The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-02-21

the history of the press of Southport
and Kenosha furnishes one Of the most
interesting chapters Of the history Of
this southern section Of Wisconsin.
Kenosha county, early took the lead
in the development Of the printing art.
The second printing press to be
brought into the territory of Wiscon-
sin was brought to Southport by the
Rev. Jason Lothrop, revered Of all the
pioneers. He set up this old hand
press in the kitchen of his home here
as far back as 1885 and since that time
printing presses have been in continual
operation in the county
Before Milwaukee had a newspaper,
the old Green Bay Intelligencer had
been published at Green Bay. 1t was
started in 1887 and had the distinction
Of being the first newspaper published
west Of the Allegheny Mountains. So
far as is known, none Of the copies of
the paper as it was published at Green
Bay are in existence, and it was not
until the plant was bought by c. C.
Sholes and removed to Southport that
the paper became widely known.
Published Here in 40.
Dating back before any of the old
Fort Dearborn, or Chicago, papers were
the issues Of the Southport Telegraph,
which made its initial appearance in
the village on June 16, 1910. It was
then Wisconsin's only newspaper, and
it had a wide prestige, not only in Wis
consin but in the adjoining territory of
Illinois. G. G. Sholes was the proprie-
tor of the Southport Telegraph, but he
was the leader in name only, as c..
Latham Sholes was its editor and he
had as his most able assistant Colonel
Michael Frank, man who contFibute
much to the early history and to the
early development of Southport. 1t was
q newspaper Of vigorous editorial poll
cy. The men who edited it were men
who led the community in nearly every
line of thought. 1t was C. Latham
Sholes who afterward invented the
typewriter and it was Col. Frank who
afterward became the founder Of the
great system of free education in Wis
consin.
Was Journal of Progress.
That paper, founded back in 1910,
continued to be published through the
years which have interviewed to the
present time, and weekly it makes it's
appearance now under the name "The
Telegraph Courier"
In those pioneer days, conducted by
men who had given their best efforts
to the development of Southport and
Wisconsin, it carried a great deal of
weight in deciding the early problems
of the building of Southport. 1t was
a Republican paper in those early days
1t supported Lincoln for president and
was one Of the most ardent advocates
against slavery to be found anywhere
in the United States.
In it's columns, in the forties, were
written the names of heroes of the
Mexican War. 1t told the story of Ke-
1osha men who fell fighting for the
flag in that war. It was notable in its
reports Of the struggle for the pre-
servation of the Union in the great
Civil War and it's pages contain many
of the most interesting chapters of
Wisconsin's history.
Source for Early History.
Col. Frank and his diary were the
real editorial springs of the old South
port Telegraph and his writings have
been sought by many latter day histor-
ians as the most authentic history of
those early days in Kenosha.
The Telegraph was a weekly paper
and the news which it printed was
often received in Kenosha from steam
boat captains who had come down the
lakes from Buffalo.
In 1912 Col. Frank and Mr.. Sholes
surrendered the control of the Tele4
graph to Loring Gold and he remained
in charge of it until 1845 when John
A. Butts united with him in the man
agement of it, In that year G. L.
Sholes again took charge of the Tele-
graph and he remained in charge until
1851. For time Charles Clement,
widely known among the pioneers, was
associated with him in the publication.
The Kenosha Tribune.
Meantime a new publication had
been started in Kenosha known as "The
Kenosha Tribune" and there was keen
rivalry between the papers, but the
Tribune was short lived and in ,Deeem-
her of 1854 it was consolidated with
the Telegraph. Shortly before this
time Col. Frank had retired entirely
from the management of the Telegraph
and his place had been taken by James
Densmore, widely known among the
pioneers Of Southport and Kenosha
The new members of the nm were G..
J.. Sholes, S. S. Schoff and j. A. Butts,
ell well-trsined newspapemen. This
combination continued until 1857 when
COL Frank again heard the call to the
editorial sanctum and he joined with
Mr.. Butts in the publication Of the
paper for a short time.
Leander Stone In Charge.
William T. Stone and Leander Stone,
both men of splendid literary ability,
had charge Of the Telegraph for a short
period and in the late fifties the names
of S. G. Vinegar and D. C. McVean,
the latter afterward noted as a soldier,
were added to the roster Of editors and
managers. In June 1860 the paper
dropped it's hyphenated name and was
lre-christened The Kenosha Telegraph.
meantime Kenosha had been incorpor-
ated and had grown to be one of the
largest cities on the shores of Lake
Michigan. S. C. Vinegar and S. s.
Schof again took over the management
of the paper and Col. Frank again be-
came its editor and he remained with
the paper until 1852.
Later in the sixties Hays Mckinley,
one of the real leaders of Kenosha in
the early days, became proprietor OF
the Telegraph and he continued in