The Suburban Times and the Beginning of Publishing in Des Plaines
Recently, Glenview-based Pioneer Press announced it would be reducing operations due to current economic difficulties. Among the cuts was what has been designated as Des Plaines' oldest newspaper, the Des Plaines Times, previously known as the Suburban Times. The final issue was published on January 15, 2009. The loss of the paper prompted this brief overview of the past newspaper history in Des Plaines.
The history of the paper is long and complex, considering the many changes it endured over the last several decades. Like many older institutions, the beginnings of the newspaper are a bit unclear. Without adequate primary sources, we are unable to confirm many of the details that have been presented over the years as part of the newspaper's history.
A brief synopsis of the history, as described by the Des Plaines Publishing Company in its 1985 anniversary publication, follows:
"What was to become the Des Plaines Publishing Copmany and Suburban Times was founded in 1885 by William Earle. He published a paper called the Cook County Record."
The article continues to elaborate on the various changes in ownership and newspaper names that ensued over the years to come. Rather than reprinting all the details here, we welcome anyone who is interested in the newspaper's history to visit the History Center and read the articles we have on file under "Des Plaines Publishing Company".
Cook County Record
The Cook County Record is rather mysterious, because we know so little about it. According to the Des Plaines Publishing Company (DPPC), the newspaper was owned by William Earle. Various anniversary articles by DPPC refer to the Record as the earliest predecessor to the Suburban Times. It is not clear who William Earle was, or where he lived. We presently have no records indicating that Earle lived in Des Plaines, though that does not prove he was not here. A look at the 1880 census shows two different William Earles in Cook County, both living in Chicago. One was the two-year old son of a medical doctor. The other was a 14-year old boy, living with his mother.
A search for the Cook County Record yielded no results. The Illinois Newspaper Project, a survey of the state's newspaper collections, does not have the Cook County Record listed among the other publications in its database, although it does show that several other newspapers in Cook County have had the name Record in the title. Other newspapers in the northwestern part of Cook County were published as early as the 1870s. Using the Illinois Newspaper Project database, we can find records on the Palatine Herald and The Cook County Chronicle in Arlington Heights. By contrast, Chicago had its first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, in 1833; by 1850, Chicago had at least 15 newspapers; and by 1875, that number had increased to at least 100 publications, indicating that the availability of printing presses was certainly an urban advantage. Neighboring McHenry County, a largely rural county at the time, had no less than 21 papers in the latter half of the 19th century.
Village of Des Plaines
The early beginnings of the newspaper in Des Plaines coincide with the development of the Village government. The history between the two is inextricably linked, as two of the paper's earliest editors also both served as Trustees for the Village at various times.
Throughout the 1870s, Des Plaines was still establishing itself as a newly-incorporated Village, and the Village Trustees needed to do business with external agencies for posting notices of election, publishing ordinances, and printing forms and tickets. One of these agencies was the Palatine Herald, which is mentioned specifically in the Village minutes in 1874 as the publisher of a newspaper supplement containing the new Village ordinances.
In 1874, F. W. Hoffman of Des Plaines became the first elected President of the Village Trustees. Hoffman served as President until 1875, and continued serving as Trustee for the following years: 1875-1878 and 1880-1881. In 1878, the Village paid Hoffman a small fee, $2.00, for printing services. Leaving the question of potential conflicts of interest for another occasion, we do not know exactly what type of printing services Hoffman offered. However, in the 1880 census for Des Plaines, Hoffman is identified humorously enough as both 'druggist & editor, Cook County Record'. Also, in April, 1881, the Village minutes show that a payment was made by the Village to the Cook County Record for a printing. The 1880 Des Plaines census also identifies C. E. Bennett (Chester Bennett) as a 'printer' and shows that he and Hoffman were neighbors.
Des Plaines News and Suburban Times
Several anniversary articles printed by the Des Plaines Publishing Company refer to a newspaper called the Des Plaines News, and place it in the line-up of publications that preceded the Suburban Times.
