Digitizing history for future readers
COBALT - The Cobalt Historical Society and the Haileybury Heritage Museum are partnering to raise $20,000 to buy a device to digitize the Haileyburian, a newspaper from the early years of Haileybury and area.
Cobalt Councillor Pat Anderson, a member of the Cobalt Historical Society, outlined the project at the regular meeting of Cobalt council May 28.
She added that if digitizing equipment can be acquired, it opens up an opportunity for digitizing other materials, such as those that are part of the Paul Penna Cobalt Public Library collection.
Once the Haileyburian is digitized, the newspapers will be available on the Cobalt Historical Society website, Anderson said of the plans.
Society president Maggie Wilson later told The Speaker by email that "the Haileyburian was launched September 23, 1904, by Haileybury’s founder, Charles Cobbold Farr. It was the town's first newspaper and carried political and general news. One of the prominent features in early issues was the mining news, as the mines of Cobalt were quickly becoming known as the richest in Canada."
She pointed out that "the earliest editions of the Haileyburian are rare as the offices of the paper were destroyed by two separate Haileybury fires, first in 1906, and then the Great Fire of 1922. The Haileyburian did not appear again until April 5, 1923, and eventually was merged with the Temiskaming Speaker in 1962."
She said the Haileybury Heritage Museum has about 400 issues of the Haileyburian preserved in proper archival storage but they are not available for viewing because some are in fragile condition.
"By having the issues digitized we will preserve a copy of contents, as well as making the information accessible," she explained.
"Fundraising campaigns have begun. Our first gift was from the Rotary Club of Temiskaming Shores and Area.
"We are also planning to canvass the community - ask people if they have any old issues in storage."
NEW TRAIL
The Cobalt Historical Society is also in the process of creating the John Calder Memorial Trail. Four culverts are being placed.
New signs and a new guidebook are also being planned. Demora Construction has been on site to assist with the project, along with Cobalt Historical Society trail manager Reiner Mielke.
The trail runs from the McKinley-Darragh Mine in Coleman Township (south of Cobalt) and leads through the Little Silver Vein, said Anderson at Cobalt council.
"They knew there was a trail there and they wanted to open it up and make it a hiking trail for people, but in doing that they discovered that is the original road from the edge of Cobalt to the Kerr Lake Mines," Anderson told council.
Funding has been provided through Calder's estate.
Anderson related that Calder was a Toronto resident, but his friends called him Cobalt John because he loved the Cobalt area and visited the area often.
Through his son Keith Calder, John Calder has left a fund for Cobalt projects, with $20,000 identified for the construction of the trail.
"Calder Trail came about when Keith Calder contacted us in regards to making a donation,” said Wilson.
“He donated $5,000 to upgrade the bas-relief sculpture on Silver Street, and more recently, $20,000 to build the memorial trail, in honour of his father, John Calder.
"On Agnico's suggestion, we decided to reclaim the road that runs up and over the McKinley-Darragh mill property," Wilson noted.
Work on the project is still underway and the trail will be ready for hikers in the weeks ahead after construction is completed.
Darlene Wroe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker
