The Rossland Evening World, 1901-1904
The Rossland Evening World was a four-page daily newspaper established on May Day 1901 in Rossland, BC, dedicated to supporting mine workers in the Kootenays. It was one of Western Canada’s first daily labor newspapers, owned by Local 38 of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM).
Visit the Rossland Evening World digital archive (external link).
Initially, other local papers acknowledged its presence with positive remarks, noting its typographical neatness and political independence. The Evening World‘s purpose was to be a “workingman’s journal” dedicated to protecting and advancing their interests, while also delivering general news.
The newspaper played a significant role in the labour disputes of its time. It opposed the Le Roi Mining Company and its anti-union managers, Bernard Macdonald and Edmund Kirby. The Evening World strongly supported the smelter workers’ lockout in Northport, Washington, in May 1901, which led to a sympathetic strike by Rossland miners in July 1901. The paper criticized mine employers for violating BC’s eight-hour law and the federal government for not enforcing the Alien Labour Act. It also defended union members arrested for accosting scabs and attacked the rival Rossland Miner for its pro-company stance.
Despite its efforts, the strike was ultimately unsuccessful, with the WFM international office eventually unable or unwilling to fund it further. The Evening World continued publication for some time after the strike ended in January 1902, but its role in shaping working-class political opinion ceased in July 1904.
This collection of 556 issues of the Rossland Evening World is part of the BC Historical Newspapers Collection held at the University of British Columbia. Issues can be searched by date, keywords and names.