The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1903-07-18
EARLY NEWSPAPERS IN SUPERIOR.
Continued from Page H.

|
ieve it. 4 he truth is there was but
little business for paper other than
tax sale notices, the population OF
Douglas county being only al in l37e
and 655 in 1880, and being engaged in
| numbering, running a shingle mill and
other enterprises necessary to liv-
ing, the paper was a "side issue.
| Nevertheless / managed each week
with scissors and pen to fill its out
side columns, the inside being patent,
invention necessarily often taking the
place of actual happenings. This was
| the period when the printer and his
publication day assistant had picnic,
as used to give them the entire pro
| ceeds of what they could make out of
striking off election tickets, and
small hand bills There were about
! 100 voters here, and as about 30 of
! them, more or less, were usually seek
| ing office, each candidate furnishing
! his own ballots, the primary election
! law had not been invented, the num-
! Der of tickets sometimes called for
was enormous. As the boys charged
only the modest sum of five cents
apiece for these tickets, the amount
realized by them at some elections
was quite handsome.
was often fiattered by words of
| praise for the paper. Calling one day
upon subscriber who had moved
from Superior to nearby town, after
! the usual salutatiOns, he Immediately
! stated that he wished to pay his sub
scriptior, for he was always glad to
get the paper, 1t was so well edited, it
was one Of the best papers he read
there were so many bright things in
! it, especially on the INSIDE pages,
which he always turned to first! You
may well imagine that in taking his
money, did not depress his mind as
he had depressed mine, by informing
him that the inside pages were made
up in Chicago
In 1882 the Times was purchased by
! the late J Lutte Christie, whose able
and virile pen filed its columns until
his death on Dec. 10, 1895, when his
| daughter, Miss Alluna c. Christie, who
had previously for some time been
her fathers rigEt-hand helper, assum-
ed entire charge, and assisted by her
cousin, Thomas Il. Christie, continued
| the paper with praiseworthy editorial
and business ability until it passed in
| to the hands of f. f.. Brownel the
present editor and proprietor about
| two years ago.
AS | have been sked to write Only
| about early, very early, newspapers
in Superior, to Others pens will be re-
ferred reference to the Inter Ocea n,
the Wave, the saturday Evening
Call the Posten, the Voice of Labor
all in the field as early az 1856 and
1887, after the west end of the city
commenced 70 btNtIbH.
All the early papers were weeklies
The first daily in Superior was the In
ter Ocean issued in 1sss. There are
now two daily and seven weekly
papers in the city of Superior, and
one weekly in the the county outside
of the city.
| almost forgot to mention that
about the year 1859 couple of young
men, one Of whom was named Farqua-
har, came to superior with a printing
outfit, and issued the Superior Re
publican weekly paper. The life
of this paper lasted but few weeks
The papers published prior to 1870
labored under many difficulties.
There were no patent insides or plate
matter in those days, no telegraph
wires here 20 bring the news, and no
mails save those received by boat
| during the season Of navigation, and
| in the earliest years on mems backs
weekly from st. Paul, and later up to
1870 by the weekly stage from st Paul.
These mails were generally irregular,
and often newspapers would be LETT
in some camp on the road for weeks,
while only letters came through. The
early papers frequently contain apol-
ogies for being obliged 10 go to press
without any fresh outside news for
the week, the eastern papers having
been delayed.
They also contain many notices like
| this. 1--WE are under obligations to
| lion Madison Sweetser, who arrived
on the steamer Lady Elgiu, for sever.
al ate Chicago and eastern papers y