Carroll County IAGenWeb

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY IOWA

A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement

VOLUME I ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912

Transcribed and donated by Marilyn Setzler.

  CHAPTER XIX

 
st. bernard's catholic church, breda

THE FIRST NEWSPAPER—THE ENTERPRISE—THE WESTERN HERALD—THE CARROLL HERALD—THE CARROLL SENTINEL—THE CARROLL TIMES—THE CARROLL DEMOKRAT—THE CARROLL NEWS—THE FARM JOURNAL—THE GLIDDEN SENTINEL—THE GLIDDEN SUCCESS—THE GLIDDEN GRAPHIC—THE MANNING MONITOR—THE MANNING HEROLD—THE MANNING NEWS—THE MANNING FREE PRESS—THE COON RAPIDS ENTERPRISE—THE COON RAPIDS CITIZEN—THE COON RAPIDS REPORTER—THE BREDA WATCHMAN—THE BREDA NEWS—THE BREDA OSTFRIESISCHE NACHRICHTEN—WELL KNOWN NEWSPAPER MEN.

There was no newspaper in Carroll county for the first twelve years of its organization. A firm at Jefferson, Money & Money, ran a small sheet that served the purpose of a newspaper, and did the printing for business men and public officials further west. When the treasurer prepared his first delinquent tax list he was obliged to go to Jefferson to have it printed. Sheets were printed and the publication was made by posting them up in public places. Other legal notices were published in the same way. Blanks were filled out and notices posted in the postoffice, store rooms, blacksmith shops and at cross roads. Most of the blanks used by county officers, and other public officials were supplied by a Davenport printing house. Oc­casionally a drummer dropped in soliciting orders, but most of the business was transacted through the mails.

When the Northwestern railroad was built across the county and the county seat was removed to Carroll the demand for a newspaper became imperative. 0. H. Manning, then starting his business and professional career in Carroll, was the first to take steps toward meeting this demand. Accordingly, in the spring of 1868, he started the Enterprise, which was printed at Jefferson. However, the Enterprise, printed at another county seat, did not satisfy the Carroll business community and men were determined to have a paper of their own, instead of having to depend upon a neighbor and a rival for its publication. So, a number of the hustling business men, including J. E. Griffith, J. K. Deal, G. P. Wetherill and others heartily seconded the efforts of William Gilley, who undertook the or­ganization of the enterprise. A plant was bought in Chicago by Mr. Gilley, who soon perfected arrangements for starting the newspaper. J. F. H. Sugg, who had come from the east some time previous and had found work as civil engineer, clerk and in other lines, was made editor. The new paper was called the Western Herald and was published in a small building, near the Northwestern track, between Main and Adams streets, and the first issue appeared on the 8th of September, 1868. Of the original subscribers William Gilley and Lester G. Bangs still reside in the county and have remained on the lists ever since.

In the course of time the Western Herald prospered and soon drifted into the hands of  O. H. Manning, who in 1870 sold an interest to E. R. Hastings, who came as a young man, fresh from college at Western, Iowa. In March, 1871, the name of the paper was changed to the Carroll Herald, under which title it has since been published. In 1874 Mr. Manning sold his interest to Hastings & Gray, 0. R. Gray being the junior partner. Three years after, Mr. Hastings bought out his partner and continued sole owner until he sold the establishment, in the fall of 1883, to Paul Maclean. He, however, leased an interest to Edwin E. Adams, and for two years the firm name of Hastings & Adams appears at the head of its columns. Ed Adams was a facile writer and a few years after made himself popular with the Carroll public as a writer on the Sentinel. January 1, 1884, Paul Maclean came as a young man from Louisa county and took charge as sole owner, though the firm name of the publishers was Hastings & Maclean. No change was made in the Herald management till the first of July, 1886, when E. R. Hastings retired and was succeeded by J. B. Hungerford, who bought a half interest from Mr. Maclean. January I, 1890, Paul Maclean retired and J. B. Hungerford became sole owner. In this capacity he remained as editor and publisher of the Herald until the first of January, 1911, when he retired after nearly a quarter of a century's service. He sold the establishment to W. C. Saul, who took his son, W. I. Saul, into partnership. In December, 1911, J. B. Hungerford bought back the Herald from Saul & Son and took charge on January 1st.

