Name/Title
Reynolds Enterprise weekly newspaper, 1898 to 1905Entry/Object ID
2024.500.1Description
The North Dakota State Historical Society in Bismarck maintains a microfilm (Roll 10503) of many issues of the weekly Traill County newspaper, the Reynolds Enterprise, covering the period from 17 February 1898 to 28 December 1905. Although a number of weekly issues are missing (see below), the available issues provide a valuable record of early life for settlers in and around the community of Reynolds, ND.
In addition to being available in the archives of the ND State Historical Societies Research Library, all the pages for available weekly issues of the Reynolds Enterprise from 1898 to 1905 have been scanned as pdf images by family historian, Mary (Berthold) DeMers, who is a descendant of early settlers in the Reynolds area of Buxton Township, Traill County, ND. Mary has kindly made these pdf images of the Reynolds Enterprise available on a flash-drive to the Traill County Historical Society. This flash drive is available for viewing in the Resource Room on the third floor of the Plummer House Museum in Hillsboro.
Mary's research shows that the Reynolds Enterprise was started by 22-year-old George L. Ryerson, on Oct 2, 1891, a Wisconsin native of Norwegian origin, who apprenticed for four years at the Stevens Point Journal heading west to work for the Herald and the Plaindealer. In 1892, he married Wisconsin-born Tena Brathvode; they had two children together. She died in 1895. In 1897, he married Julie Sergeant in Zombrota, Goodhue County, Minnesota; they had one child together. In 1898, he was endorsed on the Republican ticket and elected clerk of district court for Grand Forks County, a post he held for several years. In 1902, he was elected secretary -treasurer of the ND Editorial Association at its meeting in Devils Lake. He served several years as GF County Clerk of Court and in 1910, he sold the Enterprise to Kenneth Williams and headed west again, settling in Minot, I believe. The next owners were A. J. Berger and Max Berthold (in the mid 19-teens. On October 7, 1926, the newspaper changed its name to the Red River Valley Citizen. Records indicate that the office moved to a room in the rear of the Dickieson building in Reynolds, and later still, it was published in Grand Forks as a county weekly. This newspaper went out of business in 1932. The Reynolds newspaper building has a long history of occupants. The telephone office was on the second floor for many years. After the newspaper moved, the ground floor was used for two separate residential quarters and later, a series of cafes.
Mary found the following requests and advice to locals in the first Reynolds Enterprise ever published – dated October 2, 1891:
REYNOLDS ENTERPRISE
Published every Friday
Geo. L. Ryerson - Editor
INTRODUCTION
"FRIENDS AND CITIZENS: We have today the pleasure of presenting to you our first issue of the Reynolds Enterprise, which we hope you wilt all welcome to your homes...
"CITIZENS OF REYNOLDS: We ask you to Join with us in our effort to make this a live and progressive paper ... one that will be a credit to our beautiful little village and one that we can send to our relatives and friends abroad with pride ...
"FARMERS: it also becomes necessary to ask for your support. We must work together. Your prosperity means our prosperity, your welfare ours ... we shall endeavor to give you a clean paper ... One that you can carry home to your families ...
"NORWEGIAN SPEAKING CITIZENS: If you cannot read an American paper yourselves, don't keep your children in ignorance of what is going on around them, but let them have the Enterprise and read the news in their own American language ... taught them in the public schools ...
In addition to the following issues of the Reynolds Enterprise being available on microfilm at the State Historical Society of North Dakota and on a flash-drive at the Traill County Historical Society Plummer House Museum in Hillsboro: Feb. 17, Mar. 17, 1898; Jan. 12, May 11, 1899; July 10-17, 31, Aug. 21, Sept. 4, 1902; Mar. 12, Apr. 9, July 16-23, Oct. 1, 15, Dec. 17, 1903-Feb. 17, 1905; Mar. 3-Aug. 31, Nov.9-23, Dec. 8-28, 1905, the Library of Congress has the following issues on microfilm: 1906:5:3-1907:9:12.Acquisition
Accession
2024.500Source or Donor
Mary (Berthold) DeMersLocation
* Untyped Location
Resource RoomBuilding
Plummer House
