USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume I > Part 90
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The Star-Journal was established in 1901, when a stock company purchased for consolidation two local newspapers, The Evening Star and The Pueblo Press. The former was owned by W. J. Jackson and was conducted in the rear of the Board of Trade Building. The Pueblo Press in West D Street, was owned by W. B. Mckinney.
The company which established The Star-Journal was composed of John F. Vail, Former Governor Alva Adams, George J. Dunbaugh, Hume Lewis, Samuel D. Trimble, E. G. Middlekamp and the late Judge J. C. Coulter. At present the entire stock of the paper is owned by John F. Vail and Frank S. Hoag.
Frederick W. White, Jr., of Denver, was the first business manager of the paper. He came to Pueblo in 1901 and remained manager until his death in 1903. He was succeeded by Hume Lewis, who acted as manager for about fif- teen months. After that Frank S. Hoag assumed the management, which he has retained ever since.
A pony Associated Press service was secured from the Evening Star, but the full service was acquired by Mr. White in October, 1902. The paper has been operated in its present building at Grand and Union avenues since 1903. Before that time it was located in the old Armory Building just south of the Arkansas River.
The politics of the paper has always been democratic. Mr. Vail is president of the Star-Journal Publishing Company, Mr. Hoag is vice president and general manager, and John R. Shea is editor.
The Sun was established in Pueblo in 1907 by the Scripps-McRae syndicate of Cincinnati. It ran as an independent evening newspaper for about two years and was then suspended.
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
In 1910 Andrew McClelland and a company of prominent Puebloans bought the Sun plant and started the Leader. Roy McClintock was manager and editor. Congressman Edward Keating purchased the paper from McClelland in 19II and ran it as a democratic organ until after he was elected to Congress. Shortly after Keating went to Washington Fred Marvin and George Habrich took pos- session, later consolidating it with the Chieftain, which they had leased for a brief period.
The Pueblo Sunday Opinion, formerly the Saturday Opinion, was first issued in June, 1882, by J. A. Wayland and Lon Hoding. The latter sold his interest in the paper in 1883. The late Ernest Osgood, assistant postmaster, joined Way- land during 1884 and later in that year A. W. Mahan bought Wayland's interest, and it was run as an independent paper, Osgood being an ardent republican while Mahan was an equally enthusiastic democrat.
In September, 1885, John W. Lockin bought Mahan's interest and the name of the paper was changed to the Pueblo Sunday Opinion. For a short time it was issued Saturday night for Sunday morning circulation, but after a few weeks it was dated Saturday but retained the name Sunday Opinion.
Lockin and Osgood maintained their partnership for over twenty years. The paper is now owned by Lockin. It is a republican' paper in national politics and independent in state, county and city affairs.
The Indicator, a Pueblo weekly newspaper, has been published in Bessemer since its organization in 1890. The paper was established by Patrick Byrnes, its present owner, at 307 Northern Avenue. In 1901 the press was moved across the street to 312 Northern Avenue, where it has been operated ever since.
COLORADO SPRINGS NEWSPAPERS
Journalism in El Paso County began in 1861, with the Colorado City Journal, a weekly paper printed in Denver and owned and circulated by Benjamin F. Crowell. Its life was brief. But with the creation of Colorado Springs there sprang up at once a group of influential papers. The first of these was Out West, published by the Town Company, and edited by J. E. Liller, a Philadel- phia newspaper man. It ran from March 23, 1872, to 1873, and was one of the best-printed and best-edited papers in the country, its correspondents includ- ing some of the world's greatest writers.
Out of this grew the Colorado Springs Gazette. Mr. Liller was owner and editor until 1876, when he sold the paper to General Palmer, who placed Ben -. jamin Steele in charge as editor. Mr. Steele continued as editor until his death in 1891, when H. A. Risley took charge under the same ownership. In 1893 General Palmer sold to a syndicate headed by Henry Russell Wray and C. Van- derbilt Barton, with William Alexander Platt as editor. In 1898 the Gazette was sold to Charles M. MacNeill, now president of the Utah Copper Company, and Kurnal R. Babbitt, now of New York City, general attorney for the MacNeill- Guggenheim copper syndicate. State Senator David Elliot, then editor of the Evening Telegraph, was made editor, and in 1899 the paper was sold to George Knox McKane of Philadelphia, who became editor in chief, with Senator Elliot as managing editor. In 1902 The Gazette was sold to Clarence P. Dodge of New
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
York, who placed Charles T. Wilder in charge as managing editor, a position which he held until July 1, 1916, when Mr. Dodge assumed that title, which he still holds.