The Carroll Sentinel was absorbed by the other two newspapers of the city after a career of nearly thirty-four years. It was started in Glidden, in 1877, by Ed. Taber, who came from Sioux City and afterwards resided at Lake City. He sold it in a few weeks to I. S. Russell and Walter T. Wattles, who conducted it along independent lines for a few months more, when the junior partner retired. In 1880 Isaac Russell removed the Sentinel to Carroll, where it was made the organ of the democratic party. Henry C. Ford, who came along after a while, purchased it of Russell and added what material he brought from West Side. He remained editor till 1884, when the establishment was purchased by Michael Miller, then an active politician in the democratic party. Mr. Miller secured the services of Ed Adams, a well known and capable newspaper man, and conducted a first-class paper. But Adams in a few years died of tuberculosis, and in 1889 Miller took into part­nership John L. Powers, who came from Marshalltown. This partnership continued till 1891, when C. C. Colclo bought Mr. Miller's interest and the firm name for the next eleven years was Powers & Colclo. Shortly before Mr. Colclo's purchase Miller and Powers started the Daily Sentinel, which appeared regularly for ten years. It was decided that the field was not big enough to justify the daily and for lack of sufficient patronage it was suspended. In 1900 J. L. Powers bought the Colclo interest and conducted the Sentinel as a semi-weekly. However, it was made a weekly when the post-office department installed free city delivery, as there is no way whereby a semi-weekly can reach subscribers through a free delivery office without paying postage of one cent apiece. In 1907 C. C. Colclo found it agreeable to reenter the work in Carroll, and bought the Sentinel from J. L. Powers. He continued to run the paper till August, 1911, when he sold the business and plant to the Carroll Herald and the Carroll Times. For the first time since it had attained a population of 2,500, Carroll became the home of only two English newspapers. Citizens in general and business men in particular wel­comed the elimination, and it would be difficult now to enlist support for the redundant third paper. The Sentinel disappeared after a career of thirty-four years, during which time it was looked upon as one of the influential democratic organs of western and central Iowa.

The Carroll Demokrat is one of the prominent German newspapers of western Iowa. It was started about the time that Carroll county became the home of so many sturdy Germans, who settled most of the land in the central and western portions of the county. In those days the early settlers preferred to read the local happenings in their native language and the German newspaper received extensive support. Der Demokrat was started by Bowman & Burkhardt, the senior member of the firm having been largely instrumental in inducing the Germans to locate in this county. But in the course of time Frank Florencourt became editor, and remained with the paper under changing ownerships for many years. It was in 1879 that the plant became the property of the Demokrat Printing Company, which with few changes has continued to the present time. Joseph M. Dunck, the pres­ent editor and manager, has been in charge for the last six years.

The Carroll Times was started in 1897 as the outgrowth of differences arising in the ranks of the democratic party in the county. Its founders built better than they knew, when they decided to interest persons in each township in the county and placed the stock of the incorporation in responsible hands in various localities. Almost from the beginning the Times had an active clientele boosting it along till it attained the prestige of an old established publication. The result is shown in its final absorption of the Sentinel, its old competitor. Its first editor was Hugh O'Hare, a keen-witted and whimsical man who had come from Mount Pleasant. He was well suited to the undertaking, for his raillery, ridicule and invective together with illuminating description and literary polish made his paper eagerly sought each publication day. But the man who more than anyone else contributed to the building up of the Times was W. H. Wahl, who spent ten years of his time at its head. He was a man of limited experience, but he possessed the hustle and sincerity of purpose that procures and retains business. He was always on the job, and in the course of years his work told in a manner that attained success. At present the Times is managed by a board of control, but its editor, C. H. Reese, is the responsible head of the concern.

There have been other papers in Carroll from time to time, but they have been almost forgotten. John B. Kniest at one time ran what will be remembered as the Carroll News, afterwards changed to the Farm Journal. Its career was not of long duration. Back as far as 1874 the Demokrat was started by H. L. Mann, J. C. Kelly, T. L. Bowman and others, but on account of disagreement among its backers it soon suspended publication. At present there are but three papers in Carroll and the business community would strongly resist the intrusion of any more, feeling that any addition would be an expensive redundancy.

