Oddly Named Newspapers – 4/4

Last week, we covered Nebraska through Pennsylvania. Now, let’s take a look at our last 12 states.

Rhode Island – East Greenwich Pendulum

Today, they’re for the bond bill. Tomorrow, they’re against it.  Geez, people, make up your minds.

This weekly (it comes out every Thursday) has a circulation of 3,500. It started in 1854.

Whence the “pendulum”? Well, the Interwebs are telling me that the paper used to be called the Rhode Island Pendulum and the Weekly Pendulum, though that’s not really helping any.

I did, though, find that, at one time, the paper was published in one city (E. Greenwich) one week and another (Wickford) the next. So maybe that’s it.

East Greenwich is smack-dab in the middle of Rhode Island. It’s got 13,300 people and  dates all the way back to 1677. It started out as just Greenwich, but split into East and West in 1741. 

South Carolina – The Island Packet (Hilton Head)

Again with the packets (see Maine and New Jersey). Interstingly, the SC paper is even newer than Maine’s, being founded in 1970. Not sure if they were using the same chronologically-challenged logic here or not. 

The paper’s actually a daily, with a circulation of 16,000 (weekdays) / 17,000 (Sunday). It features an interesting combo of larger news along with local stuff and what I can only call clikbait and lightly veiled advertising.

Hilton Head is an island in the southern part of the state. It’s famous for golf, and is a lot more upscale than, say, Myrtle Beach. I spent a couple of vacation there with my family.

Honorable mention:  The Item (Sumter)

South Dakota – Clark County Courier (Clark)

Alliteration always! 

Clark County is in the northeast part of the state. It’s got less than 4,000 people. 

And, yes, the county seat has the same name as the county. Other communities include Crocker, Carpenter, Cottonwood, and Collins Colony. 

Wouldn’t you know – the Courier covers Coddington County as well. The paper was founded in 1880, not too long after the fouding of either county.

It comes out every week, on Wednesdays. Like most Wakipedia articles on small-town newspapers, the one on the Courier mostly goes through the changes in ownership. Seriously, I’m talking about 315 words in a 345-word article. You’ll be pleased to know that the paper was founded by one E.F. Conklin.

Honorable mention:  True Dakotan (Wessington Springs)

Tennessee – The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville)

“The flat, green part of a plant that grows from a stem and makes food through photosynthesis”? I’m guessing not. “An extra flat piece added to expand a table”? Nah. “A single sheet of paper in a book”? Well, I guess that’s as close as we’re gonna come. 

The “leaf” actually comes from a merger between the Clarksville Chronicle and the Tobacco Leaf, in 1880. The name of the latter comes simply from the area’s predominant crop.

The Chroincle dates all the way back to 1808. And tnat makes the Leaf-Chronicle the oldest paper in the state.

Today, the Leaf-Chronicle’s a daily, with over 20,000 subscribers. Its main claim to fame seems to be its being wiped out by a tornado in 1999, but without missing an edition.

Clarksville’s in the northeast part of the state, along the border with Kentucky. It dates back to 1785, and was named after George Rogers Clark, of Lewis & Clark fame.

Hard to believe, but it’s Tennessee’s 5th most populous city, with 167,000 people. It’s home to Austin Peay (a large state university) and is just a couple of miles away from Fort Campbell (home of the 101st Airborne), in KY.

Famous denizens include Roy Acuff, Wilma Rudolph, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, and William Westmoreland. Less famous ones include the wonderfully named Philander Claxton, Jeff Gooch, Ernest William Goodpasture, Ricky Lumpkin, Horace Harmon Lurton, Asahel Huntington Patch, Alex Poythress, and (of course) Austin Peay.

Texas – Jefferson Jimplecute

“A mythical creature, composed of elements of a dragon, an Indian, an armadillo, and a lion."? Probably not. “A slang term meaning ‘sweetheart’”? I doubt it.

How about “An acronym for the motto ‘Join Industry, Manufacturing, Planting, Labor, Energy, Capital (in) Unity Together Everlastingly’”? Well, seeing as it’s the paper’s motto, and appears in the masthead, I guess that’s going to have to do. That’s an obvious backronym, though, so I’m guessing that first definition might be the actual source.

The paper dates back to 1848 (making it Texas’s 5th oldest), comes out weekly, and has a circulation of just over 700. It seems to be mostly minutes from city council & commission meetings.

Jefferson is the county seat of Marion County, in the northeast part of the state. It was founded around 1840. There are less than 2,000 Jeffersonians. 

Honorable mention

• Beeville Bee-Picayune
• Alpine Avalanche
• Comfort News
• Jasper Newsboy

Utah – Richfield Reaper

I like the alliteration here, but “reaper” makes me think only of “grim.”

