Though it has taken on several different formats, a few name alterations, and innumerable font changes since it first began, 2010 marks the 150th year that The Herald-Times has been providing news to Walkerton and the surrounding community.
It took a little over 10 years from the settling of Walkerton in 1850 before W.T. Cox established what was The Bruce Herald on Feb. 23, 1861.
Cox published the paper from his Durham Street office for two years before selling it to William Brown, who held onto the paper into the 1880s.
In March of 1884 William Wesley took sole ownership of The Herald. His family would remain publishing the paper for over a century.
The Bruce Times, which had been operated by Wesley and his son John Arthur Wesley since 1905, amalgamated with The Herald in 1912 to become The Bruce Herald and Times.
In 1928, the name was finally revised to the current Walkerton Herald-Times.
Microfilm copies of the paper dating back to 1884, available for viewing at the Walkerton Public Library, give an idea of the types of stories important to Bruce County settlers in the 19th Century, and provide images of how The WHT has changed over time.
In the early 20th century it was not unusual for the print media, in the body of stories and bolded headlines alike, to refer to minorities with names that are nowadays considered rather politically incorrect. The WHT was no exception.
In its early days, the front page was as much a space for national headlines, like the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Northwest Rebellions, as it was a spot to find advertisements for local attorneys, blacksmiths and livery stables. Poetry and longer fiction published in installments could also regularly be found in the paper.
‘Local Matters’ printed in the Valentine’s Day issue of The Bruce Herald from 1884 include tidbits such as “Did we see the Chief Constable around in a new uniform the other day? We thought so,” and “We have several times heard that the backbone of winter was broken.?Well, if it fell on the ice as heavily as we did the other morning there is a probability that the statement is correct”.
The sinking of the Titanic prompted a rare early photo montage in the April 18, 1912 issue of The Bruce Herald and Times, showing the launch of the ship, the fateful iceberg, and the Virginian, a ship that was in wireless communication with Titanic.
Several dispatches from Europe printed in summer issues of the BHT in 1914 signaled the move towards a global conflict. In July of that year, following the assassination of Austrian Archduke?Franz Ferdinand, a release from Sarajevo described that martial law had been proclaimed in several towns where much “Servian” property had been destroyed. Several quotes from police interviews with the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, indicate that he had been influenced by anarchistic literature and had “long intended to kill a prominent Austrian”.
On July 30, a dispatch from Belgrade with the headline “Ultimatum to Servia” made clear that Austrian authorities believed the ‘Servian’ government had not attempted to repress the revolutionary movement in its country.
While these stories featured prominently as objects of interest in the paper, it was not until the next week’s issue, Aug. 6, 1914, that the issue became front page news.
“Britain Joins the War,” read the headline; “On account of Germany’s refusal to cease marching her troops over Belgium, which Great Britain by treaty is pledged to protect, the British Empire has declared war on Germany, and what promises to be the greatest conflict in the history of the world is now in progress... The war is already being felt in?Walkerton as many?englishmen who have arrived here are reservists from the British Army, and as a proclamation has been issued by the King for all reservists to return to the ranks, these men are hastily preparing to depart for the front. The Canadian Parliament is also meeting and it is expected will devote one hundred million dollars to the war, besides despatching some 50,000 Canadian volunteers to the aid of Britain.”
On Nov. 16, 1939, a thoughtful article with the headline “First War dead honored as new war is waged” reported on Walkerton’s 1939 Remembrance Day ceremony. As the Second World War deepened, headlines, photos, and even advertisements in the paper turned towards the new fight in Europe. Some headlines from March, 1943 exemplifying just how much of an effect the war had at home include “10,351 new ration books given out in district” and “Pistols wanted,” a brief describing a request from the Department of National Defence for 38”, 45” and 455” calibre weapons.
On Aug. 16, 1945, Following V-J Day and Japan’s unconditional surrender, the paper heralded the end of the war with a graphic of Russian, American and British flags waving together and the words “Canada Rejoices in Peace”.
A related story, “V-J Day Arrrives, Peace at Last,” described local reaction to the news; “The word was received quite calmly and there seemed to be little inclination to spontaneously cut loose.
“What celebrating was done was mostly by young people and consisted mainly of horn blowing and wailing the sirens and factory whistles and the clanging of the fire alarm bell.”
New buildings and technological advancements, not to mention?Cold War paranoia, filled the pages in the early ‘60’s.
On Feb. 4, 1960, a story announced to the public that a new “8mm movie viewer” would eliminate the hassles of setting up a video projector and screen.
Later that month a headline proclaimed “Renovated Legion Hall formally opened Friday,” and, in April, “New D.H.S. wing opened”.
Playing at Hanover Theatre in May, 1960 were two nautical and nostalgic films, Operation Petticoat, with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, and Sink The Bismarck!
In 1962, a story grabbed the front page for five straight weeks as, in January of that year, Walkerton experienced its first bank robbery. The only previous bank robbery in Bruce County had occurred in 1934 in Cargill.
Eagle emblems and stars and stripes stood out on the paper’s front page on Nov. 28, 1963, the first issue following the assassination of John?F. Kennedy.
The following was printed under a three-column photo of the deceased president: “Canadians share with the citizens of the United States that deep sense of irreparable loss experienced through the tragic death of their president.
“His Contribution to the cause of Peace in the World, and on behalf of the Honour and Equality of Mankind has already emblazoned his name among the truly great immortals of history.”
But the ‘60s was also a decade when Canada welcomed a new political leader of its own.
In April 25, 1968 a syndicated columnist quipped, in a story titled “Good Luck, Pierre!”, “He’s clever, charming, rich. He’s a bachelor, which probably accounts for the rich and charming. I wish him well. I hope he breathes into Canadian politics that fresh breeze everyone is predicting... Good luck Pierre Elliott Trudeau, I think you might just do it.”
As Walkerton and surrounding communities grew, national news and federal politics took a back seat to local issues and events for the WHT. In 1993, for example, big photo spreads were given to Brant Central School’s 25th Anniversary that June and Mildmay-Carrick’s 75th in August, but no mention is made of Kim Campbell’s brief term as Prime Minister, or Jean Chretien’s entrance into the office.
Early 1999 was not only a time of great change for Walkerton, but also for the WHT.
Jan. 1, 1999 saw the birth of Brockton, a municipality that joined the former Town of Walkerton with its rural neighbours, Brant and Greenock Townships.
The March 3, 1999 issue  was the first to be printed on a smaller six-column tabloid format, down from the broadsheet format which had been used for nearly 140 years previously.
The smaller format brought an increase in pages per issue, up from an average of 12 to 14 pages with broadsheet to an average of 24 pages.
The page size decreased again, starting on March 4, 2009, to the size you currently hold in your hand. This format, compared to that used between 1999 and 2009, uses 17 per cent less wood, 17 per cent fewer BTUs and reduces greenhouse gases by 17 percent.
Over the years The WHT has won numerous provincial and national awards and continues to be the leading source for local news.
When W.T. Cox first began publishing issues of The Bruce Herald in 1861 in the pioneer town of Walkerton, he probably never would have imagined that his newspaper, then just a four-page weekly, would one day celebrate its sesquicentennial anniversary, after a few different formats and name alterations of course.