Postcard from the Past: Saga of a Rambling Printer

Shortly after Wyoming was settled, newspapers and print shops began to crop up all over the state, which prompted the need for printers to set type and run the presses. Among the most notable folks of the profession were the “tramp printers,” sometimes called “rambling printers” who roamed from town to town keeping the presses printing.

Following is the unedited saga of R.I. Martin, one of those tramp printers.

Learned to set type in 1890 in the Hatchet office in Hot Springs, S.D. No pay for the first six months. Later employed as compositor at the Hot Springs Star and Hot Springs Herald. By 1893, was making wages of three dollars a week.

In 1894, moved to Belle Fourche, S.D. north of the Black Hills. Spent several years there as hand compositor. Also employed at times at Spearfish Mail, Deadwood Pioneer and Lead City Call.

Emigrated to Wyoming in 1901. Employed at Big Horn River Pilot in Thermopolis, later at the Thermopolis Record, which was established by Fred Winchester and later sold to Arnold Duhig. 

First editorial work at the Thermopolis Record, getting out a couple issues while publisher was confined to pest house with smallpox. In 1902, worked briefly on Casper Derrick, which was a wide margin the prize junk shop of the region.

Then to Greeley, Colo. and employed at the Greeley Tribune as a Simplex – Unitype – operator, also at the Greeley Sun, Weld County Republican, Loveland Reporter and Loveland Register.

In June 1903, started on a bicycle headed for the West Coast. Stopped in Cheyenne and worked a few days at the Tribune while awaiting arrival of Teddy Roosevelt, who was to ride horseback from Laramie to Cheyenne. 

After seeing Roosevelt and hearing him speak, resumed bike journey west. 

At Walcott, detoured to Grand Encampment to see what all of the boom was about. Western trip postponed and several months spent as compositor at the Saratoga Sun and Unitype operator at the Grand Encampment Herald.

Then moved to Rawlins to take the foreman job at Rawlins Republican, which was changing ownership – George W. Perry to Rawlins Republican Company. Balance of force consisted of a girl typesetter and a Swede boy as janitor and apprentice. Not much foremanizing to do, but plenty as ad man, job man, pressman, etc. 

The Republican was then a semi-weekly paper, and besides two issues per week, printed two weekly papers for mining camps in the Encampment region. Also handled the county printing and most anything else that came along. Good job, $18 per week, six 10-hour days. 

Roscoe Alcorn and Jack Sheahan were youngsters learning the trade in the old Carbon County Journal office.

In 1905, moved to Centennial to take employment with Van Horn-Miller Syndicate. Big toad in a very small puddle. Editor and publisher of Centennial Post, cashier of Centennial Trust Co. bank, manager of Lumber Company and Townsite Company and some other titles. 

Twenty-seven companies in the Syndicate. Easy job except when notice received Van Horn was enroute west with a few Pullman cars loaded with prospective investors. Then a special edition of the Post, with pictures of the many company projects was printed. 

The boys up on the hill – Acme mine at Gold Hill – had been sorting rich ore from a narrow vein, and they would start up the little stamp mill and the gold would be rolling out when the eastern prospects arrived. Soon as the visitors left, the boom would be over, and we could all lock up and go fishing.

Then back to Greeley, Colo. to take foremanship of Weld County Republican. When first Linotype – a model eight – came into Greeley, Colo., resigned foreman job to take up Linotype work. 

Then returned to Laramie, about a year as foreman at the Laramie Boomerang when under management of Miss Evelyn Corthell, later Mrs. John Hill.

Then back to Thermopolis to take a lease at the  Thermopolis Independent, another newspaper which had been started by Fred Winchester. This continued until the Independent was sold to Lin I. Noble.

Then to Montana for Linotype work at the Billings Gazette, Livingston Enterprise, Bozeman Chronicle, Butte Miner and Missoula Sentinel. Three years with Livingston Enterprise, then bought the Clyde Park Herald. 

After three years in operation, sold out and returned to Wyoming to purchase the Saratoga Sun on March 1, 1917.

End of a long trail.

After 25 years of rambling from print shop to print shop in a four-state area, R.I. (Dad) Martin, settled in Saratoga and was associated with the Saratoga Sun for 50 years. He and his son, R.D. (Bob) Martin, were my mentors and sold me the paper and print shop in 1968. But then, that’s for another Postcard.