55 years ago (1960):
With a provincial election looming, candidates including Conservative Gordon Rad; CCF Beverley Harris, Liberal Herbert Blakley and Social Credit R.O. Newton met for a debate in Invermere. Topics covered in the debate included the proposed Mica Dam on the Columbia River and the prospect of mandatory automobile insurance.
50 years ago (1965):
An Echo story touting the benefits of the Canada Pension Plan appeared in the paper. The story detailed how 45-year-old Invermere farmer Thor Anderson could expect a monthly pension of $83.33 upon retirement at age 65, if he continued to make his current annual income of $4,000 for the following 20 years.
45 years ago (1970):
Invermere boy Stanley Stark climbed to the summit of Mt. Farmham for his 10th birthday, with the help of his dad, former Alpine guide Frank Stark. Frank had first climbed the mountain in 1958, and found a note left by Conrad Kain.
40 years ago (1975):
Arena committee members meet with Kamloops-based Rempel Construction to discuss the building of the new Invermere area. The arena was to be 120 feet (36 metres) wide and 240 feet (72 metres) long with bleacher seating for 500 people.
30 years ago (1985):
Kootenay National Park employees gathered in a protest rally at the Radium Hot Springs community hall, voicing their opposition to the proposed privatization of the Radium Hot Springs pools. The protest drew 30 upset Parks Canada staff.
20 years ago (1995):
The Columbia Valley RCMP detachment announced that it would be moving its headquarters from Invermere’s main street (7th Avenue) to the Crossroads. Construction on the new Crossroads RCMP headquarters was set to start that year (1995) and finish by 1997. The old RCMP headquarters had since been repurposed into the current Invermere Public Library. The library kept one of the old cells used by the RCMP in the building.
15 years ago (2000):
The third annual Mountain Music and Arts Festival was held at the base of the Fairmont Hot Springs ski hill. The event drew 800 people who enjoyed various musical acts, including headline band Spirit of the West
10 years ago (2005):
A hike in gas prices had The Valley Echo running a front page story about the possible effects on the valley’s tourism industry, but those interviewed said the price increase was minor and they expected no change in business. The average cost of gas for a round-trip drive to the valley from Calgary was estimated at $50.