The Bismarck Tribune
Daily newspaper published in Bismarck, North Dakota, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bismarck Tribune is a newspaper in Bismarck, North Dakota.[2] Owned by Lee Enterprises, it is the only daily newspaper for south-central and southwest North Dakota. It was the first paper established in Bismarck and is the oldest continually published in the state.
The March 1, 2012 front page of The Bismarck Tribune | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lee Enterprises |
| Founder | Clement A. Lounsberry |
| Editor | Blake Nicholson |
| Founded | July 11, 1873 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 707 E. Front Ave. Bismarck, North Dakota |
| Circulation | 22,006 Daily (as of 2023)[1] |
| ISSN | 2330-5967 (print) 2330-5975 (web) |
| OCLC number | 11987205 |
| Website | bismarcktribune |
History
On July 11, 1873, Clement A. Lounsberry published the first edition of the Bismarck Tribune.[3] Three years later Lounsberry, an American Civil War veteran, planned to accompany George Custer and the 7th Cavalry Regiment to Montana. However, a family member became sick, so he hired stringer Mark H. Kellogg to go in his place.[4]
A month later Kellogg was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.[4] He is considered the first Associated Press correspondent to die in the line of duty.[5] Lounsberry learned of the massacre after the steamship Far West returned to Bismarck. He wrote the first complete account of the battle in the Tribune and telegraphed the 50,000 word story to to The New York Herald, breaking the news to the world.[6]
In 1878, Lounsberry sold the Tribune to Stanley Huntley and Marshall H. Jewell.[7] A year later Huntley left to go interview Sitting Bull for the Chicago Tribune and was replaced by Lounsberry.[8] In 1881, the paper expanded into a daily and was renamed to the Bismarck Daily Tribune.[9] In 1884, Lounsberry disposed of his interests, leaving Jewell as it's sole proprietor.[10] In 1911, Jewell died after publishing the Tribune for three decades.[11] His widow Katherine T. Jewell inherited the business.[12]
A year later the Bismarck Tribune Co. was reorganized. Judge George T. Flannery was elected president, banker C.B. Little was elected treasurer and Mrs. Jewell was elected secretary.[13] By 1916, Little and political boss Alexander McKenzie were the controlling owners, with Mrs. Jewell retaining a minority stake.[14]
In February 1917, the company was declared defunct and entered into the receivership of Little.[15] A month later the Tribune was sold at auction to former senator Edmond A. Hughes for $13,600.[16] That October, news editor George D. Mann and advertising manager Ensley A. Weir bought the paper.[17][18] Weir left the Tribune a month later.[19] In 1926, Lounsberry died and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[20][21]
In 1934, Lounsberry was inducted into the North Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame.[22] In 1936, Mr. Mann died.[23] His widow Stella Mann then operated the paper.[24] In 1938, the Tribune won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service after publishing a series of articles called "Self-Help in the Dust Bowl."[25]
In 1962, Stella Mann's nephew A. Glenn Sorlie, the son of former governor Arthur G. Sorlie, succeeded her as publisher.[24] In 1973, Mrs. Mann died.[26] At that time Sorlie became company president.[24] In 1978, Lee Enterprises acquired a 53% interest in the paper.[27] In 1993, A. Glenn Sorlie died.[24] In 2020, the Tribune moved to a six day printing schedule, eliminating its printed Sunday edition.[28]
