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Tom Monto

Charles Lewis Shaw - Edmonton pioneer - Journalist - war correspondent in Egypt, South Africa and Turkey

Updated: Jul 13

Charles Lewis Shaw came to Edmonton during the pioneer era. He was a well known literary worker of the late 1900s.

His columns in the Edmonton Bulletin and other newspapers are well written and show the human side of those times.


The Memorable Manitoban listing provided this info on Shaw who that province regarded as one of its own. (presented here in slighty-edited form):


Charles Lew is Shaw (1863-1911)

Lawyer, journalist.

Born at Perth, Ontario on 16 February 1863, son of MLA William McNairn Shaw and Eliza J. Shaw, he was educated at Trinity College (Toronto). He was called to Manitoba Bar in 1884. [He moved to Edmonton around 1882] and practiced law at Edmonton where he was a popular after-dinner speaker.

In 1884, he accompanied the Gordon Relief Expedition to Egypt as a correspondent for the Winnipeg Times newspaper. Afterwards he saw service in Turkey and as a Boer War correspondent for a syndicate of Canadian newspapers.

In 1905, he married Isabelle Thompson of Toronto. They had no children.


Around the time of his marriage, Shaw commenced employment with the Winnipeg Telegram newspaper. Toward the end of his life, he resumed the practice of law while continuing to do special work for the newspaper.

He died at Winnipeg on 15 June 1911.

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Canadian Magazine March 1899 is to have Shaw's essay "A Story of Kitchener", an advertisement says.


Shaw was among the body of Canadian voyageurs that Lord Wolsely took up the Nile in 1885-1886. [his essay said to contain an illuminating anecdote about Kitchener.] (adv in Canadian Magazine Advertizer part of Canadian Magazine Feb. 1899 Canadiana online)


Canadian Magazine Feb. 1899 contains Shaw's article "News of Waterloo" about Edmonton celebrating Britain's victory at Waterloo a year and a half after it happened.


"Random Reminiscences of a Nile Voyageur" in Saturday Night 189 (I saw ad for it in Canadian Magazine Jan 1894)


Saturday Night's Christmas number (1898) contains Shaw's "Two Weeks Before The Mast"


Canadian Magazine Nov. 1902 Shaw "Day with Workingman"

Shaw "Toronto Firefighters"


Canadian Magazine Jan 1903 Shaw "Day with Workingman"


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Charles also wrote a series of interesting articles on early Edmonton, inlcuding an account of learning the story of the Metis from Laurent Garneau and his fiddle. (see another Montopedia blog for an account of this).


see Edmonton Bulletin, Feb. 13, 1900 Shaw on "Tommy and His Officers"


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(this is my 1000th Montopedia blog - some are larger than others but overall a heck of an effort if I say so myself!)


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