For thirty years The Gazette was republican, and in the silver campaign against Bryan was the only daily in Colorado supporting Mckinley. In 1912 it became progressive, and is now known as progressive republican.
The Colorado Springs Evening Telegraph came into existence in 1873, originally as a weekly paper called The Republic, founded by J. M. Bolton and W. H. Gowdy, veteran printers. It passed through several hands, and had a precarious career until 1891, when it was merged with the Evening Telegraph and became a daily paper, with H. H. Eddy as editor and Charles S. Sprague, now a Nevada mining man, as owner. Mr. Sprague sold in 1893 to W. S. Strat- ton, millionaire mining man, who later sold it back to Mr. Sprague. The latter disposed of the paper to Lewis W. Gaylord of Philadelphia in 1898. During these periods the paper was edited first by H. S. Rogers and later by David El- liot. In 1900 Mr. Gaylord sold to a syndicate composed chiefly of Congressman Franklin E. Brooks and D. B. Fairley, state chairman of the republican party. William A. Platt, who died in 1910, was editor in chief, with David Elliot as managing editor. In 1901 the Telegraph was sold to C. P. Dodge, with E. E. Rittenhouse as editor. In 1903 it was sold to Clarence C. Hamlin and C. Y. Yeager, with David Elliot as editor. In 1908 Mr. Dodge started the Herald to compete with The Telegraph in the evening field. In August, 1909, he sold the Herald to Clarence C. Hamlin, who combined it with The Telegraph under the editorship of David Elliot. In 1916 Senator Elliot withdrew as editor, and since that time the paper has been conducted under the sole ownership of Clarence C. Hamlin, president, T. E. Nowels as manager. The paper is and always has been republican in politics.
CAÑON CITY PAPERS
As early as 1861 H. S. Millet and Matt Riddlebarger had bought the plant of the Western Mountaineer in Golden and transferred it to Canon City, where they began publication of the Times. The paper was short-lived, for new "dig- gings" soon attracted practically the entire population from their temporary halting places in and about Cañon City.
The Canon City Record, W. B. Felton, proprietor, was established in 1874, followed in 1887 by the Fremont County News, with Howell Brothers, pro- prietors, and in 1888 by the Cañon City Clipper, Frank P. Shaeffer, proprietor. The Record, for many years a daily is now published and edited by Guy U. Hardy.
PAPERS IN FREMONT COUNTY
The Fremont County Leader, now edited by Lois H. Allen, is the successor of a group of papers which followed the News and the Clipper of the earlier days. In 1917 the Florence Daily Citizen, the weekly Paradox and the weekly Citizen Democrat were Florence publications, all of them created late in the history of Fremont County.
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
IN GILPIN COUNTY
Journalism became active in Gilpin County soon after the first papers ap- peared in Denver. The Rocky Mountain Gold Reporter and Mountain City Herald, as already stated, was circulated in Central City as early as August, 1859, but in the following year became The Rocky Mountain Herald and was published in and circulated from Denver. But in 1862 Alfred Thompson came with an entire printing outfit from Glenwood, Iowa, to Central City and on July 20th started the Miners' Register. In April, 1863, the paper was sold to D. C. Collier, George A. Wells and Hugh Glenn. When the Register Block, a fine stone struc- ture, was erected, the owners were Frank Hall and W. W. Whipple, the latter in turn selling his interest to Frank Hall. In 1877 it was sold to James A. Smith and Dan Marlow, and in 1878 it was leased to Halsey Rhoads. Laird & Marlow, who in 1878 started the Evening Call, later secured possession, and the paper became known as The Register-Call, the name it sails under today, with G. M. Laird in editorial and publishing control.
W. T. Muir started the Colorado Miner early in 1863 at Blackhawk. When O. J. Hollister, the historian, bought it late in 1863 he called it the Blackhawk Mining Journal. In 1866 it was moved to Central, and its name was again changed to The Times by the new publishers and editors, O. J. Goldrick, Den- ver's first school teacher, and Henry Garbonati.
Frank Fossett, another of Colorado's early historians, owned it in 1870, when its name was The Colorado Daily Herald. In 1886 a man named Cresson es- tablished the Weekly Gilpin County Observer at Blackhawk. In 1887 Alex McLeod and associates moved it to Central City. There have been a number of changes since then in ownership, but it is today known as The Gilpin Observer, and is owned and edited by W. J. Stull.
LEADVILLE NEWSPAPERS
Leadville in 1878 became the Mecca not alone of miners but of traders and newspaper. men. Richard S. Allen was the first to come into the field with a weekly called The Reveille. He had established a plant at Fairplay, where he was the first publisher and editor of the Sentinel, and this he transferred bodily to the new camp, issuing the first number in August, 1878. The success of his venture inspired W. F. Hogan to transfer his News from Alma to Leadville. His success with the Eclipse, as he called the weekly, induced him to try out a daily a few weeks after he appeared on the scene.
