Printer's Devils: The Feisty Pioneer Newspaper That Shaped the History of British Columbia's Smelter City 1895-1925

Journey back in time to the bygone era of "printer's devils" and uncover how their influence shaped the establishment of BC's Smelter City.

The grisly murder of a nurse, a crippling 1917 strike, death on the wartime battlefield, the 1918-19 flu pandemic--these are just some of the historic events covered in the early days of the Trail News. In Printer's Devils, historian Ron Verzuh offers both a study of pioneer journalism and a social history of the smelter city of Trail as it grew into a small but prosperous community. He traces the stories of residents and their evolving attitudes, pastimes, and opinions as they respond in times of economic crisis, war, labour strife, and life-threatening disease against the backdrop of one of Canada's pioneer industrial centres. Beneath these stories is a revealing exploration into the lives of six Trail News editors--Trail's printer's devils--in which we see firsthand how their editorial choices were honed by their education, business priorities, and experience as printers in the early days of newspaper publishing in the region. Delving back through layers of history, Printer's Devils: The Feisty Pioneer Newspaper That Shaped the History of British Columbia's Smelter City is a tribute to the lasting impact of journalism in Canadian society, as chronicled in one single-industry town.


About the Author
Ron Verzuh is a writer, historian, and documentary filmmaker. His most recent book is Smelter Wars: A Rebellious Red Trade Union Fights for Its Life in Wartime Western Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2022). He is also the author of Radical Rag: The Pioneer Labour Pressin Canada and Underground Times: Canada's Flower-Child Revolutionaries. His work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, Ottawa Magazine, BC History, Canada's History, and several other publications. He is the producer and director of the award-winning short film Joe Hill's Secret Canadian Hideout.