There are three original issues of the Des Plaines News in the History Center's archives, from the years 1888 and 1895. There are also 12 issues preserved on microfilm from the years 1891 through 1893. In addition to this, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune published in 1897 mentions the Des Plaines News, providing an even later date for this publication. While the Des Plaines Publishing Company repeatedly suggested that the News was the immediate predecessor to the Suburban Times, there is evidence to suggest that the two papers were being published simultaneously:
- known dates for the publication of the Des Plaines News are 1885-1897
- known dates for the publication of the Suburban Times are 1891-1983
- an issue of the Suburban Times published July 25, 1896, mentions the Des Plaines News:
"E. D. Scott is building an addition to his cider and sorghum factory. The lower story will be used as an office and warehouse, and the upper story will be fitted up for the use of the Des Plaines News."
The overlapping dates of the two publications, from 1891 to 1897, is clear, based on the information we have. Since the Des Plaines Publishing Company claimed the News as a part of its history, it seems possible that the two papers were originally separate publications that later merged into one newspaper, under the name Suburban Times. Unfortunately, we have no records that tell us what actually took place.
C. E. Bennett, Editor
Chester Bennett worked as newspaper editor in Des Plaines for many years. The Bennett family moved to Des Plaines in 1872 from McHenry County. Bennett was also an active Village Trustee in 1874, 1876, 1882, and 1883, in addition to teaching school and working as a music director for a local church. An undated newspaper clipping (circa 1892) found in the Bennett family files at the History Center reported that:
"Chester E. Bennett has for twenty years been connected with various newspapers of Cook County. He is now with the Des Plaines News as correspondent editor and advertising and subscription agent, and has been prominently identified with official circles in this vicinity."
The Suburban Times, circa 1891 - 1923, David J. Gillespie, Publisher
Various newspaper anniversary articles give credit to Frank Sodt for purchasing the newspaper in 1892 and changing the name to Suburban Times in 1895. However, the earliest primary source reference to the name Suburban Times that we have is in the Des Plaines Village minutes, under a list of bills recorded in 1891. Other unresolved discrepancies concerning names and dates appear throughout the anniversary articles relating to this period of time. The earliest original issue of The Suburban Times in the DPHS collection is dated July 25, 1896, C. E. Bennett as Local Editor, publisher identified as "F. Salter" (Frank Salter, a Chicago printer).
By 1897, David J. Gillespie, a native of Richmond, Illinois, who trained as a printer in Iowa, had moved to Des Plaines and purchased the Suburban Times. Gillespie printed the newspaper from a small building on Miner Street.
The August 31, 1923, issue of the The Des Plaines Suburban Times, announced the sale of the paper to Fulle & Gaede ["Newspapers and Job Printing Plant was Sold This Week"] on the front page, showing photos of new partners Fred O. Fulle and Herman E. Gaede. Both had trained as apprentices, also known as "printer's devils", under the ownership of Gillespie. The transition in ownership included the Park Ridge Herald as well as the Suburban Times. The new name of the publisher would be The Des Plaines Publishing Company. The new owners retained the former publisher's widow Sarah Gillespie "who has been at the head of the business during the past years" on the newspaper staff, as well as several others who had been working for the newspaper.
The Suburban Times, 1923 - 1983, The Des Plaines Publishing Company
The Publishing Company continued to operate from the small building on Pearson street until a new building was constructed at 1000 Executive Way in 1967. During the company's move from one building to the other, an accident occurred destroying a large collection of back issues of the Suburban Times. A managing editor for the company later wrote,
"our newspaper library has been greatly reduced by accidents that took place several years ago. I am told that about 35 years worth of issues were destroyed when we moved from our old office on Pearson Street to our present location at 1000 Executive Way. The truck that was moving the newspapers overturned and there was a small fire. About 40 more years of newspapers were destroyed when an overhead water pipe broke in our library. As a result, our collection of back issues is very incomplete."
A part of the Suburban Times' long history has been preserved on microfilm. Unfortunately, the newspaper's first three decades were not microfilmed, leaving us with only a fragmented record of this period of Des Plaines history.
