Originally published in the North Maple Valley Living magazine, January 2023
By JoAnne Matsumura
Maple Valley Historical Society
The overall size of a newspaper pre-1900 was quite large. As time evolved, equipment and mailing requirements changed, along with other factors. The newspaper size of today has been standard for a number of decades.
The size, however, does not determine the quality of the printed news on its pages. Communities and larger cities news have their own distinct style. Communities can convey a more personal view of the events and happenings within their geographic area, while larger cities give an overall birds-eye-view of their “news.
The Maplevalley community’s newspaper, The Maplevalley Messenger, The Smallest Real Newspaper in the State, premiered as The Gibbonian, with Volume #1, on March 27, 1918, published “every-once-in-awhile” by the Gibbons store. By April 1921, The Maplevalley Messenger, as it was then named, issued Volume 1 No. 1.
In January 1923, Seattle was the venue for the Eleventh Annual Journalism Week, a three-day event held at the University of Washington. There was Advertising Day, Weekly Newspaper Day, and General Newspaper Day in which highlighted were discussions on problems and questions to the State Press Association.
Chester Gibbon, publisher of The Maplevalley Messenger, in his January 11, 1923, issue offered his view of The Messenger as a “real newspaper,” and titled it “cellar champions,” as he referenced Journalism Week at the University of Washington.
“The Messenger welcomes this opportunity to broadcast its claim to the ‘Cellar Championship’ of the state’s newspapers. We believe The Messenger to be the smallest, real newspaper in the state and we are rather proud of the distinction.
“While there are numerous other publications such as school papers, lodge bulletins, etc., that are small or smaller, The Messenger is, as far as can be learned, the only newspaper that can boast of being a real newspaper serving a community and at the same time being no larger than a fair-sized sheet of writing paper. We take some consolation in the fact that if we can’t be the largest we can still lay claim to the other extreme and be the smallest.”
The last known issue to exist of “the smallest real newspaper in the state” was issued December 27, 1923, Vol. 3. No. 18. One issue of The Maplevalley Messenger, A Prosperous Paper for Prosperous People, was issued at Maplevalley as Volume 4 Number 1 on April 22, 1924.
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