In the early days of the twentieth century, newspaper readers frequently skipped the main headlines and turned right to the back pages to catch up on local news in columns with names like “Society News.” These columns contained information that seems so minor and mundane that we might wonder why newspapers bothered to take up space with them.
For example, on this date in 1921, the Washburn Leader printed a full page of local information. For example:
- John Vogel made a hurried trip to Bismarck, returning Sunday afternoon with his brother, Frank.
- Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Sundstrom spent Sunday in the Adolph Larson home.
- Chas. Esping returned Friday from Bismarck, where he went to consult with doctors.
In other newspapers of the day, you learn that Miss Rose Migillivray entertained at her home, Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Nelson went to Fargo for a visit, and Mrs. William Watt spent several weeks in Bismarck with her husband.
Newspapers emerged in early seventeenth-century Europe, a period that saw massive social changes, including expanding international trade and the emergence of political parties. Newspapers teach us what people thought was important at a particular point in history and what their friends and neighbors were doing was very important.
The first newspapers focused primarily on national and international events like the economy, politics, and military confrontations. Newspaper editors soon discovered that readers were just as interested, if not more so, in local comings and goings. People were more likely to buy newspapers if national and international news was accompanied by entertainment and gossip. Between 1777 and 1783, a writer named James Boswell wrote what might be the first gossip column in the London Magazine.
Today’s newspapers are threatened by new forms of media. Readers can open a news site on their computer or phone at any time of day and from any location. These sites are updated frequently, much faster than newspapers could possibly be. The print form of newspapers seems to be an endangered species, and many have put an electronic version on the internet.
It seems that little has changed. On social media, you can learn where people ate dinner and which movies they went to. People share where they went on vacation and who they visited. The gossip column is alive and well, if in a somewhat different form.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Washburn Leader. “Washburn Leader. Washburn ND. 2/4/1921. Page 2.
- Grand Forks Herald. “Of Interest to Women.” Grand Forks ND. 2/26/1921. Page 2.
- Bismarck Tribune. “Society.” Bismarck ND. 2/12/2021. Page 5.
- University of Leicester. “The newspaper: the rise and fall of a cultural form?” https://le.ac.uk/social-worlds/all-articles/newspaperAccessed 1/10/2026.
- Shondaland. “The History of Gossip Columns.” https://www.shondaland.com/shondaland-series/bridgerton/the-history-of-gossip-columnsAccessed 1/10/2026.
