Winning a contest is always fun. When a Haughton woman won a prize The Bossier Banner announced it in its April 9, 1936 issue.
“The following story, clipped from The Shreveport Journal, will be of interest to many readers of the Banner:”
“A copy of the Cosmopolitan magazine, printed in August 1887, brought Mrs. D. E. Alford, of Haughton, a cash prize of $10.”
“Mrs. Alford was the winner of the contest sponsored here by F. T. Neal, distributor of that magazine in the Shreveport area, in connection with the fiftieth anniversary of the magazine, conducted in all of the country’s larger cities. A number of the old magazines were turned in to local dealers here.”
“C. R. Caldwell, manager of the Majestic Drug Store, through whom Mrs. Alford turned in her old magazine, also won a price for having received the oldest magazine in this area.”
“In the national contest, which closed on March 31st, only a few copies of the first magazine, printed in Rochester, N. Y., in 1886, were turned in. The contest disclosed, however, that John Mosher, who with two other printers got out the first edition on one printing press, is still alive and lives on Long Island [1936]. The April golden jubilee issue required 890 typesetters, proof readers, engravers and printers to get out its 1,700,000 copies.”
“The copy turned in by Mrs. Alford was volume No. 3, No. 6, and was published by Schlicht & Field Co. Subscription rates were $2 a year, or 20 cents a copy. It had been mailed to W. H. Scanland, founder of The Bossier Banner, now published in Benton. Mr. Scanland was a relative of the Alfords.”
“Quaint advertisements appear in the issue, including some of habit-forming drugs.”
“Writers featured in the issue are George H. Fitch, Aug Glardon, William C. Richards, J. McDonald Oxley, Katherine B. Foot, William H. Hayne, Gail Hamilton, Charles C. Welman, Arnold Burges Johnson, Berr De Turique, B. Zim, Mrs. L. C. Clayes, Clara F. Guernsey and David Ker.”
To discover more about what was going on in Bossier Parish’s past, come to the Bossier Parish Library Historical Center.
Ann Middleton is Director of the Bossier Parish Library Historical Center. She can be reached at (318) 746-7717 or by e-mail at amiddlet@state.lib.la.us
