Newspapers are provided on this site solely for the purpose of research or private study. Any use of copies for a purpose other than research or private study, including uploading copies to social media or other websites, may require authorization of the copyright owner of the work in question. It is your responsibility to determine whether the newspapers are subject to copyright and to obtain appropriate clearances, as necessary. The Haliburton County Digitization Project Committee/ Haliburton Highlands Digital Archives cannot grant nor deny permission to third parties to publish or otherwise distribute the material. By entering the archive,you agree to the above criteria.
Help us find
missing issues.
The Haliburton Highlands has been home numerous publications since 1874. There have been fires, bankruptcies, rough starts, failed mergers, and changes in both ownerships and locations. The two mainstays have been the Echo and the Times. Haliburton County Echo began in 1874 as the Minden Herald. Since then, it’s been published as the Minden Echo; the Minden Echo & Haliburton County Recorder; Haliburton County News; and, finally, the Haliburton County Echo. The Minden Times began as the Minden Progress in 1963, was renamed the County Progress and then The Times. It was purchased by the owners of the Echo in 2001. With this change, the Times focused on news from the west side of the County (Algonquin Highlands and Minden Hills) and the Echo on the east side (Dysart et al and Highlands East). Both included news significant to the County as a whole. Each of these papers has additionally produced supplements, magazines and special editions for myriad community events and anniversaries. Over the years other newspapers and partnerships have come and gone under various mastheads including Highlands Express, Highlands Communicator, County Connections, County Voice, Cardiff Courier, and the Highlands Courier. In 2011, the county-wide Highlander was created and continues to be published. Over time, thousands of independent community newspapers across Canada have been bought up by syndicates. Unfortunately, many of these have folded, leaving numerous small towns across Ontario – and the country, with no source for local news. In 2025, we are fortunate to have three non-syndicated newspapers that continue to tell the stories of the Haliburton Highlands: the Haliburton County Echo. the Minden Times, and The Highlander.
The Haliburton Highlands Newspaper Digitization Project
Background
.
For a more extensive history of newspapers in the Haliburton Highlands read Steve Hill's paper on this subject.
Martha Perkins
talks about the importance
of local newspapers.
The Project
In 2023, former Echo and Times editor, Martha Perkins, and former Fleming College dean, Barb Bolin, began talking about preserving our newspaper history. They looked at other community digitization projects and spoke to the local organizations and individuals that hold the existing collections. Interest is ‘doing something’ was high.
They approached the U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research to become the lead organization, and the U-Links Management Committee felt the creation of a digital newspaper archive was a natural extension of the U-Links mandate which includes a collection of 32 years of community-based research on myriad projects. U-Links agreed to be the lead organization. The pair were also successful in getting support from the publishers of existing local newspapers.
Start-up funds were sought and gratefully received from Martha Perkins, Len Pizzey, the Rotary Club of Haliburton, and Canoe FM; and the HCDC Local Initiative Program.
Barb and Martha also invited community champions to serve on a thinktank to oversee the project.
This group consists of:
Barb Bolin Former Dean of Fleming College, Haliburton School of Art and Design
Jim Blake Co-Chair, U-Links Centre for Community Based Research
Andrea Brown CEO/Chief Librarian Haliburton County
Adele Espina Chair, Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group Chair, Stanhope Heritage Museum
Steve Hill Former Curator, Haliburton Highlands Museum (retired January 2024)
Carol Moffatt Stanhope Heritage Museum founder and committee member. Former Algonquin
Highlands Mayor and County Warden
Tom Whillans Professor Emeritus, Trent University; U-Links Management Committee
Ted Brandon Project Co-ordinator
Advisors include:
Robert Wong Minden Hills Cultural Centre
Karen Suurtamm Trent University Archivist
Dwayne Collins Trent University Innovation Librarian
Martha Perkins Supporter and donor
The start-up funds provided for the hiring of a Project Co-ordinator to ascertain the project scope and options. This work included an inventory of newspaper archives; determining the scope of digitization; researching similar projects in other communities; identifying options for digitization; and developing a budget.
We found that there are 130,000 pages of the above-named newspapers sitting in the archives of newspaper publishers that needed to be scanned, digitized and uploaded into an on-line archive. There were also approximately 1400 editions of more recent papers that had already been digitized by the publishers that need to be uploaded to the archive. We created an on-line searchable newspaper archive on the Internet Archive (a free service used by institutions around the world).
We contracted with an Ontario company, MES Hybrid Document Systems to undertake the scanning and uploading of the digitized newspapers.
Next Steps
With the Newspaper Archive in a searchable on-line data base. The next step is to find as many of the missing papers as we can to add them to the collection.
The Haliburton County Library and the Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group are collaborating on this collection effort.
Donors and contributors to the
Haliburton Highlands Digitization Project
Donors and Funders
Martha Perkins
Rotary Club of Haliburton
Len & Kit Pizzey
Carol Moffatt & Tony Aymong
Rotary Club of Minden
Barb Bolin
Jim Blake
Carol Moffatt & Tony Aymong
The Haliburton Echo and Minden Times
Haliburton County Development Corporation
Andrew & Anne Hodgson
Chris & Marie Hodgson
Greg & Sandra Bishop
Ted & Lorry Brandon
Emmerson Lumber
In memory of Leopoldina Dobrzensky
Canoe FM Community Radio Station
Anonymous
Haliburton & District Lions Club
Committee Members
Barb Bolin - Chair
Jim Blake
Andrea Brown
Adele Espina
Steve Hill
Carol Moffatt
Tom Whillans
Project Co-ordinator
Ted Brandon
Advisors
Dwayne Collins - Trent University Innovation Librarian
Martha Perkins - Supporter and donor
Karen Suurtamm - Trent University Archivist
Robert Wong - Cultural Program Coordinator
Minden Hills Cultural Centre
Community Partners
County Voice
Haliburton County Community Co-operative
The Haliburton County Echo and Minden Times
Haliburton County Development Corporation
Haliburton County Library
Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group
Haliburton Highlands Museum
The Highlander
The Highlands Express
Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives
Minden Hills Cultural Centre
Trent University Library & Archives
U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research
Please help fill in the gaps!!
If you think that you may have an older issue of a Haliburton Highlands newspaper please look at the list of missing newspapers. (see below)
Two ways to get these newspapers in the archive
If you don’t want to have the newspapers back:
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Bring your newspaper(s) to any branch of the Haliburton County Public Library.
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Let the person at the front desk know you have an issue(s) of a newspaper that you would like to donate to the collection.
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They will provide you with a large zip bag.
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They will forward the bag to the Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group.
OR If you would like to have want your newspaper(s) back after they have been added to the archive:
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Please contact the Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group at hhggroup@gmail.com
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They will arrange a time for a pick-up and make arrangements for the return of your newspapers.