The Philipsburg Mail Archive 

On January 18, 1887, proprietors Mark Bryan and Charles McCoy printed the first issue of the Philipsburg Mail, a five-column, four- page weekly measuring 12.25 x 19.5.”  In May of that year the publishers enlarged the newspaper to a six-column format measuring 15.25 x 21.25; in December 1887 the paper expanded to seven columns, measuring 17.12 x 22.84.”

The Philipsburg Mail remained a Republican newspaper throughout its long history. Its competition in the early years included the Democratic Philipsburg Call  which first published in 1901.  The editors of the Philipsburg Mail ran a regular column on the front page entitled, “Among the Ledges,” documenting activities in the local mines.  The town owed its existence to its rich silver mines and those in nearby Granite.  Because of its tie to silver mining, the Philipsburg Mail ran stories focused on the national issue of bimetallism and the Congressional debate over silver-and gold-backed currency.  In 1893, Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890), causing the value of silver to plummet. This move added to the economic distress caused by the Panic of 1893 which led to bank failures throughout the nation.  Local businesses collapsed, mines closed, and thousands of silver miners left Granite and Philipsburg when the United States embraced the gold standard.  

The Philipsburg Mail is still published today.