Great Basin Sun

The Great Basin Sun is a weekly newspaper in Winnemucca, Nevada.^[1] It was founded in 1972 and preceded by The Silver State, Humboldt Star and Humboldt Bulletin. The Sun is a member of the Nevada Press Association,^[2] and a newspaper of record for Humboldt, Lander and Pershing counties.^[3]

In 1870, John C. Hall started the Silver State in Unionville, Nevada.^[4] The newspaper went through a number of owners. Peter Meyers and J.J. Hill moved the paper to Winnemucca and relaunched it in September 1874.^[4] George S. Nixon bought the paper in 1890 and sold it to the Winnemucca Publishing Co. in 1902.^[4] The paper was briefly known as the Winnemucca Republican and Daily Silver State until reverting back to The Silver State.^[4]

In January 1906, the Humboldt Star was founded by R.E.L. "Leo" Windle and George M. Rose.^[5][6] A.L. Brackett was a third partner in the firm. In December 1912, Rose retired.^[7] In June 1922, Rollin C. Stitser purchased Windle's half-interest,^[8] and in July 1923 bought out Brackett to become the Star's sole owner.^[9] In June 1925, Stitser's father leased the 50-year-old The Silver State of Winnemucca from Mrs. M.E. Graham and then consolidated it into the Star.^[10] The paper soon expanded into a daily. R.C. Stitser died in January 1939 from a brain tumor at age 39.^[11][12] His widow Avery D. Stitser then operated the paper. In October 1960, she sold it to Donrey Media Group.^[13]

In September 1961, Clayton Darrah founded the Humboldt County Bulletin with Pete Jenkins and Celso Cobeaga, who both were employed at the Star before it was sold.^[14] In July 1964, the paper expanded to a daily and was renamed to the Nevada Daily Bulletin.^[15] In December 1966, it returned to a weekly under the original name.^[16] In October 1967, Darrah purchased the Humboldt Star and Battle Mountain Scout from Donrey Media Group and then absorbed them into the Bulletin.^[17]

In December 1971, Cal Sunderland and his wife Barbara moved to Winnemucca after agreeing to purchase the Humboldt County Bulletin from Clayton and Georgia Darrah.^[18] The deal fell through. In January 1972, the couple founded a rival paper called the Humboldt Sun.^[19] The Durrahs then sued the Sunderlands for $365,738 in response.^[20]

In April 1975, the Sun expanded from a weekly to a twice-weekly.^[21] In August 1975, Mr. Clayton died and the Bulletin at some point ceased.^[22] In May 1976, Cal Sunderland retired as editor and was succeeded by his son Michael K. Sunderland.^[21] In October 1977, the Sunderlands sold the Sun to Mark and June McMahon, while their son maintained a minority stake.^[23]

In 1995, the Sun expanded into a daily. In February 1998, the McMahons sold the Sun to Diversified Suburban Newspapers, a Utah-based company owned by William Dean Singleton and brothers Peter and Andy Bernhard.^[24] In 2005, Peter Bernhard acquired the Seattle-based Pacific Publishing Company and from then on operated the Sun under that business.^[25] In June, 2022, Bernhard announced the Winnemucca Humboldt Sun, Battle Mountain Bugle and Lovelock Review-Miner would be merged into a single publication called the Great Basin Sun.^[26]