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Newspaper Pokrok (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-1878 Progress

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About Pokrok (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-1878

The Pokrok (“Progress”) was created by Charles Jonas in 1867 in Chicago to disseminate religious and politically liberal ideas, targeting the portion of Czech-Americans who were not Catholic. It was only in Chicago briefly before being moved first to Racine, Wisconsin, then Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and finally settling for the remainder of its life in Cleveland, Ohio. In Chicago, the Pokrok was edited by Josef Pastor and in Cedar Rapids by František Boleslav Zdrůbek. In 1871, Zdrůbek purchased the paper from Jonas and moved the paper to Cleveland, a city with a rapidly growing Czech population, where it was edited by Ján V. Čapek until Václav Šnajdr took over the paper in 1873.

Václav Šnajdr was born in Bohemia and came to the United States in 1869 to fundraise for Berlin-based newspapers. Instead, he became a newspaper editor in Racine, Wisconsin, and Omaha, Nebraska. Šnajdr moved to Cleveland in 1873 and worked as editor of the Pokrok until its collapse in 1878, after which he started Dennice Novověku (“Star of the New Era”). In the papers he oversaw, Šnajdr expressed anti-clerical views and championed arts and literature by Czech immigrants. His editorials gained the national attention of Czech intelligentsia. A rationalist and free-thinker, Šnajdr wrote For a Better Understanding of Robert Ingersoll and Ladislav Klacil: His Life and Teachings. Šnajdr sold his newspaper interests to Svět Publishing in 1910, where the Dennice Novověku continued publishing until 1915.

The Pokrok was one of the largest and oldest Czech papers in the United States and was seen as the best way to reach Czechs across the nation. Its circulation averaged around 1,500 across Ohio and surrounding states, and was published in both weekly and triweekly editions; the weekly was eight pages and the triweekly was four pages. Content included local news, as well as national and international news from such cities as San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Berlin, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro. The Pokrok also discussed natural disasters, politics, accidents, and crime, and included columns for announcements and weddings.

Provided By: Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Pokrok (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-1878

Other Title

  • Progress

Names

  • Zdrůbek, F. B. (František Boleslav), 1842-1911
  • Capek, Jǎn V.
  • Šnajdr, Václav, 1847-1920

Dates of Publication

  • 1867-1878

Created / Published

  • Chicago, Ill. : Josef Zreadlovský

Headings

  • -  Czechs--Ohio--Newspapers
  • -  Czechs--Illinois--Newspapers
  • -  Czechs--Wisconsin--Newspapers
  • -  Czechs--Iowa--Newspapers
  • -  Czech American newspapers
  • -  Czech-American newspapers
  • -  Czechs
  • -  Illinois
  • -  Iowa
  • -  Ohio
  • -  Wisconsin
  • -  United States--Ohio--Cuyahoga--Cleveland
  • -  United States--Illinois--Cook--Chicago
  • -  United States--Wisconsin--Racine--Racine
  • -  United States--Iowa--Linn--Cedar Rapids

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Triweekly, <1873-1878>
  • -  Began in 1867; ceased in 1878.
  • -  Editors: Josef Pastor, <1867>; František Boleslav Zdrubek, <1867-1871>, Ján V. Capek, <1871-1874>; Václav Snajdr, 1874-<1878>.
  • -  Published at Chicago, Ill., 1867; at Racine, Wis., 1867-1869; at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1869-1871; at Cleveland, Ohio, 1871-1878.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  In Czech; some notices in English.
  • -  Description based on: Roč. 1, čís. 37 (26 ćerv. 1868).
  • -  Dennice novověku 2474-2147 (DLC)sn 83035420 (OCoLC)9821842

Medium

  • volumes : illustrations (chiefly adv.) ; 58 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn83035546

OCLC Number

  • 10038659

ISSN Number

  • 2376-9009

Succeeding 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:

Pokrok Chicago, Ill. -1878. (Cleveland, OH), Jan. 1 1867. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83035546/.

APA citation style:

(1867, January 1) Pokrok Chicago, Ill. -1878. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83035546/.

MLA citation style:

Pokrok Chicago, Ill. -1878. (Cleveland, OH) 1 Jan. 1867. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn83035546/.