The city of Thorold and the Chicago Tribune might seem like an unlikely match.

But turn the clock back to 1913, and the metro daily with mega circulation relied on the city where ships climb the mountain for a steady supply of newsprint.

It’s a story that Prof. Michael Stamm from Michigan State University will tell Friday at Brock when he presents his talk ‘Dead Tree Media: Thorold, The Chicago Tribune, and the Canadian Origins of the U.S. Newspaper.’

Presented by the Centre for Canadian Studies, Stamm will discuss the development of the American mass-circulation newspaper and the evolution of the trade relationship between the U.S. and Canada, rooted in Thorold, where, in 1913, the Chicago Tribune built a newsprint mill on the Welland Canal.

The mill was built after the U.S. government lifted duties on newsprint produced north of the 49th. The result was cheap and reliable access to paper by the Tribune, enabling it to become one of the most politically influential newspapers at the time.

Stamm will talk about how the Tribune’s Thorold operations had lingering significance in both cities, particularly in Thorold where the Tribune Company’s top Canadian executive and Schmon Tower namesake, Arthur Schmon, became influential in local commercial and civic life.

The talk happens Nov. 1 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the 13th floor board room of the Schmon Tower.

The talk is part of the Canadian Studies 2013 Public Lecture Series.