Through The Messenger's moves, it always delivers the news

Over the years, The Lincoln News Messenger has moved more often than any other business in Lincoln. The name of the paper, however, only changed title once. It began in 1891 and for a short time was called The Placer News Messenger. This is authenticated by Lincoln Area Archives Museum notes and a newspaper from that year. Museum docents discovered that Lincolnites wanted their own newspaper and there was a strong, negative reaction to their paper being called "Placer" instead of "Lincoln" so the change was quickly made to The Lincoln News Messenger. For 130 years, our community newspaper has been printed under that title. Historian Jerry Logan stated, "Many Placer County towns had newspapers before 1880, and the citizens of Lincoln frequently made it known that there should be a local paper. People had flocked to the area to be miners or to raise and sell food and supplies to miners and Lincolnites. Everyone was hungry for local news and the outside world. A newspaper was the source of information. The earliest mining camp relied on special editions so New York, Boston, New Orleans and Missouri newspapers arrived at the camps on stagecoach Express (not Pony Express, which lasted from April 1860 to October 1861). These special California editions arrived monthly and then bi-weekly. Other newspapers from almost every state sporadically arrived. News and newspapers were exchanged on Sundays when most residents gathered at stores, churches, saloons and stage depots. Lincolnites were always hungry for every shred of news from "back home." Before The Lincoln News Messenger came into existence, Sacramento and San Francisco papers were available for California and some local news. In 1852, Placer Herald began publication in Auburn, then in 1854 the Placer Democrat appeared. There were a few other short-lived papers from 1855 to 1880 with news and reports from Gold Hill, Virginia, Mt. Pleasant and other nearby areas, according to Logan. Other Placer County towns had newspapers and the local citizens made it known that Lincoln should have its own paper. Lincoln became an incorporated town in July 1890. With a city government in place, the need for a newspaper became more urgent. Lincoln News Messenger was started in 1891 at the stone house on H Street near the railroad tracks. In 1895, The News Messenger moved from the stone house, across the tracks, to the True Blue Store on the second floor. The newspaper then moved to a building next to the store, then into the Emmada building. In 1899, The News Messenger moved again because new tenants wanted the space. The paper relocated a few doors south to the brick Hemphill and Fleming Building at the northeast corner of 5th and G streets (today, G Street is called Lincoln Boulevard). While publication of The News Messenger has been consistent, the paper's home frequently changed throughout the downtown section of Lincoln, from Fifth to Seventh streets. It has been six times on G Street, at least two times on F Street and at least four times on 5th Street. One of the moves in the 1900s was a house on the east side of F St., no longer there today. Hogle conducted his funeral business on the site that later housed The News Messenger. Logan stated that The News Messenger was in the stucco building on G Street between 4th and 5th streets from 1935 to the 1950s. It appears that this move was meant to be permanent as an engraving of a printing press can be seen to this day on the stucco building's left side. The building was built after Hogle moved out in 1930 for his new funeral home on 4th and H streets. There was a long, extended area in the back of the building that housed the printing press and made room for setting the type and publishing the paper. The P.G.&E office later moved there, followed by an office of lay judges. Another move was on 5th Street to the second floor of the two-story Fleming Building, which was next to the site of today's Simple Pleasures Restaurant. The paper also occupied a small office in a Fleming building on the north side of 5th Street. Another move was to the lower left side of the IOOF building in what was once Clinger's grocery store and later a variety store. A bank was here after a remodel and The News Messenger shared an office there when Eldridge Trout was the editor. Viola Alspaugh and Russell Garrett worked on getting the print ready. More recently, the newspaper moved to the old ice plant office for three years. The building was owned by Judy and Michael McCartney. Mick McCartney purchased the plant in 1985 after working there for Robert Noyes since 1957. In 2005, Anna M. Lavallee built the white house with stately pillars at 553 F St. where The News Messenger has been for the last 16 years. Thirteen moves since opening and 130 years of bringing the news to the Lincoln Area. Our paper's 130th anniversary this year is something to celebrate!