As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from April 6. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from early 20th-century industrial disputes to the suburban expansion of the 1990s and the profound social shifts of the 1960s.
1923: Morris Daily Herald
On April 6, 1923, the Morris Daily Herald featured a massive headline: “OTTAWA STOPS WATERWAY WORK.” The story detailed a legal battle where a ruling against the state threatened to halt local construction projects. Amidst the hard news, the page featured a quirky editorial cartoon titled “The White Elephant,” reflecting on merchant losses. The edition also balanced tragedy and local progress, reporting on a “Death Harvest” among Morris residents and the “Farmers’ Big Problem” regarding spring planting and labor.
1968: Dixon Evening Telegraph
The April 6, 1968, edition was dominated by the heavy atmosphere following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The lead headline, “20 Persons Dead in Racial Riots,” accompanied a photo of federal troops guarding Washington D.C. Locally, the “World’s Week” summary provided a somber recap of the national mourning and the “manhunt” for the killer. Even amidst national turmoil, the paper remained a record of local life, reporting on a tragic car crash that claimed the lives of two “Dixonites.”
1990: The Daily Chronicle (DeKalb)
By 1990, the focus in DeKalb shifted toward international diplomacy and local infrastructure. The top story, “Accord is termed ‘landmark’,” covered trade negotiations between the U.S. and Japan. Closer to home, the paper tracked a “fight” over airport expansion and the school district’s efforts to tackle “housing problems” for students. The page captures a community in transition, balancing global economic shifts with the growing pains of a college town.
1997: Northwest Herald (McHenry County)
The April 6, 1997, Northwest Herald highlights the rapid suburbanization of McHenry County with the headline, “Small towns hear growth’s call.” The lead story explored how formerly tiny villages like Cary and Hebron were being transformed by a residential building boom. However, the news was tempered by a grim local mystery: “Search for Wendy turns up empty,” detailing the disappearance of a Woodstock teenager whose body had recently been discovered in Florida.
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