The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-05-06
a History OF Sedgwick County
NewspaperS.

Al an interesting item of news TO
late corners inihis valley AS well as TO
meet in the spirit with which IL IL
asked, the behest OF the committee "a
three appointed by the State Editori-
al Association, To procure a history of
the newspapers in the various Coun-
ties in the Slate, we herewith briefly
become a historian.
Tie first newspaper printed in this
valley, within the boundary lines of
Kansas, was the Wichita Fidette.
The project was started at Leaven-
wortli City by Joe Clarke, who had
been written TO by the town company
here, and 10 whom an Offer. was made in
the shape of a bonus. Mr.. Clarke had
IA similar offer from Parsons, Kansas. |
He was then publishing the Leaven |
worth Daily Cal. Unwilling to d. |
vide his interests at such distance, he |
made Il proposition to Mr.. Fred A.
Sewers, formerly with him OH the |
Daily Times of Leayehwor.h, TO ac
cept one Of these propositions, MIR. |
Clarke to furnish the material and TO |
receive The bonus money therefor.
Wichita was selected, the paper named
charge of the Office. The material of |
the Videttc was hauled by one of VIM.
Griilenstien's teams from Fort HAYS. |
Mr.. VIM. II. Hutchinson. after the con-
tract had been made between Messrs.
Clarke and Sewers, was selected by Mr. |
Sewers and given a half Interest in he
Office as publisher, he being IA practic-
al printer. Together they issued the
paper as an independent journal, the
first number appearing on the 18th
day of August 1870. AT the end of
six months Mr.. Sewers sold out his in
tcrest to Mr.. Hutchinson and returned |
ID Leavcnworih. The Vidette WAS
sold by Mr.. Hutchinson 10 Rev. Per-
kins in May 1872. Perkins took the
Greeley shoot and succum5ed early in
was then sold TO parties in Wellington
where ii was taken and issued for
short time under the name of the Wei
lington Banner.
The next paper, and for while CO.
temperaneous with the Fideftc, was
the Wichita Tribune, printed By Yale
L.. Il - IL
& Kramer. Ii lasted about six months,
was finally carted off to Sedgwick City
and published there one summer, as
the Sedgwick City Gazette, edited by
Doctor Floyd, who sold it 10 ID. q.
MIllison and it is now part of the
material in the office of the Wichita
Weekly Beacon. In tho fall of 1871,
NJ. NJ. Murdoch, then editing and pub
fishing the Usage Chronicle, was writ
ten TO by j. {. Fraker, j. X. Mead, w.
&. Woodmah and others, making him
splendid offer to come here and es-
tabiish republican paper; he accept
ed. Selling the Chronicle to Mr..
Chalfant the present owner, in Janu-
AIRY 1872. He Immediately went to St.
Louis, buying and shipping the mate /,
rial TO Wichita. out of which the EA.
GLE first unfolded its wings on the {
18th day of April 1872: grown TO be I
the leading republican organ of South |
western Kansas and now in its fourth {
volume. During the summer of 1872 t
Mr.. ID. q. Millison, then of the Tope- =,
ka Record, traded for the material
owned by Doc. FLOYD, the defunct
Sedgwick City Gazettc, added to the
material. took in partnership Mr..
Sewers, then returned to Wichita,
who furnished tie job office, aid to-
gether they published the Daily Bea-
con, the first daily ever issued in the
Arkansas Valley. 1t was run during
that busy fall and until Dec 10th when
it merged into 4 weekly, Mr.. Millison
as publisher and Mr.. Sewers as editor
The paper was sold to Mr. NJ. Gable,
the present owner, in the summer of
1874, and is at the present writing,
one of the sprightliest and most ably !
conducted weeklies in the State. As
newspaper interludes TO the above
brief history, we will name first, the
Daily THREE RIVERS EAGLE, issued .
at this office during the three days hold
ing of our first County Fair, in Sep
tembcr 1873. The Oracle, 12x1S, four !
page, issued for few weeks by the
students of the Arkansas Valley IN
stitute. Next, the Wichita Baby first
appearing during the winter of 1873
and designed as Il job solicitor, con-
Quoted by ID. G. Millison, at present
one of the owners Of the Beacon, after
wards its publication was made in the I
interests of the Ladies Aid Society of b
The Grassaopper Times, y
was the production of two little bows, +
Charley Davidson and Newton Stage, $
neither of them over twelve years of b
age. This little organ was ground at Ii
the heels of the grasshoppers, in the v
fall of 1874, coming and disappearing c
rs suddenly and surprisingly as did II
hey, bringing us likewise as abruptly b
and suddenly to the end of our hastily O.
written history of the newspapers Of "
Scdgwick County, Kansas.
Ell Paso Items.
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