Provost News

Rich Holmes, who also provided the Linotype Model 8 Video has sent in these pictures of the Provost News, Provost, Alberta, Canada, including one of his father at the News Editor’s desk.

The old Miehle newspaper press that used to be used by the Provost News in Provost, Alberta Canada during weekly newspaper operations.

It would print 4 pages 10 X 16 inches approx at one time. Then we would take out the four letterpress pages, put in four different ones, re-load the newspaper stock upside down and then print on the other side.

Then that large sheet (4 and 4 = 8 numbered pages) went to a semi automatic hand-fed folder to produce the folded 8 pages.

Provost News editor — News Editor at His Desk — Many of the older members of the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association will remember George S. Holmes, who served as president of the association. He is shown here in a typical photograph of a rural country newspaper editor at his desk in Provost, Alberta, Canada. Note the ink stained hand, cigarette, old style telephone — and the desk full of papers. No Power Macs, scanners, spell checkers (other than in one’s brain) or instant photography. These were the days of long hours and hot metal. The picture looks like it could have been taken during the 1950s, according to wife Margaret Holmes, who helped in the front office and took turns operating the semi-automatic folder on paper day.

Rich says: “This is a picture of my father George S. Holmes — his father and my grandfather, Ed Holmes and purchaser of The Provost News began his publishing career at age 11 in the composing room of the Bradford Daily Argus in Yorkshire, England.

“In the year 1900 Ed Holmes homesteaded in the district of Assiniboia, for two years, now the province of Saskatchewan. He put up a sod shack and built a farm around it.

“During two years he had only the Holy Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare and could quote passages verbatim from both for the rest of his life.

“Since the winters on the homestead offered little in activity or income, Ed Holmes spent the winter months working for the Alemeda Dispatch and Arcola Star and later the Winnipeg Free Press where he met his wife.

“The young couple headed for Carlyle, to take possession of the Carlyle Herald and built it into a profitable and respected newspaper.

“In 1922 Holmes founded the Dauphin Progress in Manitoba. Then he took a position as city editor with the Winnipeg Free Press for four years.

“He then did a stint on the editorial desk in 1928 of the Regina Daily Star and later became the editor of the Regina Morning Star.

“He then went to the news desk of the Toronto Daily Star in 1929. About that time he felt an overwhelming desire to again run his own weekly newspaper and settled in Provost with his wife and sons.”

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