George Stephens, originator and editor of the Press, quoted Tennyson's poem "The Brook" when referring to the newspaper. "Though men may come and men may go, the brook flows on forever." Stephens suggested that the word "press" be used in the poem instead of the word brook, to reflect his feelings about the newspaper.
December 8, 1887, marked the first issue of the Press. Stephens recalled, "...many of those who gathered in the office on that pleasant day in 1887 have gone to their reward. I remember that many, ladies included, wanted to turn the press and print one copy and take that copy home with them. They were long preserved as souvenirs, but I doubt if there are any left now."
A fire in 1895 destroyed all old copies in the office of the Press. Fortunately, some of the copies were preserved by the Minnesota State Historical Society in St. Paul. Interested parties may now view the old papers recorded on microfilm.
At the time of the first issue, the town of Paynesville was only six months old. "Practically all the business buildings were situated in the one block running south from the Soo depot. A few tried to do business below James Street. but the trend of trade was not in that direction. Every tradesman took advertising space, and every resident subscribed for the paper."
Stephens remembers that winter to be the coldest of the ten years he resided in the area. He reported that several mercury thermometers broke and his spirit gauge registered as low as 45-degrees below zero. Nineteen snowstorms left a total of 33 inches of snow on the ground.
The heavy snows melted in the spring, causing the level of water in Lake Koronis to be high. Fishing was good that year, and the townspeople began to look to the lake for more entertainment.
Stephens wrote, "I do not think there were any cottages on the lake then, but several people had tents. In fact, there was no land obtainable to build on until somewhere about the year 1892, when a tract of land was bought and plotted into about 30 lots. I think there were 12 persons in this deal, and about half of them built cottages. As near as I can remember, those building were E. R. Phipps, J. H. Boylan, A. L. Elliott, J. C. Haines, R. P. Gilbert and G. R. Stephens."
Even after Stephens had been gone from the Paynesville area for over 20 years, he continued to write about his thoughts on the town and Lake Koronis. It seems that the area is not easily forgotten.
He wrote, "With these few lines of greeting and looking backwards, I want to compliment the editor on the splendid appearance of the Press. It is certainly a credit to the town."
And today, the same words ring true with the addition of the Press being a credit to Lake Koronis. Through the written word former and current, summer and permanent residents of Koronis can be assured of a view from the lake.
Information for this column was taken from the December 2, 1920, issue of the Paynesville Press.