The Library of Congress > Chronicling America > Iron County record.

Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Title:
Iron County record. [volume] : (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982
Place of publication:
Cedar City, Utah
Geographic coverage:
  • Cedar City, Iron, Utah  |  View more titles from this: City County, State
Publisher:
W.C. Higgins
Dates of publication:
1893-1982
Description:
  • -v. 90, no. 48 (Dec. 8, 1982).
  • Began with Dec. 8, 1893 issue.
Frequency:
Weekly
Language:
  • English
Subjects:
  • Cedar City (Utah)--Newspapers.
  • Utah--Cedar City.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01222714
Notes:
  • "Golden Spike Celebration Edition" issued Aug. 24, 1923.
  • Absorbed by: Cedar City spectrum.
  • Absorbed: Observer (Cedar City, Utah) (non-extant?).
  • Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 43 (Sept. 28, 1894).
  • Farm, ranch and garden supplement issued each Spring, <1960-1966>, <1973-1978>.
  • June 3, 1931 issue incorrectly dated June 6.
  • Nov. 4, 1931 issue incorrectly dated Oct. 31.
  • Sept. 7, 1930 issue incorrectly dated Sept. 3.
  • Supplements accompany many issues.
  • Utah Shakespeare festival supplement issued each July, <1975-1982>.
  • Utah State Press Association supplement issued each June, <1925-1930>.
LCCN:
sn 85058259
OCLC:
12560548
ISSN:
2159-3825
Succeeding Titles:
Related Links:
Holdings:
View complete holdings information
View
First Issue Last Issue

Iron County record. [volume] January 9, 1903 , Image 1

Browse:

Calendar View

All front pages

First Issue  |  Last Issue

Iron County Record and Iron County News

Statehood for Utah lay two years in the future when the Iron County Record first appeared in December 1893. The newspaper’s home, Cedar City, was little more than a crossroads on the southern edge of the Great Basin. Yet the Record thrived for nearly 90 years by providing local news, covering social events, and offering lively editorial commentary, as Iron County evolved from a tiny outpost to a popular tourist destination.

Before the arrival of white settlers, Iron County’s diverse terrain was home to native peoples like the Fremont and Anasazi, and later Goshutes and Southern Paiutes. In 1776, Spanish explorers established a route from Santa Fe to California that cut through modern-day Iron County. Behind them came traders and trappers.

In 1850, leaders of the Mormon Church announced a colonization project called the Iron Mission. As part of a plan to establish a string of new Mormon settlements, Brigham Young sought hearty souls to “Establish an iron foundry [and] other things necessary for…an infant settlement among the Indians.” In January 1851, 110 men and 31 women established Parowan, the Iron County seat, about 250 miles south of Salt Lake. Months later, they built nearby Cedar City.

By the late 19th century, the iron industry had fizzled. Iron County boasted a scant 3,500 residents. Dry farming and dairy fueled the small but slowly growing economy, and a manufacturing industry was blossoming near Cedar City’s rail hub. In November 1890, the county’s first newspaper appeared. The Iron County News was a weekly publication printed in Cedar City that struggled to turn a profit. It failed after only four months. Two and a half years later, the Record debuted.

Under the direction of Charles Wilkinson, the Record prospered, attracting readers with a mix of local news and commentary. With a masthead that proudly announced “the press is the lever by which the world is moved,” the Record's front-page features included descriptions of visiting religious luminaries from the “metropolis” to the north. Other items included a column called “Parowan Promptings,” offering news from the county seat, and “Paragoonah Pointers” carrying information from another nearby community. These often included homespun tidbits such as the following from May 1903: “Two of the young ladies gave very good talks in meeting last Sunday.”

In 1982, the Record stopped publication when absorbed by the Cedar City Spectrum. By then, Iron County’s population had grown above 20,000 and the region attracted hundreds of thousands of annual visitors to outdoor wonders like Cedar Breaks National Monument and the popular Utah Shakespearean Festival. In the early 21st century, the county’s largest paper was the Daily Spectrum.

Provided by: University of Utah, Marriott Library