Bureau Valley Chief will close Nov. 1

TISKILWA — Tiskilwa’s hometown newspaper, "Bureau Valley Chief," will close on Nov. 1.

John and Ginger Murphy, who’ve published the paper and have run the commercial printing side of the business, will retire after 50 years.

The decision was not easy, and it comes with many mixed feelings, however the Murphys say its time to slow down and do something different.

The "Bureau Valley Chief" has been a part of John’s life since he was six years old. In 1954, his parents, Allen and Mary Murphy, purchased the paper, which was known back then as the "Tiskilwa Weekly." They published their first issue on Nov. 18 using a 1884 Ottmar Megenthaler Linotype.

They started publishing the paper in their home garage. As a kid, John can remember coming home from study hall at school and helping his parents publish the paper in the afternoons.

Back then, working with linotype was hard, heavy work.

“It took weeks to do what can be done in hours today,” John said. “It was a whole different ballgame.”

In the mid-60s, John joined in the Air Force and went off to Vietnam. While he was there, his parents purchased offset equipment and retired the old press and linotype.

John returned home from Vietnam in 1970, and he and Ginger were married on July 4. He was stationed at Grisson Air Force Base in Indiana — a four-hour drive from Tiskilwa.

John had real interest in the offset process and wanted to move back to Tiskilwa to help his dad in the shop. John and Ginger drove every weekend to Tiskilwa for the next year and a half. John worked with his dad and Ginger learned to run the Just-O-Writer, which had a typewriter keyboard. Mary, John’s mother, had run the linotype for so long and had no desire to relearn how to type on a normal keyboard. So, Ginger started typing for the paper on weekends when she and John were home. When John was discharged from the Air Force, they moved to Tiskilwa. In 1970, the newspaper's name was also changed back to "Bureau Valley Chief."

In 1974, the Murphys moved the newspaper and commercial printing to Main Street. In 1979, Allen and Mary decided it was time to retire after 25 years, so John and Ginger purchased the business on Jan. 1, 1979. They were welcomed by the Blizzard of ‘79. The front page of their first edition on Jan. 4 edition reads, “14 Inches of Snow Blanket Tiskilwa” with a photograph of downtown Tiskilwa buried in snow.

Over the next 40 years, the Murphys experienced a lot of highs and lows as business owners in the printing and publishing fields. They also rode out many changes in new equipment and printing processes.

In the late 1980s/early 1990s, they purchased their first computer, which back then was a huge deal. They had the computer for 13 years. Ginger said it was a dinosaur when they were finished with it. Today, she sits at a 22-inch colored monitor for a computer that can do every task.

John said it’s “just fascinating” all the changes and advances that have taken place.

“I can’t imagine what it will look like in 10 years. So many things are being done on the technology-side of things.”

Despite the changes, their mission always remained the same — to keep the Tiskilwa community connected and informed and to promote the village of Tiskilwa.

John and Ginger raised two daughters while running the business. The family shared many good memories together in the shop uptown. The girls might say they always enjoyed hanging out at the office after school, rather than having to ride the bus home. They eventually grew up and went into two professions that have taken them to the Chicago suburbs and Bloomington-Normal area.

The business has been a large part of the Murphys' lives over the past 50 years.

“We’re going to miss the people and knowing what’s happening,” Ginger said.

And the community will certainly miss them back. The newspaper has been an anchor in Tiskilwa. It’s been a place were people have conjured to learn new information or find out the happenings in the area.

The Murphys hope someone comes along and expresses interest in continuing the weekly newspaper and printing. The Murphy’s last publication date will be Oct. 22. The business as well as the building are for sale. Phone is 815-646-4731 for additional information.

“It has been a long run and has kept us in touch with the Tiskilwa community and local area — and allowed us to keep local subscribers and those out-of-town and out-of state keep in touch with their hometown,” they stated in a news release. “We greatly appreciate the area business and communities for their support. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives over these 50 years.”

Quick facts:

• The newspaper has had 16 different publishers.

• In 1856, 163 years ago, George Karl published the first newspaper in Tiskilwa named the "Tiskilwa Independent."

• In 1951, John Davenport purchased the "Tiskilwa Chief" and later combined it with "The Buda Plain Dealer," "Sheffield Messenger" and "Neponset Times" and changed the name to the "Bureau Valley Chief", then back to the "Tiskilwa Weekly."

• Allen and Mary Murphy bought the newspaper in 1954.

• In 1970, the name of the newspaper was changed back to "Bureau Valley Chief."

• John and Ginger took over the newspaper and printing business in 1979.

Names over the past 163 years:

• Tiskilwa Independent

• Tiskilwa Register

• Tiskilwa Tidings

• Tiskilwa Chief

• The Chief

• Tiskilwa Weekly

• Bureau Valley Chief