I’m assuming, of course, that the name alludes to the area’s agricultural background. Previous names include the Sevier Advocate and Richfield Advocate. That first one dates back to 1887.

• The Reaper seems to have has something of a checkered past, including:
• The original owner being jailed for polygamy
• Another owner being the victim of an accidental shooting
• The paper’s office being torched by an arsonist

It comes out weekly, and features typical small-town paper stuff like high school sports, obits, local arrests, library notes …

Richfield’s in the center of the state, dates back to 1864, and hadsa population of 8,200. It is very Mormon.

Honorable mention:  Wasatch Wave

Vermont – Barre Monpelier Times Argus

This name’s got double barrels on their double barrels.

As you probably guessed, that name is the result of a merger, between the Barre Daily Times and the Montepelier Evening Argus, in 1959. Thank god they at least dropped the “Daily” and “Evening.”  

It’s a daily, has a circulation of 4,500, and got its start back in 1863. With Montpelier being Vermont’s capital, the paper features a lot of politics.

Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the US, at about 8,000. people Interestingly, the population swells on weekdays to about 22,000. It dates back to 1781. 

Barre is about 7 miles southeast. It’s a little bigger (8,500) and just a year older (1780). It’s famous for its granite.

Both cities are in the north central part of the state.

Honorable mention:  Bennington Banner

Virginia – Culpepper Star-Exponent

Is this a math thing?

Well, “exponent” can also mean proponent / champion / booster. So, no math required!

The paper comes out 3 times a a week. It originated from a 1953 merger between the Culpeppe Exponent (1881) and the Virginia Star (1919). Boy, does the online version have a lot of pop-up ads.

The wonderfully named Culpepper, the seat of Culpepper County, is in northern Virginia. It dates back to 1759, and currently has 21,000 people. There are a ton of associations with the Civil War.

Of the 22 famous Culpepperites listed on Wikipedia, I know 3 of them – Eppa Rixey (MLB HoF), A.P. Hill (CSA general), and Nell Arthur (FLOTUS). Not that they’re exactly household names …

Washington – Camas-Washougal Post-Record

Easy for you to say …

Another merger. This one took place back in 1930, combining the Camas Post (1908) & the Washougal Record (???). It’s a weekly, and goes out to about 10,000 people.

Camas and Washougal are right next to each other, on the Columbia River, and just upstream from Portland OR. 

Camas is bigger, at 26,000 to 17,000. Washougal, though, is older (1880 vs. 1906). Camas is famous for a huge paper mill (the high school teams are knowns as the Papermakers). The wonderfully whacky name of Washougal is “of disputed meaning,” and has been variously spelled as “Wasough-ally," "Washougally", " Washookal", and "Wa-Shu-Go.”

Honorable mention: 

• Concrete Herald
• Forks Forum

West Virginia – Spirit of Jefferson and Farmer's Advocate (Charlestown)

Speaking of mouthfuls …

Yet one more merger. This one happened in 1948, and combined the Spirit (1844) and Advocate (1890). The Spirit is actually the oldest newspaper in the state. The SJFA is a weekly, with a circulation of 4,200. 

Charles Town is in the very easternmost part of the state, in that funny little hooky thing surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. Don’t confuse it with Charleston, the state capital.

Charles Town was founded in 1787 by (and subsequently named for) Charles Washington, George’s younger brother. Today, it has 8,900 people. Like Culpepper VA, Charles Town saw a lot of action in the Civil War. 

Wisconsin – Boscobel Dial / Chetek Alert

Our first tie. It’s not that either of these names really stand out terribly. It’s just that there both mildly weird in a very similar way. I mean, take your odd town name, then combine it with an odd, possibly unique name for a newspaper. Put the two together, and you’ve got a winner.

Not sure where “dial” comes from. One definition makes it sound like it’s measure of something – like speed, or pressure, or temperature. So, I guess you could say the paper gives you a pulse on what’s happening in the town. The paper is a weekly and was founded in 1872.

Boscobel’s in the very southwesternmost part of the state. It’s got abut 3,300 people. Wikipedia claims 20 “notable people,” but I haven’t heard of a one.

“Alert” makes a little more sense, though I can’t recall any other papers with that name. It’s another weekly, and dates back to 1882.

Chetek’s ni the northwest part of the state. It has a population of 2,200. That odd name is Ojibwe for “pelicans” (though I’m not sure what pelicans were doing way up there).

Wyoming – Laramie Boomerang

There’s gotta be a story behind this one. I just know it!

Sure enough, the paper was named after the founder’s mule. He called it that “because he could trust the mule to return him home no matter how inebriated and disoriented [he] might've become.” That founder, by the way, was humorist Bill Nye, and basically made him famous.

