The Winslow Mail

On January 3, 1894, the Buck Brothers established a newspaper in Winslow, Arizona.  They quickly sold to the previous editor and publisher of the St. Johns Herald [LCCN: sn95060583], James F. Wallace, and The Winslow Mail was born.  Known fondly as “Uncle Jimmy,” Wallace participated in local politics, and his political interests permeated the Mail. The first page typically displayed election candidates or monetary exchanges, and the newspaper contained opinionated advice, agricultural and pharmaceutical advertisements, and reprinted stories. 

After Wallace succumbed to injuries from a horse team accident in 1901, the Winslow Mail shifted hands several times over the next two decades. Owners and editors included Lloyd C. Henning from the Holbrook Argus [LCCN: sn 94051342] and Snips and the St. John’s Herald [LCCN: sn 95060581]; John F. Bauer, who had worked at the Holbrook Argus; and L.V. Root, a former editor of the Needles Nugget [LCCN: sn 95061532] in California. From 1922-1925, Sam W. Proctor, who was involved in state politics, managed the paper with Charles P. Mason as editor.  Winslow and neighbors appeared unaffectionate toward Proctor and Mason, such as in 1922, when the Holbrook News [LCCN: sn95060791] commented on a typographical error of “Chainman” instead of “Chairman,” questioning Proctor’s Democratic stance. The Mail published a response, urging the public to humanize editors, instead of criticizing them. Later in Proctor’s tenure, the newspaper’s slogan was “A Clean Wholesome Newspaper Published for the Home.”

The January 1, 1926 issue of the Mail announced new ownership: Carmel and Columbus Giragi, who were children of Sicilian immigrants and previous owners of the Tombstone Epitaph [LCCN: sn95060905] and the Tombstone Daily Prospector [LCCN: sn95060903]. The Giragi Brothers Publishers enlivened the Winslow Mail and other local newspapers for a formidable twenty years, during which time Columbus Giragi introduced linotype technology to the Mail. The family business had Carmel Giragi as business manager, Columbus as editor and shop manager, and siblings Louis, George, and Mary handling everything else.  They situated the print shop on the bottom floor of the Chief Hotel, which was also family-managed. By the end of 1926, the Winslow Mail became the Winslow Daily Mail, the only daily paper in northern Arizona. Mary (Giragi) Ferguson later reminisced in an interview in Vada Carlson’s Snapshots, “Believe me that was something.  We set type from seven o’clock in the morning until six in the evening when we went to press.” 

In 1933, Carmel Giragi died in a tragic plane accident. Soon afterward, George Giragi died of a heart attack, and Louis Giragi enlisted, so Columbus Giragi eventually relinquished the business in 1945 to J. Morris Richards, the editor for several years. The newspaper once again became a weekly, and the linotype phased out sometime in the 1960s.  The Winslow Mail ceased in 2007 after 113 years of publishing.