As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we are looking back at front pages from June 3 across different decades. These historic archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from early 20th-century labor and crime reporting to modern-day community movements and global shifts.
1910: Joliet Evening Herald
The June 3, 1910, edition of the Joliet Evening Herald captured a fascinating cross-section of early 20th-century society. The paper led with a census report examining the local workforce, noting that “Women occupy 20 per cent of paying berths” and highlighting that stenographers were mostly men. Tragedy struck locally as a train derailment left a worker dead, detailed in the headline “Buried four hours under wrecked engine.” On the national and political front, the paper tracked local political shakeups with “Snapp erased from board of politics,” while international curiosity made front-page news with a feature on a “Real live baron is a Bridewell lodger.”
1927: The Daily Chronicle
In 1927, DeKalb’s The Daily Chronicle led with a dramatic local crime headline: “Police arrest five; believed to be auto bandits,” detailing a group of young men from Iowa caught with a stolen car. Aviation history was also unfolding on the front page, tracking Charles Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic journey with updates like “Lindbergh in France” and a “Plan of welcome for Lindbergh announced.” Locally, the paper kept tabs on community infrastructure and public health, noting that county funds were exhausted for the tuberculosis sanitarium board and reporting on a “Plan park [for] Third Ward” to improve local recreation.
1989: Northwest Herald
By 1989, the Northwest Herald front page reflected a mix of economic anxiety, environmental concerns, and massive global shifts. The main headline, “Jobless rate dips, lower rates expected,” provided a snapshot of the late-80s economy. Locally, a bittersweet community milestone was captured in “School’s out at Landmark — for good,” featuring moving photos of students and teachers saying goodbye to a historic school building. The paper also addressed health concerns with “Health officials say the Fox River not safe for swimming” due to high bacteria levels, while a massive international crisis loomed on the right side of the page with the stark headline, “China troops move in,” reporting on the escalating situation in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
2020: The Times
Rounding out the collection, the June 3, 2020, edition of The Times out of Ottawa, Illinois, serves as a recent reminder of a nation reckoning with systemic issues. The striking, full-width photo and lead headline “MARCHING ON” detailed Day 2 of local protests against racism following the death of George Floyd. Amidst the heavy national conversation, the front page also captured how the community was adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting on “Special guests” making celebrity cameos at a Streator drive-in graduation ceremony and long lines forming at the Secretary of State’s office on its official reopening day.
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