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River Falls Times (1894-1933)

BACKGROUND

The River Falls Times was produced from 1894-1933. At the time, River Falls was the largest city in Pierce County, which was also the place of publication for the paper. Generated weekly, the paper covered various topics regarding the community and surrounding areas. Publisher, A.T. Churchill was the first to take over the publication of the River Falls Times. Throughout the publication of the River Falls Times, the newspaper had gone through four different publishers; starting with A.T. Churchill in 1896, and ending with C.E. Nelson in 1930.

PUBLISHER

Publisher, A.T. Churchill was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1858 and given the name, Alphonzo T. Churchill. He was a teacher for many years and also served as a professor at Deer Park, Wisconsin for two years. At the time, he established the “Clear Lake Herald” which became a popular weekly newspaper for the area. This pushed his career of publishing to becoming the editor and publisher of “The River Falls Times” in the 1900’s in the town of River Falls, Wisconsin. Churchill was able to jump-start the publication, but was later replaced with other publishers who took on the editorial responsibilities of the newspaper.

NEWSPAPERS

The town of River Falls, Wisconsin is proud to have produced two successful newspapers during the time. The first was the River Falls Journal. It was originally instituted in 1857, but was later discontinued due to a change in ownership. The River Falls Times was the second newspaper that influenced the area greatly during this time. Iver H. Smith was the original issuer. The paper was later passed down to Perey A. Roberts. During this time, Roberts focus was to make the paper independent and aim the content to the improvement of the town. As a result, the paper gained adequate circulation and addressed topics that were subject to the city.

RIVER FALLS TIMES

In an article by the “River Falls Times”, it depicted the town as prosperous and successful, offering the community and people sufficient stability and a positive environment that fostered growth and success. The town of River Falls was flourishing and the publication and contributions of the newspaper helped to expand outreaches and grow the community and expand their possibilities along the Kinnickinnic River.

LOCATION

River Falls is located in Pierce and St. Croix Counties. It currently consists of a population of approximately 15,339 people. Located in Western Wisconsin, the town closely borders state lines with Minnesota. In the time frame of the publication of the River Falls Times, the newspaper served as a main source of communication for the community in regards to what was happening in neighboring counties and communities. It was the responsibility of the editor and publisher to distinguish the facts of a story and display the information in an appealing and unbiased manner to the readers. Churchill’s contributions and previous editorial experience helped to make the River Falls Times successful and guided the newspaper into a positive direction.

CURRENTLY

Today, “River Falls Journal” is based in Red Wing, Minnesota and is published by the Forum Communications, Co. It is the local paper that covers sports, news, and informs the community about upcoming events. The paper serves as a source of information that informs and educates people about what they should know. Started in 1872, it still remains the current newspaper for the county.

REFERENCES 1. “River Falls Journal.” River Falls Journal, www.riverfallsjournal.com/.

2. “River Falls-Largest City in Pierce County | Newspaper Article/Clipping.” Wisconsin Historical Society, 1 Jan. 2012, www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Newspaper/BA11799.

3. “The River Falls Times.” News about Chronicling America RSS, A.T. Churchill, chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85041553/#tab=tab_newspapers.

4. Churchill, G.A., and N.W. Churchill. The Churchill Family in America. books.google.com/books?id=9oYKAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA319&lpg=PA319&dq=A.T. churchill, river falls times newspaper&source=bl&ots=dcRBGNPNBa&sig=VtD0vF2Soiz7vTyo2l2u3eVw-IQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjO-Lj589raAhURiIMKHWmoBFIQ6AEIXDAH#v=onepage&q=A.T. churchill, river falls times newspaper&f=false.

5. “River Falls, WI - Official Website | Official Website.” River Falls, WI - Official Website | Official Website, www.rfcity.org/.

6. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx52gq;view=2up;seq=726