About Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1931-1936
Red Lodge, Mont. (1931-1936)

The Carbon County News, The Carbon County chronicle, Carbon County news, and Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news

The Carbon County News was first published as the Carbon County Chronicle by the Chronicle Publishing Company on March 21, 1924 in Red Lodge, Montana. Joseph F. Dolin was the first editor. The front-page introduction reported that the paper " … opened its modern printing plant in the Meyer-Chapman Bank Building at the corner of Broadway and 11th Street." The article went on to boast of the new plant's modernity and capability: "Even the smallest kind of a job will receive painstaking care and in handling large orders the Chronicle is in position to compete with any shop anywhere. In fact it will print anything but money." Dolin also proudly noted the Chronicle plant had full stereotyping capabilities. This print reproduction method, from which the familiar sociological term gets its name, enabled the printers to reprint copy and graphics without having to re-set type. Dolin described the Chronicle's goals and other attributes such as commitment to community service, boosting (promoting) Red Lodge, and Republican politics. Less than a year later Oscar H.P. Shelley, who owned the Chronicle, succeeded Dolin as editor.

Following the change in editorship, the Chronicle became the Carbon County News on November 6, 1924. The News absorbed the short-lived Red Lodge Daily News in 1931 to become the Red Lodge Daily News Combined with Carbon County News. In May 1936, Shelley quietly changed the title back to Carbon County News.

O.H.P. Shelley was active in the Montana Republican Party long before he arrived in Red Lodge. He acted as the state representative for Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive "Bull Moose" Party in 1912 and in a similar capacity at the 1920 Republican National Convention. After moving to Red Lodge in 1924, he began lobbying state Senators Thomas J. Walsh and Burton K. Wheeler, as well as Representatives Scott Leavitt and John Evans to introduce bills and secure support for building the Beartooth Highway (US 212). As such, the News promoted and reported on the highway's progress from survey to completion.

Transportation has always played a vital role in the life of the city of Red Lodge. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the presence of the railroad and the highway. Both frequently made headlines in the Carbon County News. For example, in 1935 the people of Red Lodge petitioned against the Northern Pacific Railway's plan to replace passenger service between Red Lodge and Billings with a bus and truck route. The town was "100 per cent opposed in a change in local transportation facilities." Although the outcome of the petition is not clear, rail service eventually returned to the city in another capacity. The Northern Pacific inaugurated a summer passenger service in June 1937, allowing tourists from Yellowstone National Park access to rail service at the end of the new highway. The News reported that "consummation of this new tourist service means a new era for Red Lodge, recognizing the city's rightful place as a mecca for vacationers, and places the beautiful and thrilling Red Lodge highway in the front rank of really scenic routes."

Aside from the highway and troubles with the railroad, the News covered the vibrant life in Red Lodge and its surrounding communities. News of nearby Yellowstone appeared beside reports on funerals, 4-H trips, and talks given by the Carbon County Poultry Growers' Association. The area was also home to many clubs and other organizations. Notices for gatherings and club activities often peppered the front page. Some of the headlines included "Legion Planning Armistice Dance," "Moose Series of Dances to Begin," and "FOE Officer Installation." In the editorials, Shelley often expanded upon his political views. He stated his opposition to Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal through the 1930s and was opposed to the United States' involvement in the Second World War.

Provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT