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Place of Publication
Sandwich, Ontario
Description
Title Variations
Western Standard and Western District General Advertiser
Sandwich Western Standard
Former Title
The Western Standard may continue the Western Express and General Advertiser (Sandwich), also known as the Sandwich Western Express. Print holdings of the Western Express include:
Toronto Public Libraries: 1843: Sept. 30 (Vol. 1: no. 17)
Museum Windsor: 1844: Oct. 12 (Vol. 2: no. 19) - - missing
Publication Dates
1844? – 1848?
Frequency
Weekly
Online Holdings
1847: Sept. 18 (Vol. 5: no. 16) 4 pages pages 3-4 are damaged
Keywords
Western Standard (Sandwich), Sandwich Western Standard, Western Express (Sandwich), Sandwich Western Express, Newspapers, Sandwich (Ontario), Windsor (Ontario), Essex County (Ontario), Western Standard and Western District General Advertiser (Sandwich), Western Express and General Advertiser (Sandwich)
Disciplines
Canadian History | Public History
Rights
Public Domain
Comments/Notes
The Western Standard (Sandwich) may continue the Western Express and General Advertiser (Sandwich), also known as the Sandwich Western Express. It seems that the Western Express began publication on Saturday, June 10, 1843 and appeared weekly until late 1844/early 1845. At this point, it was likely bought by Arthur Rankin, who changed its name to the Western Standard. The Western Standard was also published on Saturdays and seems to continue the numbering of the Western Express.
With Arthur Rankin as publisher and editor, the Western Standard was very conservative in its outlook and also of dubious quality. He was sued for libel by Jean Baptiste Laliberte for alleging that he had two wives and was illiterate, and by Francois Caron for alleging he was organizing local French Canadians to overthrow the British. Despite the print evidence, he was acquitted by jury at a trial held on September 12, 1845. Nevertheless, he withdrew from the newspaper business shortly afterwards (Uppermost Canada by Alan R. Douglas, p. 189-190). For more about Arthur Rankin, see the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
From Autumn 1845 to Autumn 1847, the Western Standard was owned and edited by Albert Pellew Salter (1816-1874). It was published out of an office at the corner of Bedford Street and Mill Street, and “all kinds of produce or cord wood [were] taken in exchange for the paper, at market price” (1847: Sept. 18, p. 4). The newspaper’s motto was “Pro Rege, Lege, Aris Et Focis”. In Autumn 1847, Albert Salter, who was also a provincial land surveyor, left for Sault Ste. Marie to work on a survey of potential mining locations.
The content of the digitized Sept. 18, 1847 issue is not particularly interesting. Its focus is primarily national and international news, copied from other newspapers. Articles cover topics such as the trial of Lieutenant Alexander Munro (in London), the Mexican-American War, and postage rates. There is some local harvest news, court reports, as well as business notices and advertisements.
After the departure of Albert Salter, it is not known who then took the reins at the Western Standard. It may have been the newspaper’s long-time printer and foreman, James Augustus Reeves (1820-1849). He remained with the newspaper until late 1848/early 1849, when he moved to Amherstburg and founded the Amherstburg Courier. The Western Standard likely ceased publication around the end of 1848.
Updated: Katharine Ball, February 5, 2021
Source of Online Holdings
Museum Windsor
Other Potential Holdings
Western University: 1846: Mar. 7 (Vol. 3: no. 40)
Library and Archives Canada: 1846: June 20 (Vol. 4: no. 3)
Archives of Ontario: 1848: Sept. 16 (Vol. 6: no. 16)
To view online at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/western-standard-sandwich