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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Gale (Iuka, Miss.) 18??-1888

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About The Gale (Iuka, Miss.) 18??-1888

Tishomingo County was split into thirds in 1870, with the easternmost entity retaining the name of the original. Tucked in the northeast corner of the state, the soil and terrain of hilly Tishomingo has more in common with the adjacent states of Tennessee and Alabama than with the rest of Mississippi. In the later 19th century, with small farms more plentiful than large plantations, the county had higher yields of corn, wheat, and tobacco than of cotton. Located a few miles south of Iuka, the governmental seat of the restructured county, Woodall Mountain, at 806 feet above sea level, is the highest natural point in Mississippi.

A long running Iuka newspaper began in 1881 as the Cosmic Gale. Although there are no extant issues of this early journal, the succeeding title, The Gale (18??-88), continued to use the earlier name in its second page publishers block. In addition to the usual general interest articles, the well-organized, four-page, weekly Gale had several columns, including one that covered national and foreign affairs and one devoted strictly to Southern events. A farm column, a local and personal column with marriage, birth and death announcements, and chancery court and other county legal notices, were developed and continued in later iterations of the newspaper.

While always supporting the Democratic Party, The Gale changed hands several times. When Jefferson J. Chambers purchased the newspaper, he changed the title to the Iuka Reporter (1888-94) and the day of publication from Friday to Thursday. Chambers added poetry, serialized stories, such as The Mistress of Hazelwood, and Dr. Talmage’s syndicated sermons. Thomas B. Dudley bought the newspaper in August 1894, then still a recent college graduate, and began publication under the title The Iuka Vidette. By 1898, Dudley’s father, George Washington Dudley, an experienced editor, was in charge and expanded the paper to eight pages. During the Dudleys’ tenure, separate columns existed for the communities of Burnsville, Spring Hill, Sardis, Belmont, and Yellow Creek. Prominent doctor F. T. Carmack became editor in 1912, when C. C. Hester bought the paper and shortened the moniker to The Vidette (1912-67). Editorials were Carmack’s strength; he often voiced his preference for political candidates, such as in the September 9, 1912 edition where he supported Democrat Woodrow Wilson over Republican Theodore Roosevelt. In 1914, the Sparks family began their 26-year association with the newspaper.

Iuka was the site of a significant Civil War battle; reminiscences of the Battle of Iuka in particular, and the war in general, could be found in the pages of the newspaper run from 1888 through the mid-1920s. With the arrival of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in 1857, businesses grew up on either side of the tracks near a cluster of seven mineral springs. Named after a local Chickasaw chief, Iuka soon replaced Eastport on the Tennessee River as the county’s most prosperous town. As a resort destination, the springs became a major part of the local economy and were often mentioned in the Reporter and Vidette. The Mineral Springs Hotel was built to house visitors; news included the articles of incorporation for the hotel, transfers of ownership, and advertisements. Guests at the hotel and local events held there often made the Local and Personal column.

Provided By: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Gale (Iuka, Miss.) 18??-1888

Dates of Publication

  • 18??-1888

Created / Published

  • Iuka, Miss. : James Jourdan

Headings

  • -  Iuka (Miss.)--Newspapers
  • -  Mississippi--Iuka
  • -  United States--Mississippi--Tishomingo--Iuka

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Ceased in 1888.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 5, no. 47 (Jan. 13, 1888).
  • -  Iuka reporter 2765-9429 (DLC)sn 87065215 (OCoLC)15299256

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn87065214

OCLC Number

  • 15299180

ISSN Number

  • 2765-9402

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:

The Gale Iuka, Miss. 18??. (Iuka, MS), 18??. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87065214/.

APA citation style:

(18??) The Gale Iuka, Miss. 18??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87065214/.

MLA citation style:

The Gale Iuka, Miss. 18??. (Iuka, MS) 18??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn87065214/.