By Rob Bates
Printed matter comes to us daily in large doses, and much of it goes unread. This was hardly the case when territorial secretary Richard C. McCormick brought his Ramage Washington hand press with old, worn, metal type to Ft. Whipple. Brought from Santa Fe, the path typically taken by these wood and iron heavyweights (1200-1500 lbs.) on their way west, the press' arrival meant that the forces of civilization had reached Prescott, A.T., in January 1864.
A Ramage printing press was often chosen for the rigors of the frontier. Found to be a powerful press, it was not over-built with excess bulk and weight. Adam Ramage (1772-1850) came to United States from Scotland in 1795, repaired printing presses in Philadelphia, and introduced his own iron press in 1834.
Most printing presses before the year 1800, were made of wood, but the dawning of the 19th Century brought many new uses of iron. Several manufacturers of presses emerged, such as R. Hoe & Co., Cincinnati Type Foundry, and the A.B. Taylor Mfg. Co. Loaded onto freight wagons, these presses, as well as type, cases, and accessories, were hauled to emerging towns by stalwart entrepreneurs. Utilizing type that was hand-set letter by letter, ink that was often hand-made, and paper from any source, the labor was long and hard and returns meager at best. Newspapers often failed, and so did towns. Type and press changed hands, traveling to better locations with their new owners.
The first press to come to Arizona was a Washington press made by the Cincinnati Type Foundry. The press went to Tubac in 1859, after being shipped down the Mississippi to New Orleans, taken by ship to Guaymas, then carted overland to Tubac. The paper was called the "Weekly Arizonian". Later, the press was brought to Tucson, and eventually printed the "Arizona Citizen" and "Arizona Star". The press then went to Tombstone in 1879, and published the "Nugget". Early newspapers and job shops worked under very primitive conditions. They were often set up under shade trees at first, then maybe a leaky tent or cold and drafty building. Early typesetters would work by light of candles and lamps.
Many of these western presses came to grief by being dismantled, smashed, and thrown into rivers or dumps, mostly due to public reaction to their owner-editors. These were often independent, opinionated men, whose editorials took a good deal of newspaper space. Their opinions were not always those reflected by the community.
National and international news was most wanted in town. The local paper got this information via telegraph, or newspapers from the east-sometimes several weeks late. Another method was the eastern newspaper ready-print service; a newspaper was sent west already printed on one side, leaving the blank side for the local paper.
Prescott's own "Arizona Miner" had made its own rise to fame in the annals of the west thanks to its colorful second owner John Marion. He made a lasting impression on the paper, in the minds of Prescott's citizens of the day, and on the territory as a whole. He was known for often ruffling the feathers of other editors who liked and opposed him at the same time, and vice-versa. All this made for good politics and sport. John Marion also had a hand in other Prescott papers and had founded today's "Courier" in 1882.
Territorial secretary Richard McCormick realized the importance of his press in establishing the new government of the Territory of Arizona, bringing with it a sense of place, permanence of record, and communication. Later, high speed cylinder presses would replace the old slow hand presses. Many of the new models would turn out the dime novels of western adventure and excitement. But interesting facts and opinions of the time can be found in the old chronicles that survive today in libraries and archives like the Sharlot Hall Museum's collections. Historians and writers actively search these materials trying to separate the wheat from the chaff of frontier experience. The old roving Washington hand presses and those who ran them, give yet another challenge to that old adage, "a rolling stone gathers no moss."
Rob Bates is Weekend Host at the Sharlot Hall Museum
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number: (bub8135pb). Reuse only by permission.
The Daily and Weekly Miner office on Monteuma Street in 1878. Early Arizona newspapers had to use printing presses brought from eastern cities. Prescott's first press arrived in 1864, at the same time that the territorial governor's party arrived at Fort Whipple.