CHNC Welcomes the Westminster Journal with help of SIPA & New Content Support Program!

Front Page of Westminster Journal (Vol. 1, No. 1)

The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection is proud to welcome Westminster’s first local news publication, The Westminster Journal, to our online catalog in our continued effort to expand access to Colorado’s rich newspaper history! Thanks to the Westminster Public Library, CHNC users can now browse over 850 issues of the Westminster Journal, ranging from its first publication in 1947 to 1964.

The Journal was founded by A.B. Withers, who was also publishing the Wheat Ridge Journal and the Edgewater Tribune at the time. Withers maintained the Westminster Journal and grew its readership until 1954, during which time he was responsible for the hire of some of Colorado most famous journalists, including Jack Bacon, who won the Colorado Press Association Newspaper Person of the Year in 1994. After Withers sold the paper, it changed hands several more times over the next nearly 20 years until Community Publications assumed its management and changed the name to the Journal-Sentinel.  However, the Westminster Journal saw this sleepy Denver satellite grow into a thriving central Colorado metropolis during a very exciting time in the Centennial State.

Readers can browse the journal to read about the first graduating class of the United States Air Force Academy, learn how the construction of I-25 changed the landscape and culture of the Front Range, or bask in the glow of the Denver Broncos victory over the Boston Patriots in the very first game of the newly re-established 1960 American Football League. Whatever your interest, the CHNC and our new partner, the Westminster Public Library, have you covered with help, in part by the Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) micro grant program and the CHNC New Content Support Program.

Both funding sources offer assistance to educational institutions expanding access to online resources.  And great news, the CHNC New Content Support Program for 2019 is officially underway and taking applications now. Learn more about how your Colorado community’s news publication can join the CHNC and reach audiences all over the world at http://bit.ly/chncnewcontentsupport and check out all of our great titles at coloradohistoricnewspapers.org!

Madison Basch