The Bishop Hill News was started by A.W. Lindbeck and O. B. Olson. Their newspaper office was located in the Steeple Building. The first issue was printed on March 2, 1889 and consisted of four full-sized pages. Mr. Lindbeck handled the editorial duties, which included a weekly column with entertaining material. One sample of his column is given below:
A man named Wheat married a woman named Corn. During the ceremony the choir sang “What shall the Harvest be.”
At this point, a man in the rear of the church spoke up in a loud, clear voice: “Nubbins.” Whereupon the man was cast out of the church.
Unfortunately, the Bishop Hill News lasted only two years. The newspaper’s last edition was on March 13, 1891. The following explanation was given by the editors for closing the paper:
After two years of varied experience, we have reached the conclusion that Bishop Hill is not the best place on earth for newspaper work, viewed from a financial standpoint…
We have therefore concluded to move our outfit to more congenial climates and will embark for new pastures in the near future.