The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1939-08-17
Gazette Completing It's SEVENTEEN
CITY'S FOUNDER
REALIZED NEED
FOR NEWSPAPER
WRAPPING PAPER WAS
USED IN TERRIBLE
WINTER OF 1881


The Redwood Gazette, which
this year celebrates its SEVENTEEN
anniversary, was not the city's
first newspaper.
Colonel McPhail, whose name
seems inevitably associated with
almost every enterprise under
taken in the early years of the
settlement, was the publisher of
The Redwood Falls Patriot,
which made its appearance IN
March 1866. The paper was
printed in st. Peter and the busy
Colonel edited only few num-
bers over a period of three
years. It's prime purpose was
to publicize the community in
which the Colonel had "a fin
ancial interest and the fiery Nc
Phail did not hesitate to en-
ploy the newspaper as vehicle
by which he publicly abused his
personal and political enemies.
The Patriot persisted in April
1869, and the newspaper needs
of the village were filled in
September of the same year by
The Redwood Falls Mail, fore
runner of The Gazette. v. c.,
Seward founded The Mail, and
equipment necessary for the
publication arrived by boat at
North Redwood. For some time
the paper was unique in this
frontier territory, for it was the
only one published in this and
six surrounding counties. The
front page of today's Gazette is
a far cry from that of its pio-
neer antecedent. Advertising
solicited from railroads, Chicago
business places and gin distill-
cries, together with national
news, crowded the few local adj
vertisements and news accounts
to the inner and back pages.
There were listed local items of
interest and related the oppor-
tunities which awaited doctors,
BARRIERS and harness makers who
would pioneer in Redwood Falls.
In April 1873, The Mail. was
purchased by a ST. Paul Lawyer,
w. B. Herriott, who changed the
name to The Redwood Gazette.
The form was altered from a
seven to an eight column folio
and the tone from one ardently
Republican to politically nom
partisan. J.. S. Beal was for a
time associated with Herriott,
but later withdrew. During
this period the Gazette was
housed in a building on Mill
street.
Herriott later obtained a posi- |
ton as receiver in the land
office here and sold the business
to James Aiken and w. r. Rig |
by in 1880. Difficult as the lot
of the editor seems at time in !
the present day, he is never fac
ed with the problem which con-
fronted these men in 1881. For
the winter of that year brought |
billiards. of such proportions as
to completely disrupt railroad
service for six months and food
was brought to the destitute city
by wagon teams. Although econ
omizing by printing the Gazette
on half sheets only, the paper
supply finally was exhausted in
March and several numbers
were printed on wrapping paper
supplied by the King Brothers
store.
This was apparently more
than Rigby had bargained for
and he retired from the partner
ship in the same year. Aiken
carried on alone for IL years,
when in 1892 the paper again
changed hands, this time becom-
ing the property of julius A.
Schmahl and H. v. Ruter. Both
young men had received early
training in the Gazette's make
up room. Aiken was unable to
resist the lure of business for
very long and in 1893 rejoined
the Gazette by purchasing Rut-
er's share.
"Aiken ana Schmahl'' contin-
ued to head the editorial column
until 1906, when Julius was