Crawford County Avalanche

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Crawford County Avalanche
CrawfordCountyAvalancheBanner.jpg
Avalanche banner
TypeWeekly newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s)Richard Milliman family
PublisherTeresa Milliman Brandell
EditorCaleb Casey
Founded1879
Headquarters108 Michigan Avenue, Grayling, Michigan 49738, United States
Circulation 5,400 (summer)
5,000 (winter)(as of 2022) [1]
Website Crawford County Avalanche website

The Crawford County Avalanche is a weekly newspaper and website based in Grayling, Michigan [2] published on Thursdays. It calls itself "Grayling's Hometown Newspaper Since 1879" [3] and is the newspaper of record for Crawford County for 144 years. The Chronicling America project of the Library of Congress has images of the newspaper online for the years 1879–1900. [4]

Contents

History

The Crawford Avalanche, founded by Masters & (George) Maurer from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, [5] began the paper in May 1879, [4] just as the county was established. The editor was Dr. Simeon C. Brown, from Salt River. [4] In the first issue, the paper declared that it was affiliated with the Republican Party which was dominant in Michigan at the time, and its goal was "developing the new section," i.e., bringing economic prosperity to the county. [4]

Three years later, Oscar Palmer took control and published for more than 80 years. The Milliman family purchased the paper in 1968 and changed the name to Crawford County Avalanche with Richard Milliman as the publisher. [4] As of 2023, the paper is still owned and operated by the Milliman family. [6]

To compete against the "Republican" Avalanche, the Northern Democrat began publishing circa 1887 by Joseph Patterson and Len J. Patterson. In June 1895, ownership changed to Jay Allen and the name was changed to Grayling News. It lasted just over three years, ceasing publication July 7, 1898. The Crawford Avalanche "absorbed" the newspaper. [6]

Due to the location in rural northern Michigan, Crawford County's greatest economic growth occurred in the 1800s when lumbering clear-cut most of the extensive forests. With the trees gone, tourism became the center of the economy. [4] In the 1870s Crawford County became a popular destination for recreational fishing. The Michigan grayling, found in the Au Sable River, first gained the attention of anglers. The Avalanche's first edition featured a fishing story on the front-page. [4] By the end of the century, the grayling species vanished due to a combination of overfishing, river degradation due to logging, and the impact of human-introduced brown trout. The Au Sable River of today boasts large populations of brown and rainbow trout and remains a premiere trout fishing area in both Michigan and the nation. [4]

Circulation

The circulation area of the Avalanche covers all of Crawford County including the city of Grayling, Grayling Charter Township, Beaver Creek Township, Frederic Township, Lovells Township, Maple Forest Township, South Branch Township, and limited portions of Kalkaska, Roscommon and Otsego counties in the northwest lower peninsula. [7] Print circulation during the winter is 5,000; summer is 5,400. Over 10,000 people read the paper each week which is 94% of Crawford County's adults. [3]

Issues

While the economy of Michigan as a whole has been characterized as stagnant or declining, the Grayling area demonstrated marginal population growth in the 2000s. The Grayling area's economy centers on four-season recreation, retirement living, tourism, military, and higher education, and the newspaper covers these concerns. The editorial board often writes aggressively on environmental issues, with a particular emphasis on the ecology of the Au Sable Rivers, expansion of Camp Grayling and political issues. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Au Sable River (Michigan)</span> River in Michigan, United States

The Au Sable River in Michigan, United States runs approximately 138 miles (222 km) through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the towns of Grayling and Mio, and enters Lake Huron at the town of Oscoda. It is considered one of the best brown trout fisheries east of the Rockies and has been designated a blue ribbon trout stream by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. A map from 1795 located in the United States Gazetteer calls it the Beauais River. In French, the river is called the Rivière au sable, literally "Sand River".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roscommon County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Roscommon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 23,459. The county seat is Roscommon. The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otsego County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Otsego County, formerly known as Okkuddo County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 25,091. The county seat is Gaylord. The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscoda County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Oscoda County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,219, making it the least populous county in the Lower Peninsula, and the sixth-least populous county in the entire state. The county seat is Mio, an unincorporated community near the center of the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalkaska County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Kalkaska County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 17,939. The county seat is Kalkaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iosco County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Iosco County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan; its eastern border is formed by Lake Huron. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,237. The county seat is Tawas City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crawford County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Crawford County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 12,988 as of the 2020 census. The county seat of Crawford County is Grayling, the county's only incorporated community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederic Township, Michigan</span> Civil township in Michigan, United States