In the meantime Denver newspaper men, John Arkins, Carlyle C. Davis and James Burnell, had their eyes on the new camp, and purchasing an outfit in St. Louis, started the Daily Chronicle on January 29, 1879. It was an immediate success. The price of the paper was 10 cents per copy, and the circulation began at 300 and within a month was over 2,500. Before the end of the year it had reached 5,000 daily. On Sunday morning when the miners came to town a weekly, consisting of six daily issues, was put on sale. This reached a circula- tion of 7,000. The presses were kept running until nine each evening to accom- modate the subscribers.
Burnell sold his interest for a substantial profit, and Arkins, for whom the
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
high altitude meant ill-health, also retired, Davis becoming sole owner on April I, 1880.
The success continued. But on October 21, 1879, Capt. R. G. Dill, a well- known and excellent newspaper inan of Denver, organized a company and began publishing the Leadville Daily Herald. On January 1, 1880, the Rocky Moun- tain News began its branch publication the Daily Democrat. Naturally this divi- sion of patronage cut into profits, but within eighteen months Davis had consoli- dated the three papers and was issuing the Leadville Herald-Democrat. Only the Dispatch, founded by P. A. Leonard, continued for a time as a competing daily .. Davis also kept up the weekly, calling it The Carbonate Chronicle. While there have been many changes in management, the papers are still under one own- ership, the Herald-Democrat being the daily, and The Carbonate Chronicle the weekly. The Leadville Publishing and Printing Company, of which Henry C. Butler is president and Frank E. Vaughn manager, owns and conducts the two papers.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
George West was Jefferson County's pioneer publisher, his venture, the Western Mountaineer, appearing in December, 1859, from the press on which Thomas Gibson had printed the Rocky Mountain Gold Reporter at Central City a few months prior to this. He soon surrendered his lease, went to Boston, sold out his interests there, bought a plant and brought it back to Golden. With the aid of Albert D. Richardson and Thomas W. Knox, famous newspaper men, he resumed publication of his Western Mountaineer, but on December 20, 1860, sold the entire plant to H. S. Millett and Watt Riddlebarger, who moved it to Cañon City. George West in 1866 established the Golden Transcript, which he edited for over a quarter of a century. The paper is now conducted by H. D. West. Ed. Howe, the famous Atchison, Kansas, editor was for a time employed in newspaper work in Golden.
AT BUENA VISTA
Buena Vista's incorporation in 1879 was followed, February 6, 1880, by the publication of the Chaffee County Times owned and edited by P. A. Leonard, whose sister, Mrs. Agnes Leonard Hill, did much to make the paper entertain- ing and popular. W. R. Logan and George Newland were for a time partners in the enterprise, but Mr. Leonard kept control for some years. In 1881 W. R. Logan and George C. Hickey started the Buena Vista Herald. Later it was bought by A. R. Kennedy, and in 1891 became the property of D. M. Jones. The Democrat, established in 1881 by John Cheeley, in 1884 became the prop- 'erty of W. R. Logan. The Chaffee County Democrat is today the property of Charles S. Logan. The various papers started in Buena Vista during the past three decades were merged either with the Democrat or with the Chaffee County Republican, now owned and edited by Edward S. Gregg.
PAPERS AT SALIDA
At Salida the Mail began publication June 5, 1880, the Cleora Journal plant having been purchased and shipped over. M. R. Moore, who with Henry C.
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
Olney started the venture, soon became sole proprietor. In 1884 the Mail merged with the Sentinel, which had been started in 1882 by J. S. Painter with the Mays- ville Miner plant. From 1882 to 1885 the Mail was a daily, later changing to a semi-weekly. In 1883 W. B. Mckinney started the Daily News, selling it to A. R. Pelton, who in turn disposed of it to Howard T. Lee. The Call was founded in 1889, and the Apex in 1890. Other ventures followed, and speedily failed. In 1917 there remained only the Salida Mail, a semi-weekly, owned and edited by John M. O'Connell, and the Salida Record, a weekly owned and edited by O. R. Meacham.
ALAMOSA
The Colorado Independent, which later became the Independent Journal, had followed the Denver & Rio Grande track layers from point to point until they reached Alamosa, where it permanently anchored. Its owners and editors were Hamm and Finley. The Alamosa News was founded the same year, 1878, by Matthews & Custers. In 1917 there were four papers in the new county, the Alamosa Journal, the successor of the pioneer publication, owned and edited by John M. Stuart; the Alamosa Leader, Middleton & Middleton, proprietors; the Alamosa Empire, Frank M. Hartman, editor; and the Alamosa Courier, Clifton H. Wilder, editor.