Nyee started the paper in 1881. Today, it’s a daily, and has a circulation of 4,000. 

You may have actually heard of Laramie. It’s got 31,400 people, dates back to the 1860s, and is the home of the Univ. of Wyoming. It also has plenty of frontier and Wild West associations. 

Honorable mention: Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner

Oddly Named Newspapers 3/4

Last week, we looked at Illinois through Montana. This week, it’s Nebraska through Pennsylvania

Nebraska – The Commoner (Lincoln)

I’m kinda confused. I was assuming this was a play on Honest Abe. He was known as “The Great Commoner,” right?

Well, it turns out William Jennings Bryan was too. If you’re knowledge of American history is a little rusty, he ran for president on the Democratic ticket no less than 3 times (unsuccessfully, of course), was secretary of state, was famous for his oratorical skills, and went up against Clarence Darrow in the Scopes trial. 

He also started this paper. It was largely a mouthpiece for his ideas, though it was primarily run by his brother Charles, who would himself go on to serve as Nebraska’s governor.

The paper had national reach, and at one time had 100,000 readers. It started out as a weekly, but eventually moved to being a monthly. The paper actually only ran from 1901 to 1923, shutting down due to William’s death and Charles’ election.

Lincoln’s the capital of Nebraska, and has a population of 290,000. It’s also home to the University of Nebraska.

WJ

Nevada – Nevada Appeal (Carson City)

Gambling? Brothels? I dunno, what exactly is the appeal of Nevada?

The Appeal is actually the oldest paper in the state, dating back to 1865. It’s also been known as the Daily State Register, the New Daily Appeal, and the Daily Appeal. It comes out twice a week.

Carson City is the capital of Nevada. It’s got not quite 60,000 people, making it only the 6th most populous city in the state. It dates back to 1858, and is named for Kit Carson.

New Hampshire – The Cabinet (Milford) 

The only definitions I know for “cabinet” are a piece of furniture and a group of political advisors. Not sure what this has to do with a newspaper.

This one is a weekly, and dates all the way back to 1802. I wish there was a little bit more on it out there, as any paper that’s more than 200 years old has probably got some stories to tell.

Milford is just down the road from me. The paper covers a lot of the local area, including where I live, Nashua. I do wonder, though, how fresh the news might be. One of the articles, “Hollis Strawberry Festival an 80th annual jubilee of band music and berries,” describes an event that I attended way back on July 2 (it’s September 10, as of this blog post).

Apart from being in the southeast corner of the state, Milford has a population of about 16,000 and dates back to 1794. It’s known as “Granite Town,” from a number of old quarries in the area. 

Their Wikipedia entry includes 8 “notable people,” 2 of whom I’ve actually heard of. Those are a local TV journalist (Fritz Wetherbee) and a member of the Manson Family (Linda Kassabian).

Honorable mention:  

• Gilford Steamer
• Foster’s Daily Democrat (Dover)

New Jersey – The Coaster (Asbury Park)

I’m guessing this is not something you’d rest your drink on necessarily, but rather has something to do with the fact that Asbury Coast is right on the ocean.

The paper’s a weekly, and dates back only to 1983. It actually covers a number of communities along this part of the Jersey Shore. You know, Bradley Beach, Deal, Neptune City, Wanamassa …

Asbury Park has a population of a little over 15,000, and dates back to only 1874. It was founded as a seaside retreat for Methodists.

These days, it’s probably most famous for being where Bruce Springsteen got his start. It’s also the site of a pretty well-known music venue, the Stone Pony, as well as the NJ Music Hall of Fame.

Honorable mention: Princeton Packet

New Mexico – Las Vegas Optic

Hey, isn’t Las Vegas in Nevada? 

Well, it turns out there a couple of these guys out there. All “las vegas” really means is “the meadows,” though, so that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. 

The Vegas we’re talking about here is in the northeast part of the state, dates back to 1835, and currently has about 13,200 people. It was once famous for outlaws – Billy the Kid, Jesse James … Big Nose Kate, Mysterious Dave Mather, Hoodoo Brown, and Handsome Harry the Dancehall Rustler.

The paper dates back to 1879. It’s a bi-weekly, punlished on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

New York – Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel

That’s a lot to unpack. I’m guessing, though, that Mendon, Honeoye Falls & Lima are all towns in NY somewhere.

And I would be right! They’re all in Monroe County, just a little south of Rochester. 

Mendon is basically a rich suburb of Rochester, has a current population of 9,000, and dates back to 1801. Honeoye Falls has 2,700 people, and was founded in 1791. “Honeoye” means “where the finger lies [long story].” Finally, Lima’s got about 2,100, dates back to 1788, and is pronounced like the bean.

