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Chronicling America
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Newspaper Desoto Times (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898

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About Desoto Times (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898

The corridor within which Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his expedition most likely crossed the Mississippi River in spring 1541 includes a stretch of the Mississippi county that bears his surname. What appellation could there be for the county seat other than the explorer’s first name, Hernando? Tucked into the very northwest corner of the state, DeSoto County was a prime cotton growing area, producing an average of 5,000 bales per year in the early 20th century.

The longest running newspaper in Hernando, Mississippi, most likely began in 1846 as the People’s Press (1846?-67). Suspended for four years during the Civil War, publication resumed with the February 15, 1866 issue, with William S. Slade as editor. The title changed twice in the next 13 years, first to the Hernando Press (1867-72), then to the Press and Times (1872-79). By the time the title changed to the DeSoto Times (1879-98), Slade was the proprietor. He continued publishing the newspaper until 1898 when the Times merged with the Promoter (1897-98), another four-page Democratic weekly, to form the eight-page Times-Promoter (1898-1970). The newspaper underwent several more title changes after 1970; since 2008 it is published tri-weekly as the DeSoto Times-Tribune.

While the DeSoto Times featured the usual late 19th-century mix of poetry, general interest articles, news, and advertisements, it was best known for its editorials, usually on William S. Slade’s favorite topics: politics and history. Frequent letters to the editor also focused on political issues. Local news included marriage announcements and death notices, legal notices, and occasionally a column on the nearby community of Horn Lake. Advertisements and professional cards often featured businesses in Memphis, Tennessee, 22 miles north of Hernando. Agricultural news, primarily about cotton, and educational articles, such as one in the January 9, 1890 issue on the value of osage orange as a hedge plant, filled the last page. In 1890, news and editorials in the DeSoto Times focused on the upcoming Mississippi constitutional convention. The resulting constitution effectively disenfranchised African American citizens and codified white political supremacy in the state for decades to come.

The Times-Promoter carried more national and international news and fewer general interest stories than the DeSoto Times, although political and legislative news and instructional articles on farming remained important. State coverage increased with two additional columns: “Mississippi Matters” (1898-1906) and “Mississippi State News” (1902-05). Timely topics in 1903 included the dedication of the new state capitol in Jackson and the final removal of the Choctaw to Indian Territory. The Times-Promoter covered various topics of importance to a cotton-producing river county such as levee maintenance and the impact of the boll weevil, which made its first appearance in the state in 1907.

Provided By: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Desoto Times (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898

Dates of Publication

  • 1879-1898

Created / Published

  • Hernando, Miss. : W.S. Slade

Headings

  • -  Hernando (Miss.)--Newspapers
  • -  Mississippi--Hernando
  • -  United States--Mississippi--DeSoto--Hernando

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1879; ceased in Sept. 1898.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Merged with: Promoter, to form: Times-promoter.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 14, no. 25 (Nov. 6, 1879).
  • -  Promoter (DLC)sn 87065184 (OCoLC)15253674
  • -  Times-promoter 2576-7143 (DLC)sn 87065195 (OCoLC)15253715

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspapers

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn87065180

OCLC Number

  • 15253651

ISSN Number

  • 2575-4629

Preceding Titles

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:

Desoto Times Hernando, Miss. -1898. (Hernando, MS), Jan. 1 1879. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87065180/.

APA citation style:

(1879, January 1) Desoto Times Hernando, Miss. -1898. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87065180/.

MLA citation style:

Desoto Times Hernando, Miss. -1898. (Hernando, MS) 1 Jan. 1879. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn87065180/.