50 Years Ago: Windermere’s Christmas Tree harvest experienced a setback due to an attack of needle miners — tiny caterpillars which feed inside pine needles. A number of local cutters had all or a large portion of their cut refused. It was the first serious infestation since 1954.

45 Years Ago: Two community planners were at the Windermere Chamber of Commerce to discuss the valley’s “tremendous” potential for local tourism. David McDonald and  Alfred Miller urged local governments to secure park lands and shorelines and get planning committees in place to pave the way for a year-round tourist boom.

40 years ago: Residents of Radium Hot Springs and communities to its north learned they would soon gain access to CBC TV. New translators were to be  installed near Radium and Spillimacheen, with service expected to begin in October of 1972. The new translators were also expected to boost the CBC’s signal in the Golden area.

35 Years Ago: The Radium hot pool closed for 12 days of major repairs. Visitors to the village were still able to enjoy its signature springs, however, as the hot water was pumped into the cold pool for the duration of the work.

32 Years Ago: Major renovations were underway at the Fairmont Ski Resort. The changes cost $1.6 million and included the construction of a new 5,000 square foot day lodge, a triple chair lift able to handle 1,800 skiers per hour and lighting systems for two runs of night skiing.

25 Years Ago: Campaigns for B.C.’s provincial election were drawing to a close, as the race entered its final week. In the Columbia River riding Social Credit candidate Duane Crandall, NDPer Ralph Jones and Liberal Betty Aitchinson were focusing on door-to-door campaigning, and an all-candidate’s forum was planned for the following Sunday.

20 Years Ago: Jessie’s Restaurant in Radium Hot Springs was gutted by fire. Members of the Radium fire department were alerted to the blaze by a passing motorist at around 2 a.m. The cause of the fire had yet to be determined, and firefighters were planning a walkthrough of the building to asses the damage.

15 Years Ago: A new Calgary-based flight company announced its plans to begin service between the city and Fairmont sometime in the next year. Corporate EXPRESS Business and Charter Service said the proposed flights would leave for Friday, and return to Calgary on Sundays.

10 Years Ago: A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opened the new Invermere Public Library. The library’s move from a basement on 7th Avenue had taken a year to pull together.

Five Years Ago: The David Thompson Secondary School senior boys soccer team was headed to the East Kootenay championships after going undefeated for 14 games.