The North Shore Sentinel History

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The "Sentinel" began with the late Ernie Strum, of Bruce Mines.
Ernie began his career in publishing behind a broom. He was offered a job at $6.00 a week, as caretaker of the building for "The Bruce Mines Spectator", by then-publishers Charles and Fred Rickaby in the 1930s.
After Charles death, when Fred Rickaby died in the early-1950s, his daughter Helen and employee Ernie kept the business going, until it was sold to Joe Hirshhorn, of Elliot Lake, who operated The Sault to Sudbury Press Ltd., where Ernie went to work as a linotype operator and general trouble shooter.
In the early-1960s, the business closed with Ernie being the last to leave. He immediately went to Thessalon, and began working with Ed Thur, publisher of the "Algoma Advocate".
In 1963, Ernie and his wife Peggy and family were living in Ansonia, north of Thessalon, when the "Advocate" was destroyed by a catastrophic fire.
Ernie scoured the ruins of the building and dug out printing presses, type and other equipment, which he and Peggy painstakingly cleaned.
In 1964, they moved to Bruce Mines, and, in partnership with Sam Ledyit, opened The North Shore Printing Press (eventually Peer Printing), which operated in a couple of different locations, most notably the current Netherton apartment building on Highway 17.
During this time, "The North Shore Sentinel" was born, in November 1964. The front page of the first issue is shown here.
Ernie was a community booster, businessman, and councilor and mayor in Bruce Mines and began the newspaper for Central Algoma that is still in operation today.
Donna and Hank Babbitt, and their son Scott, purchased "The North Shore Sentinel" in 1977 and moved publication to Thessalon, selling to Rankin Trucking Limited in 1991, who have published the paper continuously since that time.

A copy of the front page of the first edition under the new owners is shown here, dated September 4, 1991.

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