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Newspaper The Mahnomen Pioneer (Mahnomen, Minn.) 1910-Current

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About The Mahnomen Pioneer (Mahnomen, Minn.) 1910-Current

The Mahnomen Pioneer is a long-running weekly newspaper published in Mahnomen, Minnesota, the seat of Mahnomen County in the northwestern part of the state. Mahnomen County, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word for wild rice, lies entirely within the White Earth Indian Reservation. The town of Mahnomen was established in 1904 as a depot on a newly built rail line. The town’s first newspaper, Mahnomen Plaintalk, began publication on May 12, 1905.

In April 1910, the Plaintalk was sold by its publisher, William M. Wigham, to Harry P. Phillips. Phillips was an experienced newspaper journalist, most recently of the Detroit Record in nearby Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Renamed the Mahnomen Pioneer, Phillips’s newspaper was published weekly, with four pages of seven columns. Coverage included national, state, and local news, with a Republican editorial viewpoint. In 1916, the newspaper expanded to eight pages of six columns; the additional content included syndicated news and serialized fiction.

Though not a specifically Native American newspaper, the Pioneer served a community with a large Native American population, and frequently featured news related to local, state, and national Indian affairs. Its local news and social affairs content also included coverage of many White Earth individuals and families.

In April 1922, Phillips purchased Mahnomen’s Nonpartisan League newspaper, the Mahnomen Free Press, which had been in publication since 1908, leaving the Pioneer the town’s sole publication. In January 1928, the Pioneer absorbed the Waubun Forum after a fire destroyed the Forum printing plant, making the Pioneer the only newspaper published in Mahnomen County.

In November 1935, after 25 years as publisher and editor, Phillips sold the Pioneer to Dan L. Carver. Carver’s ex-wife, Clara O. Carver, took over as publisher in November 1941, and she continued in that role until 1968. Notable editors of this period included Leslie E. Nelson, who served from 1936 to 1946, and Wendell Vlassin, who served off and on from 1951 to the mid-1970s. As of 2024, the Mahnomen Pioneer continues weekly publication.

Provided By: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Mahnomen Pioneer (Mahnomen, Minn.) 1910-Current

Dates of Publication

  • 1910-current

Created / Published

  • Mahnomen, Minn. : H.P. Phillips.

Headings

  • -  Mahnomen (Minn.)--Newspapers
  • -  Minnesota--Mahnomen
  • -  United States--Minnesota--Mahnomen--Mahnomen

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in Apr. 1910.
  • -  June 9, 1955 issue called also "50th Anniversary edition."
  • -  Available on microfilm from the Minnesota Historical Society.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 9, no. 47 (Mar. 13, 1914).

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper 8477

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn83016586

OCLC Number

  • 1756494

Preceding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Mahnomen Pioneer Mahnomen, Minn. -Current. (Mahnomen, MN), Jan. 1 1910. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83016586/.

APA citation style:

(1910, January 1) The Mahnomen Pioneer Mahnomen, Minn. -Current. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83016586/.

MLA citation style:

The Mahnomen Pioneer Mahnomen, Minn. -Current. (Mahnomen, MN) 1 Jan. 1910. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn83016586/.