Historic Newspapers: The Old West

DEADWOOD DAILY PIONEER, Black Hills, (South Dakota) May 28, 1889  This city would arguably be--along with Tombstone & Dodge City--one of the more famous of all the towns from the rough & tumble days

THE MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL, Tennessee, Aug. 19, 1880  Among the front page articles are: "Crime & Criminals" "Oklahoma - Arrival of Captain L. D. Payne at Fort Smith Under Rest" "After the Apaches"

DEADWOOD DAILY PIONEER, Black Hills, (South Dakota) May 23, 1889  A rare publication from this famous, "old west" town. This city would arguably be--along with Tombstone & Dodge City--one of the

TOMBSTONE PROSPECTOR, Arizona, June 4, 1889

• Very rare wild West publication
• Gunfight at the O.K. Corral fame

We have had a few other newspapers from the iconic Old West town of Tombstone, but this is

LOVELAND REPORTER, Colorado, Feb. 19, 1891

• Rare Larimer County publication
• Death f William T. Sherman w/ print

This paper was founded in 1880, only a few years after Loveland itself was established

COMMERCIAL HERALD & MARKET REVIEW, San Francisco, Jan. 29, 1880  The focus of this newspaper seems to be on the mining industry, not surprising given the era. The issue is mostly taken up with

THE CONTRA COSTA GAZETTE, Martinez, California, April 24, 1875  An early newspaper from Northern California, just east of San Francisco on the bay. It published in Pacheco until 1873 when it was

GUNNISON REVIEW-PRESS, Colorado, March 11, 1884

• Rare Old West publication
• Woodstock, Colorado avalanche
• Gunnison County ghost town

An uncommon title from this boom mining town in the southwestern

SAN DIEGO DAILY UNION, California, Jan. 3, 1872

• Rare & early from Southern California

Very early from San Diego--a volume 2 issue--when the population was just 2,300, with a nice engraving of the

NEW YORK TIMES, Rotogravure section only, April 7, 1935

• Adolf Hitler & Hermann Goering
• German - Nazi air force revealed

This rotogravure section has a front page pictorial regarding the newly

DEADWOOD DAILY PIONEER, Black Hills, (South Dakota) July 26, 1889

• Rare publication
• Famous wild West town
• "Wild Bill" Hickok fame

This city would arguably be--along with Tombstone & Dodge City--one of

ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCRAT, Nov. 7, 1879

• Zerelda Samuel interview
• Mother of Jesse & Frank James
• Notorious Missouri outlaws

The top of pg. 2 has column heads: "RIDDLED BY RANGERS" "A Pitched Battle in

THE SUN, New York, Dec. 21, 1879

• Jesse James Gang w/ Frank

Page 7 contains a wonderful, lengthy, and very detailed article with several column heads: "THE JAMES BOYS OF TEXAS" "A Visit to the Home

THE MONTEREY DEMOCRAT, Salinas City, Monterey County, California, Nov. 27, 1880  An early title from the county seat of Monterey County, just south of San Francisco. Very typical of newspapers from

ARIZONA CITIZEN, Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [Arizona Territory] July 3, 1875

• Very rare old Western publication

Many years ago we had a reasonable inventory of this title, but today this issue is

BIKUBEN, Salt Lake City, Utah, May 2, 1907

• Danish language publication
• Church of Latter-Day Saints
• Mormons - Mormonism - LDS

Here is a quite unusual and scarce newspaper from Utah, printed entirely in

NEW YORK TIMES, Jan. 17, 1874

• Arkansas stagecoach robbery - holdup
• Jesse James & Younger gang ? - outlaws

The front page includes: "Stage Robbery by Masked Highwaymen" being a brief report from

LAS VEGAS DAILY OPTIC, New Mexico (Territory), Feb. 19, 1898

• Very early for this state

An uncommon territorial newspaper from 14 years before statehood
Four pages, large folio size, edge tears &

THE ADVANCE, Red Wing, Minnesota, Oct. 25, 1882  Page 2 has a somewhat inconspicuous report; "Female Bandit Caged" which reports: "...the capture in the Indian Territory of  a female desperado named

THE PENNSYLVANIA MAGAZINE, Philadelphia, February, 1775

• Pre American Revolutionary War
• Thomas Paine - first time as editor

This is a very rare magazine, published only from January, 1775 thru July,

THE SILVER STATE, Winnemucca, Nevada, Sept. 19, 1877  Page 2 has a nice account of the infamous Big Springs train robbery.
This was a robbery of a Union Pacific train near present-day Big Springs,

SACRAMENTO DAILY UNION, California, Nov. 15, 1860  While most newspapers on the East Coast reported Lincoln's election in their November 7th edition, West Coast newspapers were reliant upon the

THE PIONEER, San Jose, California, Aug. 16, 1879  The masthead notes: "Devoted To The Interests Of The Pioneers of California And the Resources of the Golden State."
The masthead is one of the more

