Reston Recorder

The most important record of this area is contained in the pages of the Reston Recorder.  It is an exciting and long awaited day for me today to share with you that a group of these pages are available to everyone to browse online here. Choose a decade, then a year, then an edition and scroll through our past! (After you are finished reading this post, of course.😉)

Page from 100th Anniversary edition August 6, 2005

The history of the newspaper in Reston began in 1905 when Frank and Arthur Manning heard about a fledgling town on the prairies of Manitoba that was in need of a weekly newspaper.  The first edition was printed on July 25, 1905 and soon elicited 500 subscribers at $1.50/year.  It consisted of an even number of pages about half of them being local news and advertisement and the other 4 called ‘boiler plate’, national and regional news. Columns with news of district citizens had titles like the Lambton Lights, Ewart Echos, Belses Breezes and Clover Hill Clippings. Hockey, curling and baseball results, the local hospital admissions and discharges, classifieds and block ads for local businesses as well as those from Pipestone, Tilston, Sinclair and more each had space in the Recorder. 

In 1906, Arthur Manning left the day to day operation of the paper to his brother Frank and he became the principal of the local school.  That same year The Peanut on the Reston-Wolseley rail line began and with it a huge influx of workers and new businesses to support them. The first location chosen for the Recorder business was on Fourth street, where the Hairline Beauty Salon is today.  That building was built by J.B. Stallwood and later became the home of Helen Ready (nee Manning). More room was required so in 1907 a new office was built using the same brick as the Roundhouse. It sat along Second Avenue near the present Drop In. In 1966, a building was moved into Reston to be the new home of the Recorder.  It had formerly been used as a church at Bardal and Isaac Implements at Cromer.  This building is now listed for sale https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/22824971/330-fourth-street-reston

Along with the weekly newspaper, the Recorder was the local printer of all sorts. Auctioneer John Baldwin had flyers made to advertise his upcoming sales. The annual fair prize list and church financial statements were eagerly awaited by local citizens to be 'hot off the press'.

 

Subscription Reminder - 1940's perhaps

From the Regina Leader Post - March of 1950 

Two Papers Are One While Bonspiel Runs Maryfield, Sask., (Special) 

When Rusty Manning, editor of the Reston Recorder, and R. K. Harris, editor of the Maryfield News, participated in the recent bonspiel at Reston, the matter of printing their respective papers became a problem. Putting their heads together, the two editors came up with a solution, amalgamation. During bonspiel week the two papers came out as one joint effort with the printing done at Reston.

Frank Manning (1870 - 1945) had married Frances Lauretta Robinson in 1901 and they had 3 children - Helen (later Ready) , Wilma (later Pierce) and Russell. Arthur James  (1875-1949) married Marion Robertson in 1912 and became a school inspector living in Carman. He returned to Reston in 1945 to help Helen run the paper after the sudden death of Frank. Russell (1913-2003) worked at the paper from a young child except the war years of WWII when he as overseas.  Upon his return he was editor and publisher until his retirement in 1979.  Russell was a well-known sportsman in curling and golf and a enthusiastic duck hunter.  Gary Smith started as and was a editor and manager from 1980 until his death in 2002.  Bruce and Ingo Schwanke were next to head the Recorder and it became a part of Corner Pocket publishing under Bruce in 1996. In 2007, the new owners were Glacier Media Group.  The paper temporarily closed due to the pandemic in March of 2020 but by October of that year, the decision was permanent.  You can read the final word here. Besides editors and publishers, many many employees over the years contributed their blood, sweat and tears to get the paper out on time. 

 

When the Manning brothers began their paper in 1906, I wonder if they could imagine their news one day being available anywhere in the world at the click of a mouse.  All my wonderful Historic Reston Bricks and Boards readers now have some local history to peruse while I give myself the summer off.  There will be many more stories to tell from these pages.