Hillsboro Banner

Courthouse records stolen from Caledonia, returned to Hillsboro

Much of Hillsboro’s early and rich history was recorded by the town’s newspaper, the Hillsboro Banner, which in itself has a colorful early history.
Larry Aasen, originally from Hillsboro now living in Westport Connecticut, wrote a detailed history of the paper in 1947 for a University of North Dakota journalism class.
Aasen’s account covers the history of the Banner from 1879 to 1947. — Editor

By LARRY AASEN
One of the oldest newspapers in the state of North Dakota, the Hillsboro Banner, has had a long and colorful history since its founding March 3, 1879, eight years after the first settlers moved into what is now Traill County and 10 years before North Dakota became a state.
It is interesting to note that the Banner was founded the same year as the Grand Forks Herald, 1879, both being country weeklies, set by hand and carrying a large amount of advertisement on the front page.
Editor E.D.Barker purchased the Northern Signal from De Lacey Wood in 1879 and established the Hillsboro Banner. The Banner then became the only paper in Traill County. The Mayville Tribune was founded in September 23, 1881.
The Northern Signal was moved to Hillsboro from Caledonia, where it had been known as the Traill County Times. This paper was first called the Caledonia Times and was the first paper published in Traill County.
All the towns in Traill County were fighting to gain possession of the county seat. Colonel W.C. Plummer, editor and founder of the Times, was an outstanding figure in the battle. He was rated by James G. Blaine as one of the three best political stump speakers in the United States.
Plummer appeared in various parts of the county, and although a great many opposed his cause, his flood of oratory could not fail to draw applause and admiration. Despite the applause that he drew, he was always rushed out of town right after each speech to avoid bodily harm from other contenders in the argument.
A vote was finally taken on the county seat issue. Hillsboro won the election but Caledonia refused to give up the records. A group of Caledonia citizens banded together, called themselves the “Tigers of the Jungle,” and prepared to fight the issue to the finish. Armed guards were posted around Caledonia and Dr. E.N. Falk, one of the more rabid of the “Tigers” was rumored to have issued orders to “shoot down all men from the west end of the county.”
Finally, Hillsboro citizens sneaked over to Caledonia in the dark of night and stole all the courthouse records. The Tigers claimed that one of their guards had been bribed or the removal would not have been carried off so smoothly.
The Caledonia Times was purchased later by Dr. E.N. Falk, who changed the name to the Traill County Times. Matt Johnson, who worked as an apprentice in the printing office under Colonel Plummer, became the third editor of the Traill County Times.
The paper folded up shortly after Caledonia lost the county seat. The equipment was moved to Hillsboro by De Lacey Wood and the Northern Signal was then started. It lasted for a short time before E.D. Barker purchased the Signal and began the Hillsboro Banner.
In stating the editorial policy of the Banner, Barker declared in an early editorial . . . “We shall fight all ‘rings’ and monopolies and the encroachment of the money power which now stalks through the land and threatens the masses.” He said the paper would be independent Republican in politics.
He published a six column, eight page paper of home print. He usually carried two or three full columns of ads on his front page and had the habit of setting editorials up to appear as news stories. His news, mostly from rural correspondents, was carried on the inside pages. The front page, besides the ads, contained literary works such as a chapter from Peck’s Bad Boy, poetry or a short story. Baker occasionally wrote a column called “pleasantries.”
Before selling the paper to George E. Bowers in 1884, Barker wrote an editorial labeled Valedictory, in which he made a final plea that all the hard feelings aroused by the courthouse fight would soon be forgotten.
Bowers was a Bonanza farmer living near the city before taking over his duties as editor. Barker had published the Hastings Banner in Hastings, Michigan before coming to Hillsboro.
Bowers replied to Barker’s editorial in his first issue, commenting on the fine job he had done as editor and declaring his intention of continuing the work. He also stated that the paper would be a Republican organ because of the great contributions of that party towards the settlement of the West.
The slogan of the Banner while under the tutelage of George Bowers was “The Hillsboro Banner . . . devoted to the best interest of N. Dak.” His paper contained one column headed “telegraphic news,” which contained news of national events. The bulk of his front page was devoted to ads.
He wrote his own editorials and frequently attacked the Hillsboro city council for neglect of duty. In one of these editorials he apologized for his belligerent attitude, saying if they ever did anything good . . . he would be sure to mention it!
One of Bowers’ front pages was devoted entirely to an ad by an undertakers establishment in Fargo. The motto of the concern was across the bottom of the ad in big, black letters . . . “Every want attended to . . . from the time breath leaves the body til the interment.”
His local correspondents were Walter Winchells born far before their time (i.e. John Weller is going south with the geese this summer.) Another example – E.D. Krinkie cuts a swell with his new top buggy, and says, “Pie Gosh, I’ll show the boys that I ain’t hard up!”
In 1891 Bowers seemed to be right in back of the Hearst papers on the Spanish American war issue. He ran the following poem:
We got the guns,
We got the men,
We got the money, too!
Editor Bowers must have been an avid teetotaler because he devoted one entire column to local W.C.T.U. writers. These stories were quite severe in their discussion of “John Barley Corn,” their favorite expression.
Alvin Schmitt purchased the Banner in 1892, to become the third editor of the paper. He called the paper the only Democratic paper in Traill County and also claimed the largest circulation of any paper in the county.
He carried very few ads on the front page. One of his most faithful advertisers was John E. Paulson, one of the early Hillsboro merchants.
In the April 9 issue of 1897, Schmitt mentioned the fact that East Grand Forks was launching a daily paper to be called the Courier and to be edited by a man called “Duffy.” In the same issue he mentioned that Colonel Plummer, veteran of the courthouse fight, had accepted a job with a paper in Shenandoah, Virginia after quitting his job on the New York Mercury.
Schmitt was a strong Republican. Before each election he would always run the entire GOP ticket under the masthead of his paper.
In the May 3, 1898 issue, a news story stated that the North Dakota Infantry would soon be shipped to the Philippines. Schmitt died Dec. 11, 1910, and the paper carried his obituary in four columns on the front page, trimming the page with heavy black lines. His wife carried on the paper until June 16, 1911 when Lewis E. George took over the paper.
The North Dakota Press Association passed the following resolution at the time of Schmitt’s death . . . “We do extend our profound appreciation of the fine qualities of heart and mind that distinguished our esteemed brother in the ranks of journalism and peculiarly endeared him to the members of our association.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The second part of Larry Aasen’s 1947 history of the Hillsboro Banner will be printed next week, picking up where Lewis E. George took over the paper. The story tells how the Banner, recognized by then as one of the outstanding weekly newspapers in the state, had a strong difference of opinion with the Traill County Tribune published at Mayville, with both papers exchanging editorial barbs.