Platte Valley Independent Newspaper Platte Valley Independent Newspaper
This structure, built in the 1880s, was moved to the museum in 1967, from the 400 block N. Pine St., Grand Island, and the furnishings are from various Nebraska newspaper offices. The Platte Valley Independent was the forerunner of today's Grand Island Daily Independent. It began at North Platte, Nebr., in 1869, and moved to Grand Island in 1870.
No town was long without a newspaper. It was absolutely essential, for how else would the outside world hear about the town if there were not a local newspaper? Like the hotel, the town newspaper was frequently subsidized by the railroad or the town company. The newspaper in turn was to "boost" the railroad and the town. The voice of the community was heard through the columns of the local newspaper. The attrition rate was high among local newspapers. Editors had a hard time making ends meet. The newspaper also acted as a unifying force for the town, which would not grow if it was not united. Editors called upon the residents to work together. However, editorial policies often provoked dissension, and competition between newspapers was very intense. You could literally say about anything in the newspapers!
