Image: SPRA fonds 616
Todays “From the Vault Friday” features an issue from the Spirit River Echo fonds (Fonds 616). The Spirit River Echo was published at Spirit River Station and ran its first edition on Aug. 15, 1917.
The paper ran until April 8th, 1921 and abruptly ended. It is unknown why the paper stopped running, however by May 10th of 1921, the Grande Prairie Herald began reporting Spirit River area news. In 1951, the Spirit River Signal was started and was printed in the Sexsmith Sentinel shop. The Echo includes a “bits of local news” section with notable events, such as:
- On Thursday evening of last week fire broke out in the second storey of the Lou. Bailey home and had such a start when discovered that practically the whole of Mrs. Bailey’s wardrobe was destroyed before the flames were extinguished. Loss is estimated at $300.
- Miss English, sister of Mrs. F.W. Jaynes, who has been here visiting for a week returned to Edmonton on last night’s train.
- The local provincial policemen arrested Rudolph Nelson and Geo. Stoner last night in possession of some seven gallons of Moonshine.
- Magistrate P. H. Belcher arrived on last nights train from Grande Prairie and will attend to several cases on the police court docket today.
Read more about the Spirit River Echo fonds (fonds 616) here.
Read more about the Spirit River Signal and Sexsmith Sentinel here.
From the Vault Friday is a social media campaign that highlights interesting materials from the collections of the South Peace Regional Archives. This project was made possible by an Access to Holdings Grant from the Archives Society of Alberta.