Dodge County Republican

Dodge County Republican (Kasson, Minn.) 1867-1946 Browse the title

Established by Ulysses Bishop Shaver, Jr. and Richard Alonzo Hoag in June of 1867, the Dodge County Republican was the first paper published in Kasson, Dodge County, Minnesota. Kasson was one of the stops of The Winona and St. Peter Railroad, and is located three miles south of Mantorville, the county seat of Dodge County, in the southeast region of Minnesota.

Shaver had worked for the Rochester Republican and the Wabasha County Herald prior to establishing the Republican. Within the first year of publication, Hoag and Shaver were forced to sell the paper on credit to subscribers to sustain its publication. Issues generally contained four pages of content, with seven to eight columns on each page. Local to international news was printed, along with congressional and market news and a "Home, Farm and Garden" column. Hoag left the paper following the November 30, 1867 issue, leaving Shaver sole operator.

To commemorate the first issue of the fifth volume of the paper, published June 23, 1871, the Republican reflected on the progress in Kasson since the publication of the debut issue: "Our village contained scarcely one hundred inhabitants…we have now nearly seven hundred. Lots then vacant are now occupied by good and costly structures. Our roads have been very much improved, and our sidewalks constructed, so that the entire business portion of the village is provided with these convenient articles."

The Republican received a refreshed look with the November 20, 1874, issue. David Thomas Lindley joined the paper in the early 1880s, leaving after the July 9, 1885, issue. Benjamin Allen Shaver joined his father Ulysses Shaver at the Republican starting with the September 13, 1888 issue. George Henry Slocum became editor sometime in the 1890s, though Ulysses Shaver remained at the paper until his death on March 14, 1898. The last issue of the Republican was printed on February 21, 1946, after which it merged with the Mantorville Express to form the Dodge County Republican and the Mantorville Express. That paper was renamed Dodge County Independent in 1949, and continues in publication as of 2023.