History of Washington County Colorado

Newspapers

Washington County has a group of excellent newspapers to-day, of which the leading ones are the Akron News, D. O. Thomas, editor; the Akron Reporter, F. C. and R. M. Wester, owners; the Pioneer Press, Chalkley A. Wilson, publisher; and the Otis Independent, R. B. Cooley, publisher. D. W. Irwin founded the Pioneer Press November 1, 1885. In 1886 C. W. Ballard and E. A. Eaton founded the Star. The Colorado Topics was printed first at Hyde, then at Burdette, Mark Little buying the property from Forbes & Powers. In these early years Dr. W. D. Otis established the Otis Enterprise, and at Hyde the Weld County Argus was the first publication in that section. In 1893 the only papers at Akron were teh Pioneer Press, D. W. Irwin, proprietor, and the Washington County Republican, W. E. Smith, publisher. In 1896 H. G. Pickett, who had been editor of the Pioneer Press, became its publisher, and for a year or two this wass the only paper printed in Washington County. In 1898 D. F. Foos started the Washington County Leader, which was soon merged with later publications. The present publications aside from the Pioneer Press, were founded in recent years. - Source: History of Colorado, by Wilbur Fiske Stone 1918 - Transcribed by C. Anthony

Schools

Akron was the site of the first schoolhouse, in what is now Washington County, but which in 1886 was still part of Weld County. The first public school teacher was Miss Hettie Irwin, although Mrs. S. Cordeal had conducted a private school prior to this time. Before 1890 a $12,000 schoolhouse was erected. In that year there were nineteen schoolhouses in the county, which had cost $25,000 to build and equip. The total enrollment was 601. On January 1, 1916, there were ninety-nine school buildings in the county, with 178 rooms; valuation, $63,258; the high school enrollment was eighty-eight; total enrollment, 2,069. - Source: History of Colorado, by Wilbur Fiske Stone 1918 - Transcribed by C. Anthony