The Palouse has had a lot of newspapers over the years. Nearly every town in Latah County had its own newspaper at one time or another, some for a short period of time, others for decades. In the years before radio, telephone, television and the internet, newspapers were often the most reliable and consistent form of news, especially in particularly rural areas. For historians, they offer a wealth of information when primary sources can be scarce. They also hint at local sentiments and opinions related to larger issues. Newspapers can be valuable not only for their information but also for their ability to shape public opinion and provide glimpses into interesting advertising, movies showing at the time and other peaks into the past.
Latah County’s first newspaper was the Moscow Argus, founded by members of the Moscow Literary Society in 1878. It only ran for a year and was written by hand during society meetings. The first printed newspaper was the Moscow Mirror beginning in 1882 under the management of Ivan Chase and Co. The North Idaho Star began circulation in the late 1880s until 1906, and the University of Idaho’s Argonaut has been continuously publishing since 1898. After Idaho statehood and the turn of the century, Moscow saw more newspapers as existing ones halted or changed hands. The Moscow Weekly Mirror, The Star Mirror, the Moscow Evening Journal and the Idaho Post all published papers in the early 1900s. The Daily Star-Mirror began its run in 1911 and continued until 1939, when it and the Daily News-Review combined to form the Daily Idahonian. The Daily Idahonian was continuously issued until its name was shortened to simply The Idahonian in 1974. In 1991, the Idahonian and Whitman County’s Daily News merged to form the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Other towns throughout Latah County boasted numerous newspapers as well. The late 1880s saw Genesee’s Advertiser in 1888, Juliaetta’s Gem in 1889, and Kendrick’s Advocate in 1890. As these communities grew, so did the number of newspapers their residents supported. The Genesee Advertiser was succeeded by the Recorder in 1891 before the Genesee News ran from 1892 to 1968. Kendrick had a similar succession. The Advocate was succeeded by the Kendrick Gazette from 1892 to 1968, and the Gazette News from 1969 until 1987. Deary’s 3-paper history followed closely that of Kendrick and Genesee, beginning in 1908 with the Deary Enterprise, which ran until 1915. Then the Latah County Press took over in 1916 until 1955. Briefly, the Latah Journal also ran in Deary from 1931 to 1937.
Two towns that had a surprising number of papers were Troy and Juliaetta. Troy started its newspaper history with the Troy Weekly News in 1897 and ran until 1933. There was a gap before the Latah County Press began in 1957 and the Latah Observer in 1960. After the Juliaetta Gem, the Juliaetta Sun, the Juliaetta Record, the Independent and the Juliaetta Bulletin all circulated in the 1910s and 1920s. In my search I also found mentions of the Juliaetta Enterprise, the Juliaetta Advance, The Register, the Potlatch Herald and Potlatch Press, all connected to Juliaetta.
Vollmer and Bovill’s newspapers were short-lived with the Vollmer Vedette from 1891 to 1892, and the Bovill Herald from 1911 to 1912, succeeded by the Bovill Record from 1913 to 1915.
With all these examples, the number of newspapers in Latah County is truly astounding. This is by no means a comprehensive list and some of the dates are contested. Their dwindling numbers through the second half of the 20th century speaks to the changing nature of news consumption and technological advances. We still see the changing news and media trends as the Moscow-Pullman Daily News closes its Moscow office and reduces staff. But with all these historic newspapers, historians are able to glean insight into community values, opinions, and regional differences throughout the County. With current reductions in newspapers and increasing internet news sources, I wonder if historians will lose some of the community and regional nuances that made these small-town newspapers so valuable.
Noble is the executive director of the Latah County Historical Society.
