Weekly Arizonian facts for kids

The Weekly Arizonian was a newspaper that was printed in Arizona Territory. It was published from 1859 to 1871 and had a challenging history. This newspaper is important because it was the first printed work, the first newspaper, and the first political voice in Arizona.

Arizona's Early Days

After the Mexican War, a large part of northern Mexico became part of the United States. This area was called New Mexico Territory in 1850. It included what we now know as Arizona and New Mexico. The capital was in Santa Fe.

In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase added more land to the southwest part of the territory. This new land included two old Spanish forts. People living in this area felt far away from the government in Santa Fe. They wanted their own laws and better protection from the Apache people.

Starting the Newspaper in 1859

Because people wanted their own government, the Weekly Arizonian started. Its first issue came out on March 3, 1859, in Tubac. The newspaper's main goal was to show off the area's resources. It also wanted to help Arizona get its own separate government.

The newspaper was a four-page paper printed on a special hand press. This press was sent all the way from Ohio. It traveled by ship down rivers, across the Gulf of Mexico, through Panama, and then by ox-cart to Tubac. It took about two months to set up the newspaper office.

Edward Ephraim Cross became the editor. He had experience with newspapers in Cincinnati. Cross had been in Tubac since November 1858. He was sending news reports to newspapers in the eastern U.S. He was one of the only people sharing information about Arizona with the outside world.

Cross had some disagreements with Sylvester Mowry, a very important person in Tubac. They disagreed about how many people lived in Arizona and how much farming could be done there. Mowry had been elected to go to Washington, D.C., to ask for Arizona to become a territory. But Congress did not recognize Arizona as a territory yet.

Even though Cross and Mowry had different ideas about some things, they both wanted Arizona to grow. They even had a peaceful duel on July 8, 1859, to settle their differences.

Cross's strong opinions in the newspaper caused problems for the mining company that owned it. So, Sylvester Mowry and his friend William Oury bought the newspaper for $2,500 on July 21, 1859. Cross stayed in Tubac for a while. But when the Civil War began, he went back home. He became a colonel and sadly passed away in 1863 during the battle of Gettysburg.

Moving to Tucson in 1859

After buying the newspaper, Mowry moved the Arizonian to Tucson. He thought it would help him get Arizona recognized as a territory and get a seat in Congress. Tucson got its first newspaper on August 4, 1859.

J. Howard Wells became the new editor. He was a bit worried because he had never worked for a newspaper before. In November, the paper grew bigger. It got a new printing office from San Francisco. In April 1860, this office printed the "Constitution of the Provisional Government of the Territory of Arizona." This was the first book ever published in Arizona. Two months later, the newspaper stopped printing for a while. This might have been because of Wells' other political work.

Later, Charles Strong and T.M. Turner tried to restart the Arizonian. But Turner left after only a month. The newspaper struggled without enough money. It stopped printing again in September 1861.

The Civil War Years

The Arizonian stopped printing for six years. So, it missed reporting on the Civil War in New Mexico Territory. During this time, the Confederacy tried to create its own Arizona Territory.

Later, Union forces led by General Carleton arrived in Tucson on May 22, 1862. They marched the Arizonian's printing press through town as if it were a war prize. Sylvester Mowry, the owner, was arrested. He was never proven guilty, and after the war, Congress gave him money for his losses. But he passed away in London in 1871.

On February 23, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln created a new Territory of Arizona. It was made from the western part of New Mexico. Tucson was seen as a place that supported the Confederacy. So, it lost some of its political importance. This made it harder for a newspaper to survive there.

Even though no newspaper was being printed, the Arizonian's press was used in 1865. It printed the territory's first known Spanish document. This was a translation of the "Howell Code," which was a set of laws.

The Newspaper Returns in 1867

In June 1867, B.F Ritchie & Co. brought the newspaper back after six years. A man named Mr. Pierce was the editor. He was not very reliable, and the paper only lasted for three issues. He then moved to Prescott, the new capital, and printed one more issue. After that, he gave up.

Meanwhile, the old Washington hand press stayed in Tucson. In August 1867, the Tucson Publishing Company started printing the Southern Arizonian. Sidney DeLong was the editor. He had arrived with Carleton's troops in 1862 and later became Tucson's first mayor.

In the fall of 1867, the capital of the territory moved to Tucson. This helped the newspaper's future. The old Washington hand press was replaced with newer equipment. The newspaper also got a contract to print all government documents. DeLong gave the paper to H.W. Sherry in January 1869. Sherry then partnered with Pierson W. Dooner, a printer from Canada. Dooner became the editor in April when Sherry left.

Dooner changed the newspaper's name to the Arizonan. He thought the old spelling was wrong. The paper still had money problems. In September 1869, two issues did not come out. This was because Dooner, who was the editor, typesetter, and printer, got lost on a short trip in the desert. People in other cities, like Los Angeles, even made fun of how "easy-going" the newspaper was.

Richard McCormick, a former Governor, became interested in the newspaper. Dooner helped McCormick with his political goals. But when they finally met in October 1870, Dooner turned against McCormick. In return, McCormick took away the new printing equipment. But Dooner used the old Tubac press again, even though he had told McCormick it was broken.

Four days later, a new newspaper called the Citizen started in Tucson. It was edited by John Wasson and supported McCormick.

The End of the Arizonian in 1871

A tough competition started between the two newspapers. Tucson was not big enough for two newspapers. It seemed that the election would decide which newspaper would survive. During the election, McCormick was featured in Arizona's first political cartoon. He won the election on November 8. This sealed the fate of the Arizonian.

Dooner kept criticizing Wasson and the Citizen. But finally, on April 29, 1871, he stopped publishing. The Arizonian was no more.

The old Tubac press, which started printing in Arizona, went on to print other newspapers. These included the Tucson Arizona Star in 1877, the Tombstone Nugget in 1879, and the Tombstone Epitaph in 1880. In 1933, the Epitaph editor gave the press to the Arizona Historical Society. It is now on display at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.

In 1959, Frank Giffen printed four special issues of the Arizonian to celebrate its 100th birthday. In 1957, Edward Cross was honored in the Arizona Newspapers Association Hall of Fame. Pierson Dooner was also honored in 1996. In 2012, the Society of Professional Journalists named the Washington Hand Press and the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park a Historic Site in Journalism.

Editors