From the Archives of Western Newspapers

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Ryan Dahlman

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

July 8, 1882 – Edmonton Bulletin

The North-West, if she has luck, will be here in about two weeks with Captain Sheets bossing her. If she doesn’t, she won’t be here at all and some say chances are about a hundred to one that she is out of luck.

On Friday evening last week, a number of boys were running their horses on the track in preparation for the races on Saturday. The horse carrying young Jim Reid fell as they all came together at the winning post, throwing the lad under the feet of the other horses. When he was picked up, Jim was insensible with a stream of blood running from his nose and it was thought by all he was seriously injured. However, the next day, he was sufficiently recovered to ride in the half-mile race and took home the consolation prize.

The Toronto World is advertising Press Colonization stock and lots in west Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec for cheap if taken at once. As the western part of Baie-Saint-Paul has been two to ten feet under water every spring for the past two or three years, the newspaper men who have invested their wealth there are decidedly out of luck.

July 6, 1911 – The Blairmore
Enterprise

A serious accident occurred on Wednesday in Bellevue resulting in the deaths of two men. A car jumped the track at the 64’ chute and No. 1 seam, striking the props and causing several tons of coal to come down. The coal completely buried the foremost car and buried the occupants. Those in the other cars immediately rushed to assist their fellow workers and were able to remove most of them alive with the exception of the two men.

Early last Saturday afternoon about six hundred people, young and old, were on the football fields when a horse became frightened. The horse tore itself from where it was fastened and rushed madly over the grounds amongst the spectators. Intense excitement reigned for a few minutes as the steed made a large circle before dashing off the field without causing any serious injury.

Windsor is boasting about its growth and seems to have cause for it. The record of building returns for Canada in April shows only Prince Albert beat Windsor. Prince Albert had an increase of 825 per cent compared to Windsor’s 335 per cent with St. Thomas coming in third with 187.5 per cent. Windsor is keeping at it, the number of building permits for the first half of May is nearly double that for the whole of May last year.

July 11, 1912 – The Mirror
Journal

Today is our birthday. We are one year old today. We have just learned to walk and are gradually shedding the swaddling clothes of an infant. Now watch us grow, or rather, we will grow without watching. One year ago today, a passenger train pulled into what is now known as Mirror loaded with passengers from almost everywhere eager to get in on the ground floor of what is destined to become a great town of Alberta. Our population is now 300 strong and steadily increasing.

The Jefferson Hotel, a million-dollar structure located in Peoria, Illinois has a floor constructed with numerous metal columns, pillars and railings that wind round the balconies. During the opening, a young man staying at the hotel leaned against a railing on the mezzanine and received a shock of electricity, alerting all that every metal surface on that level was charged. Hotel management has determined the shocks guests are receiving is caused by them walking on the carpets and building up a charge of static electricity.

The uniforms for the baseball team have arrived and the players will wear them at their next game. The outfit is nifty looking alright, but what is the use of having them if the club doesn’t arrange a game to show them off. They could be used as pyjamas.