Troy Weekly News Archive

In 1885, J.W. Seat built a sawmill in the area that would become the town of Troy. The lumber industry sustained the settlement in its early days, with the sawmill placing the settlement on a path to become a shipping hub for forest products. John P. Vollmer, an area banker, helped bring the Northern Pacific Railroad to the Palouse region of Idaho and built the settlement's first store. The settlement grew, spurred by the construction of the railroad. The town was officially incorporated in 1892 and named Vollmer. John Vollmer amassed extensive landholdings in the area by foreclosing on properties during the 1893 depression, drawing the ire of other locals. In 1897, a vote was held to rename the town and Troy was chosen.

The Troy Weekly News was published in Troy from 1897–1933. The weekly paper was published and edited by P.L. Orcutt and distributed on Fridays with eight pages and five columns. The Weekly News advertised itself as the official village paper. In 1906, the Latah County Board named the Troy Weekly News the official paper of Latah County. The Weekly News originally identified as a Republican newspaper, but later claimed independent political affiliation. Local social news was covered in the "Local Happenings of the Week" or "Local and Personal" columns. The "Country Correspondence" column covered news in the communities of Howell, Burnt Ridge, Driscoll Ridge, Brickaville, South Driscoll Ridge, and Rawsonville. Local church news was reported in the "Church Notices" column. State news could be found in "Idaho Items." The "News of the Northwest" column had regional stories from Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. The paper also featured serialized fiction. In 1933, the Troy Weekly News and the Moscow Review were consolidated to form the Moscow News-Review.