Newspapers in Early Western Towns

Another important business in any Western town was the newspaper office. Not only was it an important source for news and community updates, but in a place where entertainment was limited, it served that purpose too. Some Old West newspapers had interesting names, such as The Tombstone Prospector, The Pick and Drill, The Epitaph, and The Territorial Enterprise. In 1880 Town, in Midland, South Dakota, the newspaper was called The Western Star.

Depending on the size of the town and the situation, the newspaper might be published often or at longer intervals. Of course, the cities and larger towns tended to have daily papers, and in the smaller towns, they came out weekly or sometimes less. In the 1800s, most newspapers in the West came out weekly. Sometimes, the editor/owner did most of the work himself, and some had a staff, the number depending on the size and financial resources of the newspaper.

In my novel set in California in 1888, Tessa's Time, Tessa's uncle owns a newspaper, and she writes for him under a pseudonym. However, although she enjoys the newspaper work, she really wants to be a novelist, and she continues to work on her manuscript. She's sent to interview the new violinist who's come to San Francisco for the summer, and she's surprised by how much he impresses her. But can she realistically continue her career plans and be courted, and would he want that? Most men she's met don't approve of their wives working.

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