Dickinson County

The Reflector, which is edited and published by C. M. Harger, was established in Abilene in 1883. In May, 1887, a daily edition was added, which has had a continuous and successful existence since. The weekly Reflector was an eight-page, seven-column paper, all home print, and the daily, published every evening except Sunday, was a four-page, six-column sheet with afternoon dispatches. This page provides a brief history of the paper along with access to the various online sources where you can find digital copies of the paper.

Dickinson County was organized, 1859; named for Daniel S. Dickinson, United States senator from New York; county seat, Abilene; area, 851 square miles 544,640 acres; population (1915), 25,339; assessed valuation (1915), $46,182,593; resources and industries agriculture, stock raising brick and pottery clay, and mineral springs. The Western News was the first newspaper published in Dickinson county, Andreas’ statement to the contrary notwithstanding. ((Andreas, A. T., History of the State of Kansas (Chicago, 1883), p. 687, wrote that the Chronicle* published at Abilene was first in the county.)) The Society has a photostatic copy of Volume one, number two, dated January