The remodeled home of the Arizona Daily Star, 33 West Congress St., as it looks since being reconstructed for the newspaper's use. The entire upper floor shown in the picture is devoted to the editorial and mechanical units, while the business and advertising departments occupy the lower center of the building. Photo by Buehman
These highlights appeared in the Arizona Daily Star February 22, 1934:
For more than a half century The Star has been a chronicler of Tucson’s life and development, but this is a record of the 57 years of The Arizona Daily Star’s won growth and changes.
MARCH 1, 1877— The Bulletin, the first daily newspaper published in Tucson, was started by L. C. Hughes and Charles Tully, later the publishers of The Star.
MARCH 30, 1877—The Bulletin was succeeded by The Arizona Tri-Weekly Star, under the same ownership.
JUNE 28, 1877—The Arizona Weekly Star was established.
JULY 5, 1877—A. E. Fay became co-editor with L. C. Hughes.
AUGUST 23, 1877—A. E. Fay became sole proprietor.
JANUARY, 1879—L. C. Hughes returned to The Star, first as co-publisher with A. E. Fay and a few months later as sole owner.
JUN 26, 1879—The Arizona Daily Star was started.
JULY 28, 1881—The Star moved its quarters from Maiden Lane to Church and Congress streets.
AUGUST 28, 1885—The Arizona Daily and Weekly Star were sold by L. C. Hughes to The Star Publishing company. Mr. Hughes continued as editor and manager.
JULY 4, 1898—The Arizona Daily Star issued its first extra, on the destruction of Admiral Cervera’s fleet.
JULY 1, 1907—L. C. Hughes and family sold The Star to W. B. Kelly “and associates.”
SEPT. 8, 1907—The Star issued “the largest regular edition of a newspaper ever printed in Arizona.”
The Star passed into the control and management of the State Consolidated Publishing company, headed by George H. Kelly.
AUGUST 15, 1910—The Kelly interest sold its holdings in the State Consolidated Publishing company to Dr. James Douglas, then president of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining company, which in 1917 was taken over, as the Copper Queen branch by the Phelps-Dodge corporation.
DEC. 31, 1917—The Star moved its plant from North Church street to 33 West Congress street.
NOV. 1, 1924—The Star was purchased from the Phelps-Dodge corporation by William R. Mathews and Ralph E. Ellinwood.
SEPT. 7, 1925—The Arizona Daily Star became a “seven-day-a-week" newspaper. Up to that time, it had been appearing daily except Monday.
MAY 1, 1927—Associated Press printer service, replacing the old Morse code system, was installed, increasing press reports to 25,000 words nightly.
MAY 31, 1927—Fiftieth anniversary edition published; five tons of paper used for 10,000 copies of the 64-page issue. During the years following this anniversary edition, The Star issued its annual special edition in connection with the rodeo.
AUGUST 30, 1930—Ralph E. Ellinwood, editor and co-owner of The Star, dropped dead. “His influence as an editor cannot be estimated. He was fearless and independent.” William R. Mathews became editor.
SEPT. 1930— Associated Press printers speeded up from 60 to 72 words per minute, giving The Star a service of 40,000 telegraphed words of news each night.
MARCH 3, 1931—The Star’s building threatened with fire which broke out in the composing room, but was quickly extinguished.
DEC. 18, 1933—The Star’s building almost totally destroyed by a fire beginning at 8 o’clock in the morning, causing a $60,000 loss. Offers of aid came from newspapers in Phoenix, Bisbee and Nogales while the blaze still burned. By 4 o’clock in the afternoon temporary headquarters established at Jackson and Stone avenue in the Old Pueblo club building, and arrangements were completed for using The Citizen’s mechanical department and press.
Dec. 19, 1933—The Star issued as usual despite the fire. Pictures of the burning building were engraved and rushed by airplane from Phoenix and used in this issue—less than 24 hours after the fire. The paper carried 10 pages.
JANUARY 16, 1934—The Star once again printed on its own press at the 33 West Congress street location. A temporary mechanical department had been in use for some time in part of a garage on Jackson street.
JANUARY 25, 1934—The Star moved its entire mechanical department back to the remodeled and rebuilt building that had burned. The one time in the history of the paper when it could not put out an extra, the Dilliinger gang was captured. The Star was commended by the Associated Press for “beating” all other services by over an hour in filing this national news on the Dillinger’s capture.
FEBRUARY 4, 1934—The Star moved its business and editorial departments back to 33 West Congress from the Old Pueblo club building. The speed of remodeling the burned building was accomplished by working three shifts of skilled workmen eight hours a day each.
FEBRUARY, 1934—The Star circulation from 1924, with a credited 4185 has climbed in 10 years to 9014 issues daily.
