Old Missoula

Missoulian History – 1870 to 1985

The Missoulian claims the title of Montana’s oldest continuous operation as a newspaper. The Missoulian was the successor to the Missoula and Cedar Creek Pioneer, which was founded at Superior, then called Cedar Creek, in 1870. The owners were Joseph Magee and I. H. Harrison. In January 1871, the name was changed to the Missoula Pioneer. In November 1871, the plant was sold to W. J. McCormick and W. S. Scribner. The name was shortened to Pioneer. In 1872, Judge Frank H. Woody was named editor, and the name was changed again to Montana Pioneer. In 1873, Woody and T. H. Chisholm purchased the plant, moved to Missoula and named the paper the Missoulian.

Later in 1873, W. B. Turk bought Chisholm’s interest and joined in running the operation. Woody retired in 1874 and Turk died in 1875. Worden & Company took over the publication that year and were succeeded in a few months by the Barbour & Aspling firm, with Chauncey Barbour as editor. He bought out his partner and was sole owner until August 1879. Duane Armstrong, and then his brother, John, ran the paper during the next few years.

In the late 1880s, Harrison Spaulding, then publisher of another weekly, the Missoula Times purchased the Missoulian and combined it with the Times, dropping the name of the latter. He acquired membership in the Associated Press and the Missoulian became a daily newspaper. Spaulding sold out to Lambert Molinalli on August 14, 1892, who in turn sold to a group of Helena businessmen with George Boos as editor[1]. In 1901, a partnership formed in the interests of the Republican state campaign took over the Missoulian. George E. Harris and E. J. Willis operated the paper under a lease agreement.

In 1902, the Missoulian Publishing Company was formed, with T. E. Butler as business manager and Harry O. Collins as editor. Collins sold his share in 1907, and Joseph M Dixon, who had served two terms as Congressman from Montana and was later governor, assumed ownership.

Under Dixon, A. L. Stone, who later was named the first dean of the School of Journalism at the University of Montana, was made business manager and editorial writer. Later, Sherman Leach replaced Stone as business manager. Stone was editor until he went to the University in 1914. From then until May 1917, Dixon was in charge of the business, but that year he sold the paper to three Chicago businessmen: Martin J. Hutchens, Lester L. Jones and George B. Rice.

In September 1926 the Missoulian was sold to the Anaconda Company, then known as the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. C. A. Colby was named business manager, and Warren B. Davis, a Bostonian, became editor. The related afternoon newspaper was the Sentinel.

The next change in ownership came in June 1959, when the newspaper, along with other Anaconda “company” papers in the state, was sold to the Lee Syndicate of Davenport, Iowa.

The Missoulian was converted to offset in June 1968.

The above article is from “The Press Gang – A Century of Montana Newspapers 1885 – 1985” by Sam Gilluly (p 122). – available online at babel.hathitrust.org

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822043029024&view=1up&seq=1