The North Bay Nugget
NORTH BAY’S NEWSPAPER
Nugget Editorial Department, 1962
Nugget staff at work including Don Buckley (Canadian Press Editor) at the main news desk on the far left and Colin Vezina (City Editor) in center. C.M. (Mort) Fellman (Editor of The Nugget) is on the right and at his left is Britt Jessup, News Editor. At left near the wall is Reporter Betty Alcorn, and right is Inez Murray, Society Editor.
Courtesy of Postmedia
After beginning in Cobalt in 1907, the North Bay Nugget moved its offices to the Queen’s Hotel in North Bay in 1921 and across the road to the old Pacific Hotel in 1930.
Reports were handwritten; staff worked six days a week, sometimes starting as early as 3 AM in the case of global events such as D-Day. Photographers were on call for 24 hours a day.
The Nugget Monday 28 May 1934
In the 1930s, the Nugget broke two of the biggest stories in Canadian history. In May of 1934, a Nugget reporter was sent to check out a claim that five identical girls were born in a Corbeil farmhouse. The following year, future sports editor Britt Jessup—then an 18-year-old junior reporter—heard a tip that public speaker and conservationist Grey Owl was an Englishman named Archibald Belaney who made a living off pretending to be Indigenous. Publication of this revelation was delayed until Belaney died in 1939 out of respect for his conservation work.
Other groundbreaking stories were covered in the decades that followed. Samples of the reporting accompany this exhibit.
The Nugget Wednesday 13 April 1938
Nugget Press Room
Ken Luxton holding a press plate next to the Nugget’s Rotary Crabtree with Ed Doran and Jack King (behind) and Phil Farrell (above).
Courtesy of Postmedia
A 48-page Rotary Crabtree Press from England was assembled at The Nugget building, 259 Worthington West, in summer of 1968 by John Cohn of England.
It was the biggest colour press north of Toronto and served until summer of 1981 when it was dismantled. In its place is an Offset Press, much smaller but efficient and still in use.
Nugget operations moved to 259 Worthington Street in January of 1955. The Nugget was sold to Postmedia in 2014, and the building was sold in 2022. The Nugget still leases office space at that address.
Rotary Crabtree Press Speed Mounter mounted with original Nugget masthead
Donated by Colin Vezina
Did You Know…
The Nugget was named after mining in Cobalt “Nuggets”
From 1948 to 1956, the Nugget had the distinction of being the only employee-owned paper in Canada.
At its peak, the Nugget had a circulation of 25,000.
The Nugget Wednesday 16 February 1977
Courtesy of Postmedia
The North Bay Fur Carnival launched in 1966 and ran until 1977. North Bay Nugget photographers and reporters ensured that local events including the Fur Carnivals were well documented.
The carnivals included snowmobile races, an automobile ice race, a dog sled weight pulling contest, a sled dog derby, a Winter Carnival Fur Queen contest, a figure skating show, and skydivers.
An article in North Bay Nugget reported that the North Bay Fur Carnival was deemed a “financial disaster” by the board of directors in 1977 and the event was discontinued.
North Bay Fur Carnival and North Bay Winter Carnival Souvenirs
North Bay Museum Collection
Photo of Cloud II and Ray Carson
Courtesy of Ontario Provincial Police Museum
The Nugget Tuesday 2 September 1975
Courtesy of Postmedia
Donald Kelly precipitated a notorious crime spree in northeastern Ontario that captured widespread attention and was extensively reported by the North Bay Nugget.
Kelly committed a series of armed robberies, targeting businesses across the region. He was arrested, but overpowered a guard and escaped from the North Bay Jail during a preliminary hearing in August, 1975. He eluded the police for a month in one of the largest manhunts in Ontario’s history.
He fled to remote areas, hiding out in northeastern Ontario’s vast bush. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) canine unit, including police dog Cloud II, led the manhunt.
On September 2nd, after a brief shootout, Constables Carson and Ted Gianaini apprehended the wounded fugitive. During the tense standoff, Kelly, desperate and cornered, fatally shot Cloud II.
Kelly’s crime spree ended with his arrest and imprisonment, but the impact of his actions, particularly the death of Cloud II, remained a somber reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers and their canine partners face in the line of duty.
The Nugget Thursday 9 January 1975
Courtesy of Postmedia
On January 8, 1975, the Barry Building, on McIntyre Street, exploded. A gas company crew accidentally severed a natural gas line, allowing gas to seep into the building. At 3:30 p.m., the gas ignited, resulting in a violent explosion that lifted the building’s roof and triggered a fierce fire.
Nine people lost their lives, and 23 were injured. Investigations into the tragedy led to changes in safety procedures and detection of natural gas leaks in Ontario.
Barry Building Explosion Report
Courtesy of North Bay Fire Department
Remember When…
“I started at the Nugget in 1955 as a Cub Reporter following up on fire calls and police calls. The Fire Dept. Chief, Fred Strange, gave me my own fire coat and helmet and boots and gloves “so you’ll stay warm and dry because you spend so much time with us.”
“I was single and worked seven days a week, often 15 hours daily and loved the news business because I was learning so much and seeing so many interesting events.
“However, I also witnessed terrible tragedies. The day the Barry Building exploded was Wed. Jan 8, 1975 at 3.29 pm. I was in the newsroom at The Nugget when our building shook after we heard a tremendous explosion.
“I dressed for the cold weather and went to the Barry Building site and part way there on Worthington St. West, I saw Dr. Landriault wandering on the sidewalk with his face covered with blood. I stayed with him until two police officers took him to the hospital.
“Just seeing and assisting police and firefighters with the removal of bodies is a horrible memory I shall never forget.”
Colin Vezina
North Bay Nugget reporter and editor
Colin started as a cub reporter in 1955 and retired as editor of The Nugget in 1990.