I have spent 18 years of my life in Kamloops, I've walked these streets a ton over that time, but it's so surreal to see what it was like back in the day, it's so interesting to get a glimpse into what it use to look like. Thank you very much for posting these.
This is fascinating! I've lived in Kamloops my whole life and it's so interesting to see the buildings that still exist but have been converted into other things now. Love it!
@@DamienRBC And yet there are still some landmarks that make it recognizable, buildings etc. I love that I can look back and see the way it was then and what it has become now.
Reid Motors brings back memories of when we moved to the Kamloops area in 1956 from San Bernardino, California. My father worked at Reid Motors and then at Tom McCall Pontiac when the dealership sold. It's now Zimmer Wheaton. We were on top of the Reid Motors building during the Royal tour in 1959 of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as they came down Victoria street. My dad filmed the Royal Couple as they drove down Victoria Street, and she waved to him as he was filming.
1:59 I forget the name of the motel, but it was located on Sunset Drive in Valleyview, which was an incorporated town until the 1973 amalgamation of all the outlying communities into the city of Kamloops.
@@adrianwapcaplet2773 It looks like it is at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church. The house beside it looks the same on Google street view as the one in this video.
Driving along at a leisurely pace on the open highway and look ! No frigging road signs every 10 feet like today ! ! Life was so peaceful. Great little clip and I remember it well.
Wow, great memories ... grew up in Kamloops, I was 10 years old at in 1958 but many of the scenes are still in my memory banks. Victoria Street in Kamloops with Paramount Theatre and the bowling alley next door, Capitol Theatre where I watched Bambi for the first time, the Plaza Hotel where I later worked for a short time as a bellhop/night clerk and on and on! Thanks so much for sharing!
When you drove by the old gas station at Similkameen falls was cool never saw what it looked like, and Towers motel and restaurant at Eastgate, my parents and I owned it as Gateway lodge from 1988 to 1996 then it was burnt down by the new owners.
0:19 to 0:22 The highway on the west end of Valleyview before the bypass was built in the early 70s - the off-ramp into downtown Kamloops was the old alignment of Hwy 1.
Wow, that shot of Victoria Street in Kamloops was amazing! That block between 4th and 5th has sure changed; I only recognized the Paramount and the Plaza as still looking pretty similar today (although the Plaza has been added to).
Thanks for posting. I recognize some of the buildings in Chilliwack. This is very good quality footage for the time. Most of Dad's slide photos aren't even this clear!
As someone who’s lived in Kamloops for my whole life ( 44yrs ) the Victoria street section was super interesting. I’m going to the Paramount Theatre this Friday , I knew it was old but had no idea it was around in the 50s.
Was really cool to see how much downtown has changed, and how much has stayed the same. Also cool that the airplanes in my profile picture (C-GKFG) was 6 years old when this was filmed and still with Continental airlines in the USA!
Absolutely that middle section is the Hope-Princeton. Just past the rocky bluff section is a Gas Station/Motel at the top of a hill. A little further down the hill is the motel part which, up until about 2-years ago, was still there. The gas station was torn down in the 1970's but the foundation is still there! Further along, we see sections of Manning Park.
Its hard to argue that it was possibly the best time to be alive just after the war in th 40s-60s. I know thye had problems, but life seemed simpler and slower. Not like today.
I did a lot of hiking/camping in this area in the mid-1970's. The only thing at this viewpoint by this time was an abandoned gas station and everything was overgrown with weeds. Driving by it looked deserted. During one camping trip my friend and I parked on the edge of the highway approx 1 km east of this viewpoint where we could easily get down to the river. We hiked along the river and eventually realized that it was going to get dark before we could get back to the car. We didn't have flashlights, proper gear or anything else - it was all in the car. Not wanting to get stranded in a narrow canyon overnight we decided to try and climb the cliff up to the highway. The cliff was almost vertical but we were young and invincible. We eventually made it to the top just as it was getting dark. We scrambled up the last few yards and as we crested the top we realized that we'd come up behind the old abandoned gas station. We looked back down over the edge and couldn't believe what we were seeing. We climbed that? We turned around in order to head out to the highway and then back to the car. There, about 20 feet away, between us and the highway, was a man holding a rifle. Behind him was a frightened looking woman holding a small child. We muttered some apologies and then carefully walked around them, and then out to the road. The man kept the rifle pointed at us the entire time and never said a word. We decided later that they must be living in one the buildings, but we didn't see a car or any other mode of transportation onsite. We laughed about it later but those were some tense.
I worked Manning Park, met a man who told me he was the guy behind Tower Ranch (hope Princeton hwy 3) and had since moved to Kelowna, hence, Tower Ranch area and golf course..
I remember the gas station on the hope princeton road...there are some water falls/rapids behind it that you can see from the east driving west as the road curves back before you get to the site. It was a dangerous station to get into and out of. There are a couple of small cabins on the right very shortly after the gas station site heading west.
