The Newspaper - Part 2

The Modest Beginning of the Press in Montana; Territorial Press Association Organized in 1885

(Cont. from last week) 
First Published in the Hysham Echo August 12, 1926


At the recent convention of the society of Montana Pioneers, I was fortunate in securing the loan of three early copies of this newspaper from Thomas Thexton of Ennis, Montana, who was carrier boy for the paper when it was started.

Montana’s Newspaper’s in 1885
As population and settlements in the Territory increased, new newspapers came into being. In 1885, just 23 years after the establishment of the “Montana Post,” the Territory had already acquired quite a newspaper history, for more than sixty publications had been, from time to time, started in the camps and other centers of population. A partial list of these follows:
The Montana Post, Virginia City.
The Montana Democrat, Virginia City.
The Tri-Weekly Republican, Helena.
The Virginia City Republican.
Montana Capital-Times, Virginia City.
The Capital Fact, Virginia City.
The Montanian Virginia City.
The Madisonian, Virginia City.
The Rocky Mountain Gazette, Helena.
The Helena Herald.
Montana News Letter, Helena.
The Independent, Deer Lodge, (moved to Helena.)
The Weekly News Letter, Helena.
The Morning Capital, Helena.
The Weekly Press, Miles City.
The Glendive Times.
The Benton Record, Fort Benton.
The River Press, Fort Benton.
The Rocky Mountain Husbandman, Diamond City. (moved to White Sulphur Springs).
The Dillon Tribune.
The Mineral Argus, Maiden (Fergus county).
The Tranchant, Townsend.
The Anaconda Review.
The Great Falls Tribune (continuation of the Sun River Sun).
The Sun River Sun (moved to Great Falls)
The Jefferson County Enterprise, Boulder
The Daily Town Talk, Butter.
The Daily Montanian, Helena.
Many, if not the greater percentage of these newspapers discontinued publication, several of them surviving the vicissitudes of several years, while others came into being with a flourish, prospered but a short season and passed into oblivion. A few of these papers which were started in 1885, or prior to that date, are still being published under the same name, and have been continuously in existence since the time of their first beginning. Among these are: The Dillon Tribune; The Daily Enterprise, Livingston; The River Press, Fort Benton; The Rocky Mountain Hustbandman, Great Falls; The Independent, Helena; The Bozeman Chronicle; The Butte Miner; The Great Falls Tribune; The Billings Gazette, and the Missoulian.

The Madisonian of Virginia City, is now published as the Madisonian-Times, and the Helena Herald, through a consolidation, has become the Record-Herald.

The Industry Revolutionized

When we look back over the years that have lapsed since that memorable “gold rush” of ‘63, we see standing out in bold relief on the history that has been made, an institution which has, perhaps, made more rapid and revolutionizing strides than all the rest… the newspaper.

Many of us now can recall the days we labored and sweat on the lever of a Washington hand press and burned midnight oil over a case of brevier, bourgois or long-primer.

No, it is not so long ago that the country editor and publisher wrestled over problems of business and production now entirely eliminated as the result of inventive genius, and varying custom, influenced by an ever-changing popular demand. The hand press has been replaced by modern, power-operated cylinder presses; those cases of long-primer have given way to the typesetting machine; that preferred advertising space on the front page is no longer for sale, and in place of the modest four-page publication, today, even the smallest hamlet boasts of its creditable paper of eight pages or more.

The Press Association

A more complete revolution could scarcely be conceived. And, when the members of the Montana Press association gather in Billings next month for their forty-second annual convention, they will come from places of business, almost without exception, representative of an equipment more labor-saving, more expensive and more efficient than is designated by any other enterprise of their community. It was vastly different with those pioneers of newspaperdom who convened at the courthouse in Helena, February 10, 1885, for the sole purpose of organizing the Montana Territorial Press Association. Yet, these old-timers were newspapermen in every sense of the word. In their particular sphere and era, they occupied fully as important a niche in the scheme of public affairs as do the managing editors of our state’s leading publications today.

They, too, had the interests of their profession at heart, and the modern publisher today enjoys his certain tranquil conditions and general business welfare, as a result, to no small extent, of the farsightedness of the pioneer “scribes” who sat in conference at Helena, that winter day a little more than forty-one years ago.

Organization is Born in 1885

The story of this first organization gathering has been preserved in the History of Montana by Warner & Beers, published in 1885, as follows:

“Transaction of the Territorial Press Association.
“Under a call for a meeting of newspapermen at Helena to form a Press Association, representatives of the following named newspapers assembled at the court house, February 10, 1885:

Jerry Collins, River Press; W. W. Alderson, Courier; Prof. Swallow, Prof. Howey, H. M. Hill, Independent; A. J. Fisk, Helena Herald; A. R. Herkes, Bozeman Chronicle; J. D. Matheson, Billings Post; Alexander Divine, Billings Herald; J. W. Kinesley, Billings Rustler; Lee Mantle, Butte Intermountain; Will Sutherlin, Rocky Mountain Husbandman; Will Kennedy, Missoulian; J. E. Hendry, Livingston Enterprise; Hiram Brundage, Dillon Tribune; George E. Boos, Stock and Mining Journal.
“On motion of Sutherlin W. W. Alderson was made temporary chairman. On motion of Matheson, Collins, was made temporary secretary. On motion the chair appointed the following committee on constitution and by-laws; Mantle, Hendry, Fisk, Divine and Kennedy. On motion, the chair appointed on permanent organization and order of business: Matheson, Sutherlin, Swallow, Yerkes and Collins. The report of the committee on constitution was received and read, and the same adopted. The report of the committee on permanent organization was received as follows:

“To the Temporary Chairman and Members of the Montana Press Association:
“Your committee on permanent organization beg to recommend the election of the following officers: Jas. H. Mills, President; W. W. Alderson, W. H. Sutherlin and Lee Mantle, vice presidents; Alex Divine, Corresponding Secretary; Jerry Collins, Recording Secretary; A. J. Fisk, Treasurer.
“Respectfully submitted,
J. D. Matheson, Chairman.

