The St. Johns Herald-Observer

The St. Johns Herald [LCCN: sn94051692] was established as a weekly Republican newspaper in 1885, under the editorship of Henry Reed. It went through numerous editors over its lifespan. Even with their small staffs, the back-room operations of Arizona territorial newspapers did not always run smoothly. Whiskey in the print shop tended to be the culprit, and the Herald was no exception. In fact, the paper had to reduce the size of some of its issues because its printers had "gotten thirsty."

Cattle and sheep dominated the content in Arizona newspapers published in areas greatly influenced by the livestock industry. Patronage from organizations like the Southwestern Stock Association could even determine the choice of a paper's masthead. The town of St. Johns was situated in cattle country and, as such, the Herald soon became known as a "cattle paper."

In 1903, the Herald consolidated with another St. Johns' newspaper Snips to become Snips and the St. Johns Herald, with Eli S. Perkins of the Herald staying on as editor. Reamer Ling, who had edited the Herald from January to September 1900, took over as editor once more in 1905. That same year, Snips and the St. Johns Herald merged with the Apache News [LCCN: sn96064398], becoming the St. Johns Herald and Apache News. Ling and O.E. Overson alternated editing and owning this paper until 1910 when George E. Waite took over as editor. On March 29, 1917, Waite changed the masthead back to The St. Johns Herald [LCCN: sn95060583]. Waite and his family edited and published the newspaper until 1938.

On February 12, 1938, the St. Johns Herald and Apache News merged with The St. Johns Observer [LCCN: sn95060585] to become the St. Johns Herald-Observer [LCCN: sn95060587]. Isaac Barth edited the merged periodical until 1946. In March, Myrlan G. Brown purchased the Herald-Observer from Barth's estate and combined it with the Apache County Independent-News [LCCN: sn82014293] to become the Apache County Independent-News and Herald-Observer [LCCN: sn95060588]. The McNary Pine Knot Post was added to the merger in November of 1947, creating the sole newspaper published in Apache County at that time.