About Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929
Prescott, Ariz. (1908-1929)

The Weekly Arizona Miner

Established in 1864, the Republican Fort Whipple Arizona Miner began as a semimonthly newspaper owned by then Territorial Secretary Richard McCormick and published by Tisdale A. Hand. That same year, McCormick moved the paper to Prescott, the designated capital of Arizona Territory, and bought the very first town-site lot. According to William H. Lyon in Those Old Yellow Dog Days: Frontier Journalism in Arizona, 1859-1912, McCormick established the paper as "the creature of the new territorial government." And yet, through the initial rapid succession of editors, the paper tended to avoid political content. Other than announcing Lincoln's reelection as president, the Miner barely noted politics beyond the announcing the meeting of the territorial legislature. All that changed, however, when former prospector John H. Marion took the helm as proprietor and editor of the Miner in 1867. Under his ownership, the paper became a bitter partisan tool. Marion was known for being a proud Democrat, a staunch defender of Arizona, a true "frontier" editor, and his own man; but Marion was also known to be a heavy drinker with a combative and racist perspective that made itself known through his often aggressive and biting criticism of others. Lyon made note of this when he wrote that Marion intended the Miner to be both "The Official Paper of Arizona" and an "Organ of the White People of Arizona."  

Benjamin H. Weaver joined forces with Marion in 1868 and the semimonthly Miner became a weekly newspaper, changing its masthead to the Weekly Arizona Miner. After Weaver left the paper in 1874, the masthead changed again, becoming the Arizona Weekly Miner. In 1875, Thomas J. Butler became editor and part owner. Then, in 1876, after Butler sold his interest, Charles W. Beach stepped in as editor. Marion finally relinquished his hold on the paper in 1877, and Beach took over as sole proprietor, returning the paper's political leanings to Republican. The paper's title changed back to the Weekly Arizona Miner that year as well. Beach almost sold the paper to Samuel N. Holmes in 1882, but Holmes died in Prescott's Sherman House hotel fire before the deal was finalized. Despite ongoing financial difficulties, Beach kept the paper alive until he could find another buyer.

In late 1885, the editor of Prescott's Arizona Weekly Journal, John C. Martin, initiated the merger of the Arizona Miner with his paper to create the Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner. The newspaper’s plant and files were destroyed by a fire on July 14, 1900, and a temporary daily paper was issued from July 23 to August 18. Martin stayed on as editor of the merged newspaper as it changed its masthead yet again to become the Weekly Arizona Journal-Miner in 1903. When John W. Milnes took over as editor and proprietor in 1908, he renamed the periodical the Weekly Journal-Miner. Milnes maintained control of the paper for almost fifteen years. Arthur John Doud became publisher and A. V. Napier manager on July 1, 1929, running the weekly publication until its demise in April 1934.

Provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