From the Archives of Western Newspapers

Posted on March 27, 2025 by admin

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

March 29, 1901 – The Wetaskiwin Times

The Franklin Literary Society at the college in Ada, Ohio raised money to buy a classical statue and decided to purchase a model of the famous Apollo Belvedere. When the piece arrived, some individuals were unhappy with Apollo’s state of undress. The faculty took up the matter and after much contention between those who love art for arts sake and those shocked by the exhibitionism of the statue, it was decided to have a pair of red breeches specially made for Apollo to wear.

Several towns in the province of Granada, Spain have been inundated and the floods have done great damage. Crops are ruined and many houses have collapsed with some towns completely surrounded by water.

In Montreal, Wiseman’s Hotel at Victoria Park was destroyed by fire, which broke out in the early morning hours. Occupants were compelled to make their escape in their night clothes.

March 24, 1906 – The Saturday News (Edmonton)

Edmonton is undoubtedly behind other towns and cities in providing for the incoming rush of people who wish to settle in the west. For months, the supply of hotel rooms and houses has been smaller than required, yet no public action has been taken. This fact is being made use of by rival municipalities to prejudice us in the minds of newcomers.

Someone attending the theatrical performance during the last week must have been struck by the dangers large audiences are exposed to in the building. The stairway is altogether too narrow to allow a large crowd to emerge in safety were there to be a fire or other emergency, a fact that is true of most buildings in the city.

A mail service will be established on the CNR at the first of the month but there will only be a closed bag between Battleford and Edmonton. This means there will not be postal communication between Vegreville, Vermillion, Lloydminster and other towns to the east. The Vegreville post office is at the old town site and practically the entire town has moved over to the railway and still the authorities have taken no steps to transfer the post office or build a new one.

March 23, 1916 – The Alderson News

At noon today, the horse attached to Wilucki’s milk rig slipped its bridle and went on a rampage. We haven’t the space to tell of the uneven distribution of milk along Broadway, but we’ve heard the rig is a complete wreck. The horse is still at large.

Douglas Wardrop, editor of the Aerial Age stated in an address to cadets and instructors of the United States military academy that the aerial equipment of the US army is highly inadequate. He discussed the Fokker monoplanes, a German machine that can spiral to a tremendous altitude and then dart directly down on their opponents, showering them in a hail of deadly bullets. The US is quietly building a monster aeroplane that will conquer even this machine.

The British government war savings committee has issued the first in a series of appeals regarding wasteful expenditure. The first has to do with the use of autos and motorcycles for pleasure. “If this form of selfish, thoughtless extravagance is stopped, millions of pounds will be saved and many workers transferred to more useful channels.”