Saying goodbye to 137 years of serving the community

The McIntosh Times is publishing its’ final edition of the newspaper today. This will end over a century of the Times providing information and memories to the community.

The newspaper began in 1888 when William E. Mc-Kenzie, who was the founder and publisher of the Crookston Times backed W. H. Averill financially to establish the McIntosh Times. The paper was considered the leading independent newspaper of Polk County, with the largest circulation in Polk, Beltrami and Red Lake counties of any newspaper outside of the county seat.

A year later, in June of 1889, C.T. Lanman purchased the newspaper. Mr. McKenzie wrote of this in the book, "Compendium of History and Biography of Polk County, Minnesota", which was published in 1916, stating that, "Mr. Lanman became obsessed with the idea that he was healthy and wealthy enough to monopolize the whole business, and I had gotten a good price for my interest. He conducted the paper successfully for ten or twelve years when he sided and abetted by a frugal wife and a growing family of boys, had gained sufficient intelligence and filthy lucre to own and stock a dairy farm, which he is now conducting with ability and profit.”

Lanman was successful with the newspaper for 10 years, when he sold it in 1909 to G. T. Englund, the paper, consisting of mainly 8 pages, had almost 3,500 subscribers.

Englund published the Times for 4 years, and in 1914, A. J. Heath purchased the Times and edited it for two years. He reported the beginnings of World War I. 

In October of 1919 ownership passed to L. A. Graves. His only news “flash” was about the fire in November which destroyed the Roller Mill. Early in December he sold the paper to A. J. Whiltse of Bagley. The following morning, Graves was arrested when he tried to leave town with all the subscription money he had collected. During Whiltse’s five month period of ownership there were news reports of the war with Germany.

The newspaper then went through two different owners in 1917, Harrison P. King, who published the McIntosh Times for eight months and M. A. Vig, who operated the paper for two years.

Nels Hanson, son of McIntosh contractor Hans S. Hanson, became the editor and publisher of the McIntosh Times in January of 1918. He reported the surrender of Germany on November 7, 1918.

Like most every other small town newspaper, the McIntosh Times had been composed each week in a laborious process, the printer setting up each column and each page, letter by letter, backwards. This method had served for thirty two years when, in March 1921, Hanson purchased a new linotype machine. This process was used for nearly fifty years until off-set printing using electronically reproduced photographs became the standard.

P. M. Peterson purchased the newspaper in 1935, operating the paper for one year before selling it to Ronald and Claudia Meier. In 1947, Jerry Farrington became the owner, which he sold the newspaper to a group of investors.

One year later the McIntosh Times would be sold to Owen Knutson, the owner and publisher of the Fertile and Winger newspapers.

In October of 1953, Henry and Nancy Ralhala purchased the Times and spent 10 years as the Times publishers. 

In September of 1963, Vic Aalbu, the owner of the Gonvick and Clearbrook Leader-Record purchased the McIntosh Times and shortly after, also purchased the Oklee Herald, and started the trend toward the combined paper. In March of 1967, Aalbu negotiated with the Fertile Journal for the rights to publish the Winger Enterprise and combined it with the McIntosh Times.

Nine years later, in 1972, Richard and Corrine Richards purchased the McIntosh Times, The Oklee Herald, and the Leader-Record from Aalbu. Richards, a commercial printer, and Corrine, a teacher, combined their journalism talents and introduced the Tri County Canary supplement to readers of the three newspapers. 

The couple have now owned the three papers, added and subtracted papers over the years and will complete their newspaper journey with the addition of the Grygla Eagle. For 53 years, the Richards have provided communities with news and information. The couple will continue to run the printing facility housed in Gonvick, but their newspaper journey has ended with success at serving so many communities with their publications.