Tomorrow will be a sad day for Colorado, the oldest newspaper in her state will close its doors.
Rocky Mountain News printed its first issue on April 23, 1859, her printing press came from Omaha, Neb. on an oxcart. The Rocky Mountain News was born at the start of the Colorado Gold Rush and she has seen and reported it all.
Her life was almost snuffed out in the 1940's, but was saved by her editor Jack Foster when he convinced the owner to make changes. She got a tabloid design, which made it easier to read and Frances Foster, Jack's wife, introduced America's first advice column called "Molly Mayfield". It was an instant hit and many newspapers began having advice columns which opened the doors for Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren.
She merged with her rival The Denver Post in 2001, both papers are owned by the same company. She has won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000, 2003 and 2006, in 2002 she won Best of the West. In 2007 she was redesigned to a magazine style and then put up for sale in 2008. With no buyers, the owners are closing her doors.
The Rocky Mountain News has been there through all gold rushes, she was around when the Governor owned a gold mine in Cripple Creek, she was there when Rockefeller brought in the militia and gunned down miners and their families, she was there in the 1920's when the Governor and mayor of Denver were members of the KKK, she was there in the 1960's when the Denver police Dept. was so corrupted and doing business with the mafia, she was there when they cleaned that mess up (just like L.A. in the 1930's).
Tomorrow, she will no longer have her voice. Her hallways will forever be silent but if we are lucky her voice may be able to sing to us from the archives in the Denver library and if we are very lucky, then ALL of her stories will be there.
Farewell, Rocky Mountain News!
History is not History, till it is the truth
Abe Lincoln
2 comments:
I am always saddened when a newspaper folds. Our Arkansas Gazette disappeared many years ago, leaving only the Arkansas Democrat, a far-right leaning daily as our only State paper. I'm still sad about that.
Betty, I agree, it's sad when a voice disappears. The sign of the times it seems but its not good when it leaves only one voice because that voice may not share everyones view. It seems you have been left with only one voice, it is indeed a sad thing.
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