In the summer of 2005, a group of friends gathered with the idea of creating an independent, locally-owned newspaper that would represent the needs, issues and ideas of our community. The result is the Fitzhugh.

We believed the community of Jasper was ready to be represented by a locally-owned, politically-independent weekly paper. The goal of the Fitzhugh is to present news and comment that is timely and reflects our readers’ values and lives. At the Fitzhugh you’ll find fresh and innovative reporting from our energetic and qualified staff.

The name Fitzhugh was chosen for many reasons. Jasper was originally known as Fitzhugh, named after a vice-president and general manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and our goal was to connect the past with the future and beyond. We want to incorporate the years of rail history which have contributed to the physical formation of our town as well as representing the people that worked so hard to expand the west.

Jasper is a community that is driven by people with spirit. The Fitzhugh aims to embody this trait to become a forum of information, discussion and of course character.

We distribute approximately 5,000 free copies weekly during our peak season of May - September from over 80 locations in Jasper and Hinton, Ab and Valemount and Mcbride, BC. Our distribution during the fall and winter months of November - April is 3500 weekly.

With 4 years of growth, experience and change behind us, we look forward to starting our 5th year in November 2009 continually striving to meet our goal in providing relevant and current news to the regional area, which the Fitzhugh covers.