The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1905-10-20
.vv0RTHlN6TON ADVANCE
PusLlsHED xvzRx FRIDAY. ~ .t
THos. DOvERY, PUBLlsHxR.
Retrosp ective.

Retrospective.
With the issue of this week the
Advance enters upon it's tn irty fifth
year of publication. 1t is not very
old compared with many eastern
newspapers, but when the fact that
Worthington, even as a hamlet did
not exist until after the building Of
the st. Paul and Sioux City rail-
road at this point in the fall of 1871,
it will readily be seen that the Ad-
vance is older than the city, con-
dition which does not often exist
even though push and enterprise are
the marked characteristics of good
newspaper. This peculiar condi-
tion may be explained however by
the fact that for som ething over a
year prior to the establishment of a
village at this point. The Advance
was published in the Office of the
Blade at Toledo, Ohio, as the organ
of the National Temperance society,
which was endeavoring to work
up q temperance colony to be locat-
ed at or near the point where Wor-
thington now stands. While they
did not succeed in locating a tenn
perance colony here, the work of
the newspaper had aroused an in
terest in this part of the country,
and many of the earliest settlers
were induced to cast their fortunes
with southwestern Minnesota. To
their enterprise and untiring in
dustry is due much of the prosperity
which the city, now, and for years
past, has enjoyed. They laid the
foundations broard and strong and
a most magnificent little city has
grown upon them.
In the summer of 1872 the publ
cation Office of the Advance was re-
moved to Worthintgon, with Mr..
Stevens as editor and publisher.
He was succeeded a year or two
later by A. P. Miller, who has the
reputation of making the Advance
the leading newspaper of this part
of the state. He later disposed of
the plant to the late Rev. Robert
McCune, who had formerly been an
editorial writer ~on the Toledo
Blade. In the early part of 1894
Mr.. McCune sold the Office to e. S.
now editor of the Heron
Lake News, and he in turn sold it
to q. Hawley, present register Of
deeds, by whom it was transferred
to the present proprietor: :, :, s., i = :; /
This in. brief is the history Of the
paper. Each publisher according
to hi. ability and views has made
the paper representative Of Wor-
Ellington and Mobiles county. It
has not awlays fairly represented
the growth and prosperity Of the
city and country, but it has faith
fully chronicled the improvements
made in the city and the movements
of its citizens, 80 that the files of
the paper make complete history
Of the development of the raw
prairies into a thriving city of
nearly $500 inhabitants, surrounded
by prosperous farmers occupying
highly improved farms. Prior to
the construction of the railroad in
1871, there had been no settlement
at this point. A few pioneers had
taken up claims in the eastern part
of the county one or two in the
town of Indian Lake, one near
Brewster and other just over the
line in Jackson county, 80 that the
railroad passed over virgin and
practically uninhabited prairies.
The laying of the rails and the es-
tablishment of a depot at this point
was quickly followed by the enter
prising business men and settlers.
Among the earliest to locate here
was Edward Humiston, Attorney j.
A. Town, who established the first
lumber yard, Hon. Daniel She'll,
Robert Prideaux, DR.. q. o. Moore,
and a number of others who have
to make this place their
home and have been prime movers
in all that has gone to build up the
city from no inhabitants in 1871 to
over 1000 in 1905, developing the