BonnerSprings.com

Maybe it’s time to sing “Happy Birthday” to the Chieftain, although it is belated and hard to pin down the exact date. The Chieftain newspaper is either 112 years old, 110 years old or 106 years old, depending on the date that you favor.

If that sounds confusing, it is, and it’s largely due to the incorporation of the city and, probably, a changing market. Of course, a century ago, the printed media was the only source of news, and a thriving city had to have a newspaper. The local newspaper made its debut on April 30, 1896, as the “Wyandotte Chieftain” and was owned by Ed Matthews. Apparently, it mailed from “Wyandotte,” although Bonner Springs was one of its major markets.

Matthews wrote in the first of his weekly columns: “A good newspaper is the thing that keeps a good town growing.” He added that this was particularly true for “Wyandotte County in general and Bonner Springs in particular.”

The biggest story in that first edition of the “Chieftain” was a serious storm that caused major damage and a death in Bonner Springs. Lightning struck a home occupied by Ella Randall, who was killed in a roof cave-in. As was the case in writing in those days, there was a glowing obituary about Ms. Randall and her contributions to the community.

Maybe Matthews was casting his eyes on a market to the west. He described Linwood as a “rising and prosperous community of 300.” The story pointed out that Linwood was about to have a new bank.

Even after 110 years, some things simply do not change. There was an article warning residents the county appraiser was coming to town and raising concerns about appraisal of local property and possessions.

While there weren’t “police reports” as such, there were stories about foibles that plague people. It seems a team pulling a delivery wagon owned by the A. Benson Store bolted and ran down Oak Street and overturned. There were no injuries, but merchandise was lost.

Matthews urged residents to spend a buck and subscribe to the local newspaper. He pointed out that a lot of money was spent subscribing to the Kansas City Star, Times and World. Incidentally, I am not familiar with the Kansas City World, however, there were a lot of newspapers at that time and many failed in the early years of the 20th century. Of course, it didn’t take long for Matthews to join forces with the KC papers. He advertised a joint circulation plan where you could subscribe to the Star and the Chieftain for one price.

There were winds of change blowing across Wyandotte County at that time. Bonner Springs was moving toward incorporation and facing strenuous opposition from some areas of the county. Armourdale was seeking to leave KCK and, again, become an independent city. That was a movement that failed.

On the other hand, after a lengthy battle, Bonner Springs was officially incorporated as a city of the third class in November 1898. Some believe that date to be the official birthday of the Chieftain, however, the newspaper continued to use the name “Wyandotte Chieftain.”

Actually, the name “Bonner Springs Chieftain” came into being on Sept 13, 1902, which could also be the newspaper’s birthday. Matthews gave little information about the change. He described it as a “little change . . . we think it looks better and is more appropriate.” The newspaper name remained the same until the 1970s when the word “Edwardsville” was added.

The 1902 issue had gone to boiler plate; the front and back pages were preprinted and included national news and ads. The interior was local and some regional news. That edition pointed out Basehor was preparing for its Harvest Home celebration. The Bonner Springs High School had 24 students and “only eight were from out of district.” As far as sports coverage was concerned, only the Bonner Springs Grays’ baseball results were reported. There were no photographs. There were, however, some line drawings on the preprinted front page.

The early newspaper was printed locally and delivered by mail or sold at the office. There was a great deal of coverage when the first linotype or typesetting machine was installed. The mechanics of newspapers have completely changed in the past century. Publications have gone from no pictures to black-and-white pictures and now to color.

Newspapers have reinvented themselves to compete with the advent of radio and television. Yes, I believe newspapers have a future and will again change to deal with the electronic age. Newspapers have survived for centuries and will be with us for years to come.

Post a comment

BonnerSprings.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

Requires free BonnerSprings.com registration.