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Newspaper Pierre Weekly Free Press (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19?? Weekly free press / Pierre free press

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About Pierre Weekly Free Press (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??

The Pierre Weekly Free Press began publication on May 25, 1883, in South Dakota. Printed every Thursday, the “State’s best weekly,” eventually became the official paper of the city of Pierre and Hughes County and consisted of eight pages and six columns. The Free Press boasted a wide circulation that served “every county in the state and nearly every state in the union,” and claimed that it would “fully double the circulation of any other publication issued from Pierre.” Since Pierre became South Dakota’s capital in 1890, the Free Press had the added advantage of legislative reporting, declaring that “A full report of the work of the legislature will be given every week while that body is in session,” and that it would “keep the taxpayers of the state posted as to affairs of state.”

Initially part of the Pierre Printing Company, the Free Press came under the control of the Free Press Printing Company on May 24, 1888. By March 19, 1891, J. C. McManima was serving as president and Samuel G. Dewell as editor. For a time, McManima also served as co-editor with Dewell. On November 30, 1893, Charles A. Wheelon purchased McManima’s interests and served as co-editor. Sometime between 1899 and 1903, Dewell leased the Free Press to Claire E. Besancon and a man named Raish. On December 15, 1904, the contract ended, and Dewell took over again until A. C. Satterlee purchased the Pierre Weekly Free Press on February 14, 1907. Satterlee would remain as sole editor and publisher until the paper’s end on June 27, 1918.

The Free Press was affiliated with the Republican Party and published articles covering both foreign and local news, often focusing on politics. The Free Press advocated for the city of Pierre during the fight for the temporary location of state capital in 1889, and again in 1890 for the permanent capital location. Another important issue centered on the opening of the Great Sioux Reservation to homesteading. If Indian lands west of the Missouri River could be sold to whites, it was believed that Pierre would become a major hub both for river and rail transportation, further easing access to the Black Hills. In 1886, the city went as far as sending Mayor Pattison F. McClure and the Free Press‘s J. C. McManima to Washington, D. C. to lobby for the Dawes Act, a bill which would open up some reservation lands to outside settlement. In addition, the Free Press spent a great deal of space promoting Pierre as the new “metropolis of the upper Missouri territory.”

Provided By: South Dakota State Historical Society – State Archives

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Pierre Weekly Free Press (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??

Other Title

  • Weekly free press
  • Pierre free press

Dates of Publication

  • 1889-19??

Created / Published

  • Pierre, S.D. : Free Press Co., 1889-

Headings

  • -  Pierre (S.D.)--Newspapers
  • -  Hughes County (S.D.)--Newspapers
  • -  South Dakota--Hughes County
  • -  South Dakota--Pierre
  • -  United States--South Dakota--Hughes--Pierre

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 7, no. 32 (Dec. 26, 1889)-
  • -  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 eds.: Pierre daily free press (Pierre, S.D. : 1889), 1889-1891, and: Pierre daily free press (Pierre, S.D. : 1899), Jan. 4-.

Medium

  • v.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn98062890

OCLC Number

  • 40700303

ISSN Number

  • 2475-2924

Preceding 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:

Pierre Weekly Free Press Pierre, S.D. -19??. (Pierre, SD), Jan. 1 1889. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn98062890/.

APA citation style:

(1889, January 1) Pierre Weekly Free Press Pierre, S.D. -19??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn98062890/.

MLA citation style:

Pierre Weekly Free Press Pierre, S.D. -19??. (Pierre, SD) 1 Jan. 1889. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn98062890/.