I was hoping to see those cabins, that motel, still in action in this movie, but no luck. There are still bits and pieces of them left. As someone else here said, it’s really surprising how instantly recognizable the Hope Princeton still is - I didn’t start travelling it regularly for at least 20 years after this was shot and it’s very much the same.
1:24 The old Capitol Theatre on Seymour Street. My folks moved to Kamloops in the summer of 1958 and remembered that the Capitol was torn down shortly after.
The feedback is wonderful and very helpful, thank you everyone. If you enjoyed this drive, I have a few more - Vernon, Calgary/Frank slide/Blairmore, Washington State. Check the channel out.
I loved this. I drove the Hope-Princeton Highway many times in the 1950's and later, and it brings back memories. I can confirm that part of this clip is along the highway, including the Manning Park Resort. In Chilliwack, you were on the old highway, now Yale Road, as the freeway was not yet completed. Do you have any other clips of the Fraser Valley?
I think the only way to watch this kind of footage is to be there, then-as-now, when it’s all current technology and “life.” Then it produces a kind of time-travel feeling.
I wonder how popular were long roadtrips back then? I know in the 70's cross country road trips became popular however i feel it was more than just a niche market back in 58 for long distance travel. btw this footage is best viewed at 1.25, i feel it makes it more realistic
Hello. I'm Lydia Frederick from the local television in Kamloops. This is so interesting to see the town from a different perspective! Would you be interested in sharing those images with people from the community, through the local tv channel?
I live in Kamloops it's packed with street junkies now horrible!!! You can blame ask wellness for single handedly selling out our nice town to a junkie haven
LOL, yes, however a very expensive much larger, slightly more complicated version with one helluva a mount. Your average Arri or Paillard Bolex H16 camera needed a custom mount for in car use. They were available but expensive and took up a lot of space on the dash. This one is very stable which suggest a serious mount.
I have spent 18 years of my life in Kamloops, I've walked these streets a ton over that time, but it's so surreal to see what it was like back in the day, it's so interesting to get a glimpse into what it use to look like. Thank you very much for posting these.
Ahhh back in the day when life was more beautiful
very beautiful thank you!
Nice! A view from the hood of a '58 Lincoln!
I've lived in Kamloops my whole life. This was very cool! Thanks
This is fascinating! I've lived in Kamloops my whole life and it's so interesting to see the buildings that still exist but have been converted into other things now. Love it!
Yeah I lived in Kamloops basically my whole life, this looks so oddly different, its unbelievable
@@DamienRBC And yet there are still some landmarks that make it recognizable, buildings etc. I love that I can look back and see the way it was then and what it has become now.
@@sunflowr72 Yeah exactly, its beautiful to see progression, in anything.
When you asked if the road is the Hope/Princeton hwy , YES it is , its just east of manning park traveling west . Really nice old footage . Thankyou !
Awesome old footage
As a Kamloops resident this is amazing stuff, thanks!
Reid Motors brings back memories of when we moved to the Kamloops area in 1956 from San Bernardino, California. My father worked at Reid Motors and then at Tom McCall Pontiac when the dealership sold. It's now Zimmer Wheaton. We were on top of the Reid Motors building during the Royal tour in 1959 of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as they came down Victoria street. My dad filmed the Royal Couple as they drove down Victoria Street, and she waved to him as he was filming.
I loved watching this! I especially liked the man and his dog at the motel. My dad always directs traffic in his driveway like that too. lol
Such a lovely Dash cam of the 50's when times were simpler , absolutely incredible as I remember .
Wow I was born in Chilliwack in 1958...it was already pretty old. back then. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! Such exciting footage of a vibrant growing Kamloops downtown core. Thank you for posting this!
Love the old videos thanks for posting
1:59 I forget the name of the motel, but it was located on Sunset Drive in Valleyview, which was an incorporated town until the 1973 amalgamation of all the outlying communities into the city of Kamloops.
That was my thought as well. The hills looked familiar because I've lived in Kamloops all my life.
The Kamloops city part us my favourite part, do you have anymore footage from downtown?
Agree - I believe it sits roughly in the same location that the Trans Canada Motel & Volkswagen dealership now occupy.
@@adrianwapcaplet2773 It looks like it is at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church. The house beside it looks the same on Google street view as the one in this video.
@@jeffjiegao hey, I said “roughly”…the church sits behind the dealership I mentioned.
Good eye, Jeff.
Driving along at a leisurely pace on the open highway and look ! No frigging road signs every 10 feet like today ! ! Life was so peaceful. Great little clip and I remember it well.
This is a trip.
