The Swan Song - The St. Paul Journal.

November 16, 1961 Was the End of the Road For One the Longest Running Pioneer Newspapers in Kansas - The St. Paul Journal.  Selected Journal Articles are Preserved in a Series of Annals Books, One of Which Was Published in 2009. This Latest Installment May Be Purchased With Proceeds Going to the St Paul Schools Alumni and Friends Association for Local Scholarships. [1]

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The End of The Journal
In November of 1961 the 93 year life span of the pioneer newspaper of Kansas came to a sudden and undignified end.  The November 16 issue was released as normal with no announcements or signs of trouble. It even included a reminder of how you could tell when your subscription payment was due by looking at the postal label of that issue.  That was the last St. Paul Journal.

​The only announcement of the demise of the Journal came in the November 30, 1961 issue of the Parsons News that carried the following story of page 7.

“A Long Life  - And a Good One.
This week seems to be the “Swan Song” for the St. Paul Journal, as an individual weekly newspaper publication.  The Journal was the aftermath of the once famous Osage Mission Journal, probably one of the oldest publications in the state of Kansas.  No question, that Osage Mission, now St. Paul is one of the pioneer settlements in the state.

It was in 1938 that the St. Paul Journal, under of guidance of the late W. W. Graves and F. S. Hopkins (a present St. Paul resident), celebrated its 70th anniversary.  The late W. W. Graves published the journal for some 65*  years.

This last week Kerm Powers of Thayer, who has been publisher of the paper the past 10 years, of from July 1951, turned the subscription list of the Journal to the Parsons News, David Tippet, owner.

Mr. Tippet has indicated that it will be impossible to continue the Journal as a separate publication and further indicates that it will become a section of his picturesque weekly Parsons News.
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Dave Tippet is no stranger to the people of the St. Paul community, and his picture appears in the History of Neosho County newspapers, as an Intertype operator for the Journal, when the history was published in St. Paul in 1938.”

* To the best of our knowledge W. W. Graves published the paper from January 1896 through July 1951, or more than 55 years.  (Correction noted in David O’Bryan’s “Annals of St. Paul, The Swan Song for the St. Paul Journal -  Copyright 2009. Note 1.)

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Note:
1.  The Annals of St. Paul: The Swan Song for the St.  Paul Journal is the third in a series of Journal excerpts captured in book form.  Swan Song is a 517 page, hard-bound book that includes selected St. Paul Journal articles from July 2, 1936 through November 16, 1961.  This period includes memories of many St. Paul area residents including those who have moved away.

A strong point of the book is a 55 page index that includes family names, businesses, events, etc..  Articles are grouped by Journal publish dates and provide a direct link to full newspaper articles that are available on microfilm and, in some cases, on-line.  It is an excellent tool for genealogy or general historical research.   

The book was published by David O'Bryan of St. Paul in 2009.  Profits generated from sale of the book will be used to fund scholarships, for St. Paul Students, through the St Paul Schools Alumni and Friends Association.  The Alumni Association is a non-profit organization 

Books may be purchased for $40, plus $5 for out-of-town purchases.  You can order a book, or get more information at: [email protected]. 

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The St. Paul Journal was also published as the Osage Mission Journal and the Neosho County Journal during it's long life.  More on the Journal Annals Trilogy in a later post.