Last week we talked about news and how a pioneer in Lloyd was innovative in the news industry.
There’s another figure, George Franklin Baynton, who was renowned in the town for his work in media. He may not have had experience in the printing or publishing business, but he quickly proved how hard work and a good mindset helped form him into a force for positive change in Lloydminster.
He was known for relentlessly hounding politicians at all levels to start projects for the benefit of the border city.
Baynton promoted heavy crude in the city and was integral in bringing the two provinces together to provide an all-weather road from Lloydminster to the North Saskatchewan River. Prior to the road being built bad weather made Jumbo Hill a formidable obstacle rendering it impassable.
A group of northern residents even gave him a purse of money to show their appreciation for his efforts. True to who he was, Baynton used the money on another cause he had already embarked on; the construction of a bridge across the river that would serve the northern communities on both sides of the border.
His efforts would see a cost-sharing agreement made between the federal and two provincial governments for the construction of the bridge. He died shortly after, and the bridge was named after him as a memorial to the advocate for the border city.
Baynton was a man who bettered Lloydminster in many ways, one of the details I found most interesting is his use of editorials.
If Baynton was trying to get in contact with government officials and he was ignored he would take to the newspaper and write a blistering editorial about them.
An editorial is an article that gives the opinion of the editor or publisher, often encompassing a belief by the newspaper. It gives the people behind the largely fact-based articles and research a chance to give an opinion and be more off the cuff.
The use of an editorial or an opinion is something I’ve always found interesting, I’m not a very opinionated person I like to live in my facts.
To see Baynton use the editorial to better, the community reminds me how important it is to not just report the facts but work to serve the community you live in.
Read more: Column: Bringing news to Lloydminster