Butler County Genealogy Trails Kansas George F. Fullinwider Bio

BUTLER COUNTY'S EIGHTY YEARS BIOS

GEORGE F. FULLINWIDER

(Transcribed by Lori DeWinkler)

NEWSPAPER HISTORY

Butler County’s newspaper history begins sixty-four years ago, when, on March 4, 1870, the first copy of the Walnut Valley Times was issued by Thomas Benton Murdock and J. S. Danford. This paper was printed on an old Washington hand press, which was successively supplanted by a Potter cylinder, a Goss Comet, a Duplex and the present three-deck rotary press, with a speed of 30,000 papers printed and folded her hour.

In 1869, The Emigrant Guide, published by D. M. Bronson, in connection with his real estate business, was printed in Emporia and distributed in El Dorado.

However The Times was the first paper to be published in El Dorado, or in Butler County. At the top of its first column was this market quotation: “Gold dull at $1.20 1-3.” On June 1, 1870, the partnership of Murdock and Danford was dissolved and Murdock became sole owner. Intensely alive to the great possibilities of Butler County, Mr. Murdock prepared for the first issue of The Time, a condensed schedule of the county’s resources and expectations and this ran on the fourth page of the paper, week after week, month after month, until it was read by thousands. In addition to this, he published carefully prepared correspondence from every part of the county, giving detailed information regarding efforts to extend settlement.

On March 1, 1881, Alvah Shelden purchased The Walnut Valley Times, which carried a subscription list of 1,320. For the next thirty-six years, the ownership and editorship of The Walnut Valley Times remained in the Shelden family, in that Alvah Shelden’s son, Chester Conklin Shelden, purchased the paper in 1910, shortly before his father’s death, in 1911, and continued as it’s publisher until July 1, 1917, when he sold his interests to John Bunyan Adams. Mr. Adams continued publishing The Walnut Valley Times until November 28, 1919, when he and Rolla A. Clymer effected a merger of The Daily Times and The El Dorado Daily Republican, then owned by Mrs. Marie Antoinette Murdock, widow of T. B. Murdock. The El Dorado Republican had been started as a weekly on November 26, 1883, by T. B. Murdock, who, in 1887, established The Daily Sunflower Republican and edited the papers until his death, November 4, 1909. The two weeklies and two dailies—The Times and The Republican—were merged under the name of The El Dorado Times, owned by The Times Publishing Company. Mr. Clymer is editor and manager and he and Mrs. J. B. Adams are chief owners. The Times is the leading newspaper of Butler County and one of the outstanding newspapers of Kansas. On its staff is George F. Fullinwider, who for forty-five years has been identified with El Dorado newspapers. Will R. Feder is city editor. Earl Forgy is advertising manager.

The only weekly published in El Dorado is The Butler County News, ably edited and managed by the owner, James W. Greenback, formerly a student in Southwestern College, Winfield. The paper had its inception at Oil Hill in 1921, as a community news letter by Rev. Paul Holmes. Mr. Greenback took charge of the paper in Oil Hill and in 1927 moved his plant to South Gordy Street, immediately east of the court house. It covers the local news field in a bright and intelligent manner and gives every indication of permanency.

The El Dorado Press first appeared as a 6-column quarto, March 1, 1877. It was a weekly owned and edited by J. M. Satterthwaite. The subscription list numbered 800. In July, 1880, T. P. Fulton established The Butler County Democrat, which he continued until the spring of 1882 when a stock company was formed, took over the plant and established The Eagle. Mr. Fulton who had been editor of The Democrat, became local editor of The Eagle and the size of the paper was reduced to a 6-column folio, all home print. Later E. A. Davis took charge of the office. The paper was a strong Greenback organ, with a circulation of about 900. According to old-timers, The El Dorado Eli was published from 1890 to 1891. This was during the period of Populism. Judge A. J. Miller and his son were responsible for the paper. It was later taken over by E. J. Garner. J. C. Riley, who lived up the West Branch at one time entered newspaper work in El Dorado. He had been a country correspondent for the Walnut Valley Times and acquired ownership of the plant formerly owned by T. P. Fulton as The Butler County Democrat. Mr. Riley was a strong Democrat but he named the new venture The Citizen. Later he sold the paper to E. D. Stratford, who disposed of it and moved to Roseburg, Oregon, where he owned and edited a newspaper and practiced law for a few years.

During Populistic days, the Populists of Butler County felt the need of an organ, and Olin Meacham, Walter O. Welch and others in Augusta, started The Industrial Advocate, with a large subscription list, consisting almost entirely of farmers and those representing farming interests.

After a time the plant was moved to El Dorado, where it passed into the hands of J. F. Todd and J. C. Riley. Later the plant was sold to W. P. Flenner, who sold it to Ex-State Treasurer W. H. Biddle. Mr. Biddle sold the plant to T. B. Haslam and T. H. Brundage, who operated under the firm name of Haslam and Brundage. On April 1, 1897, George F. Fullinwider bought Mr. Haslam’s interest and for a year the firm was Fullinwider and Brundage. Brundage then sold his half-interest to Artie Peffley and the firm name was changed to Fullinwider and Peffley. One year later, Fullinwider became sole owner of the paper and plant. After seventeen years’ ownership, Mr. Fullinwider sold the plant to T. B. Cowgill, of Mooreland, Oklahoma. Eventually the plant was moved to Augusta and in 1916 suspended publication.