If you have ever visited the Arrow Lakes Historical Society (ALHS) you'll notice that, below our fabulous model sternwheeler collection, there are bookcases full of brightly-coloured binders. These binders include information on 31 categories totalling over 500 binders. So why do these binders exist? This brilliant system was created years ago by Milton and Rosemarie Parent to organize newspaper clippings, photos and other archival content for research purposes. (In fact, this system is so unique to our archives that former Archivist, Kyle Kusch, wrote his master's thesis on it!) You may have benefited from this system without knowing it! Almost any research request starts in the binders.
BC Heritage Week’s (February 17-23) 2025 theme is Pastimes in Past Times, or how did people of the past spend their free time? We can find answers to this question by searching through the binders beginning with the category churches. We find there were at least five active churches in early Nakusp. Usually the first priority was to get the church built and this work fell to the parishioners.
Next, clubs. At one time there were over 50 clubs and organizations in Nakusp including service clubs, health and social, even clubs supporting the war effort. We discovered that one year the local Red Cross women processed 1,840 pounds of jam to be sent to England! The youth were not overlooked with Scouting & Guiding, Cadets, and Teen Town. Clubs-organized activities included dances, whist drives, bazaars and parades. Picnics and teas were and still are very popular. In fact, our Seniors still hold an annual picnic. Many clubs provided riveting entertainment for the community. The Drama Club, for instance, often held performances in the Old Opera House. Choirs were common and performed at many events. Many parents stayed up late sewing costumes for school and church concerts. An appreciative audience was always happy to be entertained by local bands.
Moving on to the sports category, everything from chess or checker tournaments, skating, skiing, hockey, baseball, logger sports and more can be found here. Many locals continue the family tradition of playing the same sports their great-great-grandparents did – you’ll often recognize some familiar family names in these binders!
So, what was the common denominator when it came to local pastimes? The simple answer is easy, people volunteered. Thousands of hours were selflessly donated when partaking in the activities previously mentioned, visiting shut-ins to spending time at meetings and serving on committees. The endeavours undertaken are astounding and Nakusp would be a very different place without volunteers.
History continues. News items are regularly added to the binders. Kyle found time while completing his degree to peruse on-line newspapers from all over the world scouring for items related to Nakusp and surrounding communities. His findings came to the archives via email and about 1,000 pages arrived! We now have thousands of items needing to be clipped and filed. Our community has been fortunate to have a lively group of newspaper clippers who diligently maintain and update these binders. If you are interested in a relaxing pastime and learning local history, but don't have much time to spare, our newspaper clipping group is a fun way to get involved! Hours are flexible. Please pop by the archives Tuesday or Thursday any time 10-12 and 1-3. Contact us at 250-265-0110 or alhs1234@telus.net to learn more.
