The Bismarck Tribune

The Bismarck Tribune
The March 1, 2012 front page of The Bismarck Tribune
TypeDaily newspaper
OwnerLee Enterprises
FounderClement A. Lounsberry
EditorBlake Nicholson
FoundedJuly 11, 1873 (1873-07-11)
LanguageEnglish
Circulation22,006 Daily (as of 2023)[1]
ISSN2330-5967 (print)
2330-5975 (web)
OCLC number11987205
Websitebismarcktribune.com

The Bismarck Tribune is a newspaper in Bismarck, North Dakota.[2] Owned by Lee Enterprises, it is the only daily newspaper for south-central and southwest North Dakota. It was the first paper established in Bismarck and was the oldest continually published in the state until printing was moved to South Dakota in 2026.

History

Bismarck Weekly Tribune nameplate, 1895

On July 11, 1873, Clement A. Lounsberry published the first edition of the Bismarck Tribune.[3] Three years later Lounsberry, an American Civil War veteran, planned to accompany George Custer and the 7th Cavalry Regiment to Montana. However, a family member became sick, so he hired stringer Mark H. Kellogg to go in his place.[4]

A month later Kellogg was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.[4] He is considered the first Associated Press correspondent to die in the line of duty.[5] Lounsberry learned of the massacre after the steamship Far West returned to Bismarck. He wrote the first complete account of the battle in the Tribune and telegraphed the 50,000 word story to to The New York Herald, breaking the news to the world.[6]

In 1878, Lounsberry sold the Tribune to Stanley Huntley and Marshall H. Jewell.[7] A year later Huntley left to go interview Sitting Bull for the Chicago Tribune and was replaced by Lounsberry.[8] In 1881, the paper expanded into a daily and was renamed to the Bismarck Daily Tribune.[9] In 1884, Lounsberry disposed of his interests, leaving Jewell as its sole proprietor.[10] In 1911, Jewell died after publishing the Tribune for three decades.[11] His widow Katherine T. Jewell inherited the business.[12]

A year later the Bismarck Tribune Co. was reorganized. Judge George T. Flannery was elected president, banker C.B. Little was elected treasurer and Mrs. Jewell was elected secretary.[13] By 1916, Little and political boss Alexander McKenzie were the controlling owners, with Mrs. Jewell retaining a minority stake.[14]

In February 1917, the company was declared defunct and entered into the receivership of Little.[15] A month later the Tribune was sold at auction to former senator Edmond A. Hughes for $13,600.[16] That October, news editor George D. Mann and advertising manager Ensley A. Weir bought the paper.[17][18] Weir left the Tribune a month later.[19] In 1926, Lounsberry died and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[20][21]

In 1934, Lounsberry was inducted into the North Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame,[22] followed two years later by Jewell.[23] In 1936, Mr. Mann died.[24] His widow Stella I. Mann then operated the paper.[25] In 1938, the Tribune won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service after publishing a series of articles called "Self-Help in the Dust Bowl."[26]

In 1962, Mrs. Mann's nephew A. Glenn Sorlie, the son of former governor Arthur G. Sorlie, succeeded her as publisher.[25] In 1973, Mrs. Mann died.[27] At that time Sorlie became company president.[25] In 1978, Lee Enterprises acquired a 53% interest in the paper.[28] In 1981, Mrs. Mann became the first woman inducted into the North Dakota Newspapers Hall of Fame.[29] In 1993, A. Glenn Sorlie died.[25] In 1999, A. Glenn Sorlie was inducted into the hall of fame.[30]

In 2020, the Tribune moved to a six-day printing schedule, eliminating its printed Sunday edition.[31] The Tribune ceased printing in Bismarck on May 1, 2026, and moved to a three-day printing schedule. The Tribune is currently printed in Rapid City, South Dakota and delivered by U.S. Mail.[32][33]

