Each week we’ll take a step back into the history of Great Bend through the eyes of reporters past. We’ll reacquaint you with what went into creating the Great Bend of today, and do our best to update you on what “the rest of the story” turned out to be.

“There is no single institution that has more to do with the development of a new county than the newspapers.” -- from The biographical History of Barton County, Kansas

In observance of National Newspaper Week, Oct. 5-11, we look back at the newspapers that helped shape the culture of Great Bend and the surrounding area.  
People sought the news of what was happening back home hungrily as they built their new civilizations at the outposts of country.  Back home included Europe and all states to the east for many of the first settlers to this area, so it wasn’t unusual to have wire stories from Germany, England, France and Sweden, and from all points east in the United States, especially Washington D.C.    
In 1884, Great Bend was home to two newspapers.  There was the Inland Tribune, with C.P. Townsley as the managing editor. This was the ancestor to today’s Tribune.  There was also The Register with E.L. Chapman as editor.    Both were listed as leaning Republican in a Kansas State Historical Society document.

Circus coming
Harvest time drew two things in spades--merchants and circuses.  W.W. Cole would bring his famous circus to Great Bend this week, as reported in the Friday, Oct. 3, 1884 edition of the Inland Tribune, which was the ancestor of today’s Great Bend Tribune.  Noteworthy was the wrestling camels.
“W.W. Cole has a drove of young Camels which have been taught to wrestle in a manner that is extremely ludicrous.  They do not evince any great degree of skill, but the certainty with which they throw their opponent when they get their head under a foreleg is really remarkable.”
According to Frontier Theatre:  A History of Nineteenth Century Entertainment by Chad Evans, Cole’s was the first huge railroad circus to visit the Northwest coast.  He became a millionaire, and in 1886 sold his circus once he’d established the concept of the “monster” circus with several simultaneous acts and menagerie.  In addition to camels, Cole traveled with Samson, reported to be the world’s largest Asiatic elephant., the subject of a nearly half-page advertisement in the Tribune for the show that would arrive in two weeks.  

News if smallpox
One of the most important roles of the paper has been and continues to be a way to spread word of disease and other health issues.  
“A.L. Miller of this city received a letter from his brother at Denver a few days ago,which stated that the small pox was raging there.  The newspapers are suppressing this news.  The State fair was held there last week, and the Democratic State Convention was also there at the same time.  With all three of these inflictions at once, Denver will probably not recover from the effects for years.”
Luckily, the smallpox outbreak was small, and was controlled.  In the  ebook, Colorado’s Health Care Heritage, by Tom Sherlock, 2,800 people were inoculated with the smallpox vaccine at Denver City Hall from July through September, and only 28 people died from the disease according to the National Board of Health report of 1884.  Still, the report of the disease probably struck fear in the people of Great Bend, with memories of the smallpox outbreak that struck the city in 1882.

Local news
The paper carried news of up and coming new enterprises, the celebrations of life, and community events that would enrich the lives of all residents who cared to be part of the society of the city.
--Mr. Benedict has bought some lots south of the Central hotel and will soon erect large stables and open out the livery business on an extensive scale.
It’s unknown exactly where the Central hotel was located.  Several hotels have been built near the Barton County Courthouse since the beginnings of Great Bend’s history, and have changed hands and names, been burned down, and still more built up in their places.  We could not find information about a livery business that was associated with Mr. Benedict either.  It is unknown at this time if he was successful.
--Miss Lena Schermerhorn entertained a number of young friends Monday evening in commemoration of her 18th birthday and received many tokens of affection and kind regards in the shape of presents.
According to Ancestry.com, Miss Schermerhorn would marry a Edson L. Teed in 1887 and have one son, Albert S. Teed, in 1890.  
--The Great Bend Band will give a ball at Union Hall next Friday evening, the proceeds to be devoted toward the purchasing of a uniform.  They will have the patronage of the entire dancing public, as they deserve.  The management will preserve the best of order, and make it a pleasant evening to those attending.  
The Union Hall was located on the second story of the building at 1405 Main St.  That’s about where the Bank of America/ ILS building is today.  

The ‘other’ paper
While in some cities, rival papers tended to hold polarized political viewpoints, it’s hard to tell with the two early papers of Great Bend.  Both seemed to be in favor of the Republican party.  But the tone of each was distinct, if not opposite.  The Register seemed a bit more descriptive and wordy than the Tribune, providing extra details.  
A month away from the 1884 election, politics was definitely at the forefront of public discourse.  And most of the front page of the Thursday, Oct. 2, 1884 edition of The Register was filled with stories of local political rallies and news from every township in the county.
Political rallies were far more than the handshake and photo opportunities they tend to be today.  People expected a lot more than a soundbite, and valued and protected their votes.

“A grand, Republican rally is announced for Ellinwood next Thursday.  Hon. J. R. Hallowell speaks in the afternoon and S.R. Peters and J.W. White in the evening.  The Plumed Knights, bands of music, torchlight processions, fireworks and so forth will be features of special attraction, and many citizens of Rice county will be in attendance.  Great Bend should send a large delegation and help to swell the chorus.”

A county convention was held the previous Saturday, and from the sounds of it, the men who attended had a great time.  Nothing is mentioned of the content of the speeches, because apparently the food was so good, it stole the spotlight.  

“Every body is happy over the result of the convention, or at least should be.  We didn’t get all we expected, of course, and probably wouldn’t have been entirely happy if we had.  But we are well pleased.  When a hungry man sits down to eat and refreshes himself with good, juicy, roast beef, nice bread and butter, a cup of good coffee with pure cream and a variety of fresh vegetables, he ought not to feel bad because he misses the desert of ice cream, lemon pie and other palatable dishes.  Our boys had a good, square meal, but missed some of the relishes.  They ate enough of solid food to carry them through the campaign, and ‘til the next one.  They feel just as happy as a big sunflower, that nods and waves in the breezes, and they will all be found keeping step to the music as the grand procession moves to the polls in November.”

What a difference compared to the way we do politics today.  Then, votes were valuable, and politicians “bought” votes from the “common man” with spreads like the ones described above.  Today, these types of events come with hefty price tags, and the common man is left out in the cold while those who seek influence and power pay the price of a seat at the table.  Either way, it’s hard to say which method is worse.