The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman is a newspaper serving the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of Alaska. It is owned by the Mat-Su Sentinel, publishing every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday.
| Type | Semi-weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tall Tab |
| Owner | Mat-Su Sentinel |
| Founder | Viola Daniels |
| Editor | Jeremiah Bartz |
General manager | Jay Curran |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 5751 E. Mayflower Ct. Wasilla, AK 99654 United States |
| Circulation | 1,500 (as of 2025)[1] |
Sister newspapers | Anchorage Press |
| Website | frontiersman |
History
editOn November 20, 1946, Miss Viola Daniels published the first edition of The Frontiersman in Seldovia, Alaska.[2] It was a biweekly mimeographed created by Daniels, a former school teacher.[3] On August 30, 1947, Daniels announced she had sold the paper to Pat and Lee O’Brien.[4][5] It ceased that December.[6]
On September 20, 1947, Daniels launched another paper called the Valley Frontiersman in Palmer, Alaska.[7] In 1949, Alvin Jay DeJulio and his wife Billie Jean DeJulio bought the paper. DeJulio previously worked at the Anchorage Daily Times and was one of the co-founders of the Anchorage Daily News.[8][9] On October 13, 1950, Daniels announced she was retiring from the paper.[10] Miss Opal Lu Smith was then named editor.[11] On March 23, 1951, Marian Badcon was named editor.[12]
At age 47, A.J. DeJulio died from a brief illness in June 1959.[8][9] His widow then remarried in May 1960 to Theodore "Ted" O. Schmidtke, who formerly worked at the Anchorage Daily News. Mr. Schmidtke at some point was elected mayor of Palmer, Alaska. The couple divorced in August 1973 and Mrs. Schmidtke moved to Winslow, Washington. Ted Schmidtke drowned in Wasilla Lake in October 1973. He was age 45.[13] Mrs. Schmidtke then put the Frontiersman up for sale.[9]
In Mach 1974, Jerome F. Sheldon bought the paper from her.[14] In 1978, Leighton P. Wood, owner of the Skagit Valley Herald in Washington, purchased the paper from Sheldon.[15] Wood's family also owned Pioneer Newspapers of Seattle.[16] Following the sale, Dave Ward was then installed as publisher and soon faced competition from the newly-founded Valley Sun of Wasilla, Alaska, operated by Jack Sorgenfrei.[17] The two paper's merged production operations in 1979 but maintained separate ownership.[16] Former Wasilla mayor Harold Newcomb launched another rival paper in 1983 called the Valley Press,[18] but it ceased after three years. By then the Valley Sun had been absorbed into the Frontiersman.[19]
Shelly Gill, former editor of Alaska Woman Magazine, became publisher of the Frontiersman in 1983. During her five-year-reign, the Frontiersman won a 1986 National Newspaper Association award for a series on child sexual abuse. In 1987, Gill directed two reporters to eavesdrop at a cafe where a majority of borough assembly members had gathered after their regular meetings and reported on the overheard conversation. The paper then sued the assembly for violating Open meeting laws by discussing government issues in private and later reached a settlement.[20]
In 1993, Wood sold the paper to Michael and Patricia Lindsey, of Wyoming, for more than $1 million.[21] In 1996, the couple sold the paper to Wick Communications. At that time the Frontiersman had a circulation of 7,000.[22] In 2006, Wick purchased Anchorage Press Publishing, which published the Anchorage Press.[23]
In January 2025, Wick announced it was looking to sell the paper.[24] In May 2026, the Frontiersman and Press were acquired by the Mat-Su Sentinel, a two-year-old digital-only nonprofit newsroom. Following the sale, the Frontiersman will discontinue it's print edition. It's archive will remain online for free while its newspaper and photo archive will be donated to a local museum or library. Wick retained ownership of the Wasilla printing facility and the paper's adjacent office building.[25][26] Moving forward, new articles posted to the Frontiersman's website will redirect to the Sentinel's website. It's undecided whether or not the paper's four staff members will be retained or let go.[27] The Press was sold off that June.[28]
Notable staff
editFormer Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin worked for the newspaper as a sports reporter.[29] Longtime sports writer Jeremiah Bartz is the managing editor.[30]
References
edit- ↑ "My Alaska Media 2020 Rate Card by Wick Communications - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Thank you". The Frontiersman. Seldovia, Alaska. November 20, 1946. p. 2.