The Sentinel is a weekly, and only dates back to 1989. Predecessors include the Honeoye Falls Times, Lima Recorder, Honeoye Lake Courier and Livonia Gazette (which, of course, makes me wonder why they didn’t go ahead and add Livonia to the masthead as well). Some of those papers date back to the 1800s.

In addition to the 4 towns already mentioned, the paper also covers happenings in Henrietta, Victor, Rush, and others. It costs $1 an issue, or $40 annually ($50 out of state).

Honorable mention

• The Saratogian
• Alden Advertiser

North Carolina – Transylvania Times (Brevard)

Probably the only paper in the country that does not include an obituary section.

“Transylvania” simply means “beyond the woods,” so could apply to a lot of places. There is, in fact, a Transylvania State Univ. in Kentucky. And then there’s that place in Romania.

Transylvania is actually a county, in the far western part of the state. Brevard is its seat, has 7,750 people, is home to a small liberal arts college and a music institute, and is popular with retirees. 

The town dates back to 1861, with the Times starting in 1887. The paper was formerly known as the Transylvania Pioneer, Brevard News, Sylvan Valley Times and the wonderful French Broad Hustler. It comes out twice a week.

In addition to Brevard, it also includes news for:

• Lake Toxaway
• Cathey’s Creek
• Eastatoe
• Hogback

Honorable mention:  

• Blowing Rocket (Blowing Rock)
• Yadkin Ripple (Yadkinville)
• Daily Reflector (Greensboro)

North Dakota – Turtle Mountain Times (Belcourt)

Kinda boring, but it’ll have to do in this state of under a million.

And, yes, there is a Turtle Mountain. Unfortunately, I really couldn’t find it on a map. Instead, I found lots of references to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. And they, in turn, live in the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, smack dab in the center of the Canadian border. 

The reservation dates back to 1882, covers about 68 square miles, and has a population of approximately 6,400. The main town is Belcourt (pop. 1,700), where the paper is published.

The paper, a weekly, dates back only to 1993. It has a circulation of 1,600, and costs $5 a month, or $35 a year. Pretty much everything is hidden behind a paywall.

Cool flag!

Ohio – The Repository (Canton)

“A physical or digital place where things are kept for safekeeping, such as a warehouse, a filing cabinet, or a data center”? Probably not. “A burial vault or sepulcher, or a side altar in a church used during Holy Week”? Definitely not. “A person, book, or organization that holds a vast amount of knowledge”? Well, I guess that’ll have to do.

As a paper, this thing dates all the way back to 1815, and is the oldest paper in the state. It’s a daily, and has a circulation of 11,500. It has associations with William McKinley.

Canton itself dates back to 1805, and currently has about 70,000 people. You probably know it as the location of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It is, in fact, where the NFL got its start. It’s also McKinley’s hometown, and incudes his grave and presidential library.

Honorable mention: The Blade (Toledo)

Oklahoma – Seminole Producer

Which begs the question of what they actually produce there. 

Well, I do know that at one time they did produce a lot of oil. That was back in the 1920s, though. The paper was founded in 1927, so I’m guessing we’ve solved that little mystery.

Seminole itself was founded only in 1924. It currently has a population of 7,150, but had 30,000 back during that oil boom. 

The newspaper is a weekly, with a circulation of 5,400. Like the Milford Cabinet (see above), the online version features articles from 2 to 4 months ago.

Nice to see they cover international news though

Oregon – Headlight-Herald (Tillamook)

Awesome alliteration!

You’re probably guessing that this one is the result of a merger. And you’d be right! The Tillamook Headlight began in 1888, and is named for the local lighthouse. The Tillamook Herald started a year later, and was originally known as the Western Watchtower. (ditto, I would guess). The two combined in 1934. It’s a weekly, with a circulation of 6,600.

Tilamook’s in the very northeastermost corner of the state. It dates back to 1862 and has a current population of 5,200. It’s known for its cheese.

Pennsylvania – Daily Item (Sunbury)

Again with the items.

Interestingly, this one represents a merger as well. In particular, you’ve got the Sunbury Daily (1872) and the Evening Item (1893), which merged in 1936. 

The current paper is a daily, and has a circulation of 10,500 (weekday) / 12,500 (Sundays). It got in the national news a couple of years back when it published a letter to the editor calling for the execution of Obama.

Sunbury’s in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, kinda smack-dab in the middle. It’s on the Susquehanna River, dates back to 1772, and currently has a population of 9,700. Wikipedia lists 23 “notable people,” only one of whom I’ve ever heard of, wild foods advocate Euell Gibbons.

Next week - Rhode Island thru Wyoming

Oddly Named Newspapers - 2/4

Last week, we looked at Alabama through Idaho. This week, it’s Illinois through Montana.

