Cowichan Leader
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Comment: This newspaper article can be merged into a newspapers section in the Valley article so it can highlight all the major newspapers printed there. AngusWOOF (bark • sniff) 19:20, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
The Cowichan Leader was a Canadian newspaper published weekly in Duncan, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, for 110 years until its closing in April 2015. The paper not only served Duncan, but also the neighbouring Cowichan Valley communities of Chemainus, Cobble Hill, Crofton, Ladysmith, Youbou, Honeymoon Bay, Lake Cowichan, and Shawnigan Lake. The paper's closure occurred under the ownership of Black Press.
The Cowichan Leader was founded by Harry Smith in 1905, with the first issue appearing on April 28th. Initial subscription rates were set at $2.00 per year, or $1.25 per half year. Prior to starting the Cowichan Leader, Smith also produced Duncan's very first newspaper, the Duncan Enterprise, in 1900 when he found no newspaper existed in the settlement in which to advertise his general store, Duncan's Emporium.[1] This early four page paper debuted on January 21, 1900, but only lasted a year before it ceased, and was eventually replaced by the Leader in 1905.
In 1975, the Leader had a circulation of 10,000, with subscription rates set at $15 per year.[2] In the mid-1980s, when Black Press bought the paper, the Cowichan Leader (1905-1985)[3] was merged with the Cowichan News (1976-1985)[4] to form the Cowichan News Leader (1985-1994).[5] Another local paper, the Pictorial, also owned by Black Press, was also eventually consolidated into the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial, which ceased publication in 2015.[6] The closure established the Cowichan Valley Citizen, a competing paper purchased by Black Press during 2014 labour action by Cowichan News Leader Pictorial staff, as the only regional paper for a time.
Together, these various community papers reflect aspects of life in the Cowichan Valley throughout the intensive settlement and industrial development of the twentieth century, representing a rich body of community stories that support insight into social and political life, economic activity, and relations between the settlers who came to stay and the Cowichan people who are Indigenous to the Valley.
In 2018, the Library of Vancouver Island University (VIU) undertook a project to digitize and provide an Open Access digital archive of early issues of the Cowichan Leader to ensure preservation of content of regional significance, as well as to provide access for citizens and scholars.[7] Microform for the Cowichan papers is also held by the VIU Library, by the BC Archives, and by the Cowichan Valley Museum Archives.
Editors
- Harry Smith, 1905-1907
- Martin M. Smith, 1907-1908
- Ormond T. Smithe, 1908-1910
- L.J. Seymour, 1910
- Frank Arthur Brettingham, 1910-1911
- Edwyn Harry Lukin Johnston, 1911-1914
- Hugh George Egioke Savage, 1914-1957
- Brian LePine, ??-2000
- John McKinley, 2000-2015
Reference List
- ^ Henry, Tom (1999). Small City in a Big Valley: The Story of Duncan. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 1550172123.
- ^ Affleck, George Allan (1999). "Duncan News Leader". Paper Trails: A History of British Columbia & Yukon Community Newspapers. Vancouver, BC: Arch Communications / BCYCNA. p. 15. ISBN 0968432204.
- ^ "Cowichan Leader". Cowichan Leader. 1905. OCLC 1032971315.
- ^ "Cowichan News". Cowichan News. 1976. OCLC 1080285789.
- ^ "Cowichan News Leader". Cowichan News Leader. 1985. OCLC 1033013190.
- ^ Hughes, Richard (2015-07-13). "Goodbye To The Historic Voice Of Our Community: The Closing of the News Leader Pictorial". Cowichan Conversations. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ LaPlante, Rae-Anne (2018-10-22). "VIU taking lead in digitizing old newspapers to preserve history". Cowichan Valley Citizen. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
External Links
- Cowichan Leader - Open Access digital archive, 1905 to ninety years ago.