CARLYLE - Ninety-six-year-old Hazel Mills is a long-time resident of Carlyle and for the past four years has called Moose Mountain Lodge her home.
Hazel is the daughter of Blanche and Roy Jasper, who used to live on First Street West. Just before the home was demolished, Hazel discovered and retained several items from her parents’ attic. One such treasure included a copy of the Carlyle Herald, a newly-published newspaper.
The issue is dated Friday July 3, 1903. On the front page, the address shown is Carlyle, N.W.T. and is labeled Volume 1, Number 1.
From information obtained from the Carlyle Prairie Trails to Blacktop history book, one of the original publishers was Ed Holmes, who eventually became the sole owner. Holmes sold the Carlyle Herald newspaper to a W. Peddle in the early 1920s. The paper was sold to the O’Neill family in 1936 and formally became the Carlyle Observer.
Lauren Hume is the executive director of the Rusty Relics Museum. According to Hume, there are only a handful of Carlyle Herald publications on display. Additional editions are greatly appreciated.
This inaugural issue was four pages long, provided some interesting articles and was full of advertisements. Saskatchewan officially became a province in 1905, and two of the feature articles from two years prior read as follows:
Building Operations - “Carlyle is experiencing a building boom this season and many new residences have already been completed and several more are on course of erection. The different contractors in town have all the work they can attend to and expect to be busy up to Xmas.”
A Prominent Town - “Carlyle is now recognized as the leading town on the Carlyle extension. Probably no town in Assiniboia has made more substantial progress since its inception, and less publicity been given to such, than the Town of Carlyle. It is at present less than three years old but promises to soon outgrow many of its pretentious rivals.
Although two hotels can conveniently accommodate 75 people, it frequently happens that cots must be placed in the parlours to provide accommodation.”
Advertisements had been placed in this inaugural issue.
Hotel Carlyle: Rates $1 to $1.50 per day. Nothing but the best brands of liquors & cigars handled.
JH Dodds - Pharmaceutical Chemist - For a good bath it is necessary to have a good sponge. We have just received a very fine assortment.
Hotel Delmonte - The best $1.00 a day house on the Arcola branch. The bar is stocked with the finest wines, liquors and cigars.
Hazel is extremely proud of her possession and keeps a watchful eye on it.
“My plan is to keep this paper until my time is come and then get my son Murray to donate it to the Rusty Relics Museum,” she said. “There is a lot of history crammed into that little newspaper.”
