Dodgeville Chronicle Archive

The first issue of the Dodgeville [Wisconsin] Chronicle was published on September 18, 1862.Editor John Cowan, who had run the preceding publication, the Iowa County Advocate, published since1858, planned to ring in a new era with the weekly. The previous year, Dodgeville had assumed the role as county seat, and the Dodgeville Chronicle was meant to bring news to all residents of Iowa County. Servicing the surrounding towns and villages of Mineral Point, Linden, Highland, Barneveld, Cobb, Rewey, Mifflin, and Arena, the Chronicle also featured news from these communities, which were usually printed on page four.

Dodgeville is one of the oldest existing towns in the state of Wisconsin and emerged as a mining settlement in 1827. The lead mining industry drew in growing numbers of miners, initially causing the rapid growth of the city. The boom, however, did not last, and the residents had to find alternative industries to live off when the profits declined in the 1940s. Already by the time the Chronicle was launched in 1862, the surrounding area had predominantly turned to agriculture.

During its early years, the newspaper primarily focused on the Civil War and other national news, which was extensively covered on the first page. Despite the politically turbulent times, the Chronicle initially claimed to be "Neutral in Politics - Fair Play for all." As the war carried on, however, the Chronicle became "A Republican and Family Newspaper - Devoted to the Interests of the People."

The publication underwent some layout changes in the early 20^th century. Local news gained importance and replaced the national news on the first page. By that time, the readership had exceeded 2,600 and continued to grow. In 1928, when more than 4,700 people regularly subscribed to the Chronicle, it also expanded from four to ten pages. Over the years changes in leadership shaped the publication as well. Editor Cowen was soon succeeded by Walter Wrigglesworth, who, with varying co-editors ran the paper from 1863 until 1874, followed among others by Albert Hearn (1874-1907), John Reese (1907-27), Lewis Russell Kessler (1928-56), and Lilian Kessler (1944-1984), whose extended family continues to run the Chronicle.