The historian Ron Verzuh discusses his new book Printer’s Devils: How a Feisty Pioneer Newspaper Shaped the History of British Columbia’s Smelter City, 1895-1925 (Caitlin Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta.

Printer’s Devils: How a Feisty Pioneer Newspaper Shaped the History of British Columbia’s Smelter City, 1895-1925 by Ron Verzuh (Caitlin Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Printer’s Devils

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

A new book takes us to Trail, British Columbia, at the end of the 19^th and the beginning of the 20^th centuries. The book not only looks at a pioneering newspaper but the social history of Trail as it grows into a small but prosperous community. The book is called Printer’s Devils: How a Feisty Pioneer Newspaper Shaped the History of British Columbia’s Smelter City, 1895-1925. It’s a thoroughly engaging book full of fascinating history as seen through the pages of what was called the Trail Creek News, a weekly publication, that continues today as the Trail Daily Times. The book’s author Ron Verzuh, who joins me now, has done a splendid job at gathering the interesting events as we see this town in the southeastern part of the province grow thanks to industry. We read the book seeing how these pioneers experience the reality of life, death, a World War, a flu pandemic, smallpox outbreaks, as well the conflict between business and labour, friction between the white majority and the Chinese, East Indian, and Doukhobors. The people, and they were mainly men, who owned the paper, and edited it, cast a giant shadow over its contents, and its history. Ron Verzuh is a writer, historian, and documentary filmmaker. His most recent book, Smelter Wars: A Rebellious Red Trade Union Fights for Its Life in Wartime Western Canada was published in 2022. His other books include Radical Rag, and Underground Times. His work has appeared in academic journals, newspapers, and magazines, including the Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, BC History, and Canada’s History. This new book is published by Caitlin Press. Ron will be in Rossland and Grand Forks next week. Visit www.caitlinpress.com for information on those events. He joined me from his home in Victoria, British Columbia earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ron Verzuh; Mr. Verzuh, good morning.

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