As the Civil War closed a returning volunteer, Webster Morris, visualized the opportunity for a newspaper, and founded the Lowell Journal, the first issue appearing on July 13, 1865. Mr. Morris, with able management and live editorial columns, soon had a list of over one thousand readers.

Capt. S. H. Smith was associated with the paper from 1868 to 1870. In 1870 James W. Hine bought a half interest in the paper and on May 1, 1873, Mr. Hine bought out the interests of Mr. Morris. Mr. Hine, previous to entering this business, was a local druggist. He made many improvements in the mechanical department and re-christened the paper, calling it the Lowell Journal, Hine’s One Dollar Weekly.

In 1886 Mr. Hine sold to J. D. Elinwood, of Detroit. He was successful until in 1888, he made an error which almost doomed the paper, when he sold a page space regularly to the Democratic organization. With the journal proving itself a sinking raft Mr. Ellinwood sold out to Mr. Quick, who for twelve years tried unceasingly to wipe out the 1888 blot on the Journal.

In 1901 Mr. Quick sold his interests to Rev. D. B. Davidson, a Baptist minister, who after five years sold out to Thomas Whitehouse who retired in 1910 and Roy Jackson took over the business. On April 1, 1914, the paper was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Hutchinson, who had been engaged in a similar field of activity in Harrisburg, Ill., and Plainwell, Mich., and the paper remained in that ownership until the Spring of 1930, when death removed Mrs. Hutchinson from the local journalist field. Mr. Hutchinson is carrying on the work of publishing the Journal, which entered into its 66^th year of continuous service for the community on July 1^st of this year.