In 111 years, the Mail has survived a move from Munson, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the mandates of 21 Prime Ministers, and one and a half pandemics.
Through these years, the Mail has been the primary news source and paper of record for the valley and beyond. Locally we have covered devastating fires, natural disasters, and great feats of our community. We have acted as a force of positivity, sharing and clarifying the issues that mean the most to our readers.
Our roots were planted in Munson in 1911 by Homer Moore and Grover Cleaveland Duncan.
The Munson Mail flourished with local news printed on one side, while the other had general news printed in Winnipeg. Eventually, Duncan bought out his partner and in 1918, moved the paper to the valley and became The Drumheller Mail.
In 1927, prominent editor Archibald F. Key was brought in guiding the direction of the paper. This saw a time of growth in the valley as the coal mining industry boomed, until the stock market crash of 1929.
The valley was resilient and made it through these hard times. Key stayed on until after the Second World War, and in 1947 Duncan sold the Mail to John and Hap Clarke. In 1954, the team of Osborne Sheddy, John Anderson, and Sam Robb purchased the paper. By 1972, it was the sole proprietorship of the Sheddy family.
The community changed as the coal industry foundered, the valley battled back with oil and gas, the Drumheller Institution, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum and tourism.
In this new era, the media industry drastically changed, moving toward advances in printing and right into the digital age. The Mail was one of the first newspapers in the province to adopt digital photography.
Along with the newspaper, which has been recognized provincially and nationally for its reportage and community services, in 1999, it introduced www.drumhellermail.com. It has become the place for the community to come for their news and has in previous years seen more than 1 million sessions annually. With the advent of social media, the Mail presence has been broadened further.
Today when people in the valley look for their news, they look to the Mail - in print, online, and on your phone.