 

NEWSPAPERS IN GLIDDEN. 

The Sentinel, started by Ed. Taber, was Glidden's first newspaper. Early in the year of its advent it became the properly of Isaac S. Russell and Walter T. Wattles who were known as editors and publishers. But the town was small and the Sentinel was not profitable enough for two, so Mr. Russell bought the interest of the junior partner. A year before, in 1880, the Sentinel was moved to Carroll. J. C. Holmes started what was known as the News Boy, but this amateurish enterprise lasted but a short time and died a natural death. In the fall of 1885 G. W. Bear started what was named the Glidden Success, which was active in the campaign on local questions of that year. But in the summer of 1886 a paradoxical thing occurred, for "Success" failed and was given a tearless good-bye by an unsympathetic community.

Until the summer of 1890 Glidden was obliged to get along without a newspaper. But that year H. C. Ford, formerly owner of the Carroll Sentinel, started the Glidden Graphic which at first was printed in the office of the Carroll Herald. But as soon as circumstances permitted, he bought a press and material and the Graphic was printed at home and at once received the loyal support of the town and locality. Later Mr. Ford sold the Graphic to W. R. Orchard and Charles A. Noble. In the course of time Mr. Noble became sole owner, his partner retiring to become postmaster. On account of ill health he was obliged to relinquish its ownership, and W. R. Orchard, now editor of the Council Bluffs Nonpareil, became owner and editor. In the summer of 1910 Mr. Orchard sold the property to its present owner, W. H. Reever, who had been for some time principal of the public schools.

 

NEWSPAPERS IN MANNING. 

The first newspaper at Manning was started shortly after the town was founded, in November, 1881, by S. L. Wilson. After running the Monitor for nearly two years he relinquished ownership in favor of Seth Smith, one of the pioneer business men of the town. He, in turn, sold to a partnership consisting of B. I. Salinger, L. P. Brigham and C. S. Lawrence, the last named having been connected with the paper as foreman since its beginning. But in 1884, Salinger & Brigham sold their interest to Mr. Lawrence, who continued as sole proprietor till 1893, when on account of failing health he disposed of his interests to A. L. Heicks, who soon sold to Funk & Salmen, and shortly after the paper passed into the hands of E. M. Funk, who took into partnership his son Erwin, the firm name becoming Funk & Funk. Though a republican paper at the start, it was made democratic by S. C. Lawrence, who declared that because of the position of the republican party on the liquor question in the state, he was impelled to support the other party. In 1896 Bennett Brothers purchased the plant from Funk & Funk and after keeping it a year sold to W. E. Sherlock, who had come from Sigourney, Iowa. The latter, however, did not retain ownership for long but sold to Charles Haworth. Subsequently G. W. Laflar became publisher of the Monitor, and so continued until the year of 1910, when W. H. Mantz, the present proprietor took charge.

The Manning Herold, the German paper, was started by Bertrand Krause, in February, 1894, and continued under the same management until the death of its founder, June, 1907. It then passed into the hands of Peter Rix, who sold it in 1910 to its present publishers and editors.

Among the unsuccessful attempts to establish other papers in Manning was that of the News, started in 1885 by Theodore E. Palmer, and sold in the same year to W. J. Morrow. In 1888 the plant was destroyed by the fire that burnt E. C. Perry's store, on the second floor of which it was published. In 1889 the Free Press was started by G. W. Laflar and Charles C. Coe, but it had a checkered career, passing successively under the ownerships of Coe & Laflar, C. E. Ferguson, Martin Brothers, G. W. Laflar, Charles Haworth, and finally what was left of it, in 1895, was merged into the Moni­tor, then the property of Funk & Funk.

 

NEWSPAPERS IN COON RAPIDS. 

