About Milk River Valley news. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1904-1908
Harlem, Mont. (1904-1908)

Milk River Valley News and Harlem News

Harlem, Montana sits on the state's Hi-Line, a string of towns along the Great Northern Railway's route between North Dakota and Idaho. Founded in 1889, the town was without a newspaper until F. N. Wilde established the Milk River Valley News in 1904. In the first issue, dated March 23, 1904, the editor acknowledged that the paper "will be strictly republican, and will represent the best interests of the grand old party." Starting with the next issue on March 30, 1904, the masthead proclaimed the paper to be "Devoted to the great agricultural, stock, and irrigation interests of the Milk River." The Valley News lived up to its promises, promoting homesteading, railroad growth, coal mining, and local and national partisan politics.

Following a stockholders meeting, the Milk River Valley News changed ownership, and the June 18, 1908 issue marked the start of the Harlem News with the byline "Located in the Heart of the Milk River Valley." The new owners, Tom Everett, Charles Smith, Sr., C. H. Barton, and H. S. Turner, hired Jess Angstman as editor and updated the paper's equipment. The editorial from the first issue also explained that the News would aim for a more neutral stance, saying that the paper "doesn't believe it is going to be necessary to say mean things of its political opponents." These changes and improvements, according to the editors, reflect "the improvement that has been going on in Harlem."

In 1913, Herbert C. Anderson left the Whitefish Pilot to become editor and owner of the Harlem News. He ran the paper until George Tout, a World War One veteran and experienced publisher, purchased it in 1925. With the editorial assistance of his wife, Georgia, the couple brought continuity to the Harlem News for 25 years. The paper consistently remained nonpartisan, printing national and international news and promoting the local economy and community. They reported on agricultural news ranging from 4-H meeting announcements to New Deal projects and covered the development of the area, including the progress of rural electrification and the construction of roads and sidewalks. News from the nearby Fort Belknap Reservation was scarce and limited to legal ads from the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council and news about fairs, social events, and non-native families.

From the late 1930s and into the 1940s, the Harlem News reflected the Touts' unrelenting support for the American effort in World War Two. Editorials acknowledged individual sacrifices and displays of patriotism. For example, a February 5, 1943 article read, "A service flag with five stars is proudly displayed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Benson of this City. Four of their sons and one daughter are in Uncle Sam's service."

In 1950, the Touts sold the News to A. J. Rasmussen. Within weeks, Chinook-based Johnson Publishing Company, run by Theodore Johnson, his wife Thelma, and her father, J. C. Abel, purchased the Harlem News. They already owned the Chinook Opinion, so they maintained an office in Harlem, while publishing in Chinook. They expanded the paper to seven columns, and over the next 35 years, three generations of the Johnson and Abel families devoted their lives to Blaine County newspapers.

Provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT