About Us

Tucked away amid the dry and dusty hills of sage and sand, The Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal is one of the oldest continuously operating weekly community newspapers in the province. The Journal's first publication, May 9, 1895, was put out by a man from Wisconsin, Dr. Frank Stewart Reynolds and his partner, A.H.S. Sroufe, who named their paper, The British Columbia Mining Journal. The Mining Journal carried mining news from all over the province to international destinations for the next five years. By 1899 mining operations had slowed considerably and in that year the Mining Journal was re-named The Ashcroft Journal. Reynolds and Sroufe continued to operate the newspaper until 1902. Between 1902-1912 The Journal had several editors, two of whom were owners, and its offices moved from temporary quarters to its present site built in 1897. From 1902-1908 J.E. Knight owned the newspaper. He sold it to D.W. Rowlands, who published it from 1908-1912. In 1912 R.D. Cumming sold his general store and bought The Ashcroft Journal. For the next 66 years, The Journal was owned by three generations of the Cumming family. R.D. Cumming passed the paper on to his son T.A. Cumming, who passed it to brother L.W. "Lew" Cumming, who passed it to his son L.E. "Llew" Cumming. The Cumming family sold The Ashcroft Journal to Cariboo Press in 1978. Black Press Ltd, owned by David Black, is one of BC's largest publishers of community newspapers. It was started in 1969 when Black's father Alan purchased a newspaper in Williams Lake. David took over the paper in 1975 and with the purchase of The Ashcroft Journal in 1980 began building a chain. In 2000 the company had revenues of $170 million. By 2003, the company owned 93 papers, mainly in BC but also in Alberta and the US.

Your Community News Team

	Publisher, Sales Manager/Classified Manager Etelka Gillespie 250-453-2261
	Columnist Susan Swan	Susan has raised her family in the historic Village of Clinton, "Gateway to the Cariboo", and now operates her own downtown business. She been writing about the issues and events that affect her small town since 1997.
	Columnist Ida Makaro	Ida began her column in 1978 when she was editor of The Journal, taking a 12-year break beginning in 1984. Now a municipal councillor in Cache Creek, she combines her love of politics and newspapers.
	Production Desk Leanne Corneillie 250-453-2261
	Sales Terry Daniels 250-453-2261
	Reception Lee Berdan 250-453-2261
	Editor Wendy Coomber 250-453-2261