Wow, great memories ... grew up in Kamloops, I was 10 years old at in 1958 but many of the scenes are still in my memory banks. Victoria Street in Kamloops with Paramount Theatre and the bowling alley next door, Capitol Theatre where I watched Bambi for the first time, the Plaza Hotel where I later worked for a short time as a bellhop/night clerk and on and on! Thanks so much for sharing!
Back in the Good Ole days..
When you drove by the old gas station at Similkameen falls was cool never saw what it looked like, and Towers motel and restaurant at Eastgate, my parents and I owned it as Gateway lodge from 1988 to 1996 then it was burnt down by the new owners.
Thanks for the time machine trip.
Wow a lot of the original buildings are still there
1:35 The old Valleyview Market along Hwy 1, later the longtime home of J. Walsh & Sons Plumbing & Heating.
Correct, remember that and there was a corner store just east of J. Walsh & Sons Plumbing & Heating.
Nice footage..ah hwy #3, our only functional hwy now!
Awesome video! Thanks
Francois, your work is truly invaluable! What an amazing job you've done putting this all together. Thank you for doing this.
Really loved the drive through downtown Kamloops. Interesting to see what has survived since then and what was there but now gone.
0:19 to 0:22 The highway on the west end of Valleyview before the bypass was built in the early 70s - the off-ramp into downtown Kamloops was the old alignment of Hwy 1.
Subscribed!!!!! From one TH-camr to another thank you!
I'd love to have that Lincoln they're filming from!
Amazing footage. I think I remember the yellow Music Centre sign on the right at 1:06
1:46 is valleyview (a suberb of kamloops) with the grocery store and residential homes.
5:35 looks like Manning Park then onwards to Hope, Chillywacky
Wow, that shot of Victoria Street in Kamloops was amazing! That block between 4th and 5th has sure changed; I only recognized the Paramount and the Plaza as still looking pretty similar today (although the Plaza has been added to).
@4:53 - Tower Ranch Cafe and Motel Mile 52 on the Hope-Princeton Highway
omg seeing Highway 3 with no guardrails! I have been on that highway in the winter and seen semi trucks getting winched up. that's wild.
Thanks for posting. I recognize some of the buildings in Chilliwack. This is very good quality footage for the time. Most of Dad's slide photos aren't even this clear!
1:45 that motel is valleyview. That is the stretch leading towards the junction to vernon
Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
As someone who’s lived in Kamloops for my whole life ( 44yrs ) the Victoria street section was super interesting. I’m going to the Paramount Theatre this Friday , I knew it was old but had no idea it was around in the 50s.
Chilliwack is so beautiful even dated back then!
very cool!
Back in those days there was very little fuss in crossing the border.
Was really cool to see how much downtown has changed, and how much has stayed the same. Also cool that the airplanes in my profile picture (C-GKFG) was 6 years old when this was filmed and still with Continental airlines in the USA!
It's crazy how so much hasn't changed your still driving on 1950s rds
Absolutely that middle section is the Hope-Princeton. Just past the rocky bluff section is a Gas Station/Motel at the top of a hill. A little further down the hill is the motel part which, up until about 2-years ago, was still there. The gas station was torn down in the 1970's but the foundation is still there! Further along, we see sections of Manning Park.
TOWER RANCH
Situated at Mile 52 on the Hope-Princeton Highway
The the second highway is the Hope Princeton. I remember that gas station at the top of sharp winding section.
That motel looks like Hwy 1 at Spences Bridge with Hwy 8 traffic to and from Merritt on the other side of the river.
I worked on the Plaza hotels boilers for years .
At Roto- Rooter Plumbers we the primary boiler in the year 2000 .
Its hard to argue that it was possibly the best time to be alive just after the war in th 40s-60s. I know thye had problems, but life seemed simpler and slower. Not like today.
Yah..Start of the nineties we shld.have gone to war with our gov..That's when Democracy started Dying....
@@charsback it is nutcases like you that are destroying society.
At 4:40 is the 55 mile view point, The Falls Cafe / the Similkameen Falls Canyon
I did a lot of hiking/camping in this area in the mid-1970's. The only thing at this viewpoint by this time was an abandoned gas station and everything was overgrown with weeds. Driving by it looked deserted. During one camping trip my friend and I parked on the edge of the highway approx 1 km east of this viewpoint where we could easily get down to the river. We hiked along the river and eventually realized that it was going to get dark before we could get back to the car. We didn't have flashlights, proper gear or anything else - it was all in the car. Not wanting to get stranded in a narrow canyon overnight we decided to try and climb the cliff up to the highway. The cliff was almost vertical but we were young and invincible. We eventually made it to the top just as it was getting dark. We scrambled up the last few yards and as we crested the top we realized that we'd come up behind the old abandoned gas station. We looked back down over the edge and couldn't believe what we were seeing. We climbed that?
