About The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???
Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.] (1885-1???)

The Warner Weekly sun and The Warner Sun

The Warner Weekly Sun originated in the city of Warner, Brown County, Dakota Territory. The first Saturday issue was published August 18, 1883 under Bistoe and Macleod, editor and publisher. By December 1883, C.J.C. Macleod was the sole proprietor, editor, and publisher of the paper continuing weekly on Friday, instead of Saturday. The paper's name changed to The Warner Sun in September 1885. In January 1886, The Sun added a subtitle to its name, "Official Paper of Brown Co." The paper was sold to Fred C. Kile after three years of being published by C.J.C. Macleod. Kile had been managing the paper for six months prior to the purchase. A little over a year later, in September 1887, Kile severed his connection with The Sun and Macleod once again became the editor and publisher.

The annual subscription rate was $1.50 with a six-month rate of $.75. The initial issue of The Sun consisted of five columns and two pages, with subsequent issues containing four printed pages. In November 1883, The Warner Weekly Sun became an eight-page newspaper, placing it ahead of other Brown County newspapers. After one year of publishing, the subscription rates increased to $2.00 annually or $1.00 semi-annually. The higher subscription cost only lasted until February 1885, when the rate returned to the prior $1.50 annual rate. By January 1888, the paper was laid out in six columns across eight pages.

Brown County was promoted to settlers as a lush farming area with beautiful topography. Front page news articles included county commissioner meetings, homesteading proof notices, land office postings, political meeting notices and updates, railroad schedules, and legal proceedings, along with local hospitality updates under a column titled Sunbeams. In addition, the paper posted national and international news items that provided settlers with news from their prior home locations. Immigrants to Brown County traveled from many eastern states as well as from England, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia. These settlers endured severe hardships while establishing their lives in Dakota Territory. Winter weather was extremely cold, and there were cyclones, prairie fires, hail, and flooding. Also, plagues of locusts and grasshoppers appeared, and Indian uprisings often threatened the settlers.

The Warner Sun was a dedicated Republican newspaper. Its editor and publisher, C.J.C. Macleod, was a staunch Republican who served as a key figure in the county Republican caucus and congressional convention and as a delegate to the state Republican conventions. He was actively involved in political discussions and provided comprehensive details on all election matters. Entire political speeches were published as supplements to the paper. Prohibition and woman's suffrage emerged as volatile issues, both locally and nationally. During this same time, statehood became a pivotal issue, including the division of Dakota Territory into northern and southern entities. The publisher was often outspoken on national political affairs in Washington D.C. He once noted, "the gang of worn out politicians at Washington who constitute themselves as delegates from Dakota are a blot upon the fair name of the territory and a reproach unto the intelligence of its people. These brass-mouthed non-entities are doing Dakota more injury politically than can well be repaired."

During 1883, the city of Warner grew three times larger making its population greater than the burgeoning city of Aberdeen. To support this growth, The Sun's advertising consisted of health remedies, general store or hardware store advertisements, legal services, and livery services. Additional features included special serialized fiction, approved patent products and equipment, housekeeping hints, recipes, and sanitation procedures.

The paper remained a vital source of news for Brown County until Aberdeen was declared the county seat and the railroads converged there as well. Once all these events occurred, Warner was no longer a hub for the county, and the population decreased significantly. The Warner Sun publisher eventually moved the paper to Aberdeen.

Provided by: South Dakota State Historical Society – State Archives