What Was the First Newspaper to Be Continuously Published in the United States

The first major newspaper in every state — and what they looked like when they were first started

Updated

2019-10-07T17:50:00Z

The first newspaper in America was published in 1690 in Boston, Massachusettes.
Since then, newspapers have been the leading force in informing the country what is going on, for hundreds of years.
Here are photos of the first major newspapers in every state.
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Newspapers were the primary way to find out what was going around us for hundreds of years. However, printed newspapers are not as common as they used to be.

Newspapers have played an important role in the history of the United States, starting in British colonies. Publick Occurrences, the first newspaper in America, was first published in Boston in 1690. Since then, papers have grown, merged, and changed with the times, but their impact remains the same.

While many newspapers have come and gone over the years, here are the first major papers in every state and what some of their early editions looked like. Just a note that in some cases, more than one paper claim's to be the state's first and some images are limited based on archival data.

Arkansas: The Arkansas Gazette

The first issue was immortalized in AETN's documentary "The Old Gray Lady: Arkansas's First Newspaper."

The Arkansas Gazette started publishing in 1819, before Arkansas even became a state. The first edition was published on November 20th, 1819, by William E. Woodruff who intended The Arkansas Gazette to have a Republican stance on politics. When the capital of Arkansas moved to Little Rock in 1921, Woodruff decided to move The Arkansas Gazette too. The Gazette published until 1991, when the paper sold to one of its competitors.

Illinois: The Illinois Herald

The Illinois Herald was published by Daniel P. Cook in 1814 or 1815. The paper was later titled the Illinois Intelligencer and then became the Western Intelligencer in 1816. The first known edition is from May 15th, 1816 and had the new laws signed off by James Madison, advertisements, as well as official announcements.

Iowa: The Wisconsin Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser

The Wisconsin Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser was founded by James Clarke and Cyrus Jacobs on July 10, 1837. Burlington, in Iowa, had become capital of Wisconsin and then changed back to the capital of Iowa. Then the Iowa Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser ran until 1850 when Clarke died in an epidemic of cholera. The first edition is not available online, but a later version from 1842 shows important local announcements, as well as many ads and a small print of a clock.

Louisiana: The Moniteur de la Louisiane

The history of Louisiana's newspapers is a storied and complicated one, but one of the earliest major papers was the Moniteur de la Louisiane. It only likely lasted a year.

Michigan: The Michigan Essay: or the Impartial Observer.

Michigan's oldest newspaper started publishing in Detroit on August 31, 1809. This newspaper, like many in this time period, was very short lived. The first edition of The Michigan Essay: or the Impartial Observer featured information about the publication, a column called "foreign elligence," some excerpts from newspapers in England and the Netherlands, as well as some news about American prisoners in South Africa.

New Mexico: Santa Fe Weekly Gazette

The first major newspaper in New Mexico was the Santa Fe Weekly Gazette. It began publishing in 1851 and contained two pages in English and two in Spanish. The paper was known for its strong editorials, according to the Library of Congress, in which the editor questioned why people in the state weren't "filled with an intense desire to know something of the strange government, country, and people, with which they have become irrevocably united."

North Dakota : Frontier Scout

North Dakota's first newspaper, Frontier Scout, started production on July 7, 1864, and was published by Robert Winegar & Ira F.Goodwin, who were both from Wisconsin. The earliest edition, which is Frontier Scout's 2nd edition, started off with poetry, continued with a thrilling story, as well as news about the wealth of the United States and information about artillery.

Oklahoma: The Cherokee Advocate

The first page had stories about spirits.

The Cherokee Advocate was edited by William Potter Ross and issued on September 26, 1844. The earliest edition found was one from February 8, 1873, in which the front page had stories about spirits and spiritualizations .

Rhode Island: The Providence Gazette

The Rhode Island Gazette was technically the first paper in the state but historians say the newspaper was inconsistently published and only lasted for seven months. But the first newspaper published in Providence was the state's first major paper. The Providence Gazette began its run in 1762.

South Carolina: The South Carolina Gazette

The South Carolina Gazette was the first successful newspaper in the state, and Thomas Whitmarsh began publication on January 8, 1732. The first edition of The South Carolina Gazette has a letter written in, as well as an announcement that hemp is a plant that is good for the arts.

Texas: Galveston County Daily News

The Galveston County Daily News began on April 11, 1842 and was published by George French. The earliest edition, from April 19, 1842, shows the prices for advertisements in The Daily News, as well as information about a new act, and a letter from then-president, Sam Houston.

Washington: The Washington Standard

The last note on the first edition reminds readers to mind their own business.

The Washington Standard was started in Olympia on November 17, 1860 by John Murphy. The first issue had poetry, a short story, a letter from Abraham Lincoln, as well as information on the Republican platform. The last note on the first edition reminds readers of the golden rule: mind your own business.