BOULDER
The Valmont Bulletin began publication at Valmont in 1866, but was soon transferred to Boulder, where it was issued April 3, 1867, by W. C. Chamber- lain. Dr. J. E. Wharton, its next owner, changed its name to the Boulder County Pioneer, and when Robert H. Tilney secured it in 1868 it became known as the Boulder County News. There were many changes, but in 1878 Amos Bixby, who with Eugene Wilder had bought it in 1874, sold his interest to William G. Shadd. The latter had printed a paper in the Sunshine mining district, later moving it to Boulder and in 1878 consolidating it with the News under the name Boulder News and Courier. Later it was consolidated with another small weekly, the Banner, and became the News and Banner. In 1888 C. Ricketts, a new own- er, called it The Boulder News.
Wangelin & Tilney in 1873 purchased the press and material of a paper called the Rocky Mountain Eagle, which had been published for a few months, and founded the Banner, which was, as stated, consolidated with the News. On February 18, 1880, Mr. Wangelin started the Boulder Herald, changing it to a daily on April 17, 1880. Mr. Wangelin is today (1918) still in charge of one. of the best-edited dailies in the state, this journal which he established in 1880.
L. C. Paddock founded the Boulder Sentinel with George Newland in 1884. Mr. Paddock within a few months became sole proprietor and in October, 1888, sold it to Clarence H. Pease. In that year Mr. Paddock established the Boulder Tribune, merging it in 1890 into the Boulder Camera, of which he has since that time been sole proprietor. This has for many years been an evening paper, and is counted among the most influential of the newspapers of the state.
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GEORGETOWN
The Colorado Miner edited by Dr. J. E. Wharton and A. W. Barnard, began publication on May 1, 1867, in Georgetown, the first of Clear Creek's newspaper ventures. E. H. N. Patterson later bought the paper, but it lapsed with the changes in mining conditions. In October, 1890, it was reestablished by Wirt & Davis. J. S. Randall founded the Georgetown Courier in 1877, with Samuel Cushman as editor.
IDAHO SPRINGS
The first newspaper was established in Idaho Springs in 1873 by Halsey M. Rhoads, but its publication office was at Central City. The second venture was the Iris, published by E. A. Benedict, in 1879 later appearing as the Idaho Springs News.
Late in the "eighties" Fred Miner established the Standard at Silver Plume.
Today (1918), after many newspaper vicissitudes, the leading papers in Clear Creek County are the Idaho Springs Mining Gazette, A. G. Dobbins, editor ; Idaho Springs Siftings-News, I. G. Stafford, editor; Georgetown Courier, J. S. Randall, publisher.
PARK COUNTY
Park County's first paper was The Sentinel. When this was discontinued at Fairplay and moved by its owner, Richard S. Allen, to Leadville, there was no publication for some time. On February 20, 1879, Hawkins & Bruner printed the first issue of the Fairplay Flume. It has gone through many hands, its owners of the past including E. S. Cleghorn, George A. Miller, Bob Richardson, D. H. Tobey, J. R. Ballinger, Celsus P. Link, P. W. O'Brien, A. W. Brent, Ed. N. Bar- low and M. E. Dodd. On January 26, 1917, it was bought by Sadie G. Barlow, who is still its editor in 1918. In politics it is democratic.
A. F. Wilmarth owns the Park County Republican, which was established by a group of republicans in 1912.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
The first newspaper to appear in Douglas County was the News-Letter, printed at Frankstown, and established in 1874, and continued there until the fight with Castle Rock over the county seat grew warm. In 1878 when Castle Rock was still an unincorporated town, but when enough of its lots had been sold and built upon to assure its permanency, the Castle Rock Journal was established, the plant having been moved up from Monument by George B. Armstrong. It changed hands seven times in a period of twelve years. The Douglas County News was started in February, 1890. Early in the '8os the entire plant of the Frankstown News-Letter, which was conducted for a time at Castle Rock by C. E. Parkinson, was shipped to Buena Vista. In 1918 the Record-Journal, owned by C. A. Bent and V. A. Case, is one of the leading country weeklies of the state, and the successor of a host of newspaper wrecks.