- ↑ "Alaska Teacher Has Her Own Newspaper". The News. Pinole, California. March 28, 1947. p. 2.
- ↑ "Editorialy". The Frontiersman. August 30, 1947. p. 2.
- ↑ "Old Shoes And New". The Frontiersman. Seldovia, Alaska. September 3, 1947. p. 2.
- ↑ "Editorial". The Homer Homesteader. Homer, Alaska. December 29, 1947. p. 29.
- ↑ "First Issue Of Valley Paper Overcomes Jinx". Valley Frontiersman. Palmer, Alaska. September 20, 1947. p. 7.
- 1 2 "Publisher Succumbs In Palmer". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Associated Press. June 10, 1959. p. 7.
- 1 2 3 "Printing Goes On At Frontiersman". Anchorage Times. November 1, 1973. p. 4.
- ↑ Daniels, Viola (October 13, 1950). "Daniels - In the Lion's Den". Valley Frontiersman. Palmer, Alaska. p. 3.
- ↑ "A Change-Over". Valley Frontiersman. Palmer, Alaska. October 20, 1950. p. 1.
- ↑ "Marian Badcon, New Editor Of Frontiersman". Valley Frontiersman. Palmer, Alaska. March 23, 1951. p. 1.
- ↑ "Former Palmer Mayor, T.O. Schmidtke, Dies". Anchorage Times. October 19, 1973. p. 1.
- ↑ "Sheldons Acquire Control of Newspaper In Palmer". Anchorage Times. March 29, 1974. p. 4.
- ↑ "New publisher for Palmer". The Peninsula Clarion. Associated Press. June 22, 1978. p. 5.
- 1 2 Huntley, Brian (April 26, 1979). "Valley newspapers to merge operations". Anchorage Daily News. p. 17.
- ↑ "Valley Press 'War' Heats Up Between Sun, Frontiersman". Anchorage Times. July 22, 1978. p. 14.
- ↑ O'Harra, Doug (December 4, 1983). "Former Wasilla mayor to launch weekly paper". Anchorage Daily News. p. 22.
- ↑ Geiger, Chris (March 27, 1986). "Valley Press stops publication, leaves Mat-Su with 1 local paper". Anchorage Daily News. p. 27.
- ↑ "Mat-Su Newspaper Publisher to Resign". Daily Sitka Sentinel. Associated Press. January 19, 1988. p. 3.
- ↑ "Frontiersman Newspaper Sold". Daily Sitka Sentinel. Associated Press. September 22, 1993. p. 5.
- ↑ Jung, Helen (January 5, 1996). "Valley newspaper sold to Arizona chain". Anchorage Daily News. p. 37.
- ↑ Richtmyer, Richard (August 3, 2006). "Arizona publisher buys Anchorage press owner". Anchorage Daily News. p. 47.
- ↑ Rhode, Scott (April 7, 2025). "Pressing Concerns: Behind the Covers of Periodical Printing". Alaska Business Magazine. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ↑ "Mat-Su Sentinel acquires Frontiersman, bringing legacy paper under local nonprofit". Mat-Su Sentinel. May 29, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Wick Communications announces sale of Frontiersman to Mat-Su Sentinel". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. May 29, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ White, Rindi (June 2, 2026). "Frontiersman Newspaper Acquired by Mat-Su Sentinel". Alaska Business Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Bieri, Chris (June 17, 2026). "Alternative weekly Anchorage Press is relaunching under a new ownership group". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ "We know Sarah Palin". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. August 30, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ Anderson, Dennis. "Publisher's Notebook; Shooting at the Capital Gazette hits home for the Frontiersman". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Retrieved July 10, 2021.