Huge forest fires destroyed homes, barns, animals, and hundreds of acres of woodland in the western part of Prince Edward Island during August and September of 1960. My mother, Vivian Phillips, compiled a scrapbook of newspaper clippings over those weeks, and that scrapbook became a popular reference tool for school students and history buffs.

The scrapbook became fragile over time and it was becoming difficult to lend it out, so I transcribed the articles in the winter of 2009-10. The clippings came from three Prince Edward Island newspapers: The Guardian and The Evening Patriot, both published in Charlottetown, and The Journal-Pioneer, published in Summerside.

You can download the 68 page scrapbook replica here.

Please note that if you will be printing this document, the pages are formatted for 8.5″ x 14″ (legal size) paper and laid out so you can print double sided to save paper and make a nice readable book.

I’d love to hear your memories and stories about the 1960 fire, so send me a message.

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Memories of the 1960 West Prince Fire was written in January 2001 by member of the Happy Valley Seniors group of Tyne Valley, PEI. Although the group has disbanded, the Stewart Memorial Healthcare Auxiliary has taken possession of their archives, and this document was found there.