Subscriptions and Newspaper History

Call 308-458-2425, write Grant County News, P. O. Box 308, Hyannis, NE  69350, or e-mail us at gcn@neb-sandhills.net to order your subscription. Send your check to above address.
 
 

The first publisher and editor of the Grant County Tribune was Jerry Gerrard. The  paper was housed in the small building that served as the Grant County Courthouse that was later part of the Frank Lynch cabins at the top east side of Main Street. There are no files of these papers but the time was previous to 1890.
In 1890, L. B. Cushman and P.M. Alwood became publishers of the newspaper. The name was changed to The Grant County Tribune and Livestock Journal in February, 1891. In mid-October, 1892, Cushman left and Alwood remained as sole publisher with A. K. Cowles as his business manager. Cowles was publisher from November, 1894, to June 1895, when Alwood took over publishing duties once again.
J. S. Lounsbury became publisher April 1, 1897, and was followed by Edgar Phillips in 1901.
Leroy E. St. John served as publisher from January 30, 1902, to January, 1903, when L. B. Unkerfer purchased the paper and stayed at its helm for five and one-half years.
On July 9, 1908, Charles K. Bassett came to Hyannis from the Custer County Republic and with thirty years of experience took over the Grant County Tribune. He was to remain in charge until July, 1919, when Ora G. Frazine leased the paper for one year, planning to buy at the end of that time. In January, 1920, however, Mr. Frazine elected to move to Wyoming to homestead and became editor of the paper there, so Charles Bassett returned as publisher until April 28, 1937.
L. Ellis took over April 28, 1937, and published until April 8, 1942. Orien B. Winter took over until March 28, 1945. He was followed by Irvin D. Empfield, who was publisher briefly from April 4, 1945, until October 17, 1945. Carl C. Crouse published until March 13, 1946.
Robert M. Howard was publisher from March 13, 1946 to June 2, 1949, and later went on to publish the Nebraska Cattleman magazine from Alliance. Carl Van Scoy took over the Hyannis newspaper June 9, 1949, until July 22, 1954, and  was followed by J. C. Crosland who published from July 22, 1954, until August 6, 1959.
For a period after the death of Publisher Winter, Hyannis was without a newspaper. In the spring of 1970, Father John Barkley, the Episcopal minister at Hyannis and a former advertising man, decided to attempt to reinstate a county paper. John, wife Gloria, children Cheryl, Alison and Brad, along with Sharon M. Wheelock, worked a few months readying the old office and machinery. Sharon spent a long, hot, but critically important time sorting through all the old newspapersówhich were in the attic of the Tribune officeóand copies were sent to the State Historical Society for the preservation of history. A copy of the paper continued from that point on to be sent to them each week for that purpose.
On July 30, 1970, they started the process for the first issue of the Grant County News,  Present for the  first run were John Barkley, Sharon M. Wheelock and A. W. ìBoatî Metcalf. When half done, the presses broke down, crystallized with age. That one half-finished paper, using the old press and linotype method, can still be seen at the newspaper office. Discouraged and disappointed, the small crew almost gave up their dream but the town of Hyannis did not. They set up an organization to purchase equipment for a new and modern offset operation. The new newspaper, listed as an offshoot of the Grant County Tribune, was called the Grant County News, and it was published on October 1, 1970. It was printed in North Platteóthe only other offset operation in western Nebraska at that time. Several years later, when the Alliance Times-Herald went offset, the Hyannis newspaper was printed there, and it continues to be printed there today.
The newspaper, at that time, was located on the Jerry Simpson land but was moved to the Ranchland Motel when Jerry set up a trailer court.
The Ashby news correspondent for the Barkleys was Ms. Barb Merrihew, married to Walt Merrihew. When Barkleys decided to sell the paper, Barbara became the new owner and the first woman publisher of the Grant County News on August 24, 1972. The Merrihews had four children, Diane, Mark, Tim and Terry. (Later Derek and Dana became part of their family.) After several months, the newspaper operation was moved to Ashby to the Merrihew home.
In July, 1975, the newspaper was sold to Jim Likens, a newsman employed at the Gordon Journal. He put Sharon M. Wheelock in charge of the paper as editor and manager. Jim purchase a small mobile home at the Jerry Simpson Trailer Court in Hyannis to house the newspaper. Jim and wife Leorna had two children, Jimmy and Kim. They did no work on the paper, as per an agreement with his Gordon Journal employer, Reva Evans.
On June 23, 1976, Sharon M. Wheelock purchased the paper from Mr. Likens. Sharon, having worked as reporter and correspondent for the newspaper since 1956, had served under four publishers: Orien B. Winter, John Barkley, Barb Merrihew and Jim Likens, while bringing up five children: Robyn, James, Londa, Chris and Lance.
Publishers Likens and Wheelock added more modern machines but the paper remained basically what it always wasóa medium for local, social and school news, awards and honors, and livestock-related stories and reports.
Some of the assistants of Sharonís since she owned the paper were Sandy Miller, Diane Merrihew, Fay Ann Blaylock, Teri Hayward, Kim Foreman, Anita Meyer, Lorene Monahan, Katie Rogers, and Casandra Anthony. Helping with the mailing at various other times were Robyn Standage, Melody Peters and Sally Peters.
