20 YEARS AGO (2001): Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School students Rachael Fouchier and Paul Dixon voiced safety concerns about the tunnel that runs under Highway 97. Dixon described the dark, dingy and frequently damp and muddy tunnel as a little piece of New York City in 100 Mile House. Over half of the 667 students of PSO used the graffiti-covered tunnel at least twice a day. The two proposed making the tunnel safer and cleaner by covering the graffiti with student-made murals and that better drainage be installed to keep the tunnel dry.
15 YEARS AGO (2006): Bungled map reading resulted in the Lone Butte ending up in private hands. The landmark that gives Lone Butte its name, an old volcanic plug, had been in the hands of a logging company until residents petitioned the government to buy the land and turn it into public parkland. In 2000, then-Cariboo MLA David Zirnhelt announced a land swap that ensured the rock belonged to the community. In 2004, however, a property owner realized he actually owned the rock. Officials were still trying to rectify the mistake in 2006.
10 YEARS AGO (2011): Yet another historic Cariboo landmark was lost to fire when Clancy’s restaurant in Lac la Hache burned to the ground. An early warning smoke detector allowed the sole occupant of the building to escape, then-Lac la Hache Volunteer Fire Department deputy fire chief Roger Hollander said. Unfortunately, the building was lost and a nearby Telus cable was also destroyed, shutting off service for 3,300 customers across the region. The blaze took 12 hours to fully extinguish. Owners Angela and James Dolan vowed to rebuild the restaurant.
5 YEARS AGO (2016): The 100 Mile House Wranglers fought hard to seize gold at the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Cheered on by 150 hometown fans who travelled to Esquimalt for the big game, the Wranglers beat the Victoria Cougars 5-4 after bouncing back from a deficit. The Wranglers did so with their usual brash, grind-the-opponent-down attitude which ultimately paid off, crowning the team the provincial Junior B champions. “I might write the script, but it’s the boys who make it exciting,” Wrangler’s coach Dale Hladun said.
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