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
LARIMER COUNTY
Joseph S. McClelland founded the Larimer County Express April 26, 1873, having sold out his newspaper interests at Galesburg, Ill., and brought an outfit to the new metropolis of Larimer County. In 1880 he sold out to Craft Broth- ers and retired to a farm which he had pre-empted soon after his arrival in the county. An evening edition started in 1880 was discontinued in 1884. There were a number of changes in ownership, W. D. Junkins finally selling his half interest to George C. McCormick. Later James G. McCormick was associated with him and the paper has since been published by McCormick Brothers, who now have one of the finest printing concerns in the state. On May 28, 1907, they began printing a morning paper, but this has since been discontinued. The Weekly Express is among the leading journals of the state.
In 1873, some months after McClelland founded the Express, Clark Bough- ton started the Standard. His untimely death was followed in a few months by the suspension of the publication and the transfer of the plant to Blackhawk. In June, 1878, Ansel Watrous, the historian of Larimer County, and who in 1918 was still active in newspaper work, founded the Courier, together with Elmer E. Pelton. In 1882 their evening daily, which had been running for a year, suspended. Carl Anderson bought a controlling interest in the company February 16, 1899, and was soon printing an afternoon daily, which he had begun in 1892, the weekly Courier and the Courier Farmer. The Courier plant under Mr. Anderson's management became one of the largest, if not the largest, printing properties in northern Colorado. Two years ago Morris Emmerson and associates purchased it and are conducting the newspaper with great success.
The Bee, started in 1885 in Fort Collins by S. W. Teagarden, had only a brief existence. The Larimer County Republican, started in 1889, the Fort Collins Gazette, started in 1892, the Argus, founded in 1899, the Evening Star, estab- lished in 1903, had brief existences, although the Argus was later merged into the Fort Collins Review, an influential democratic weekly owned for many years by E. D. Foster.
The Loveland Daily Herald, now (1918) owned by Ellison & Smith and managed by Mark A. Ellison, was founded by the latter in 1907. Its predecessor was the Loveland Register, founded by Earl Harbaugh early in the 'gos and dis- continued in 1908. The Loveland Reporter, a tri-weekly and weekly, owned and edited by A. W. Barnes, is a valuable newspaper addition of the past few years.
Only the Berthoud Bulletin, owned and edited by J. Y. Munson, remains of that town's early newspapers. The News was issued but a few years.
The Wellington Sun, founded in 1907, became the property of its present owner and editor, John E. Pope, soon after its first issue. The Wellington News had only a brief existence.
The Beacon, a meritorious literary weekly, started by Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Evans in 1906, suspended publication in 1909.
LOGAN COUNTY
The Logan County Advocate was started at Atwood by John W. Wilson in October, 1885, and was removed to Sterling two years later. It is today pub-
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lished both as an evening paper and a weekly with J. J. Woodring, an efficient newspaper man, as general manager. The Republican, which was founded by A. F. Spoar, January 19, 1890, has been merged in other properties. The Sterling Enterprise, a later publication, now owned and edited by C. E. Fisher, has both a morning and a weekly issue. J. A. Campbell owns and edits the Sterling Demo- crat, a weekly. The Merino Breese, of which M. M. Thompson is publisher, is one of a few weeklies which have succeeded, of Logan County's former publi- cations, the Fleming Herald, founded by Reed Brothers, the Le Roy Republican, established by Mark Little, the Rockford Times and the Wemple Optic, all of which have dropped by the wayside.
MESA COUNTY
Mesa County's first paper was the News, founded October 28, 1882, by Ed- win Price. This became the property of Darwin P. Kingsley, later one of the powers of the country in the insurance field. In 1886 Edwin Price again became publisher. Since that time the News has passed into many hands, later becom- ing the property of Verner Z. Reed and associates, who leased it in 1914 to Barclay and Swan. It was sold in March 1918 to C. E. Adams, of Montrose.
The Grand Junction Democrat was established in 1883 by Charles W. Has- kell and C. F. Coleman. This was succeeded by the Mesa County Democrat, which later consolidated with The Inter-State, founded by A. J. Cutting, G. W. Frame and D. A. Nunnelly, the joint publication being edited by W. E. Pabor.
Later Mr. Pabor founded the Fruita Star, which suspended in a few years. The Mesa County Mail, of which H. M. Phillips is publisher, succeeded to the newspaper business of the Star. Of the outside weeklies the Mail and the Palisade Tribune, owned and edited by E. S. Sherman, are ranked among the best and most influential publications in the state.
The Grand Junction Star, founded upon the wreck of the Democrat and the Inter-State, was soon succeeded by what has become the most successful news- paper on the Western Slope, the Daily Sentinel, founded by I. N. Bunting. In 1913 the death of Mr. Bunting occurred, and the present efficient manager and editor, Walter Walker, who had been trained in the work under Mr. Bunting, was placed in charge.
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