Mississippi Valley lumberman and manufacturer (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1876-1887 Browse the title

The Mississippi Valley lumberman (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1887-1973 Browse the title

The Mississippi Valley Lumberman and Manufacturer was a weekly trade journal that began publication in Minneapolis in 1876 and was devoted to the specific interests of those involved in the lumbering and manufacturing industries of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. The journal originally was formatted as a six-column, eight-page publication on 15" by 22" pages, but in 1884 it expanded to 24 pages, with only four columns, necessitating a smaller 10" by 14" page size.

The Mississippi Valley Lumberman and Manufacturer was founded by Platt B. Walker, a former circuit rider attorney, Confederate Army colonel, and the brother of Minnesota industrialist and art collector Thomas Barlow Walker. Platt B. Walker served as editor and proprietor of the Mississippi Valley Lumberman and Manufacturer from 1876 until 1887, when the name was shortened to the Mississippi Valley Lumberman and John Newton Nind took over as editor. In 1893, Platt B. Walker’s son, Platt B. Walker, Jr., obtained control and his father renewed business relations with the journal, maintaining his interest until his retirement in 1897 at age 64.

The main focus of the Mississippi Valley Lumberman and Manufacturer’s reporting dealt with timber logging and milling. A regular front-page feature was a survey and analysis of the inventory on-hand and production output of the major lumber mills in the region. In addition to logging and milling, the Mississippi Valley Lumberman and Manufacturer also featured news stories that focused on other sectors of Minnesota industry, such as textiles, mining, iron and steel production, construction, and glass manufacturing. The journal also published railroad time tables for all Minneapolis and St. Paul lines. The journal covered regional and national news and trade reports on the lumber industry. Also included was news of various lumber associations, brief notices on people and businesses in the trade, obituaries, and want ads.

The Mississippi Valley Lumberman continued a similar format and content to the Lumberman and Manufacturer until 1895 when it began to carry extensive advertisements preceding and following the news pages, often as many ad pages as news. The Mississippi Valley Lumberman continued as a weekly publication until 1954, when it changed its frequency to bi-weekly. Starting in 1967, the journal became a monthly publication, which it continued as until its final issue in March 1973, after which it merged with the Northwestern/Iowa Lumber Dealer to form the Northwestern and Mississippi Valley Lumberman.