About The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867
Council Bluffs [Iowa] (1857-1867)

Council Bluffs nonpareil

Council Bluffs, known as the Mormon community of Kanesville until 1852, was an important outfitting post for the Mormon Exodus to Utah and is recognized as the beginning of the Mormon Trail. It was incorporated in 1853 and is the county seat of Pottawattamie County.

The Council Bluffs Nonpareil was established in May 1857 by William W. Maynard and A.D. Long. It was strongly Republican, providing a contrasting voice to the Democratic Council Bluffs Bugle. In early December 1858, A.D. Long died unexpectedly after being caught in a winter storm. Maynard devoted a column in the December 4 issue of the Nonpareil to pay tribute to his business partner. He noted Long's extensive publishing career, beginning in his native state of Virginia and passing through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri before arriving in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1854.

Following Long's death, Maynard continued as editor and proprietor of the Nonpareil. In March 1859, he partnered with Charles E. Provost, who was joint publisher of the paper for about a year until April 1860, when Maynard became the sole editor and proprietor once again. He hired William S. Burke in November 1860 to serve as the local editor. In his introductory column, Burke writes, "my object will be to furnish the readers of the Nonpareil with the latest and most reliable information of what is transpiring throughout the world in general and Council Bluffs in particular." Burke's role expanded in August 1861, when he became co-editor with Maynard. Then in November 1862, he purchased Maynard's interest in the business, and he became sole editor and proprietor.

Burke continued to publish the Nonpareil through December 1866, when he sold the business back to Maynard and his new partner, John W. Chapman. At this time, the title was changed to the Council Bluffs Weekly Nonpareil, to distinguish it from the daily edition that Maynard and Burke established a few years earlier. The Nonpareil changed hands a number of times through the following years, and in 1883, the title changed again to the Weekly Nonpareil. The weekly edition ceased publication in 1911, but the Daily Nonpareil continues to publish today.

Provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa