Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-08-13
first in Montana. The coming of the

first in Montana. The coming of the
telegraph had made this possible.
In the summer of 1866, the Rocky
Mountain Gazette was started as q
democratic paper. Peter Roman and
Martin Maginnis were prominently
connected with it's early history. In
1869 Capt. j. M. Mills started the New
Northwest at Deer Lodge. The per-
sonality of its editor 0 gave it a
large circulation and wide influence,
In 1870 the Missoula and Cedar Greek
Pioneer was started at Missoula. Under
various names it continued until 1873
when it was purchased by F. H. Woody
and T. M. Chisholm and its name
changed to the Muscular.
During the late sixties many other
small papers we're started but their
lives we're short. There were many
men with ideas they wished to express,
or political aspiration, and the most
common method of attracting atten-
ton was to start a newspaper. Yet
in spite of many failures and dis
couragements some of the early papers
survived, and have been a permanent
influence in the territory and the state.
The Montana Post
The Montana Post, first real news
paper of Montana territory, was pub
lished for the first time Aug. q, 1864,
at Virginia City, second capital OF
Montana, by John Buchanan, in part
nership with M. M. Manner.
The Montana Post received its name
from Col. William Sanders, who
adopted the title from the New York
evening Post, his favorite newspaper
Colonel Sanders, at request of owners
of the Montana Post, wrote its first
editorial, announcing the policy of the
paper.
Printing was done with hand set
type on a Washington hand press
which arrived in Virginia City in the
summer of 1884 from st. Louis, after
having been shipped from there aboard
the Yellowstone. The steamboat, how
ever, was unable to proceed all the
way to Fort Benton SO unloaded its
freight, which included the printing
press, on shore eighty miles below the
fort. From there the press was hauled
overland by wagon freight to Fort Ben
ton, from where it was transported by
Ok team to Virginia City.
After two issues, the Montana Post
was taken over by d. w. Tilton, who
engaged Thomas j. Dimsdale as its edi-
tor. AS editor, Dimsdale distinguished
himself by his fearless policy Of print
ing news, for at that time Virginia
City and vicinity was the rendezvous
of the Plummer-Ives band of outlaws.
Editor Writes Of Vigilantes
Dimsdale wrote of the activities OF
the Vigilantes, who were initiating law
into the terrorized gold camps of the
district. The stories were written as a
resial and were actual accounts OF
Vigilante committees. Later Dimsdale
reprinted these stories in "Vigilantes
of Montana" the first book published
in Montana.
Henry N. Blake succeeded Dimsdale
as editor of the Post In August, 1866,
and served until Dec. 20 Of the same
year, when James Hamilton Mills be-
came editor. Mills served as editor
until July 1869, and became the most
outstanding figure among pioneer jour-
nalists for his editorial writings.
OF utmost Importance to the Post
was the question Of copy" At that
time rapid communication with the
outside world was impossible, as no
news service, railroad, or telegraph was
established in the territory.
The columns we're generally filled
with news of travellers, arrival and de-
parture of the stage. which operated
between Salt Lake City and Virginia
City and also from Fort Benton; In
terviews with immigrants and anything
that would lend itself to type.
Aside from the copy" question, print
paper was the major problem, and II
was not unusual for the Post to appear
in a variety OF colors, sometimes even
pink, brown or yellow wrapping paper
with no explanation or apology in the
editorial column. The situation became
almost desperate in winter, when the
stage did not run.
The Montana Post was printed as q
weekly, b~i-weekly, tri-weekly and daily
In the spring of 1868, the Post was
sold to Benjamin r. Dittes, who moved
it to Helena, where it continued until
1869 when it was destroyed by fire.
The Montana Post marked the be-
ginning of real newspaper history In
Montana state and Montana territory
The Sun River Sun
The Sun River Sun, n of the first
newspapers to be published in Mon
tana. was first edited at Sun River
at that time a prosperous and fast
growing town. Many people in 1885,
argued that Great Falls would never
attain any size as 1t was too near t