We turned around in order to head out to the highway and then back to the car. There, about 20 feet away, between us and the highway, was a man holding a rifle. Behind him was a frightened looking woman holding a small child. We muttered some apologies and then carefully walked around them, and then out to the road. The man kept the rifle pointed at us the entire time and never said a word. We decided later that they must be living in one the buildings, but we didn't see a car or any other mode of transportation onsite.
We laughed about it later but those were some tense.
moments.
Pretty decent dash mount for a 16mm camera. They were pretty heavy considering what we have these days.
I worked Manning Park, met a man who told me he was the guy behind Tower Ranch (hope Princeton hwy 3) and had since moved to Kelowna, hence, Tower Ranch area and golf course..
I remember the gas station on the hope princeton road...there are some water falls/rapids behind it that you can see from the east driving west as the road curves back before you get to the site. It was a dangerous station to get into and out of. There are a couple of small cabins on the right very shortly after the gas station site heading west.
it was called the Falls Cafe, stopped there many times, yes, getting in and out of there kept you on your toes
I was hoping to see those cabins, that motel, still in action in this movie, but no luck. There are still bits and pieces of them left. As someone else here said, it’s really surprising how instantly recognizable the Hope Princeton still is - I didn’t start travelling it regularly for at least 20 years after this was shot and it’s very much the same.
If I recall correctly the gas station burned down. Correct me if someone remembers it better.
1:24 The old Capitol Theatre on Seymour Street. My folks moved to Kamloops in the summer of 1958 and remembered that the Capitol was torn down shortly after.
The feedback is wonderful and very helpful, thank you everyone. If you enjoyed this drive, I have a few more - Vernon, Calgary/Frank slide/Blairmore, Washington State. Check the channel out.
What part of the video is chilliwack?Would be cool to see what parts of town looked like back then?
The hotels you are looking at are in Valleyview
holy crap they been crossing on solid lines in BC forever! lol
Wow the plaza Hotel still looks very much the same
I loved this. I drove the Hope-Princeton Highway many times in the 1950's and later, and it brings back memories. I can confirm that part of this clip is along the highway, including the Manning Park Resort. In Chilliwack, you were on the old highway, now Yale Road, as the freeway was not yet completed. Do you have any other clips of the Fraser Valley?
I think the only way to watch this kind of footage is to be there, then-as-now, when it’s all current technology and “life.” Then it produces a kind of time-travel feeling.
Hey , that guy has a dash cam in the 50's
The plaza Hotel in Kamloops still has the same sign to this day, not sure if it is in original condition though.
I wonder how popular were long roadtrips back then? I know in the 70's cross country road trips became popular however i feel it was more than just a niche market back in 58 for long distance travel. btw this footage is best viewed at 1.25, i feel it makes it more realistic
I see the heart building at 5 corner s Chilliwack it Burnt down in the 1980s
When automobiles were at their most beautiful........
It would answer so many questions if we could just download the geographic coordinates from the phone this was taken with :D LOL
Is that a Continental MK II that this was shot from if it is wow!!
My dad drove the Hope Princeton for Shell Oil. Two of his friends died going over. He soon quit after that incident.
Real cars, made with metal !
Definitely Hope Princeton travelling west.
Jesus it looks so different on victoria street except the hotel.
Downtown Chilliwack doesn't look that vibrant or busy anymore.
Hello. I'm Lydia Frederick from the local television in Kamloops. This is so interesting to see the town from a different perspective! Would you be interested in sharing those images with people from the community, through the local tv channel?
Lydia, I'd very interested. I'll contact you tomorrow. Cheers.
@@ReelLifeCanada Hello and sorry for the delayed response. Please e-mail me for more information Lydia.frederick@sjrb.ca
Hello, Lydia again from the local television 😊 Are you still interested in getting in touch?
Anything in spences bridge?
Looks like a European Car Club was out that day.
What amazes me is how much highway was built in a short time after world war two
Damn.
Did any one get pulled over by grandfather cpl demmon rcmp they called him hyway Hank back then out of Kamloops back then
Notice how Nobody speeds, cuts people off, no road rage...and today 2022, every one's an asshole 🙄
What I wouldn't give to wake up in this world over the shithole I'm in now.
pardon me that was 1964
I live in Kamloops it's packed with street junkies now horrible!!! You can blame ask wellness for single handedly selling out our nice town to a junkie haven
As someone who lived in Kamloops, I for one, am happy that the less fortunate have somewhere to go.
1950s dashcam
LOL, yes, however a very expensive much larger, slightly more complicated version with one helluva a mount. Your average Arri or Paillard Bolex H16 camera needed a custom mount for in car use. They were available but expensive and took up a lot of space on the dash. This one is very stable which suggest a serious mount.
@@ReelLifeCanada thank you for sharing your knowledge
I was born in Chilliwack in 1958 and now live in Kamloops. Thanks for the walk down memory lane !!! Awesome video!
love the historic look of Kamloops and Chilliwack back in the day...