DEADWOOD DAILY PIONEER, Black Hills, (South Dakota) June 1, 1889

• Rare publication
• Famous wild West town
• "Wild Bill" Hickok fame

This city would arguably be--along with Tombstone & Dodge City--one of

THE PIONEER, San Jose, California, Aug. 9, 1879  The masthead notes: "Devoted To The Interests Of The Pioneers of California And the Resources of the Golden State."
The masthead is one of the more

VELASCO DAILY TIMES, Texas, Feb. 28, 1892

• Rare Southwestern "Boomtown" publication
• Possibly the first time offered anywhere

A rare title as it existed for less than six months.
Velasco was a town in

SAN DIEGO BULLETIN, California, Feb. 13, 1872

• Volume 1 Number 1 issue
• Southern California first

This is the first issue published of the daily paper, the volume 1, number 1 issue. It was preceded by

TOMBSTONE PROSPECTOR, Arizona, Nov. 20, 1889

• Very rare wild West publication
• Gunfight at the O.K. Corral fame
• The Wham Paymaster Robbery trial

We have had a few other newspapers from the iconic Old

DEADWOOD DAILY PIONEER, Black Hills, (South Dakota) July 23, 1889  This city would arguably be--along with Tombstone & Dodge City--one of the more famous of all the towns from the rough & tumble

THE SAN DIEGO UNION, California, May 4, 1877  Among the front page articles: "Arizona" "Agent Clum Completely Successful in Hunting up the Renegade Apaches--Latest Sonora News". Clum is John Clum

THE SAN DIEGO UNION, California, Oct. 21, 1879  The top of the first column is headed: "The Indian War" "Present Situation of Affairs in Colorado" which has two reports, and this is followed by:

DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGNER, Sacramento, California, Aug. 14, 1852

• Franklin Pierce's presidential campaign
• Extremely rare old West publication

Beyond being a campaign newspaper, which by nature was

SEYMOUR WEEKLY CRESSET, Seymour, Baylor County, Texas, June 9, 1887

• Very rare Southwestern publication

A very rare newspaper which is believed to have existed for ten years, from 1879 to 1889,

PANHANDLE INTERSTATE, Lipscomb, Texas, Aug. 30, 1889

• Very rare Southwest 19th century publication

A very rare newspaper, as Gregory's "Union List of American Newspapers" believes it existed from

THE LONE OAK NEWS, Lone Oak, Hunt County, Texas, Feb. 28, 1890  A very rare newspaper as Gregory's "Union List of American Newspapers" notes that only one institution (Bancroft Library) had any 19th

ALPINE SIGNAL, Markleeville, California, July 4, 1879

• Very rare old West publication

A very rare title that lasted less than one year, and only one institution has scattered issues. This is a volume

BLACK HILLS DAILY PIONEER, Deadwood, Black Hills, March 3, 1878

• Rare publication
• Famous wild West town
• "Wild Bill" Hickok fame

This town would arguably be--along with Tombstone & Dodge City--one of

DAILY ALTA CALIFORNIA, San Francisco, May 29, 1851

• Very early Old West title (rare)
• California gold rush era

The very first title in the Golden State was the "Californian" begun in 1846, followed the

DAILY ALTA CALIFORNIA, San Francisco, July 5, 1852

• Very early Old West title (rare)
• California gold rush era
• Printed on "necessity paper"

This is a very early newspaper from California, just 14 months

SAN DIEGO DAILY UNION, California, Sept. 23, 1871

• Rare & early from Southern California

Very early from San Diego--a volume 2 issue--when the population was just 2300, with a nice engraving of the

NEW YORK TIMES, June 15, 1874

• Tribal Chief Cochise death (1st report)
• Chiricahua Apaches - Indians

The very bottom of the front page has a very brief and discrete report headed: "Death Of The Indian

WEEKLY TRINITY JOURNAL, Weaverville, California, Aug. 14, 1875

• Rare wild old West publication
• Use of colored "Necessity Paper"

A rare issue from this town in Northwest California.
Weaverville is a

THE LOWER LAKE BULLETIN, Lower Lake, California, March 9, 1889

• Very rare publication on "necessity paper"
• Koi Nation of the Lower Lake Rancheria
• Lake County - Clear Lake region

Not only is this the

KERENS ENTERPRISE, Texas, Aug. 29, 1889

• One of a kind ? Navarro County

An exceedingly rare newspaper, in fact this is the only issue recorded anywhere according to Gregory's "Union List of American

MIDLAND GAZETTE, Texas, Feb. 7, 1890

• Very rare Southwest publication

This is the volume 1, number 35 issue of a title we've never offered previously. Quite rare, as Gregory's "History & Bibliography

ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCAT, Dec. 5, 1883

• Mormons and polygamy
• President Chester A. Arthur
• Outlaw Frank James trial

Over half of the front page and page of pg. 2 are taken up with: "The President's

DAILY EVENING HERALD, Stockton, California, Nov. 22, 1870

• Wild Old West
• Rare publication

The city, founded in 1849, is named after Robert F. Stockton and it was the first community in California to

RENO EVENING GAZETTE, Nevada, March 20, 1879

• Wild Old West
• Rare publication

An early issue from this famous gambling city in Northern Nevada near Lake Tahoe.
Gold was discovered in nearby Virginia