Laramie Boomerang
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner | Adams MultiMedia |
| Founder | Edgar Wilson Nye |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Language | English |
| City | Laramie, Wyoming |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 3,997 (as of 2020)[1] |
| OCLC number | 244390855 |
| Website | wyomingnews |
The Laramie Boomerang is a newspaper in Laramie, Wyoming, US.
History
The newspaper was first published on March 14, 1881, by American humorist Edgar Wilson ("Bill") Nye,[2] who named the paper after his mule, "Boomerang", named so, Nye had said, because he could trust the mule to return him home no matter how inebriated and disoriented Nye might've become.[3] The Boomerang was founded while Nye was the postmaster of the city, then in the Wyoming Territory. It launched him to national fame, gaining the newspaper subscribers in every state and many foreign countries. Nye contributed several humorous articles to the Boomerang, and served as the paper's editor until 1883.[4][5][6] He was succeeded by M.C. Barrow.[7]
In 1888, Mr. McKee and William E. Chaplin acquired the paper,[8] and in May 1890 sold it to Charles L. Rauner.[9] Ivy Buck was another minority owner and with Rauner converted the paper from a Republican to a Democratic publication.[10] That August, the firm McKee & Chaplin launched the Laramie Republican. W.H. Kent was editor.[11][12] In 1920, Frank Sumner Burrage acquired the Republican from the company.[13] In 1923, Burrage purchased the Boomerang and merged the two together to form the Laramie Republican-Boomerang.[14]
Tracy S. McCraken acquired the Laramie Daily Bulletin in 1936,[15] and the Republican-Boomerang in 1938.[16] McCraken previously served as secretary, in 1923, to Wyoming's Democratic Governor William Bradford Ross, and, in 1924, to U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick. Eventually, McCraken established a "close friendship" with Wyoming's Governor Leslie Andrew Miller and Senator Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney, forming an alliance one reporter called a "political steamroller" that was nicknamed the "M-O-M."[17]
In 1957, the Republican-Boomerang and Daily Bulletin were merged to form the Daily Boomerang.[18] In October 2015, McCraken Newspaper Group was acquired by Adams Publishing Group. The sale included the Boomerang, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Rawlins Daily Times and Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner.[19][20] In 2020, the Boomerang discontinued it's Tuesday edition.[21]
References
- ^ "Regional Maps with Circulation (Wyoming)" (PDF). adamspg.com. August 1, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Minor Mention". The Democratic Leader. Cheyenne, Wyoming. March 16, 1881. p. 4.
- ^ Weintraub, Boris (April 19, 1984). "Unusual names bestowed on a few U.S. newspapers". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 16. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "William Nye. | The Wyoming Humorist About Removing to Wisconsin". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. October 22, 1883. p. 6.
- ^ "Bill Nye. | How He Came to Join the Army of Professional Humorists". The Clay Center Dispatch. Clay Center, Kansas. April 17, 1884. p. 6.
- ^ "Of The Dead Humorist. | Sketch of The Late Late Bill Nye By One Who Knew Him". The Hawaiian Star. Honolulu, Hawaii. April 4, 1896. p. 3.
- ^ "What Bill Nye is Doing". Detroit Free Press. August 20, 1883. p. 16.
- ^ "Dissolved". The Cheyenne Daily Leader. July 22, 1888. p. 3.
- ^ "The Boomerang Sold". Omaha Daily Bee. May 7, 1890. p. 2.
- ^ "Former Publisher Of Boomerang Dies While in Florida". The Billings Gazette. Associated Press. January 28, 1926. p. 6.
- ^ "State Politics". The Cheyenne Daily Leader. August 10, 1890. p. 2.
- ^ "News of Our Neighbors". The Salt Lake Tribune. August 15, 1890. p. 6.
- ^ "Brief News Notes | From All Parts of Wyoming". Jackson's Hole Courier. March 25, 1920. p. 8.
- ^ "Laramie Republican Purchases Boomerang". Albuquerque Journal. September 11, 1923. p. 11.
- ^ "Laramie Tabloid Is In New Hands". Casper Star-Tribune. Associated Press. June 15, 1936. p. 9.
- ^ "Laramie Republican Sold To Publishers OF Daily Bulletin". News Letter Journal. Newcastle, Wyoming. United Press International. July 19, 1938. p. 8.
- ^ "Press: Wyoming's M-O-M". Time. November 15, 1937. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "Merger of Laramie Papers Announced". The Billings Gazette. Associated Press. April 18, 1957. p. 20.
- ^ "Newark Post's parent company acquires Wyoming newspapers". The Newark Post. Newark, Delaware. October 9, 2015. p. 8.
- ^ Drake, Kerry (January 19, 2016). "Tracy McCraken: From a $3,000 Loan to a Newspaper Empire". WyoHistory.org. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ Roedel, John (May 13, 2020). "Laramie Boomerang discontinuing Tuesday edition, will publish 5 days per week". Cap City News. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
External links
- Laramie Boomerang Online
- Bessie Cook Papers are archived at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.