. F. Kereghan of that town by the townsite company, who constructed the building.

Mining - Near the Big Bend of the Columbia about 60 miles northwest of Donald and five or six miles west of the river, a fine quality of amber mica had been found and some 26 claims located.

A cargo of this mica was brought into Golden by pack train, and will be shipped to market. A high price is expected, as quality is said to be exceptionally good and the blocks of large size.

An examination of the records of the mining recorder show that 102 mineral claims were recorded during 1901.

The Lumber Company - This past year has been a busy one for the Columbia River Lumber Co. Limited, whose headquarters are at Golden. This company is the largest holder of standing timber in British Columbia and carries on the largest lumber business in the interior, owning and operating mills at Golden, Beaver, Kualt and Notch Hill, and handling the output of Reilly & Co’s. Mill at Ottertail. This industry is an important one for Golden, as besides the large payroll of the mill here, which saws summer and winter, the logging operations for the company’s largest mill at Beaver are carried on close to the town, and all these men, as well as river driving gangs, make their headquarters here. The company’s total cut for the past season was about 25,000,000 feet b.m., 10,000,000 feet of which was contributed by the Golden mill, which was started on the 26th day of December 1900, and with the exception of 11 days at the end of March, while waiting for the river to open up, sawed continuously until the 7th of December, 1901.