Illinois – The Pantagraph (Bloomington)

“Panta,” prefix, everything, all, the whole. “Graph,” suffix, something written or drawn.

So, I guess this means, basically, all the news that’s fit to print … Illinois style. Actually, that would be central Illinois style – you know, Bloomington, Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Quincy …

This paper dates back all the way to 1837. Over the years, it’s been The  Bloomington Observer and McLean County Advocate, The Whig, The Intelligencer & The Daily Pantagraph. It’s a daily, and has a circulation of not quite 17,000.

Featured stories in the latest edition include:

• A local promoted to lieutenant colonel
• “Towanda native earns national junior angus [steer] bronze, silver awards”
• “Winners announced for East Peoria's annual duck race fundraiser”

Bloomington? It’s got a population of not quite 79,000, and is about half way between Chicago & St Louis. It’s home to State Farm and Beer Nuts.

Honorable mention:

• Edwardsville Intelligencer
• Homer Horizon (Homer Glen)

Indiana – The Paper of Montgomery County (Crawfordsville)

Well, it gets right to the point, I’ll give ‘em that. I wonder, though, if they considered something more along the lines of the Montgomery County Press, or Montgomery County Post, or Montgomery County Times, or anything with at least a little more pizzazz.

Their mission statement is along much the same lines:

“The Paper of Montgomery County Indiana is a daily newspaper devoted to promoting the people and events of Montgomery County.”

It’s a daily, though not published on weekends. Interestingly, it has a low, low rating of 1.8 (out of 5) on Google. That’s from only 4 people, though, with the single quote offering up the somewhat cryptic “Stop calling.”

Montgomery County? It’s in the west central part of the state and has a population of 38,000. The county seat is indeed Crawfordsville. The county also includes the towns of New Market, New Richmond, and New Ross, as well as the “other unincorporated places” of Mace, Fiskville, Smartsburg, and Lapland. 

Honorable mention

• Paladium-Item (Richmond)
• Elkhart Truth

Iowa – Thompson Courier and Rake Register 

Courier, I get. Same with Register. But Rake?

Turns out it’s actually the name of a town, with Thompson and Rake being about 5 miles apart as the crow flies (but 15 the crazy way Iowa roads are laid out). They’re both in Winnebago County, dead center on the border with Minnesota.

My only question, though, is what happened to Buffalo Center? I mean, it’s less than 10 miles from either of them, and forms the pivot point to get between the two. Sounds like they’re served by the Winnebago County Tribune though. And that would definitely not fit if added to the masthead.

Thompson’s got abut 500 people, and dates back to 1892. It’s home to the county fair. Rake’s got 185 people, and dates back to 1900. It’s named after some guy, an early settler.

The paper’s a weekly. 

Honorable mention:  Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil

Kansas – Belleville Telescope

Well, it is “an object used to see faraway objects,” so I’m guessing this paper has really good coverage for state, national & international events. 

It’s hard to tell, though, as pretty much everything’s behind a paywall on this one. I do know that it has a circulation of 2,765, and dates back to 1870. 

As for Belleville, it’s dead center on the border with Nebraska, and has about 2,000 people. Wikipedia lists 5 “notable people,” including an MLBer, an NFLer, and an astronaut, none of whom ever I’ve heard of.

Honorable mention: Mulberry Advance

Kentucky – Barren County Progress (Glasgow)

It’s not “Progress” that I’m questioning here. Though a bit unusual, it does make some sense, and is also not too awkward.

It’s the name of the county. Did they think that would attract settlers? Or, alternatively, did they want to scare settlers away, so they could have all the land to themselves?

Turns out that the county was part of the Barrens, prarieland that was barren of trees. Seems the soil was actually very productive. Plus, you didn’t have to go to all the trouble of clearing the land. So, maybe it was that second reason after all.

Barren County is in the south-central section of Kentucky. It dates back to 1798, and today has about 44,500 people. It was settled by the Scots-Irish, which accounts for the county seat being named Glasgow. 

In addition to Glasgow, the county also features communities such as:

• Bear Wallow
• Dry Fork
• Eighty Eight
• Goodnight
• Nobob
• Slick Rock

The newspaper is a weekly, dates back to 1882, and costs 50 cents. 

Louisiana – Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

Picayune: n, adj: “something of little value, importance, or consequence.”

This is probably the paper that got this whole series of blog posts started. I mean, it’s the paper of record for NOLA, dates back to 1837, has a circulation over 80,000, and has received multiple Pulitzer Prizes. In other words, it’s big time – in spite of its seemingly belittling, very odd title.

Whence that title, though? Well, another definition of “picayune” was “a Spanish coin, worth half a real or one sixteenth of a dollar.” That also just so happened to be the original price of the paper, way back in 1837.

