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List of African American newspapers in Montana facts for kids

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Colored Citizen Helena 1894-09-03
The very first page of The Colored Citizen newspaper from September 1894.

This article is about African American newspapers that were published in the state of Montana. These newspapers were very important. They shared news and stories for Black communities. They also helped people stay connected.

Montana's first Black newspaper was called The Colored Citizen. It was printed in Helena in 1894. At that time, about 1,000 to 1,500 African American people lived in Montana.

Montana is special because it's surrounded by states like Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. None of these states ever had an African American newspaper. Because of this, Montana's early Black newspapers often shared news from many different Western states. Sometimes, newspapers from other states, like the Seattle Northwest Enterprise, would even include a section just for Montana news. This happened from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Important African American Newspapers in Montana

Many different African American newspapers were published in Montana. They helped share important news and opinions. Here are some of them:

City Title Beginning End Frequency Call numbers Remarks
Butte The New Age or Montana New Age 1902 1903? Weekly
  • This newspaper shared local news from many places. It covered Montana cities, but also California, Utah, Washington, and Idaho.
Fort Harrison Knocker 1902 ?
  • We know about this newspaper because other papers mentioned it.
Helena The Colored Citizen 1894 1894 Weekly
  • This was Montana's very first African American newspaper.
  • It was edited by J.P. Ball Jr., whose father was a famous photographer named James Presley Ball.
  • The paper included news from Billings and Seattle, as well as Helena.
  • It was published from September 3 to November 6, 1894. It stopped after the Montana elections that year.
Helena The Montana Plaindealer 1906 1911 Weekly, monthly, or sometimes irregular
  • This paper was edited and published by Joseph Blackburn Bass. He was a very important person in Black journalism.
  • He also worked on the Topeka Call and later edited the California Eagle.
Helena Reporter 1899? 1901 Twice monthly
Missoula Everybody 1959 1987

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List of African American newspapers in Montana Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.