The history of newspapers in Coon Rapids is easily told on account of the few changes occurring since the Enterprise was founded, in 1883, by Ed. Stowell. In May, 1883, it was purchased by Samuel D. and Lyman H. Henry and for two years was conducted by Henry Brothers. In 1885 the Enterprise became the property of S. D. Henry, who has continued its management with rare success to the present time.

The Citizen was started in 1891 by W. H. Rickerson, who is still its editor and publisher. Previous to starting the Citizen, Mr. Rickerson had been publisher and editor of the Reporter, which was in due time absorbed by its more successful and aggressive competitor, the Enterprise.

 

NEWSPAPERS AT BREDA. 

The Breda Watchman was started in 1890 by J. J. McMahon, then principal of the town schools and now editor of the Tama County Democrat. In 1892 Mr. McMahon was made county superintendent of schools and on moving to Carroll sold the Watchman to C. A. Bohenkamp. The paper continued without incident until the summer of 1908, when because of lack of sufficient patronage it was suspended and the plant was moved to Buncombe, Iowa. The next attempt to maintain a newspaper in Breda was made by W. I. Kortright. Soon after the suspension of the Watchman he started the News. This paper continued for three years under his management, but in August, 1911, suspended for lack of support. On the first of January, 1912, the News was resuscitated by W. I. Saul and Frank Conley, two young men from Carroll. It started with good support and promise of success.

Among the newspapers published in Carroll county should be mentioned the Ostfriesische Nachrichten, published in Breda. This is the only real country paper in the county, as the work on the paper is being done in the country, four miles west from town. It is published in the German language, in the interest of the Ostfriesen, a class of Germans coming from Ostfriesland, a small part of the German empire, stretched along the coast of the North Sea. Of these Ostfriesen a great many emigrated to the United States, forming large and prosperous colonies in the states of Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska and other states. The paper is intended to serve as a connecting link between these different colonies and also between them and the old fatherland. It was started by Rev. L. Huendling in Dubuque, Iowa, in the year 1882, and is just now beginning its thirty-first year. Since 1884 the paper has been published in Carroll county. For fifteen years the presswork was done by the Carroll Herald, and since 1898 this work has also been done in the office of the paper west of Breda. The paper is published three times a month, it has a circulation of 7,500 copies ; of these Boo are sent to Germany, while the majority of the subscribers in this country are found in the states above named, but besides these the paper has subscribers in over thirty states of the union. Rev. L. Huendling, the founder of the paper, is still the editor and publisher. The paper has been a financial success and its patrons have been greatly interested in its welfare through all the years of its existence.

 

PERSONAL REFERENCE. 

Of the newspaper men who have figured in the early history of Carroll county, Eugene R. Hastings, Isaac Russell and Edwin E. Adams have passed away.

E. R. Hastings died in October, 1886, of diabetes. He had prospered in his undertakings and ranked among the able and successful newspaper men of the state. He was a facile writer and gave a literary finish and scholarly touch to his work as editor. He is still remembered by the veterans in the profession and is recalled with high appreciation. The standing he gave to the Carroll Herald as a newspaper of thought and intelligence secured for it a prestige that helped to keep it among the influential newspapers of the state for all the years that have followed. His death at so early an age cut short a career that would have been prominent in the subsequent history of the state. For his great intellectuality, his ambition to progress and his love for the work, in which he had attained a position of influence, were assets that would have brought to him success of no man degree.

Edwin E. Adams died before his time. His powers had not yet reached the period of fullest expansion. Of his own efforts he had risen from the "case" and become a reader of books and interpreter of events. He wrote with an intelligence and command of language acquired by study after the day's work at the case was done, and was regarded as a self-educated man, entitled to a place with those favored by a training at the schools and the accomplishments of a higher education. He, too, was cut down before his ability to think and write had attained full fruition, but not until he had established claim to be one of the valued writers of the country press in Iowa.

Isaac Russell left Carroll soon after selling the Sentinel to H. C. Ford and died a few years ago after a career in another calling.

The Carroll newspapers have always ranked among the worthy papers of the state. Their editors have been successful in their ambitions and made fair progress along life's paths, but their history must be reserved for the pen of subsequent writers, who in retrospect will be able to judge more clearly as to their accomplishments and success.
 

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