The newspaper was founded in 1845 by
William Ridenbaugh (1821–1874) two years after
Joseph Robidoux founded St. Joseph and just a few years after the
Platte Purchase had opened the former
Indian Territory for settlement. Its printing press was reported to have been retrieved from the
Missouri Mormon War. Its first issue was put together "on an old-fashioned hand press" by Ridenbaugh, "with a boy as assistant." In 1857, it switched from a weekly to a daily. On April 3, 1860, the newspaper sent on the Pony Express read: :Through the politeness of the Express Company, we are permitted to forward by the first Pony Express, the first and only newspaper which goes out, and which will be the first paper ever transmitted from the Missouri to California in eight days. The nature of the conveyance necessarily precludes out making up an edition of any considerable weight. It, however, contains a summary of the latest news received here by telegraph for some days past, from all parts of the Union. We send it greeting to our brethren of the press of California. During turmoil at the beginning of
American Civil War, the paper temporarily ceased publication for many days throughout the war. After the war the newly renamed
St. Joseph Daily Gazette was taken over again by Ridenbaugh. After Ridenbaugh's death, it was sold to a consortium from
New York City led by W.E. Smedley.
Eugene Field edited the paper in 1874 and 1875. On December 1, 1874, the newspaper came into the hands of the Gazette Printing Company, with Francis M. Tufts as president, George W. Bell as secretary and treasurer, and
J.B. Maynard, editor-in-chief. On Wednesday April 5, 1882, one of its most famous headlines was "JESSE, BY JEHOVAH" as it announced the death of
Jesse James in the community.
John N. Edwards, who had popularized the Jesse James as anti-hero myth, edited the paper during the trials of
Frank James in the late 1880s.
Chris L. Rutt was working at the Gazette when he invented and trademarked
Aunt Jemima ready-mix pancake mix. Unable to make it profitable he sold the trademark and recipe to the Davis Milling Company which turned it into a national phenomenon. In 1896, it was operated by
Charles F. Cochran. In 1924,
Clyde Robert Bulla was among 100 third-place winners in a contest on the theme "A Grain of Wheat."
Charles M. Palmer, who had bought and consolidated the
St. Joseph News-Press, bought the
Gazette. In 1939, Palmer brought in Henry D. Bradley as publisher for both papers. Bradley had earlier been publisher of the
Bridgeport, Connecticut,
Times-Star. Bradley bought the papers outright and they were rolled into the
News-Press & Gazette Company. In December 1980, the
Gazette announced that since 1903 it had been using the wrong
Old English Font character for its name, referring itself as the
St Ioseph Gazette. The character was replaced. Although the morning
Gazette had a higher circulation than its evening counterpart, the
News-Press, it was decided to cease the morning publication on June 30, 1988. The new paper was initially called the
News-Press/Gazette, but the
Gazette name was dropped altogether in the early 1990s. ==References==