Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
DU BUQUE VISITOR
DU BUQUE VISITOR. Coming to Dubuque in 1834, John KING, who was not a printer, realized the excellent possibilities for a newspaper. He returned to Chillicothe, Ohio in the fall of 1835, purchased necessary equipment, and hired William Cary Jones, an experienced printer. Jones was to be paid $350 with suitable board and lodging during one year to serve as the foreman of the printing office. (1) Traveling to Cincinnati, the two purchased an assortment of type and a Peter Smith hand press. (2) Andrew KEESECKER, a printer from Galena, Illinois was also hired.
The first issue of the the Du buque Visitor carrying the heading "Du Buque (Lead Mines), Wisconsin Territory" appeared on May 11, 1836. A copy of the Dubuque Semi-Centennial Herald of May 9, 1836, however, pointed out this heading was not absolutely correct. Dubuque was still in Michigan Territory. Although the bill dividing off Wisconsin and Iowa (into two counties) had passed Congress on April 20, 1836, it did not take effect until July 4th. The Visitor, however, was unquestionably the first newspaper in Dubuque, the first newspaper printed in what became the State of Iowa, and the first newspaper published north of St. Louis and west of the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. (1)
The spelling of Du Buque was in common usage at the time and King held to that spelling for thirty years before admitting it was incorrect. Evidence of how Julien DUBUQUE spelled his name was certainly difficult to refute. (2) Its motto was "Truth Our Guide--The Public Good Our Aim."
The Visitor was originally printed at Church (later 6th Street) and Locust STREETS. (3) The building from which it operated, a two-story log structure 20 x 25 feet, was built in 1834 by Pascal Mallet as a residence. By October, 1836 King claimed the newspaper had nearly one thousand subscribers. Publication was then moved to the east side of Main Street just above the Globe Building.
King sold the newspaper in less than a year to W. W. Coriell and Edwin Reeves. The business continued to grow and the paper was issued weekly until the following year. (4) Renamed the IOWA NEWS, the paper first appeared on June 3, 1837. The lead story, "Confessions of a Victim," was about alcoholism. Avery Thomas purchased the paper on July 1, 1841 and renamed it the MINERS' EXPRESS (THE). (5) D. S. Wilson and Keesecker became the owners of the newspaper in 1842. Between 1848 and March, 1851 the paper was owned by Keesecker and Dr. Harrison Holt. The Miners' Express, the first strong political paper in Dubuque, was known as the "Thunder" for its support of the Democrats over the Whigs. The Miners' Express and the Iowa News merged in 1842 with the name becoming Miners' Express.
The press first used by King was moved by ox team to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1858 by real estate speculators. Used to print their materials, the press survived a raid by the SIOUX. R. F. Pettigrew, later a United States Senator from South Dakota, found the press. He used the platen for a doorstep. It was later moved to his museum in Sioux Falls. (6)
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Source:
1. " 'Du Buque Visitor Was the City's First Newspaper," Telegraph Herald, August 24, 1930, p. 11
2. "Relic of Dubuque's Early History Now in Dakota Museum," The Telegraph-Herald, November 15, 1925, p. 1
3. Ibid.
4. Nepper, Mark. "Du Bubuque Visitor Began Legacy in 1836," Telegraph Herald, May 8, 1986, p. 34
5. " 'Du Buque..."
6. "Relic of Dubuque's ..."
Oldt, Franklin T. The History of Dubuque County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880 p. 52