Forest City Press Archive

The Forest City Press, or the Press, was published in Forest City, Dakota Territory (later South Dakota), beginning on September 20, 1883. Publication continued until at least 1919. Early settlers had high hopes for Forest City, but when the railroads failed to reach the town and when Gettysburg was selected as the seat of Potter County, Forest City began to dwindle. It is now a ghost town.

The Press began as a weekly Saturday paper. As time progressed, it was published on Thursdays and later on Fridays. The original layout was six columns and four pages. On November 8, 1906, the Press became five columns on the first page and six on the rest with eight pages; on November 13, 1906, it was six columns with eight pages. After November 29, 1906, the Press became five columns with eight pages, which it remained for the duration. Mottos on the masthead were, "The injury of one is the concern of all" and "The Saloon is the Enemy of the Home: May America Protect Her Homes".

In its 35 years of publication, the Forest City Press went through six editors: Alouis Blitz, W. S. Ingham, Balland and Milliken, A. S. Throne, and E. P. Throne. The latter was also the publisher of Anpao Kin, one of very few papers in the Sioux language at the time. The owner of the Press was Judge D. L. Fry. Its main audience were the residents of Forest City, but news from Gettysburg and the rest of Potter County often appeared as well.

The Forest City Press favored female readers, many of whom, like the newspaper, supported prohibition. The paper asked: "What is a saloon? Is it not a place - at all times and in all places - where truth, justice, godliness and good will to your neighbor are laughed at? Is it not the place - of all others - that is responsible for your boy becoming a drunkard?" The Forest City Press favored the Prohibition Party over the Anti-Saloon League, as it saw all alcohol, not just saloons, as the source of evil. When local news was light, the Press also published several sections directed at women. "For Feminine Eyes" usually reported on the latest fashions for the family, as well as recipes and sewing tips. "A Bachelor Girl Chat" was a mass-produced column not limited to South Dakota that revolved around the "Bachelor Girl" and the "Mere Man, Mr. Porter," as they discuss matrimony and the rights of women. The discussion heated up rather quickly, and in the end, both arrived at a new view of the opposite sex.