Newspaper Platte Valley Lyre (Saratoga, Wyo.) 1888-1901

About Platte Valley Lyre (Saratoga, Wyo.) 1888-1901
The Platte Valley Lyre began printing in Saratoga in June of 1888, two years before Wyoming was granted statehood. Published by George R. Caldwell, the Lyre set out to serve the residents of Saratoga by relaying news from the Platte Valley, the Wyoming territory, other states and territories in the U.S., and the rest of the world. During the two years that Caldwell owned and edited the Lyre, it focused on local happenings and promotion of the natural resources of the Platte Valley, including advertisements for the local hot springs which claimed medicinal properties. Caldwell had earned himself the nickname the “Lurid Liar of Lander” well before he began publishing the Lyre; as publisher he was known to sensationalize the beauty and importance of the Platte Valley, as well as the growing town of Saratoga. Caldwell promoted the Lyre as “Independent in opinion. Fearless in Expression,” and published articles based on Republican values, with an emphasis on labor and farming interests and a disdain for the era’s free-trade policy.
In the spring of 1890, the Lyre was sold to the Huntington sisters, Gertrude and Laura, who were later nicknamed the “Lyre girls.” Gertrude took over as publisher and editor for the Lyre, making her the first woman newspaper editor in Wyoming, while Laura worked as the business manager; both sisters set the type for the paper by hand for all the years that they owned it. In 1891 a new paper, the Saratoga Sun, began publishing in Platte Valley, covering many of the same stories and gaining many of the same advertisers as the Lyre. The publishers of the Sun and the Lyre had a lively feud of sorts, as each came from very different backgrounds and held opposing views about smaller community issues. It was rumored that citizens bought both papers to see what the publishers were quarreling about that day. The Lyre girls maintained the republican tone of the paper, but included more local news as well as articles with advice about housekeeping and the latest trends in fashion. During her time as publisher and editor, Gertrude also served as Carbon County schools superintendent four times and published articles about teachers’ institutes and the state of education in Carbon County.
The Huntingtons sold the Lyre to W.B. Wiley in 1902. The owner of the Saratoga Sun, John F. Crawford, purchased the Lyre from Wiley and merged the two papers. Today, the Saratoga Sun is the official paper of Saratoga as well as the surrounding towns of Encampment, Riverside, and Ryan Park.
Provided By: University of Wyoming LibrariesAbout this Newspaper
Title
- Platte Valley Lyre (Saratoga, Wyo.) 1888-1901
Dates of Publication
- 1888-1901
Created / Published
- Saratoga, Wyo. : G.M. Huntington
Headings
- - Carbon County (Wyo.)--Newspapers
- - Saratoga (Wyo.)--Newspapers
- - Wyoming--Carbon County
- - Wyoming--Saratoga
- - United States--Wyoming--Carbon--Saratoga
Genre
- Newspapers
Notes
- - Weekly
- - Vol. 1, no. 1 (June 7, 1888)-v. 13, no. 40 [i.e. 50] (June 6, 1901).
- - Saratoga sun (Saratoga, Wyo.) (DLC)sn 83002748
Medium
- v.
Library of Congress Control Number
- sn92067221
OCLC Number
- 27075469
Succeeding Titles
Additional Metadata Formats
Availability
- View All Front Pages
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