Columnists have included Ed Burgess ìSand in My Bootsî, John Thomas ìThe Senior Sceneî, Raymond R. Gentry ìRememberingÖî, Janice Naylor ìJanís Journalî, Mindy Jo Wheelock ìThe Teen Sceneî and ìOver the Horizonî, Tammy Hansen ìLife is Worth Ponderingî, Hain Manning ìThe Corner Postî, Dan Teahon ìThe Eye of the Futureî and ìSportsTalkî, Bernard Burgess ìThe Makings of an Old Cowboyî, Jayme Wheelock ìJaymeís Journalî, John Yauney ìTickle Grass and Fleasî, Con Bradley ìPerspectiveî and ìBook Reviewsî, Ruth Van Ackerenís ìBookmarksî, Nathan Teahon, ìFrom the Skyboxî and, Sharon M. Wheelock. ìSass and Sentimentsî, ìLooking Backî, a compilation of items from old time papers, and ìBlack and Whiteî, a debate column written with Howard Parker. Several of these columnists went on to win at the state level of press competition, including Hain Manning (Best Column), Con Bradley (Best Column), Tammy Hansen (Best Column) and Sharon M. Wheelock (Best Columns and Best Editorial). Others included in editorial page or Gracious Living page awards, and who won certificates, were Ed Burgess, John Thomas, Mindy Jo Wheelock, John Yauney, Dan Teahon, Hain Manning, Con Bradley, Sharon M. Wheelock, and Bernard Burgess.
Area news columnists have been Dorothy Merrihew and Kendra Burgess for South Ashby; Myrtle Blaylock and Esther Boots for Ashby; Alta McIntosh and Joy Adams for Whitman; Barbara Ferguson for North Ashby; and Darlene Chick, Casandra Anthony and Sharon M. Wheelock for Hyannis. In earlier years, Mabel Quinn, then Sharon M. Wheelock, wrote the Over the North County (Dumbbell ranch area) news. Dorothy Merrihew won the Golden Pica award from the Nebraska Press Association for writing up South Ashby local news for 50 years. News correspondents in 2002 are Kendra Burgess - South Ashby; Esther Boots - Ashby; Sharon M. Wheelock - Hyannis.
The newspaper, after it was purchased by Wheelock, was housed in a mobile home in Simpsonís Trailer Court. (The fact that the paper kept going back to that trailer court was interesting as Jerry Simpson was the most involved person in the community in bringing about funds for the offset newspaper when it appeared Hyannis was to have no newspaper voice after Mr. Winterís machinery ìdiedî along with him.) Later, Wheelock built a two-story home/office combination and the newspaper remains in the lower floor of that building.
Since 1979, the subscription list has continued to be been around, or just over, 600 subscribers. An average paper is eight to 10 pages, but the annual beef paper has the distinction of continually being the largest in the state: around 60 pages (64 in 2001, plus eight regular pages along with the beef section.)
In 1991, the Grant County newspaper took the big leap (and expense) of becoming totally computerized. Once that was done, they were able to be considered for press contest work (since the pages werenít professional enough in appearance before, which knocked off too many points to win.) The paper won their first award from the Nebraska Press Association that year for Editorial Page, and have continued to win state, and frequently national (National Press Association) awards, every year since. They have also won numerous Society Of Professional Journalism awards (state and national), and state and national Nebraska Press Women (NFPW) awards. They total approximately 75 awards since 1991.
Awards include every area of newspaper work: editorial page, editorials, personal columns, photography, best agriculture coverage, newspaper promotion, best advertising idea, sports photography, feature photography, editorial series, lifestyle section, single advertising ideaóblack and white, Ak-Sar-Ben award, editorial writing, freedom of information, best coverage of environmental news, best advertising ideas, special sections, news articles, photo journalism, investigative reporting, page layout, personalities, design, photo essays, personality/lifestyles, special essay article, sports article, news reporting, editorialsóhumorous, B & W photography, Individual Achievement award, editorials-serious, editorials-general, personality profile. Many are duplicates and/or variations, particularly the Best Coverage of Agriculture, which has been won by the Grant County News 10 times.
Presently the newspaper is done by Sharon M. Wheelock, with Casandra Anthony assisting and in charge of circulation. Other writers are Ruth Van Ackeren, Kendra Burgess, Esther Boots, and Howard  Parker and Bob Howard are contributors.
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In an issue put out by O. B. Winter, it was stated that Whitman had a newspaper called The Whitman Hustler that lasted six monthsófrom December 1901 to June 1902. Whitman was a booming town at that time and even fought to be the county seat of Grant.
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Every newspaper man and women who served Grant County left their mark on the community, and had their own special talents. Mostly they were hard-working loners who fought machinery and kept long hours to meet never-ending deadlines. But no one gave back as much as Orien B. Winter, who in his will, left money for the communities where he had newspapersówhich included Hyannisóto be used as specified. For Hyannis, he wanted a library and a large open room that could be used by the community for social affairs at almost no charge. That building now sits at the top of Main Street in Hyannis and is called the Winter Memorial Building. It is a hub of social activity, area meetings, family reunions, cattlemenís meetings, and more, for the communityÖand one newsman is to be thanked for his gift to the area he served well.