Ashcroft which is off the beaten track has a long history. Indigenous people have been living in the
area since time immemorial and the community served as a transportation hub in the 1800s. The first
European settlers arrived in 1859.
In the latter half of the 1890s, the Town Hall which had been built the previous year was named the
“Ashcroft Opera House” to fit its distinguished performers. Many notable guests performed here,
including Pauline Johnson, Virginia Card, Ernest Wolffe, and some local talent, including
the Kirkpatrick Orchestra and Lytton Orchestra.