The 101st anniversary of the Hopkins Journal in 1976 touched off a big celebration in the town. It was founded by James Pierce, who put out the first issue on February 14th, 1875. Mr. Pierce also founded the Grant City Star and would go on to start the Bedford Times-Press and some other publications.
Back in those days, subscriptions were paid for by anything from eggs, butter, potatoes, apples, corn, vegetables, and even wood to heat the office with. The type was set by hand and they did their own printing, on a Washington Hand Press.
Many other towns in the area had their own paper at the time. There was the Clearmont Press, the Burlington Junction Post, the Graham News, the New Conception Courier, the Guilford Times, the Clyde Times, the Ravenwood Gazette, the Parnell Sentinel, the Skidmore New Era, the Elmo Register, the Barnard Bulletin, and The Republican (Maryville).
The papers that survived were the ones who had a stable editor at the helm for many years. For the Grant City Times-Tribune, it was Charlie Mac and Chase McLaughlin. For Hopkins, after going through several editors, they finally found a keeper in Deacon Moorhead. He grew up in Grant City and Hopkins, and became fiercely loyal to Hopkins once he took over the Hopkins Journal in 1893. He held the position until his death in 1939, a tenure of 45 years.
The following is some of the wit and wisdom of Deacon Moorhead:
“One reason opportunity isn’t recognized more often is that it goes around disguised as work.”
“If there were more self-starters, the boss wouldn’t have to be a crank.”
“The making of friends is the best token of one’s success.”
In 1910, the Journal obtained a Country Campbell Cylinder Press, and in 1914, they got a linotype. They continued to print off the linotype and print their own paper until 1977.
After Moorhead’s death in 1939, the paper passed on to Joe and Helen Wright. In 1953, the Journal got a Babcock Press and a Kluge Press. In 1958, the Wrights got an offer too good to refuse as Joe became a teacher in the North Kansas City School District until his retirement in 1975. Russell and Anna Cross then ran the paper until 1977.
The paper survived plenty of highs and lows. They wrote extensively about the Hopkins Centennial in 1972. They were there for the sports teams, win or lose, such as when Pauline Cross hung 51 points on Graham in December 1955 in a 70-49 victory for what was then known as the Bombers; the boys team was known as the Bulldogs before they consolidated with Pickering.
There were plenty of lows as well, and moments when nobody was sure about survival. In 1930, during the Great Depression, hog prices were so low, people feared they would drop to five cents a pound before it was all over. In the same year, the city ran out of water, forcing the city to shut it off. Despite this, the businesses were generous, offering a nine day sale and giving away 10 turkeys, a fat hog, and a heifer to kick off the Christmas shopping season.
Other disasters that the paper was there fore included the Tornado of 1952, which decimated half the business district, the Great Flood of 1897, which flooded two thirds of the homes west of the railroad track, a grasshopper plague of Biblical proportions in 1875, and a massive fire that destroyed five different buildings in 1912.
On February 17th, 1976, the Community Club organized a surprise party for the Journal to mark their 101st anniversary. The event was held at the Methodist Church and drew over 150 people, including many other area editors. Merrill Chilcote of the St. Joseph News-Press was the main speaker, John Shipley, the Rabbi on the Ridge, gave the benediction, and the Journal got a congratulatory letter from none other than President Gerald Ford.
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