About The Nenana news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1921-1923
Nenana, Alaska (1921-1923)

The Nenana news, The Nenana daily news and The Nenana news

The Nenana News was a four-page weekly paper that first rolled off the press on September 23, 1916. It was started by Roy Southworth. Previously the founder and editor of the Fairbanks Times, he decided to start a new newspaper shortly after leaving that paper. According to the October 10, 1916, issue of The Alaska Daily Empire, Southworth took over the Fairbanks Times plant by foreclosing on their mortgage and then used it to print his own new publication. The first issue of the Nenana News predicted that "Nenana has a bright future and the people here expect to win riches and success at a marvelous speed, we among the number." Southworth moved the plant to Nenana and printed the second issue from it on October 14, where he boasted that it was "one of the best in the country, consisting of a linotype machine, cylinder press and everything else needed to produce an up-to-date newspaper."

The October 14, 1916, issue of The Nenana News documented the first automobile seen in town and the November 18^th issue shortly afterward heralded the completion of the town's power plant. The paper celebrated the pace of construction in Nenana and wrote in the November 18^th issue that if the harsh winter that year had not delayed construction then "Nenana today would rank among the first cities of the territory in every respect." Southworth also pushed back against reports from a Fairbanks newspaper that the town of Nenana was full of drunks and wrote that "it would be difficult to find a more sober town than Nenana."

The Nenana News primarily focused on local news, including comings and goings; however, much of the early coverage of the paper was dedicated to international news, particularly about World War I. On April 1, 1918, the paper became a daily and The Nenana Daily News was launched. Southworth touted the change as evidence of the confidence that the people of Nenana felt about their town.

On April 5, 1921, the paper dropped the daily part from its title and turned into a triweekly to become The Nenana News again. Southworth was active in local politics during this time and was elected mayor of Nenana in 1922. The Nenana News ended with the August 2, 1923 issue. Southworth explained in the final issue that the plant had been sold to the Alaska Miners News Publishing Company which started the Alaska Miners News. Southworth expressed great regret over the decision, but also acknowledged that after seven years he needed a break "and suspension of publication seems to be the only way to get it."

Provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections