Cedar Falls Gazette Archive

Henry A. and George D. Perkins established the Cedar Falls Gazette in 1860, aiming to provide the citizens of Black Hawk County with "a medium through which shall be made known all the interesting events of the day, whether transpiring at home or abroad." The Gazette featured a regular "Field and Garden" column edited by Peter Melendy, the president of the Cedar Valley Agricultural and Manufacturing Association, as well as local news, poetry and literature, market reports, and political news.

In the first issue, published March 16, 1860, the Perkins brothers declared their support for the Republican Party, writing that its principles are "best calculated to promote the vital interests of this country, and to secure the greatest number the greatest good." The Gazette covered the Civil War extensively, including correspondence from Iowa units and personal accounts from Iowa soldiers. It also expressed sharp criticism of Cedar Falls' North-west Democrat, for what the editors described as "its sympathy with the South" and "its rank treason to the government under which it lives."

In August 1862, George Perkins enlisted as a private in Company B of the 31^st Iowa Volunteer Infantry and served for seven months before returning to Cedar Falls and the Gazette in early 1863. Three years later, the Perkins brothers sold the Gazette to Smith Bartlett Goodenow, and George Perkins moved to Chicago, where he worked for the Northwestern Associated Press until 1869. He then moved to Sioux City and became the editor and publisher of the Sioux City Weekly Journal, before moving on to a career in public service. Perkins served as a state senator from 1874-1876, Iowa's commissioner of immigration from 1880-1882, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Iowa from 1883-1885, and US Representative for Iowa's 11^th district from 1891-1899.

Goodenow's brief tenure at the Gazette ended after less than a year, when he sold the paper to Charles W. Snyder and A.C. Holt in spring of 1867. Holt soon sold his interest to Snyder's brother, Edward. In early 1870, the Snyder brothers sold the Gazette to George K. Shaw and Lorenzo D. Tracy. After only two weeks, a disagreement led Shaw and Tracy to dissolve their partnership. Shaw sold his interest in the Gazette back to Charles Snyder and purchased the Grundy County Atlas in the nearby town of Grundy Center. Tracy remained with the Gazette. Their feud played out in the pages of their newspapers over the following weeks, culminating in Shaw challenging Tracy to a duel. In April 1870, Tracy retired from the Gazette and Edward Snyder rejoined his brother in the business.

The Snyder brothers continued to publish the Gazette until 1877, when they sold the paper to Lorenzo Stoddard Merchant. Throughout the following years, the Gazette changed hands a number of times before eventually ceasing publication in 1916.