The official title of the paper is actually The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate. And that reflects several mergers, with the New Orleans Times-Democrat (1914) and Baton Rouge’s The Advocate (2018). Informally, it’s called the T-P [snicker]. 

Some firsts for the paper include:

• Society column
• Children’s pages
• Woman’s advice column
• Probably don’t need to say anything about the Big Easy.

What the paper famously ran after the Saints lost the Super Bowl

Honorable mention: The Town Talk (Alexandria)

Maine – The Weekly Packet (Blue Hill)

“A small, formatted unit of data sent across a digital network”? Nah. “A small closed container made of paper or plastic, containing a small amount of something”? Probably not. “A small vessel that carries mail, passengers, and goods regularly on a fixed route, especially on rivers or along coasts”? Yup, that’s it!

With the implicit idea being that said packet brought news from afar. Which would all make a ton of sense if this paper dated back to, say, 1837. Instead, we’re talking about 1960 here. Google AI claims that it’s a metaphor “to symbolize a regular delivery of local news, serving as the community's informational ‘mail boat’ arriving each week.”

The weekly claims a circulation of 2,200, and serves the Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Sedgwick & Surry communities. We’re talking one peninsula over from Acadia National Park. So, in other words, pretty darn scenic.

Maryland – The Cecil Whig (Elkton)

Sounds very Regency to me. 

Which, given the paper’s founding date of 1841, is not all that far off the mark. Seems one Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts wanted to boost the Whig party after the election of William Henry Harrison (Tippecanoe and Tyler too, you know), and so set up a printing press in his log cabin. 

Later, Ricketts would be indicted for the murder of rival Amor T Forwood, publisher of the Cecil Democrat. Claiming self-defense, he would, however, be acquitted. 

But who is this Cecil fellow? Well, as it  turns out, Cecil is actually a county, the northeasternmost of all Maryland’s counties. It’s got a population of a little over 100,000, with Elkton (the county seat) having about 15,000 of those.

The paper’s published 2 days a week.

Massachusetts – The Daily Item (Lynn)

Well, let’s hope they have at least a couple. Could be a very short paper if they’re only covering the one thing.

This paper dates back to 1876, is published 6 days a week (no Sunday edition), and costs 2 dollars. It has a circulation of 16,100, and covers the state’s North Shore. You know, Nahant, Saugus, Swampscott, Peabody, Marblehead … basically, the Atlantic coast between Boston and the New Hampshire line.

Honorable mention: Wayland Town Crier

Michigan – Mining Journal (Marquette) / Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton)

Goin’ up to the ol’ UP for these 2. Yup, Yooper journalism at its finest.

If you’re not that familiar with the Upper Peninsula, there is indeed a lot of mining up there, overwhelmingly iron and copper. Logging and tourism are big as well. Not much else going on up there, I’m afraid – though the UP claims 30% of the state’s area, it has only 3% of its population.

Houghton is on the Keweenaw Peninsula, sort of a peninsula within a peninsula. It has a population of almost 8,400, and is considered the capital of Copper Country. The Daily Mining Gazette is indeed a daily, dates back to 1858, and has a circulation of 4,500.

You may have actually heard of Marquette. It’s the largest city on the UP (pop. 20,600), and is considered something of its capital. It’s right on Lake Superior, and is primarily known for shipping out iron ore. The Mining Journal is another daily, dates back to 1841, and has a circulation of 9,400 (11,100 for the weekend edition).

Minnesota – Red Wing Republican Eagle

There’s a little to unpack here. First, Red Wing is actually the name of a city. The rest of it is from the merger of 2 papers, the Daily Republican and the Daily Eagle. The 1st paper dates all the way back to 1857. The RWRE (not typing that again) comes out twice a week, and has a circulation of not quite 2,900 on Wednesdays and more than 20,000 on Saturdays.

As for the city, it has a population of 16,500, dates back to the 1850s, sits on the Mississippi River, and is officially part of the Minneapolis-St Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area. It’s named after a series of chiefs of the Dakota tribe. “Notable people” include 32 folks I’ve never heard of, including:

• Tams Bixby
• Torjus Hemmesveit
• Trapper Schoepp
• Phyllis Yes

Mississippi – Picayune Item

Combining the best features of the NOLA & Lynn MA papers …

Actually, in this case, Picayune just so happens to be the name of a town. It’s located in the very southernmost part of the state, and has almost 12,000 people, Hard to believe, but the town was actually named after the paper (see above), way back in the early 1880s. Wikipedia lists 24 “notable people” I’ve never heard of. They’re mostly athletes, with a few politicians thrown in for good measure, as well as a serial kiler.

The paper is a weekly, and dates back to 1904. It features hardhitting news articles such as:

• “Lt. Sean Talley achieves state certification”
• “SPCA secures $25,000 Grant to expand spay and neuter services”
• “Jacob Hoover takes home 3rd place in 4-H National Shooting Competition”
• “Kitten Rescued from Tree”

Okay, I made that last one up.

