Minnesota’s first newspapers…

June 21, 2010 by  
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The first “Minnesota” newspaper has the curious distinction of never being printed in Minnesota. Dr. Andrew Randall, a U.S. government employee from Ohio engaged in a geological survey of the Minnesota district, decided to become a printer. He returned to his home town of Cincinnati, purchased printing equipment, and produced in Cincinnati the volume 1, number 1 issue of the “Minnesota Register“. There was but one number, but existing copies bear different dates of April 7 and 27, 1849.

Another outsider, James Goodhue, a lawyer-turned printer from Lancaster, Wisconsin, worked for a newspaper in Wisconsin before carting his equipment and heading north for St. Paul’s Landing in the Minnesota Territory. There he planed on printing what was to be named the “Epistle of St. Paul”, but after advice of friends the first issue was actually titled the “Minnesota Pioneer“, appearing on April 28, 1849. Not only was this the first newspaper actually printed in Minnesota, it was the first piece of any printing done in the territory.

The next newspaper was done by another Ohioan, James Hughes, who on May 31, 1849 printed the “Minnesota Chronicle” on May 31, 1849. Third in line was the “Minnesota Register“, now moved from Cincinnati to Minnesota to become a legitimate Minnesota newspaper when it printed its July 14, 1849 issue in St. Paul. Just over a month later the “Chronicle” and “Register” combined to produce the “Chronicle & Register” on August 25.

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Filed under: Noteworthy Issues, Pre Civil War, The Hobby, Valuation of Issues
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Comments

3 Responses to “Minnesota’s first newspapers…”

  1. Mike Hughes on August 3rd, 2018 8:04 am

    James B Hughes started the Minnesota Chronical in 1849, it was the second newspaper in published. He is my 3rd great grandfather and I have original copies.
    https://books.google.com/books?id=FVYvAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA253&lpg=PA253&dq=james+hughes+minnesota+chronicle&source=bl&ots=XeW2wQ6VRm&sig=OFFbP80fEjUaARzjed4PeiZobdY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwqJ70hdHcAhUP3YMKHT97ClQQ6AEwCXoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q=james%20hughes%20minnesota%20chronicle&f=false

  2. Judy Gulden on November 3rd, 2022 8:08 am

    Mr. Huges,
    Have you seen the first and only issue of the Minnesota Register written by Andrew Randall.

    i am curious about Randall. He was a US Land Surveyor and is listed on my home’s abstrat as the first owner of my home’s property in Stillwater, MN.

    if you come across information about Mr. Randall or if you know where I might see a copy of the Minnesota Register, please let me know.

    Cordially,
    Judy Gulden

  3. GuyHeilenman on December 8th, 2022 12:48 pm

    We have not seen this, but we’ll do our best to let you know if we do.

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