Ripped from the headlines: “Boost Beaumont!”

The old hometown newspaper—with its fraying, yellowing pages—delivers a glimpse back in time and new hope for the future.

The September 6, 1912 edition of the Beaumont Leader hit the streets with the latest on our hometown—two months before cityhood. As usual, the weekly newspaper proudly proclaimed: “WE PRINT ALL WE KNOW.”

This early newspaper, perhaps the oldest surviving bit of newsprint about our hometown, will be displayed on Thursday evening, Feb. 9 at the City’s Information Social. The Beaumont Blogger would like you to take a look and discover your city’s rich history. Please join us from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for hot cocoa and learn all about your city government.

We’ll be celebrating our 100^th anniversary on Nov. 18, 2012.

Headlines announce stories of the day

Generations of readers have been captivated and spellbound by newspaper headlines, even if they’re increasingly found online these days. Hollywood often talks about stories “ripped right from the headlines.”

Well, the Beaumont Leader exhaustively chronicled the everyday lives of our forefathers in a small farming town. A century ago, the front page carried stories like this:

“SUDDEN DEATH OF MRS. FRED D. WEST
Well Known Beaumont Lady is Called to Life Beyond”

The story began, “Once more the community has been shocked and saddened by a visit from the Grim Reaper who spares no homes.”

Many other stories filled the front page, but as readers reached the bottom, they came across this headline:

“LOCAL SCHOOLS TO OPEN SEPT. 16^TH

New Teachers in High School Faculty—Others Engaged”

Scattered about other pages of the paper were stories about Beaumont’s incorporation petition to the county Board of Supervisors, signs of oil being discovered south of town and an article reprinted from the Hemet News about a booming canning factory creating huge prosperity in that town.

Boosting Beaumont

One story touted a Board of Trade exhibit that showed how eucalyptus trees grow “wonderfully fast” when planted in Beaumont. Other articles talked about the rising sugar beet industry in town, T.H. Silverwood returning from Los Angeles with a new team of horses to raise apples north of town, and several boys heading out for 10 days of hunting, fishing and camping in Whitewater Canyon.

Advertisements also covered the pages of the Beaumont Leader. They suggest a growing, vibrant local economy in the early 20^th Century. One front-page advertisement touted Belford’s Grocery offering Lovell Peaches for canning for three cents a pound. An ad from Beaumont Pharmacy tried to attract students, saying they could listen to music recordings for free on the latest gadget—a Victor phonograph. Other ads advised readers to stock up on their supply of coal for the winter and get their wagons and buggies repaired by blacksmith L.C Gist.

Call to arms

Back then, hometown pride was an article of faith, just as it is for so many today. As we approach Beaumont’s 100^th anniversary, its residents have much to celebrate. In the Sept. 6, 1912 edition, the Beaumont Leader issued a challenge that still rings true today:

“Be a booster. He who looks only on the dark side is a curse to himself, his country and his God, if he has one. Conditions are perfect in Heaven. Nowhere else. Don’t yamp like a guttersnipe. Make the best of everything and be a man among men. The pessimist can always find something to feel sore about. Look on the bright side. It will do you good.”

The Beaumont Blogger would like to thank the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society for preserving the Sept. 6, 1912 edition of the Beaumont Leader and for sharing the newspaper with the community.