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Chronicling America
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Newspaper The Hot Springs Star (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?

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About The Hot Springs Star (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?

Based in the town of Hot Springs, Dakota Territory (i.e., South Dakota), the Hot Springs Star was originally a weekly paper published every Friday and consisting of eight, six-column pages. The Star first appeared on May 21, 1886. On April 29, 1892 it was renamed the Hot Springs Weekly Star; on November 16, 1917, it returned to the original Hot Springs Star.

The Star had a tangled web of ownership for many years. The first publishers were W. T. LaFleiche and Dr. A. S. Stewart. In 1887, William H. Stanley, Jr., acquired the paper; in 1888, he turned it over to N. C. Nash. Fred T. Evans also had a financial interest in the Star. Other owners, part-owners, and publishers until World War I included: W. E. Benedict, I. L. Hanford, John A. Stanley, James B. Hedge, George I. and W. A. Warner, and A. T. Johnson.

Each publisher changed the paper to fit his style but always kept in mind the fact its main readers the residents of the Black Hills region. From the beginning, the Hot Springs Star focused mainly on the news from that part of South Dakota as well as providing important state, national, and world news.

A prominent story that appeared in the Star in 1909 was the murder of Stephen D. and Anna E. Tucker by their son-in-law James Albert Barton at their farm near Provo, South Dakota. This story is a prime example of inconsistencies in reporting resulting from the absence of quick, reliable communication. As a weekly paper, the Hot Springs Star had time to compile multiple news reports before going to print. In fact, the Star printed three versions of the crime. The first two appeared on April 2. The shorter version is found on page six in the “South Dakota State News” section and states that a “Richard” Barton murdered Mr. and Mrs. “Douglas” Tucker with an ax and “horribly mutilated the bodies.” A second version, which leads the front page, provided correct names for both the murderer and victims. It reported that Barton had returned from working in the field and shot Mrs. Tucker in the head and slit Mr. Tucker’s throat “from ear to ear” with a pair of scissors. Barton’s wife and young son were reported as witnesses to the attack. On April 23, an article about Barton’s trial reported that Mr. Tucker’s throat had been cut with a knife and that the only witness was his daughter, the wife of the murderer. Newspaper readers were perhaps accustomed to varied, often sensationalized accounts of such events.

News relating to the “Grand Lodge” and “Grand Chapter” also appeared frequently in the Star, even with the shifts in ownership, showing the strong influence of Masonic groups. Over time, the Hot Springs Star focused more on national and global news. Today, it remains important paper in the Black Hills region.

Provided By: South Dakota State Historical Society – State Archives

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Hot Springs Star (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?

Dates of Publication

  • 1886-189?

Created / Published

  • Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.] : LaFleiche & Stewart

Headings

  • -  Hot Springs (S.D.)--Newspapers
  • -  Fall River County (S.D.)--Newspapers
  • -  South Dakota--Fall River County
  • -  South Dakota--Hot Springs
  • -  United States--South Dakota--Fall River--Hot Springs

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1886.
  • -  Available on microfilm from: State Archives, South Dakota State Historical Society.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Daily ed.: Daily Hot Springs star.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. [2], no. 1 (May 13, 1887).
  • -  Hot Springs weekly star (Hot Springs, S.D. : 1892) (DLC)sn 96090259

Medium

  • v.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn96090256

OCLC Number

  • 35737525

ISSN Number

  • 2473-0262

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 Hot Springs Star Hot Spings Hot Springs, Dakota Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D. -189?. (Hot Springs, SD), Jan. 1 1886. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn96090256/.

APA citation style:

(1886, January 1) The Hot Springs Star Hot Spings Hot Springs, Dakota Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D. -189?. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn96090256/.

MLA citation style:

The Hot Springs Star Hot Spings Hot Springs, Dakota Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D. -189?. (Hot Springs, SD) 1 Jan. 1886. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn96090256/.