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Newspaper Wood County Reporter (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923 Semi-weekly reporter

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About Wood County Reporter (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923

The first Europeans arrived in Wood County, Wisconsin, in the late 1820s. Many of its early residents were French-Canadians, although other nationalities, ethnicities, and American born-settlers were present too. Lumber and wood pulp mills were the primary industry, as well as dairy, livestock, and farming, particularly of cranberries. The region was predominantly Democrat prior to the establishment of the Republican Party in 1854, although settlers who had been Whigs and later Republicans arrived and gradually tipped the political balance.

The Wood County Reporter had the distinction of being the first newspaper published in modern day Wisconsin Rapids, the seat of centrally located Wood County. Native American tribes had called the area Ah-dahwah-gam, meaning Two-sided Rapids, because of the large boulder that divided the river in that location. Wisconsin Rapids represents the consolidation of two early settlements, one on the west side of the Wisconsin river known as Centralia and the other on east side known as Grand Rapids. In 1900, the two communities merged and were simply known as Grand Rapids. (However, due to mail frequently being wrongly delivered to Grand Rapids, Michigan, the name of the town was changed to Wisconsin Rapids in 1920.)

The Wood County Reporter was established in Grand Rapids on November 28, 1857. At first, the paper was published on Wednesday but switched to Saturday from 1859 until 1863. Thereafter it was published on Thursday, a schedule which continued until it ceased operations on November 1, 1923. Issues were initially four pages in length, but expanded to eight pages by the 1870s. During the early years, the cost of an annual subscription was $2.00 but dropped to $1.50 by 1885. Circulation was around 500 until the early 1900s when the Reporter reached a peak of more than 1,000, although that number later dropped dramatically.

During the Wood County Reporter’s 66-year run, five men served as editors. John N. Brundage ran the paper from 1857 until September 1864, when he enlisted in the Army. James E. Ingraham and Hart Benton Philleo followed, editing the Reporter until February 1880. Ingraham then sold the paper to Philleo who edited it alone through April. Brothers Paul and Albert L. Fontaine managed the paper together from April 1880 to April 1886, when Paul sold his share to Albert, leaving him sole editor until 1923.

With the emergence of the Republican Party in the region, the Reporter soon became known as a Republican newspaper. It covered local, national, and international news. Early features included a business directory, and news from the telegraph wire appeared on pages one and two, while local news and advertisements could be found on pages three and four. Over time, local news items would find a more prominent location on the front page. Later issues of the Reporter included regular columns on Nekoosa, a nearby community, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, “Housewife’s Corner,” serialized literature, and news from Grand Rapids High School and Wood County Normal School.

Provided By: Wisconsin Historical Society

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Wood County Reporter (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923

Other Title

  • Semi-weekly reporter

Dates of Publication

  • 1857-1923

Created / Published

  • Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis. : [J.N. Brundage]

Headings

  • -  Wisconsin Rapids (Wis.)--Newspapers
  • -  Wisconsin--Wisconsin Rapids
  • -  United States--Wisconsin--Wood--Wisconsin Rapids

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began Nov. 28, 1857; ceased in Nov. 1923. Cf. Oehlerts, d. Guide to Wis. newspapers.
  • -  Publisher varies.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 11 (Feb. 17, 1858).

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85033078

OCLC Number

  • 11648005

ISSN Number

  • 2572-5904

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:

Wood County Reporter Grand Rapids i.e. Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. -1923. (Wisconsin Rapids, WI), Jan. 1 1857. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85033078/.

APA citation style:

(1857, January 1) Wood County Reporter Grand Rapids i.e. Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. -1923. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85033078/.

MLA citation style:

Wood County Reporter Grand Rapids i.e. Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. -1923. (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) 1 Jan. 1857. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn85033078/.