Turner County Herald Archive

The Turner County Herald was a weekly, Thursday paper out of Hurley, South Dakota. The first issue was printed May 10, 1883, and the last issue on file is June 27, 1918. The Turner County Herald consisted of four, eight-column pages. For three issues, July 10, 17, and 24 of 1884, the paper had only two pages with eight columns each. On July 31, 1884, the Herald returned to four pages of eight columns. On November 7, 1889, the heading changed from "Hurley, Dakota Territory" to "Hurley, South Dakota" to recognize that the region had been granted statehood.

Because the Turner County Herald began printing while South Dakota was still a part of Dakota Territory, the target audience was people who were thinking of moving out West. To promote settlement of the territory, many of the stories or elements of the stories were exaggerated to place the region in a better light. One article reprinted from a Milwaukee newspaper stated: "Throughout southern Dakota the thermometer has averaged at least five degrees higher than Wisconsin and the air is so dry that the cold is not felt so much. There is comparatively little snow beyond the line. During the rest of the year Dakota is an Eden." Other stories highlighted the best aspects of the region, such as there being few crimes to report. There were often more advertisements than news stories, including local businesses such as James M. Stout, a general blacksmith in Hurley. "If you want your plows repaired or your horses shod, give me a trial," was Stout's humble claim, printed large on the back page in 1883.

The first publisher of the Herald was William C. Brown, who had previously published the Press and Daily Dakotaian of Yankton. Brown stated the Herald was, "a credit to any town east or west, both in mechanical appearance and editorial excellence." He was the publisher from May 10, 1883, until August 31, 1905. Next, the Fitch Publishing Company took over the Herald from September 7, 1905, to January 9, 1913. They also owned the Hurley Herald, and from June 30, 1910, to April 18, 1912, a page of news from the Hurley Herald was reprinted in the issues of the Turner County Herald. On June 16, 1913, shop owner Edwin W. Browne took over the Turner County Herald until April 1, 1915. During his tenure as editor Browne would frequently use the newspaper to prominently advertise his store. On April 8, 1915, John H. Keller took ownership of the paper.