Honorable mention:  Enterprise-Tocsin (Indianola)

Missouri – Unterrified Democrat (Linn)

I think we have a winner!

It’s a long story, but it all dates back to the Reconstruction era, right after the Civil War. I guess there were some terrified Democrats at the time (at least in their own minds, if nothing else). Well, one Democrat supporter, Lebbeus Zevely, took it upon himself to stand up to the Yankees and Carpetbaggers and start his own newspaper. The paper stayed in the Zevely family for just over 100 years, with them finally selling out in 1969. It’s a weekly, and has a circulation of 2,500. 

Linn is the seat of Osage County, almost smack dab in the center of the state. The town dates back to 1844, and currently has a population of 1,350. It’s part of the Jefferson City Metropolitan Area. The county has more than its share of interestingly named “unincorporated communities,” including:

• Aud
• Loose Creek
• Folk
• Crook
• Frankenstein

Honorable mention: New Evening Whirl (St Louis)

Montana – Powder River Examiner (Broadus)

Slim pickins in this state of just over 1 million people. I always thought the Powder River sounded kinda funny though. Add that to Broadus, and we’ve got a real winner.

The town is not actually on the Powder River, but it is the seat of Powder River County. And, yes, the river does run through said county. We’re talking the southeasternmost corner of the state.

Broadus dates back only to 1900, and currently has a population of 450. It’s the site of an Indian Wars battle, as well as a productive gas and oil field.

The paper, a weekly, dates back to 1918. Previous incarnations were the Broadus Independent, the Olive Branch, and the Powder River County Examiner.

Next week, Nebraska through Pennsylvania

Oddly Named Newspapers 1/4

There sure are a lotta newspapers out there, even today. Most are named basic things like Times, Post, Press, etc. Some, though, kind of make you wonder how the heck they came up with that.

In this post, I’m listing the most crazily named newspaper in every state. Since there are a lotta states, I’m breaking this into 4 posts.

I did need a few rules though:

• The paper has to have its own Wikipedia page. This is to eliminate any penny savers or questionable publications.
• No specialty papers (foreign-language, alternative, business, religious …)
• The paper has to be current, and not “defunct” … unless I was really desperate (I’ll let you know).

Alabama – Advertiser-Gleam (Guntersville)

Advertiser, I get. Gleam, not so much. Supposedly, the paper was named for the for the “gleam sunlight made on the town's Guntersville Lake.” 

Guntersville? It’s in the northeast part of the state and has a population of around 8,500. The lake? It’s man-made, Alabama’s largest, and goes for 75 miles along the Tennessee River.

The paper? It’s a weekly, dates back to 1941, and has a circulation of 10,250. Sounds like it has a pretty unique, rather personal & casual style, which extends even to the obituaries.

Alaska – The Nome Nugget

Points for the alliteration. What I really like, though, is the “nugget.” It’s just a fun thing to say. Nugget. Go ahead, try it. Nugget, nugget, nugget.

The “nugget,” of course, comes from the area’s history of gold mining. During the gold rush, Nome had a population of 10,000, making it the largest city in the state. Today, it only has 3,700. It’s in the northwest part of the state.

The Nugget dates back to 1899, and is the oldest paper in Alaska. A weekly, it costs 50 cents. It’s the paper of record for pretty much all of the northwestern part of the state.

Arizona – The Kingman Daily Miner

The occasional miner is okay. But every day? I mean, honestly …

Kingman is indeed in mining country, with nearby mines producing copper, molybdenum & turquoise. It’s in the northwest part of the state, right along old Route 66. It currently has a population of 35,000. 

The paper is indeed a daily as well. It’s got a circulation of 3,900, and features such wonderful, small-town stories as:

• A local takes 3rd place in a statewide firefighter pullup challenge
• A nearby college open a cosmetology program
• The mayor visits an elementary school

Arkansas – Times of Northeast Benton County 

Well, that’s pretty specific.

Turns out that corner is home to the booming metropolis of Pea Ridge, population 6.500. Benton County? It just so happens to be the very most northwestern-most county in Arkansas. The area’s main claim to fame is a pretty big Civil War battle.

The newspaper (I ain’t typing that again!) is a weekly with a circulation of 1,400. It dates back to 1913, but is not the oldest paper to have been published in the city. That honor goes to the wonderfully name Pea Ridge Pod.

The Times covers Pea Ridge (of course) but also the communities of Bridgewater, Gateway, Avoca, Garfield, Mountain, Lost Bridge, Little Flock, and Jacket.

