Actor Sean Connery, entrepreneur Warren Buffett, the Moscow Aviation Institute and also the Crowsnest Pass Herald; you’re only locally owned newspaper!

That’s right. Since 1930 the Herald has been there, covering the news and events that affect your community. Who was there when the Second World War sparked strong demand for Crowsnest coal and the economic boom in the immediate post-war years meant that demand continued into the early 1950s? We were. Who was there when they renamed Tim Buck Boulevard? We were. Who was there when five local towns were amalgamated into the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in 1979? You better believe we were.

So from now until the end of the year, the Pass Herald will be blowing its own horn – it’s not like anybody else was going to blow it – in honour of our 85-year hunt for the truth.

When you think about it, it’s really quite amazing that the Crowsnest Pass Herald is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year.

How long is 85 years? It’s the average life expectancy of a Canadian citizen, which means that there aren’t many people left who remember when the Pass Herald opened its doors in 1930. It makes us the third-oldest business in the community, behind only Graymont (opening in 1905 as Summit Limeworks) and Morency Plumbing and Heating (which started in 1909).

How long is 85 years? The Pass Herald was here, reporting on local news and events from the multiple communities that made up this area, during the Great Depression, when Highway 3 was constructed, and when Blairmore elected a Communist town council. We were here when brave locals marched off to serve our country during the Second World War, and we were here when the survivors returned. The Pass Herald was here during mine closures and through hard economic times. We were here when all of the current schools were built, when the hospital was constructed, when amalgamation brought the towns together. We were here when the Coleman Opera House burned to the ground, when floods washed across the land, and when the Lost Creek Fire menaced the community.

In short, 85 years is a long time for a locally owned and operated business to survive in a small town, but here we are, and here we intend to stay.

We couldn’t let such a special occasion pass by without taking the time to acknowledge these eight decades of history. A great part of the Pass Herald’s history can be attributed to owners Trevor Slapak and Gail Sygutek but we must also recognize and pay thanks to the hundreds of others who, in roles large and small, have contributed to the newspaper’s success over the years.

We also thank you –– yes, you. You are the reader, the advertiser, the subscriber. You have written letters to the editor, picked our paper up in local stores, and shared your morning coffee with our articles. Some of you have been with us for decades, and others have only recently joined us as we chronicle the life and times of Crowsnest Pass. We want you to know that we value each and every one of you and hope you will continue to support us as we move into the future.

The Pass Herald has come a long way in 85 years, after all. From single page printed locally on a Gestetner printer to a Multilith 1250 and then a Chief 24, through to the age of computers and the Internet, we have adapted and improved. Through it all, however, our mission remains the same –– a focus on covering local issues, events, and opinions, from one end of the Crowsnest Pass to the other.