The first issue of the Schoolcraft County Pioneer printed on cloth. The newspaper is on display at the M-Bank Arts and Cultural Center.
Wright E. Clarke came to Manistique in April of 1880 and immediately began the publication of the county’s first newspaper, the Schoolcraft County Pioneer. The first issue of the paper (Vol. 1, No. 1) was printed on April 29, 1880. The newspaper was printed on cloth for its superior durability, enabling it to be passed around and read by more people.
In the fall of 2019, the Schoolcraft County Historical Society was contacted by Michelle Doucette of Connecticut, who is a very distant relative of Dr. Edith MacLeod, granddaughter of Wright E. Clarke. Dr. MacLeod had preserved a number of items pertaining to the Clarke family, including tin type photographs, letters and documents, and most precious of all, the first edition of the Pioneer, printed on cloth. These items were all donated to the historical society by Mrs. Doucette from the Dr. Edith MacLeod collection. The newspaper is in remarkably good condition after 140 years. A generous donation from Maurita Holland enabled the historical society to have the cloth newspaper transported to a fabric conservator in Washington D.C. where it was cleaned, wrinkles removed and mounted in a protective box that could be used for display. The newspaper was returned to Manistique just prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. The survival of early cloth newspapers is a rare occurrence. We are indebted to generations of the Clarke family for having so diligently looked after this early piece of Schoolcraft County history.
Wright E. Clarke was a Civil War Veteran who served in the 20th Indiana Infantry under his real name of Seymour T. Montgomery. Clarke published the Pioneer from April of 1880 until his death in May of 1896. He was elected to several positions of public trust including the village council, probate judgeship and commissioner of the circuit court. He was a strong advocate for civic improvements and bitterly opposed the saloon interests. Upon his death, the Pioneer merged with the Weekly Tribune, to become the Manistique Pioneer Tribune. Clarke, his daughter and granddaughter are all buried in the family plot at Lakeview Cemetery.
Although Manistique’s historic water tower is closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the historic newspaper and other artifacts related to Wright E. Clarke can be viewed by the public at the Lake Effect Gallery in the M-Bank Arts and Cultural Center. The center is currently open Monday thru Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.