The Spanish American Archive

The Spanish American first appeared between 1904 and 1905 as a monthly publication in Roy, New Mexico. Back in 1901, Frank Roy and three of his brothers came to New Mexico from Canada. Roy established a post office northwest of the present town site giving it his family name. Incorporated in 1916, Roy was located in Mora County, later renamed Harding County of Mora.

The Spanish American was first published in English by The Roy Publishing Company. It had been preceded by another newspaper, the Roy Observer and Reporter, about which little is known. In 1905, the Spanish American became a weekly publication and began to include articles in Spanish as well as English. In November 1906, the Mora County Publishing Company took over the paper. Two years later, the Spanish American briefly relocated in the town of Mora. It covered local, territorial, state, regional, national, and some international news. A one-year subscription cost $1.00, a six-month subscription 50 cents, and a single copy 10 cents. Later, the price of an annual subscription increased to $2.00, while that of a single copy fell to five cents.

The Spanish American encouraged the settlement of New Mexico, which it touted as a land of sunshine and promise. The paper had several editors during its lifetime, including in 1910 one of the Roy brothers, Eugene J.H. Roy. Irvin Ogden, Sr., was the paper's longest serving editor and publisher. On August 21, 1920, Frank L. Schultz and William G. Johnson purchased the Spanish American and renamed the printing press The Spanish American Printing Company. The Spanish American switched political affiliations depending on its leadership. In 1920, an editorial declared that the paper was politically unaffiliated. The Spanish American was a companion to the El Hispano Americano and listed the same editors and publishers. A few of the Spanish American's issues include the subtitle El Hispano Americano or the title The Spanish American and El Hispano Americano. The paper resumed its original title in 1914 and included the motto: "With Malice toward none, with charity for all, and with Firmness in the Right." In 1922, the motto changed to "The Foremost Paper in Harding County." On January 1, 1927, the Spanish American was succeeded by the Roy Record.