Arkansas Gazette facts for kids
| Type | Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Founder(s) | William E. Woodruff |
| Founded | November 20, 1819 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | October 18, 1991 |
| Headquarters | The Gazette Building 112 West Third Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-2702 |
| Country | United States |
| OCLC number | 8794697 |
The Arkansas Gazette was a famous newspaper in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was published for a very long time, from 1819 to 1991. This made it the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River! For many years, it was the main newspaper for Little Rock and the whole state of Arkansas. It was also the very first newspaper in Arkansas. From 1908 until it closed, the newspaper was located in the historic Gazette Building.
Contents
History of the Arkansas Gazette
Early Days of the Gazette
The Arkansas Gazette started a long time ago, on November 20, 1819. It began in Arkansas Post, which was the first capital of Arkansas Territory. The newspaper was created 17 years before Arkansas even became a state!
When the capital moved to Little Rock in 1821, the newspaper's founder, William E. Woodruff, moved the Arkansas Gazette too. In 1836, the newspaper was the first to share the big news that Arkansas had become a state.
Changes and Challenges
Over many years, the newspaper was bought and sold several times. During the American Civil War, the paper even had to stop printing. It was shut down from September 1863 to May 1865.
After the war, the Gazette was the first newspaper to use telegraph services. This allowed them to get news quickly from cities like New Orleans, Memphis, and St. Louis. In 1908, the "Gazette" even started adding colored comics to its pages!
Standing Up for Change
A very important time for the "Gazette" was during the Little Rock Nine Crisis. This happened when nine African American students tried to attend Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The "Gazette" strongly supported the idea of schools being open to all students, no matter their race.
This decision cost the newspaper a lot of money because some people disagreed. But later, the "Gazette" became even more respected. In 1958, the "Arkansas Gazette" won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Also, Harry Ashmore, an editor at the "Gazette," won a Pulitzer Prize for his writing about the school integration crisis.
The End of an Era
For much of its history, the Gazette had a strong competitor: the Arkansas Democrat. This competition became even tougher in 1979. That's when the Democrat changed from printing in the evening to printing in the morning, just like the Gazette.
After 12 years of tough competition, the Arkansas Gazette printed its last newspaper on October 18, 1991. The newspaper's owner sold its parts to Walter E. Hussman, Jr., who owned the competing Arkansas Democrat. Hussman then changed the name of his paper to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Many people who worked for the Arkansas Gazette lost their jobs. Readers who loved the "Gazette"'s journalism were also sad to see it go.