Frederic Township is a civil township of Crawford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,341 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayling, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Grayling is a city and the county seat of Crawford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the only incorporated community in Crawford County. The population was 1,884 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by Grayling Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayling Charter Township, Michigan</span> Charter township in Michigan, United States

Grayling Charter Township is a charter township of Crawford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,827 as of the 2010 census, down from 6,516 at the 2000 census. The city of Grayling is surrounded by Grayling Charter Township, but both are administered autonomously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mio, Michigan</span> Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Mio is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Oscoda County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Oscoda County. The population of the CDP was 1,690 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Au Sable Township, Roscommon County, Michigan</span> Civil township in Michigan, United States

Au Sable Township is a civil township of Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 236 at the 2020 census, which makes it the county's least-populated municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Michigan</span> Northern region of Michigans lower peninsula

Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan, is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popular tourist destination, it is home to several small- to medium-sized cities, extensive state and national forests, lakes and rivers, and a large portion of Great Lakes shoreline. The region has a significant seasonal population much like other regions that depend on tourism as their main industry. Northern Lower Michigan is distinct from the more northerly Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale, which are also located in "northern" Michigan. In the northernmost 21 counties in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, the total population of the region is 506,658 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital News Service (Michigan)</span> Wire service

The Capital News Service (CNS) is a wire service based at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. CNS covers news at the state capital in Lansing and across Michigan for member papers from September to early May. The circulation of the combined member papers is one of the largest in the state—larger than the Detroit Free Press. The service is headed by Eric Freedman, a Pulitzer-winning reporter formerly of The Detroit News. Correspondents are selected from undergraduate and master's students within the School of Journalism and College of Communication Arts and Sciences by an application process. During each semester, correspondents report on state government, politics and public policy for daily and weekly newspapers and online news outlets across Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manistee River</span> River in Northwest lower Michigan

The Manistee River, seldom referred to as the Big Manistee River, runs 190 miles (310 km) through the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan; it now passes through the contemporary villages of Sharon, Smithville, and Mesick, entering Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east of the Rockies. The Manistee River is also being considered for restoration of Arctic grayling, which have been extirpated from the State of Michigan since 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Au Sable River Canoe Marathon</span>

The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon, presented by Consumers Energy, is an annual 120 mi (193 km) canoe race in Michigan from Grayling to Oscoda. Nicknamed and known simply as "The Marathon," it first ran in 1947, and is perhaps the oldest marathon canoe race in the United States, and is the longest, non-stop, canoe-only race in North America. The race has been billed as "The World's Toughest Spectator Race" as many of the spectators follow the racers overnight down the full 120 miles (190 km) to the finish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Au Sable State Forest</span> State forest on the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, US

The Au Sable State Forest is a state forest in the north-central Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairview, Michigan</span> Unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Fairview is an unincorporated community in Oscoda County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Comins Township at the intersection of highways M-33 and M-72 at 44°43′30″N84°03′04″W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luzerne, Michigan</span> Unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Luzerne is an unincorporated community in Oscoda County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is located within Big Creek Township. As an unincorporated community, Luzerne has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics of its own but does have its own post office with the 48636 ZIP Code.

References

  1. ↑ "2022–2023 Michigan Press Association Member Directory". Michigan Press Association. 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  2. ↑ "Crawford County Avalanche". michiganpress.org. Michigan Press Association. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Crawford County Avalanche". Crawfordcountyavalanche.com. Crawford County Avalanche, Inc. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "About Crawford avalanche". Chronicling America.loc.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Smith, Jim. "The way it used to be". Upnorthvoice.com. AuSable Media. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 Driedger, Kevin. "Crawford County". Michigannewspaperhistory.com. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Newsstand Locations". Crawfordcountyavalanche.com. Crawford County Avalanche, Inc. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
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