Newspaper Identification in Gasconade County

Format: Title, Location, Editor (if found), Years of Run

1. The Advertiser-Courier, Hermann, 1875–1922
2. Bland Courier, Bland, 1921–1966
3. Die Gasconade Zeitung, Hermann, 1873–1874
4. Hermanner Volksblatt, Hermann, 1875–1928
5. Hermanner Wochenblatt, 1845–1855
6. Gasconade County Republican, Owensville, Blanche Boyd, 1897–1966
7. Owensville Argus, Owensville, 1903–1904
8. Owensville Republican, Owensville, 1896–1897

Bland Courier Profile:

The Bland Courier contains various information from the middle half of the 20th century, but one of the issues that I was most interested in was the paper’s focus during the beginning of World War II. This specific article focuses on the fact that the automobile primarily constructed weapons of war rather than vehicles during the time of WW2, and the writer was concerned how the economy would plummet after the war because “war workers” would not be needed any more. Outside of wartime, this paper includes articles about many other towns throughout Gasconade County to update citizens with relevant news. Advertisements range from things like headache medicine to special dinner events at local churches. The paper appears to take a Democratic political stance towards African Americans. Segregation was a severely controversial topic, but this paper seems to pledge itself to securing the same governmental benefits and assistance that others receive.

Gasconade County Republican Profile:

In this paper, an article from 1940 describes the context behind the naming of the town, Owensville. The article explains that two men traveled with teams of oxen hauling merchandise for a general store in Southern Gasconade County. These partners set up a store and post office and henceforth refereed to the region as Owensville. This issue also features updated political letters from Washington as well as information such as when the local physician’s and dentist’s offices open. Scrolling through the issue, you can also find content related to livestock for sale that would have been relevant for the more rural readers. Judging by the name of the paper, it is likely reasonable to assume the writers and editors take a more conservative stance in coverage of local and national matters.