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Chronicling America
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Newspaper Bill Barlow's Budget (Douglas, Converse County, Wyo.) 1886-1914

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About Bill Barlow's Budget (Douglas, Converse County, Wyo.) 1886-1914

The first issue of Bill Barlow’s Budget was published on June 9, 1886, in Fetterman, Wyoming. Fetterman grew around the fort of the same name, which was abandoned in the decline of the Indian Wars in 1882. By August, the Budget had moved its operation a few miles southeast to the small tent town of Douglas that was growing quickly thanks to the railroad, but would not become a fully incorporated town until June 1887. The proprietors of the Budget were husband and wife Merris C. and Minnie F. Barrow; Merris served as the paper’s editor and drew upon his experience from working at newspapers such as the Laramie Daily Times , Laramie Boomerang, and Wyoming Tribune. The Budget was available to readers for 10 cents per copy, but also offered subscriptions for three months, six months, one year, and 100 years, the last originally at $300.

Barrow was dedicated to the development of Douglas, stating in the Budget’s inaugural issue that “… we have about us a country rich in everything calculated to make, when developed, a great and powerful commonwealth.” Barrow used the Budget to advocate for a city water and sewer system, civic fire protection, and local business interests. The Budget’s political alignment began as independent, which allowed for Barrow to critique opinions and initiatives stemming from any political party. Barrow held that policy held until June 5, 1889, when he announced that the Budget would be moving forward as a Republican publication as Wyoming neared statehood, stating “… an independent newspaper is out of place where national questions may be discussed and presidential preferences expressed.”

The Budget outlasted many other papers that attempted to establish themselves in Douglas and boasted the largest circulation of any paper in central Wyoming. Barrow was proud of the accomplishments and longevity of the Budget, showcased by a section that was included in every issue of the paper from 1898 to 1911, which listed out newspapers that had gone defunct and noted, “Our ‘steemed contemporaries they were, but are not.” On July 9, 1914 the Budget became Bill Barlow’s Budget and Converse County Review, which title it retained until December, when the name changed again to the Douglas Budget and Converse County Review. In November 1919, the paper’s name changed one final time to the Douglas Budget, the name it still publishes under today.

Provided By: University of Wyoming Libraries

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Bill Barlow's Budget (Douglas, Converse County, Wyo.) 1886-1914

Dates of Publication

  • 1886-1914

Created / Published

  • Douglas, Converse County, Wyo. : M.G. and M.F. Barrow

Headings

  • -  Douglas (Wyo.)--Newspapers
  • -  Converse County (Wyo.)--Newspapers
  • -  United States--Wyoming--Converse--Douglas

Notes

  • -  Weekly, Nov. 9, 1892-
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (June 9, 1886)-v. 29, no. 8 (July 9, 1914).
  • -  Converse County review
  • -  Bill Barlow's budget and Converse County review (DLC)sn 92067126

Medium

  • volumes

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn92067125

OCLC Number

  • 26121964

ISSN Number

  • 2997-0881

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

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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:

Bill Barlow's Budget Douglas, Converse County, Wyo. -1914. (Douglas, WY), Jan. 1 1886. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn92067125/.

APA citation style:

(1886, January 1) Bill Barlow's Budget Douglas, Converse County, Wyo. -1914. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn92067125/.

MLA citation style:

Bill Barlow's Budget Douglas, Converse County, Wyo. -1914. (Douglas, WY) 1 Jan. 1886. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn92067125/.