Milwaukee Journal Sentinel History and Evolution

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It serves as the primary newspaper for the city and stands as the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, maintaining a wide readership across the region.

Ownership and Operations

The publication was purchased by the Gannett Company in 2016. In early 2003, the newspaper began printing at a new facility in West Milwaukee. In September 2006, the Journal Sentinel announced a five-year agreement to print the national edition of USA Today for distribution in the northern and western suburbs of Chicago and the eastern half of Wisconsin.

History of the Milwaukee Sentinel

Founding and Early Years

The Milwaukee Sentinel was founded on June 27, 1837, in response to disparaging statements made by the Milwaukee Advertiser during the city's "bridge wars." Solomon Juneau, a co-founder of Milwaukee, provided the starting funds for editor John O'Rourke to launch the paper.

Early operations were marked by financial struggles and partisan politics. The paper became a voice for the Whig party in the territory. By December 9, 1844, the Sentinel became a daily publication, establishing itself as a major political force in the nascent state of Wisconsin.

Editorial Leadership and Growth

Under the leadership of Rufus King, the Sentinel provided thorough coverage of Wisconsin's constitutional convention in 1846 and was instrumental in the rejection of the first adopted constitution. King also launched Der Volksfreund, a German-language paper, to engage the city's large German immigrant population.

The Civil War Era

The Sentinel prospered during the American Civil War, sometimes printing up to five editions in a single day. Due to a shortage of skilled printers, the paper began hiring and training "female compositors" in 1863 to typeset the paper, a significant step in the workplace of the time.

Additionally, editor C. Latham Sholes, frustrated by the lack of skilled help, attempted to build a typesetting machine. While he failed at that specific task, he later invented the modern typewriter, a breakthrough that revolutionized communication.