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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper Baxter Springs News (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919

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About Baxter Springs News (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919

The Baxter Springs News of Cherokee County, Kansas, was established on February 23, 1882, by James B. Rowley, and was published by the Baxter News Company. Rowley declared in the premier issue that the “the News has been started simply because the interests of Baxter Springs demanded it, and for the additional reason that perchance its publication will bring wealth to their editors… the News, as indicated by its unassuming name, will make a specialty of notable happening, both here and elsewhere, interspersed with comments and opinions upon all subjects of interest.” The Baxter Springs News was “An Independent Paper Devoted to the Interests of Cherokee County,” and was published weekly on Saturdays, on Thursdays starting mid-November 1903, and on Fridays beginning February 1918. The size of the paper ranged from four to 12 pages. The News frequently mentioned surrounding mineral springs and included a recurring column titled “The Mines.” Local and national news, advertisements, correspondence from the Quapaw Indian Reservation, and details about city council proceedings were often featured, along with occasional reports on love matches and marriages in the area in various articles titled “Cupid’s Work,” “Cupid Very Busy,” and “In Cupid’s Net.” Circulation for the News peaked in 1910 at 1,400, when the Baxter Springs’s population was just over 1,700.

Marion H. Gardner purchased the Baxter Springs News in October 1882 when James Rowley took a job with the Kansas City (Missouri) Daily Times. After 10 years of serving as sole proprietor, Gardner sold one-half interest of the News to Charles L. Smith in August 1892. Gardner declared, “The political aspect of the paper will not be changed, but special attention will be given to a record of the local news, and a full and free discussion of all matters of interest, whether political or otherwise, by the patrons generally is invited and desired by the managers of the paper.” Smith purchased the remaining interest in the News in December 1897 when Gardner left to open a new printing office in nearby Galena. Smith managed the News alone for nearly two decades until he sold his shares to Alfred E. Pfremmer in July 1916. The price of printing material had risen significantly, but Smith “did not have the heart to make the increase in price” and sold the paper instead. Pfremmer kept the subscription rate at $1.00 per year, but increased the rate for those outside the county to $1.50 starting on June 14, 1917. Pfremmer remained editor and publisher until July 25, 1919, when the Baxter Springs News ended after 37 years of publication.

Provided By: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Baxter Springs News (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919

Dates of Publication

  • 1882-1919

Created / Published

  • Baxter Springs, Kan. : News Co., 1882-1919.

Headings

  • -  Baxter Springs (Kan.)--Newspapers
  • -  Kansas--Baxter Springs
  • -  United States--Kansas--Cherokee--Baxter Springs

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Feb. 23, 1882)-v. 38, no. 24 (July 25, 1919).
  • -  Sept. 20, 1917 issue includes literary supplement called: Home circle magazine section.
  • -  Available on microfilm from Micro Photo.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.

Medium

  • 37 volumes : 54-60 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn83040592

OCLC Number

  • 10536975

ISSN Number

  • 2372-2878

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:

Baxter Springs News Baxter Springs, Kan. -1919. (Baxter Springs, KS), Jan. 1 1882. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83040592/.

APA citation style:

(1882, January 1) Baxter Springs News Baxter Springs, Kan. -1919. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83040592/.

MLA citation style:

Baxter Springs News Baxter Springs, Kan. -1919. (Baxter Springs, KS) 1 Jan. 1882. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn83040592/.