I had never been to Wetaskiwin before I came to interview for the Heritage Museum. Having accepted the job offer, I was sent an orientation package that included a few issues of our local newspapers. There was no mention of the museum and so I put them aside and didn’t give them a second thought. Fast forward five years, reading those same weeklies I tossed aside has become a mid-week ritual. I understand now why they were sent to me, and they are one of those little things that I cherish about living in our community.
The first newspaper in Alberta was published on December 6, 1880. Similar to news agencies coming out of Edmonton today, the Edmonton Bulletin coverage included brief happenings in the Wetaskiwin area. It wasn’t until 1897 that Wetaskiwin had its own paper. The Free Lance was established by John H. Walker, better known for starting a drug store four years earlier. It was the first paper to be published between Calgary and Edmonton.
Bob Edwards served as editor, reporter, and writer for the lifespan of the Freelance, which was about a year, before he moved on. In 1900 Walker financed another paper, The Wetaskiwin News, which also lasted about a year. Edwards came back to town for a quick stint in 1901 publishing a few volumes of The Breeze before heading down to High River where he would eventually start writing the Eye Opener, which became well-known throughout Canada for its satirical content.
That same year, Victor Coleman French founded The Wetaskiwin Times. French, a veteran in the publishing trade, first came to Wetaskiwin when The Free Lance was being published and so he moved on, but his instincts told him to come back. Prior to 1901, local papers were printed elsewhere and so French rented a room in Mrs. Campbell’s Boarding House, just north of where the TD Bank stands today, and went to Winnipeg to purchase the necessary printing equipment.
His first issue of The Wetaskiwin Times was published and printed in that room on March 22, 1901. An annual subscription was $1. While other papers came and went the Times settled in. French continued as publisher for forty years, a record for Western Canada, until his death in 1942. Having merged with the Wetaskiwin News Advertiser in 1986, the Wetaskiwin Times continues to be published in both print and digital formats.
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The salutation in the first issue of The Wetaskiwin Times states that:
“The town will be brought to the front and placed before the world in its proper light, and both citizens and business men and the town will be benefitted by the undertaking… Its single aim will be the promotion of the welfare of Wetaskiwin and the rural district”.
Our weekly papers continue to do this. They play an important role in our community and their value should not be taken for granted. They help boost the local economy through advertising and in their news coverage. This is especially important for our local businesses and community organizations. A great way for us to reach our target audience is through papers that are delivered for free to homes throughout the City and County. Our papers also help keep us informed. I seldom have time to attend Council Meetings or read the minutes, and so I rely heavily on the paper to help keep me up-to-date. The papers also continue to provide each of us with a form of expression. They offer the opportunity to make our voices heard through letters to the editor and enable us to deliberate on the future of our community. Most importantly, though, they bring us “good news” stories and remind us what we love about living here. The people behind our local weeklies are our neighbors, share our values, and understand our community because they are a part of it. The papers they produce are the heart and soul of what makes us a community.
When I first came to to town to celebrate the history and heritage of Wetaskiwin City, County, and Maskwacis, those who hired me knew I couldn’t do this until I got to know it better, and that the best way to do this was through its community newspapers. I continue to read the local papers, past and present. Both as a historian and a community member, they are my primary source. Recently I saw a quote that read “Reading a community newspaper is like coming home after spending many long hours travelling”. As our world becomes more globalized and hectic, we need something that brings us together. Our weekly papers, with their local stories, help get us back to that reality.
