From the Archives of Western Newspapers

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

May 22, 1884 – The Daily
Nor-Wester (Winnipeg)

The legislative member for South Victoria underwent an experience yesterday he won’t soon forget. While driving to Peterborough, he was overtaken by a severe thunderstorm. A flash of lightning struck the buggy, stunning his horse and giving the member a severe shock and singing off a portion of his whiskers.

Heavy storms were reported today along the south coast of England and the coast of France. Much wreckage has been blown ashore and the East Kent Militia regiment, located at Shorncliffe, was flooded. Tents were blown away with bedding and clothing still floating about this afternoon in about 18 inches of water. Two vessels were wrecked off the coast of France and a man was swept overboard near Boulogne. Many districts in the north of Spain and south of France are under snow.

Two men broke into Dunlay’s tailor shop yesterday and escaped with $150 worth of clothing. They were later picked up at the GTR station while waiting for a train. 

May 26, 1900 – Industrial World (Rossland, BC)

Rossland certainly cannot be congratulated on its celebration of the Queen’s birthday. With the exception of the ball game between the Rossland and Spokane teams, the program would not have been creditable to the dinkyest mining camp in the country.

The voters of Canada are weary of having the leaders of the two great political parties claim they believe in government ownership of railways but that it is not practicable. Very soon they will be forced to make it practicable or abdicate their leadership and make room for abler and better men.

The horse editor left town yesterday to celebrate the Queen’s birthday. A wire received from him this morning tells us we need not look for anything this week as four doctors are working over him trying to reduce his head to its normal size. Horse editors will imbibe.

May 24, 1907 – Claresholm Review

The South Alberta News printed a story on May 21 about our town. We were surprised to learn we had a hotel in our town called the Cayley and more surprised to hear that it is a rough house and has been in progress without our learning of it until it was published in a distant paper. Perhaps the paper was short of copy and was only trying to write fiction as filler.

Every province in Canada now has a coat of arms with Alberta the last to receive a provincial emblem. Word was received from the Herald’s College that a design has been approved and will reach Ottawa in a few days. The Alberta shield has a St. George’s Cross at the top and below it a range of snow-capped mountains with plain and a field of wheat in the foreground. The design is a striking one.

On Saturday or Sunday night, our office was relieved of all the gasoline we had on hand, some 15 gallons. We are of a generous and forgiving nature and, as such, we forgive the thief and hope his conscience doesn’t bother him too much. We also hope that while he is using our gasoline, it will not explode and send him to the place reserved for such as he where it is said they use coal instead of gasoline. Our advice to him is, if he needs gasoline, he should ask for it. If we did not know he was coming, he might accidentally run up against a shower bath of cold lead or the end of a club in the hands of the devil who is always lurking around this office. Our generous feeling toward him will not permit us to see him hurt without giving him fair warning. So, beware.