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The Northern Light was a weekly newspaper published at Latrobe in 1882. Latrobe was the town which was later called McCallsburg. The paper was moved to Zearing by William F. Lewis late in 1882 or early in 1883. The name was changed to The Zearing Register. Publication started in late January, 1883.
The Zearing Register was published by the Lewis brothers with some help from their father, William F. Lewis. Arthur W. Lewis was only sixteen years of age. Ellis J. Lewis was only fourteen years old. The paper was not a financial success. The Lewis family returned to their farm in 1884.
The Crucible, a bright little weekly, commenced publication at Zearing on November 1, 1885. It was published by Morton Kuhn. Publication ceased on April 1, 1886.
Rev. B. A. Konkle's history of Story county states that The Branch was the Zearing newspaper which followed The Crucible. The Branch was published by H. B. Miller of Marshalltown, Iowa, from August, 1887, to October, 1889.
In 1891, Arthur W. Lewis entered the newspaper business on a larger scale. He founded The Zearing Enterprise. In 1895, George R. F. Swain was the editor of The Zearing Enterprise. Burton Richardson was the editor in 1898. In 1902, the editor was George A. Fox. The Zearing Enterprise was active, we know, until June 30, 1905. On that date a Zearing business review supplement was published.
We know that Guy W. Mills was publishing The Reporter on August 23, 1905. The Reporter was called the successor to The Zearing Enterprise.
However, in the August 16, 1906, issue of The Zearing Weekly News, the editor, George D. Brown, stated that The Zearing Enterprise and The Reporter were no longer published. The Brown Printing Shop was destroyed in the big fire of December, 1907.
Guy W. Mills moved his family to Zearing in 1908. He founded The Zearing Advocate immediately after his arrival. Guy published The Zearing Advocate until late in the year of 1912: He sold the business to F. O. Christoffers in the spring of 1913. The name was changed to The Zearing News by Christoffers.
John K. Laycock and Merle H. Laycock bought the paper in the spring of 1916. They changed the name to The Tri County News. In 1920, they sold the paper to Paul D. Ratliff and W. L. Hester. In 1921, Ratliff bought Hester's share.
J. C. Talmadge bought the paper in 1922 from Ratliff. He sold out in 1929. Then came a period of rapid turn over. Editor followed editor during the depression years. J. Vernon Moon and Donald L. Brouhard, then J. Vernon Moon, Burt Kroesen, J. W. Sharp Jr.,