Dateline
January 2, 1958
The Christmas season of 1957 has been one of the brightest and most colorful for residents of the Slocan Valley, who have electric power since this fall for the first time.
Turkeys and mince pies have been cooked in new electric stoves, instead of wood and coal ranges. Homes are bright with the glow of trees glistening with reds and blues, greens and golds of bubble or star lights.
Last year the West Kootenay Power and Light Company took power up the Slocan Valley from its Kootenay River plants.
Dateline
January 4, 1958
The Vancouver Province says a delegation of Sons of Freedom Doukhobors will shortly visit Russia to choose a site there for relocation of the turbulent 2,500 member sect.
Russian Ambassador Dmitri Chuvahin confirmed that the sect has been offered three or four sites to choose from. The Secretary of the Freedomite sect said that the proposed move would fulfill a prophecy, made when Doukhobors left Russia in 1899, which predicted they would return in 40 years. He said the fulfillment has been delayed but remains the main reason for the return.
Detention of 100 Freedomite children at a dormitory school in New Denver is “a contributing factor.”
Dateline
January 7, 1958
City council, in its inaugural meeting last night, voted unanimously to advise the developers that the new council looked “in favor” on a proposed $2 million office-tower-hotel project, and to assure them council would go ahead with the sale of city properties as per previous terms.
A bylaw had been passed by the previous council to sell seven Vernon Street properties for $7,000, and one was yet to be drawn up for a $4,000 sale of other city-owned properties. City council last year agreed to rent City Hall space in the proposed building on a 20-year lease.
The lease covers rental of 8,000 square feet of space at $25,000 per year.
Dateline
January 13, 1958
City Police are working in conjunction with RCMP in an all-out attempt to find the persons responsible for planting bombs in theatres in Nelson, Castlegar and Trail.
One of the bombs was found early Saturday morning in the Civic Theatre in Nelson under a seat in the back row in the northwest corner. The foot-square parcel contained an oatmeal box which held a one-quart oil can. Inside the can were five sticks of dynamite. Police were unable to say whether the four-foot fuse attached to the dynamite through a hole in the can had been lit, but a brown stain on the end indicated a charred section might have been dislodged when the bomb was discovered.
Bombs found in the Castlegar and Trail theatres were similar to the one at Nelson. An RCMP officer said police are following “all lines of investigation, including Sons of Freedom.”
Dateline
January 27, 1958
Amazement at work done by members of Silver King Ski Club Society, now erecting Nelson’s Centennial ski lift, was voiced by Mayor T.S. Shorthouse.
Council members were taken on a tour of the hill with the work that volunteers were doing to the various towers pointed out. Finishing touches were being put on stringing two and one-half tons of cable to which t-bars for the large tow will be attached. Before the trip, the party inspected a motor, huge drive gears and structure at Stevenson’s machine shop.
General consensus was that the whole community imagination could be fired if more people could make the trip to the top of the clearing. Visitors were enthralled with the view of the city and bridge.