California – Carmel Pine Cone (Carmel-by-the-Sea)

Let me tell ya, Carmel is one swanky place. I been there!

The town of 3,200 is right along a beautiful part of the Pacific coast, between Monterrey and Big Sur. It started out as an artist’s colony and is today famous for celebrities and pricey shops. Notable residents include Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Doris Day, Brad Pitt, and Clint Eastwood (who was actually mayor).

The paper dates back to 1915. It comes out weekly, and is free.

Colorado – Golden Transcript

Is this like the golden ticket, from Willy Wonka?

Well, the city is called Golden, so I guess anything they came up with would sound a little odd. Golden Inquirer, anyone? Golden Sun? How about Golden Gazette?

Interestingly, Golden was actually named after some guy. You probably know it from Coors beer. It’s just north of Denver, and has a little more than 30,000 people.

The Transcript, a weekly, dates back to 1866, and is the 2nd-oldest paper in the state. It has never missed an edition.

Honorable mention:  Daily Camera (Boulder)

Connecticut – The Day (New London) / The Hour (Norwalk)

No word on The Minute, The Week, or The Month, I’m afraid.

The Day is indeed a daily. It dates back to 1881, and currently has a circulation of 15,500. They’ve won quite a few awards.

New London has a population not quite twice The Day’s circulation, at a little over 30,000. It’s on Long Island Sound, in the eastern part of the state, and is home to the Coast Guard Academy.

The Hour is not an hourly, but another daily. It dates back to 1871, and was originally called the Evening Hour, before switching to the Norwalk Hour and then to its current title. It too has a circulation of around 15,000. 

Norwalk is also on the Sound, but to the far western part of the state. It’s 3 times as big as New London, with a population of 91,000. Probably because of its proximity to NYC, it’s home to a number of corporations, including Xerox, Priceline.com, and Pepperidge Farm.

Delaware – Delaware Straight-Out Truth Teller (Wilmington)

I hate to do this to you, but this our first defunct paper. It is no more! It has ceased to be! It’s expired and gone to meet its maker! It’s a stiff! Bereft of life! It rests in peace!

It is a great name though. And seeing as Delaware’s a small state, and has only 5 other papers that would qualify, this’ll have to do.

This one’s pretty interesting. The paper actually existed for only a single year, 1872. Seems it was started solely for that year’s presidential election, and was basically a mouthpiece for the Straight-Out Democratic Party’s candidate Charles O’Connor. Its motto was "O'Conor & Adams; Honesty, Patriotism and Statesmanship.”

Florida – Boca Beacon (Boca Grande)

Alliteration for the win!

The only question is what Boca they might be referring to. I mean, there’s Boca Raton and Boca Chica, right? I’ve actually never heard of Boca Grande.

It is for real though. Sounds like it’s little more than a community on Gasparilla Island, however, on the Gulf coast and near Ft Myers. It has a population of 1,700, and does not allow cars (golf carts only). It sounds quite toney, with residents including the Bushes, the DuPonts, and Audrey Hepburn. 

The paper dates back to only 1980, has a circulation of 4,000, and comes out every week. 

Georgia – The Dahlonega Nugget

Again with the nuggets.

Now, you may not know that Dahlonega is in fact another gold rush town (if you’e ever even actually heard of it, that is). This town of 7,500 in the most northern part of Georgia (i.e., up in the mountains) was the site of the 2nd gold rush in the US, way back in 1829. “Dahlonega” is actually Cherokee for “gold.”

The Nugget is a weekly, with a circulation of 6,400, and dates back to 1890. Sounds like they’ve had quite a few characters running the paper over the years.

Hawaii – Ko Hoku o Ka Pakipika (Honolulu)

Another defunct one, I’m afraid. There are only 7 papers currently published in the islands, though, all with boring names like the News, or the Herald, or the Advertiser, so this’ll have to do.

Ko Hoku o Ka Pakipika (thank you, cut and paste) was active for only 3 years, between 1861 and 1863. It was the first native paper, and was in the Hawaiian language. The name means “Star of the Pacific” in Hawaiian.

Probably don’t need to say much about Honolulu. It’s served today by The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, which has a circulation of 75,000 or so.

Idaho – Owhyee Avalanche (Homedale)

An avalanche of news? An avalanche of savings? An avalanche of bird cage liners? 

This one’s a weekly, has a circulation of 1,900, and dates back to 1865. It was, in fact, the 1st real paper in the state. It’s stopped and started, and moved around Owhyee County, ever since its inception. Previous incarnations include the Leader, the Chronicle, the Tidal Wave, and the Nugget (again!).

Homedale (and Owhyee County) are in the southwest corner of the state. The town’s got a population of 3,900 and includes such notable citizens as Ted Trueblood and Niles Fulwyler. 

Next week, Illinois through Montana.