In late summer 1922, a certain cohort of Trail residents banded together to plan the very first “old timers” event held in the City of Trail.
Calling themselves the Trail Old Timers’ Association, the event took place during the annual Fall Fair week, where local produce, livestock, and crafts competed for glory and prizes.
The old timers organized a lively parade down Bay Avenue, stretching what The Trail News measured a quarter of a mile.
Behind a large banner carried by Steve Butorac and Hans Gunstad reading “Features Emblematic of the Days 20 Years Ago” were association members depicting miners, prospectors, loggers, farmers, railway and smeltermen.
Floats including a postal and telephone display, a survey crew, an old press led by W.K. Esling, a Trail smelter entry, and a Gulch contingent, featuring Isaaco Georgetti and Camille Lauriente.
The firemen even performed lively hose reel run. Milkmen, brew masters, water deliverymen, and paperboys were all represented, exhibiting fashion, tools, and transportation of the day.
The parade was wrapped up with a series of automobiles and trucks packed with children, celebrating with the folks who helped build their city.
The event ended with a rowdy banquet at Swartz Hall situated on Bay at Helena, notoriously fueled by certain refreshments that “were never on speaking terms with the Eighteenth Amendment” (which enacted prohibition in the US in 1917).
The toasts were plentiful and deliberate, including tributes to the King, the prospector, the farmer, the railroader (delivered by none other than Selwyn Blaylock), the miner, and (noticeably absent from the commemoration), the ladies.
The paper listed 102 names of Trail residents living there for 20 years or more.
Included in the list are names that will be familiar to many, such as Merry, Binns, Forrest, Glover, Schofield, Wilmes, Ritchie, Bingay, Austad, Buckna, and Warren.
Still honoured today with street names, or living in the annals of city minutes in perpetuity as aldermen and businessmen, the event marked the first celebration of its kind in the city.
At only 21 years old officially (but over 30 years, technically), Trail was a burgeoning city with much to anticipate in the years to come.
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More Trail Blazers: Remembering a young man from Trail who went to war and never came home
