The Quesnel Observer archive room. (Cassidy Dankochik Photo - Quesnel Cariboo Observer)

COLUMN: Quesnel Observer archives a joy to search

There is something inherently joyful for me about spinning through the old newspapers downstairs

If you look to this column’s right in most editions of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer, you’ll see a photo from a previous edition of the newspaper.

There is something inherently joyful for me about spinning through the old newspapers in search of a photo to share with our readers.

Especially fun was looking through the season preview of the 2002/2003 Quesnel Millionaires season, in search of a good photo of Carey Price

FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Carey Price talks roping and hockey

That led to me and a previous co-worker sharing old hockey rosters back and forth throughout the night.

It’s amazing to read back what the issue of the day was in years past. From discovering an old landslide, a crime spree, or features on local athletes, there’s always some great work from previous journalists at the Cariboo Observer.

Just retrieving our paper archives can be a moment in and of itself. As the Observer’s offices are in an old bank, to reach our archives, you must descend into our dark basement.

There, around the corner, are newspapers jammed to the ceiling. A treasure trove of history, dating back decades.

While nothing can replace the feeling of spooling through the crusty pages of yesteryear, you can come close from the comfort of your own home.

Archives from the Cariboo Observer dating back even further than our print archives are available online for anyone to peruse.

You can find them online at quesnelmuseum.newspapers.com. You can even search for a name or keyword.

Got a suggestion for an archive photo you’d love to see featured in the Quesnel Observer? Email me the date of the Observer edition and a description of the photo to editor@quesnelobserver.com.

Cassidy Dankochik is the editor of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer

VIDEO: Behind the scenes of turning newspapers into digital archives

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com


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cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com

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Quesnel Cariboo Observer