About The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918
Twin Falls, Idaho (1916-1918)

Twice-A-Week Twin Falls Times

Twin Falls was founded in the first years of the twentieth century as part of a land reclamation project in southern Idaho. Multiple irrigation projects were completed in the region, making pieces of land known as "tracts" livable, with access to water for crops and ranching. The Twin Falls Southside Irrigation Tract, completed in 1905, included the building of the Milner Dam and a network of canal systems that provided water to 200,000 acres of land on the south side of the Snake River Canyon. Drawings for plots of land in the town were held beginning in 1903, and more settlers were attracted to the area once the reclamation was finished. Within a few months after the completion of the project, the new city of Twin Falls had businesses such a bank, doctor, attorney, dentist, and bakery.

In May 1905, Orrin H. Barber founded The Twin Falls Times. He sold it the following year to Frank H. Eastman, who served as editor and proprietor until selling the newspaper to Wilbur S. Hill in 1908. By then, the Twin Falls Times consisted of 14 pages with six columns and was published weekly on a linotype machine. The paper claimed to be "Independent Republican" and was the official paper of Twin Falls County, which included the settlements of Buhl, Kimberly, Filer, and Hollister.

The Twin Falls Times became a semiweekly publication in October 1911 and continued this printing schedule until 1918. The paper officially changed its name to the Twice-a-Week Twin Falls Times in 1916 to reflect its printing schedule. That same year, the newspaper moved to a new publishing office, acquired a new printing press, and Harold M. Sims took over as editor and proprietor. The Twice-a-Week published on Tuesdays and Thursdays with eight pages and six columns. News of city improvements like the construction of a municipal pool or additional irrigation infrastructure was covered in the Twice-a-Week. The news from smaller communities around Twin Falls was covered in various columns including "Hansen News," "Murtaugh News," "Berger Items," "Artesian City," "Filer Items," "Buhl News," and a supplement titled the Kimberly Advance. News affecting the entire state could be found in the "State News" column. "Society Notes" detailed the happenings of social clubs in town, while other local news could be found in "local brevities." The "Personals" column contained other local social news.

In 1918, the name of the paper changed to The Twin Falls Daily Times, which published until 1928.

Provided by: Idaho State Historical Society