In July 2026, the Tribune's former headquarters at 707 E. Front Avenue were purchased at auction by Prairie View Properties LLP of Mandan, North Dakota for $1,025,000.[34][35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lee Enterprises. "Form 10-K". investors.lee.net. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Bismarck Tribune". Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Introduction". The Bismarck Tribune. July 11, 1873. p. 2.
  4. 1 2 "Kellogg No Longer Mystery Man". The Bismarck Tribune. June 25, 1976. p. 8.
  5. ↑ Associated Press history archives Archived 2011-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed Feb. 10, 2007.
  6. ↑ Arp, Carl O. (April 9, 1953). "Lounsberry Story Was One of Great Scoops in History". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "From Bismarck". The Inter Ocean. Chicago, Illinois. October 2, 1878. p. 2.
  8. ↑ "The Cruise of The Dacotah. | Bismarck, How Situated and Populated - The Lord's Day In Town - Steamboat Traffic and Development". Yankton Press and Dakotan. Yankton, South Dakota. June 10, 1879. p. 4.
  9. ↑ "Bismarck Daily Tribune". The Montana Record-Herald. Helena, Montana. May 16, 1881. p. 3.
  10. ↑ "Announcement". The Bismarck Tribune. May 16, 1884. p. 3.
  11. ↑ ""30" In For M.H. Jewell | Pioneer North Dakota Newspaper Man Passed Away at Bismarck". Grand Forks Herald. February 11, 1911. p. 1.
  12. ↑ Walker, Sarah (October 11, 2022). "Dakota Datebook: Archives Month | Katherine Jewell". Prairie Public. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Mrs. Jewell is Secretary". Grand Forks Herald. May 8, 1912. p. 6.
  14. ↑ "M'Kenzie's Press Combination". The Nonpartisan Leader. Fargo, North Dakota. May 25, 1916. p. 4.
  15. ↑ "Notice of Receiver's Sale". The Bismarck Tribune. February 9, 1917. p. 7.
  16. ↑ "The Bismarck Tribune Is Sold". The Washburn Leader. Washburn, North Dakota. March 16, 1917. p. 1.
  17. ↑ "Bismarck Tribune Is Sold To Mann And Weir". The Fargo Forum, Daily Republican, and Moorhead Daily News. Fargo, North Dakota. October 8, 1917. p. 4.
  18. ↑ "Bismarck Tribune Is In New Hands". Grand Forks Herald. October 11, 1917. p. 3.
  19. ↑ "Masthead". The Bismarck Tribune. November 4, 1917. p. 4.
  20. ↑ "Newspaperman Who Wrote First Story of Custer Massacre Dead Here". The Washington Daily News. Washington, D.C. October 5, 1926. p. 20.
  21. ↑ "Tribune Found Dead". The Bismarck Tribune. October 6, 1926. p. 4.
  22. ↑ "Reporter Who Scooped the World On Custer Massacre Honored in North Dakota". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. January 14, 1934. p. 2.
  23. ↑ "M.H. Jewell Is Eulogized at N.D. State Press Convention". The Bismarck Tribune. January 13, 1936. p. 2.
  24. ↑ "George D. Mann, Tribune Publisher, dies in Florida". The Bismarck Tribune. March 26, 1936. p. 1.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Former Bismarck Tribune publisher and owner dies". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. Associated Press. August 27, 1993. p. 21.
  26. ↑ "Bismarck Tribune Is Pulitzer Winner". Grand Forks Herald. Associated Press. May 3, 1938. p. 1.
  27. ↑ "Stella Mann, Tribune Head, Is Dead at 81". The Bismarck Tribune. December 13, 1973. p. 1.
  28. ↑ "Bismarck Tribune sold". Grand Forks Herald. Associated Press. July 12, 1978. p. 3.
  29. ↑ "Longtime Tribune Publisher Chosen for Honor". The Bismarck Tribune. April 21, 1981. p. 13.
  30. ↑ Gardyasz, Joe (June 6, 1999). "Former Tribune publisher honored". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 15.
  31. ↑ Willis, Adam (September 3, 2020). "North Dakota's last 7-day print newspaper moves to 6 days as industry's digital shift continues". Dickinson Press. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  32. ↑ Coursey, Grant (May 5, 2026). "After 153 years in North Dakota, the Tribune moves printing out of state". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ↑ STAFF, BISMARCK TRIBUNE (April 8, 2026). "Bismarck Tribune is changing printing cycle". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ↑ Staff, KFYR (July 15, 2026). "Bismarck Tribune building auctioned for $1,025,000". KFYR-TV. Retrieved August 26, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ↑ Staff, KFYR (July 16, 2026). "Buyer of Bismarck Tribune building talks about future plans". KFYR-TV. Retrieved August 26, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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