40 years ago
Lawrence Cassaway told Yellowknifer about how he received a $50 cheque as a token of gratitude from a man he saved from drowning in Great Slave Lake.
The incident happened on a Sunday afternoon. Cassaway, who worked for the city, was heading out onto the lake to string his nets. He was on the water parallel to School Draw Avenue when he spotted a sailboat tipping over.
Apparently the man in the sailboat was not wearing a life jacket, although there was one with the boat. Each time he tried to get on top of the small craft, it would roll over.
“He went down a few times so I got to him quick and pulled him in my boat. I just pulled him up, took him to shore and I never saw him again. I never saw him before that either,” said Cassaway.
Cassaway also towed the man's capsized sailboat to shore after he stayed with the man awhile to make sure he was alright as the man was pretty shook up. He said he had given his name to the man, and then the cheque showed up in his mail box a couple weeks later.
30 years ago
Customers of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce celebrated the bank's grand re-opening after renovations in honour of its 50th anniversary in Yellowknife with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Longtime Yellowknifers and bank customers Carolyn England and Irma Weaver held the gold ribbon garnished with 100 $5 bank notes, while deputy mayor Dr. Robert Findlay did the honours.
The money would be donated to the city's new swimming pool for equipment.
CIBC's Yellowknife branch opened in 1938 on Valentine's Day in a rented 12 by 14 foot log cabin.
A “flying bank” service was offered from 1970 to 1978, where bankers operated out of the four front seats in a regular flight and offered services at each stop.
20 years ago
Work started on building a ceremonial circle on the Frame Lake Trail between City Hall and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.
The project included landscaping the site around the circle and installing eight flag poles on the outside of the trail. More flag poles would line the path to show the flags of the 32 communities of the NWT after division.
Display boards profiling the communities, seating for events and performances and a permanent ceremonial fire site for cultural events were also planned.
10 years ago
Yellowknife's Matt Grundy would forever live in the history books of the Yellowknife Golf Club as he carded a hole in one on the 14th hole, the first one of 2008.
The ace happened during Grundy's round with Jeff Kincaid, Mike Broussard and Cory Vanthuyne. Grundy would get a hole in one trophy from the golf club for his achievement.