“The following were elected members of the executive committee: J. D. Matheson, H. T. Brown, J. E. Hendry.
“The following is a list of members who signed the roll: W. W. Alderson, Bozeman Avant Courier; Jerry Collins, Fort Benton River Press; W. H. Sutherlin, Rocky Mountain Husbandman; A. K. Yerkes, Bozeman Chronicle; J. D. Matheson, Billings Post; Lee Mantle, Butte Inter-Mountain; Alex Divine, Billings Herald; J. E. Hendry, Livingston Enterprise; R. H. Howey, Helena Independent; J. B. REad, Inter-Mountain; James H. Mills, New Northwest; Andrew J. Fisk, Helena Herald; Homer M. Hill, Helena Independent; Will Kennedy, Missoulian; H. T. Brown, Butte Miner; George E. Boos, Stock and Mining Journal; J. E. Stevens, Townsend Tranchant; J. W. Kinesley, Billings Rustler; C. Hedges, Helena Herald.

“The following members were proposed for membership in the association, who were not present, and, on motion, were elected members: F. E. Foote, Dillon Tribune; W. H. Hanks, Sun River Sun; S. A. Marney, Miles City Stock Journal; J. R. Hathaway, Miles City Stock Journal; D. J. Armstrong, Missoulian; R. N. Sutherlin, Rocky Mountain Husbandman; Daniel Searles, Butte Miner; John R. Wilson, Dillon Tribune; Harrison Spaulding, Missoula Times; C. S. McFarland, Billings Herald; W. D. Knight, Yellowstone Journal; G. H. Wright, Livingston Enterprise; Sam Gordon, Yellowstone Journal; W. W. Mabee, Glendive Times; J. R. Wildmeyer, Glendive Independent; Thos. Baker, Madisonian; R. E. Fisk, D. W. Fisk, F. M. Wilson, Helena Herald; G. C. Swallow, Independent; Frederick Lockey, Guy X. Piatt, Butte Inter-Mountain; John S. Mills, Anaconda Review; Walter Matheson, Billings Post; Chas. S. Fell, John Frooman, Mineral Argus; T. N. Schmedlin, River Press; E. J. Bickle, Christian Advocate; S. A. Robertson, R. A. Peikey, Montanian.

“A resolution by A. J. Fisk, calling for a committee to consider matters relating to the association, now before the LEgislature, was adopted. The President appointed as such committee: A. J. Fisk of Lewis and Clark county; W. W. Alderson, Gallatin; J. E. Stevens, Meagher; H. T. Brown, Silver Bow; Harrison Spaulding, Missoula; H. Brundage, Beaverhead; Alex Divine, Yellowstone; Jerry Collins, Chouteau; Jas. H. Hills, Deer Lodge.

“On motion of Lee Mantle, the Chair was authorized to appoint a committee of three to investigate and report to the Association in reference to remarks purporting to have been made on the floor of the lower house by members of that body derogatory to the character of the newspapermen of Montana. The chair appointed as such committee Lee mantel, A. J. Fisk and J. E. Hendry.

“There were elected S. H. Crouse, Rev. L. L. Wood and Rev. M. Prout, Active members. On motion of H. T. Brown, Geo. W. Carlton and D. W. Tilton were elected honorary members of the association. On February 11th, the following named gentlemen were also elected to honorary membership: A. B. Kiser, Thos. Deyarmon, Hon. H. R. Buck, Hon. W. H. Hunt, C. L. Spencer, W. Y. Pemberton, Rev. J. J. Garvin, A. C. Botkin, E. W. Carpenter, Hon. Martin Maginnis, Hon Van H. Fisk, J. C. Kerley, Hon. S. W. Langhorne Hon. Henry M. Blake, E. S. Wilkinson, W. F. Sanders, Robert S. Kelly.

“The proceedings of this meeting were published in pamphlet form by the River Press Company, and a copy sen to the Recording Secretary for use of this chapter.”

Few there are in this state or elsewhere today, still surviving, whose names are listed in the above reproduced account. I know of but one in the person of George W. Carlton of Deer Lodge, Montana, considered the oldest living newspaperman in the Northwest. Mr. Carlton has spent a lifetime in the profession. He has been editor and publisher of newspapers in different parts of the Northwest and along the Pacific coast for the last sixty years.

Present Association Officers
This Montana Press association has continued to grow in influence and membership, always in the van of all state development, until today it is representative of more than 175 publications produced within Montana. The present officers of the association are:
H. O. Woare, Chester President; M. J. Hutchens, Missoula, first vice president; Jos. Gehrett, Laurel, second vice president; Chas. H. Draper, Red Lodge, third vice president; S. E. Peterson, Great Falls, secretary.

Executive committee: Leon Shaw, Billings, chairman; E. G. Leipheimer, Butter; R. G. Linebarger, Havre; W. O. Ensign, Hysham; R. J. Hocking, Glasgow.

Legislative committee: Harry E. Lay, Lewistown, chairman; T. A. Busey, Conrad; Jos. D. Scanlon, Miles City; O. S. Warden, Great Falls; Miles Romeny, Jr., Hamilton.

On September 13 and 14 will convene the forty-second annual convention at Billings, where elaborate preparations are being made along lines of educational and entertaining program features. Print this post