What is this all about?

I caught the digital historian flu not long after the birth of the internet and spent the next twenty-five years researching my family tree. Surprisingly, this journey led me to my own back door in British Columbia.

While following the paper trails of elusive ancestors, I developed a strong interest in local history—and quickly discovered countless stories that were curious, entertaining, and often overlooked. Some are funny, some are inspiring, and many read like a gripping novel. The stories shared here are short-form versions of those discoveries, drawn from newspapers and record books that carried them across the world.

Like the rivers and lakes across North America where people once gathered to exchange news, direction, and knowledge, newspapers were the internet of their time—information moved quickly, often unchecked, with stories travelling far beyond where they began. Sometimes knowing which newspaper reported a story is just as interesting as the story itself, and following those threads can lead to unexpected places.

Papertown Station is an independent project that grew out of that process—tracing stories as they appeared in newspapers through time. Each story in the collection once existed on paper and, in many cases, had been long forgotten before being gathered, researched, and written into a more complete account, now revisited as a station along the Papertown line.

Some of the historical material presented here reflects the perspectives and language of its time. Early newspaper coverage was often shaped by bias, colonial viewpoints, and limited understanding. These elements are part of the historical record and can be difficult to read today, but they are included as part of understanding the story as it was told.

This site is not politically driven. The goal is to present historical material as it was originally reported, while allowing readers to interpret it through a modern lens. History is not fixed—it shifts with perspective—and while every effort is made to approach these stories thoughtfully, interpretation will always evolve.

Thank you for your support, corrections, contributions, likes, follows, and shares—and for following along. It’s been a rewarding journey, and I’m glad to be your Conductor.

Until the next stop, 🚂Papertown Conductor (written April 2, 2022 —updated April 2026)

🚂 Papertown Conductor

(First Post on Facebook Page, December 31, 2019)