The Superior Times Archive

Superior, Wisconsin has been home to Native American inhabitants since prehistoric times. Early inhabitants mined copper, but it was Superior's location on the Great Lakes that attracted fur traders in the 18th century. The Bois Brule-St. Croix River Portage Trail created a link between Lake Superior and the Mississippi, allowing traders to move goods south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Superior was incorporated as a city on September 6, 1854, and, shortly after, became the seat of Douglas County. Eastern investors were eager to fund a railroad stretching from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast, but it would not be until the 1880s that the Northern Pacific Railway would successfully establishing that line. During the late 19th century, agriculture and industry in the region boomed. Despite the economic slowdown following the Panic of 1893, Superior continued to attract settlers from the East and European immigrants well into the 1920s.

The first issue of the Superior Times appeared on September 8, 1870. The paper was printed by Superior Times Printing and was issued weekly on Saturday, although it was sometimes published on Thursday or Friday. Circulation grew from 275 in the late 1870s to over 500 at the paper's peak. The cost of a subscription was $2.50 per year, later dropping to $2.00, and finally to $1.00. Throughout its time of publication, an issue was four pages in length.

The Times remained in operation until 1912. During its 42-year run, the position of editor changed frequently. Edward W. Anderson Jr. held the position from 1870 to February 1875, when he sold the paper to Charles S. Douglas and D.H. Pryor. Douglas and Pryor co-edited the Times until July 1875, when Douglas took over editing duties alone through 1876. Brothers Thomas and James Bardon co-edited the newspaper from 1877 to 1881. In that year, J. Lute Christie purchased the paper which he edited until his death in December 1895. His daughter Alluna C. Christie with her cousin Thomas R. Christie co-edited the Times until Elmer E. Brownell took over in 1898. Brownell replaced as editor by Herman H. Brinsmade in February 1901. Brinsmade held the position until April 1902. Carey L. Day was the Times's last editor.

Throughout its existence, the Superior Times remained a Republican leaning paper. It reported local, state, national, and international news. It published election and tax notices, as well as columns on "News from the Capital." Early editions covered the development of railroad lines in the region and featured long advertisements from land agents and local businesses. By the 1890s, reporting on the railroads had dwindled and advertisements were becoming more visual. Issues from the early 1900s featured stylish fashions and expanded ads for goods from around the country. In its final years, the Superior Times also included literary columns and political cartoons.