In 1895, a newspaper was born in Lanark village, providing the village and surrounding areas with pertinent local information, opinions and advertisements.
The Lanark Era wasn't the first paper in then-Lanark Township, now the larger Lanark Highlands Township – but it is the one that has survived and thrived in the following years. The Era has been a constant in Lanark County through the First and Second World Wars, through post-war growth, through a devastating fire that decimated Lanark village, and through the many changes since then.
John Sutherland started The Lanark Era, but within a year, he had sold the paper to Robert Wilson from Carleton Place. Over the years, the paper changed hands several times, with a short break in the late 1970s before Dennis Schroeder took over and the paper began again as The New Era.
When long-time owner Wendy Vallillee bought the paper in 1986, she incorporated the business and re-established the Lanark Era name in 1990. Vallillee sold the paper in December of 2008 to Gena Gibson, who still runs the Era as the owner and editor.
The Era is a small, community-minded newspaper publishing once a week, every Tuesday. The paper (and its two-member staff) takes a two-week holiday in the summer and another at Christmastime, with 48 issues published each year.
Lanark Highlands, Drummond/North Elmsley, and Tay Valley townships, as well as Perth and Missississippi Mills (which includes Almonte), all receive coverage in the Era on a regular basis. Community events, Lanark Highlands Township council, Lanark County news, local schools and churches – they all make up the backbone of the Era and its importance to the community.
Back issues of The Lanark Era, from 1895 to 2016, are available in the library of Algonquin College Perth Campus. Staff will help you find the issues and use the machine, with copies of pages able to be printed on large-format paper and pages also available in .pdf, .jpg and .tiff formats.