Red Lake News Archive

The Red Lake News began in 1912 as an English-language paper distributed by the Red Lake Indian School located in northern Minnesota.  The newspaper was “devoted to the interests of the Red Lake Chippewa Indians.”  Originally issued twice a month during the school term, in 1916 it began publishing once a month throughout the year.  Each issue consisted of four pages with three columns until 1921, when publication of the newspaper ended.

The superintendent and special disbursing agent for the Red Lake Agency, Walter F. Dickens, managed, edited, and wrote for the Red Lake News from 1912 to 1919.  The newspaper contained local reservation news, national American Indian news, agricultural articles, and other general educational items.  Dickens was also concerned about the morality of the members of the Red Lake Band, announcing the disastrous effects of intoxicating liquors and illicit drugs.  His mastheads ran statements such as “Save Money and You Save Lives” and “Work is a Splendid Tonic for Dissatisfaction.”

The White Earth Progress and White Earth Tomahawk were other newspapers published on Ojibwe reservations in Minnesota during the late 1800s and early 1900s.  While surviving issues of these newspapers are incomplete, they nevertheless provide historical perspectives of early life on Minnesota’s American Indian reservations.