Ames Intelligencer Office, 1889
Newspapers began in Ames in 1868 with publication of the weekly Ames Intelligencer, which first used a steam-run printing press. Over time the paper found a home at the southeast corner of Main and Kellogg and at 312 Main. Around 1911 it relocated again to a brick building on 5th Street next to O’Neil Dairy (now a parking lot).
Ames Tribune Office at 317 5th St, 1964
In 1929 the Tribune Building we know today became the paper’s home accompanied by many comments that this building was much too large and “showed delusions of grandeur”.
Tribune Press, 1957
Verle Burgeson, Publisher gives Cub Scouts a tour, 1957
In the beginning, lead type that required hand setting was used for printing. This was replaced in 1913 by the linotype process. In 1966 a half million-dollar investment was made in a Goss Urbanite Press. This served the community well until 2010 when the Goss was dismantled and sold as scrap.
Printing of the Ames paper was then out sourced to Iowa Falls at a six figure savings. After 142 years, September 11, 2010 marked the last day Ames would have a locally printed newspaper.
The Ames History Museum made a documenaty on the last run of the press. Click Above to go to Youtube
Many publishers guided the paper through the years including several husband and wife editorial teams in the early years. Other papers were started and some ran for many years but in the end all either died or were purchased by the Tribune.
Name changes and mergers through the years.
Ames Intelligencer (weekly) 1868-1911 Reflector (weekly) 1868-1869
Ames Daily Intelligencer 1911-1913 Monitor (weekly) 1885-1886
Ames Intelligencer 1913 Ames times 1892-1912
Ames Weekly Tribune 1913-1918 Ames Evening Times 1912-1919
Ames Daily Tribune and Ames Evening Times 1919-1928
Ames Daily Tribune and Evening Times 1928-1929
Ames Daily Tribune-Times 1929-1935
Ames Daily Tribune and Times 1935-1938 Milepost 1929-1949
Ames Daily Tribune 1938-1980
Ames Tribune 1980-1986
Ames Daily Tribune 1986-1987
Daily Tribune 1987-1997
The Tribune 1997-2011
Ames Tribune 2011-present
“Newspapers record the history of a community” Verle Burgason, Publisher