By MRS. MARION NEELEY
Globe-Gazette Correspondent

ST. ANSGAR — The new St. Ansgar Enterprise is observing open house Friday. The Enterprise has been printed three weeks in the new building.

Publishers of the Enterprise are Wayne Christofferson and Fred Eichman. Employes include William Matthews, news editor and printer; Mrs. Richard Blood, bookkeeper and linotype operator; M. L. Weed, linotype operator.

Correspondents are: Etta Christiansen, local; Mrs. Clyde Roehr, Lyle, Mona and East Otranto; Mrs. Leonard Larson, Carpenter; Mrs. Viola Dockstader, Otranto and Olga Schmidt, Mitchell.

The history of a newspaper printed in St. Ansgar dates back to 1861. It was .published as the St. Ansgar Weekly Journal. According to records it was owned by A. G. Owen and edited by L. S. Everett. A second weekly paper was published first in 1876 by J. H. Smith and was known as the St. Ansgar Register. Financial difficulties prompted Smith to sell his paper to W. A. Thomas and Martin Moe in May 1877. This partnership lasted only a few months when Moe became the sole owner. It was at this time that Moe established the name which the paper still carries this day, "St. Ansgar Enterprise." The first edition was published November 1, 1878,

In 1892 Moe sold to Miles A. Culver. Typical of the newspaper of that era, it contained much more advertising than news. The very first column on the front page listed advertisements, doctors, ministers, auctioneers and draymen. Often correspondents letters from Carpenter, Mitchell and Osage were also on the front page with no headlines.

As the methods of communication improved, so did the St. Ansgar "Enterprise." Later most of the non-essentials and jokes and stories of local bits of social news were moved to other pages. Still, advertisers continued to pay for advertising space sold on the front page until 1936 when Charles Thatcher became the new owner and changed the style and contents of the newspaper.

K.M. Gjertson purchased the paper from Thatcher in June 1951. He also added his changes in the style of printing the paper.

Wayne Christofferson purchased the Enterprise from Gjertson in 1958 and in 1962 he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Fred Eichman.

Mason City Globe-Gazette
Thursday, September 16, 1965