The Elgin Courier News traces its history back to June 17, 1876, when the first edition of the Elgin Daily News was published. Shortly after that, a St. Charles newspaper, The Leader, moved to Elgin and published as the Elgin Morning Frank. In 1884, this paper was renamed the Elgin Daily Courier.
In 1910, Ira Clifton Copley, owner of the Aurora Beacon newspaper, purchased the Elgin Daily Courier, and in 1926, he purchased the Elgin Daily News and merged it into the Courier, creating the Elgin Courier-News. In 1970, the paper dropped the term "Elgin" from its masthead.
The Elgin Courier News continued under Copley ownership until December 2000, when the Copley Press sold off its Chicagoland newspapers to Hollinger International, a publicly-traded company. In 2006, Hollinger changed its name to the Sun-Times Media Group. It now trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SVN.
(source: ElginHistory.com)
The Elgin Courier News has been the voice of the northern Fox Valley since 1874. In 1925, the Elgin Daily News combined with the Elgin Courier News to become the Elgin Daily Courier News and was the second paper owned by the late Col. Ira Copley who also owned the Aurora Beacon News. Over the years, the Copley empire grew to include Joliet, Waukegan, Naperville and a string of weekly papers before it was sold to the Sun Times News Group in 2000. The Courier News has won many awards over the years from the Illinois Press Association, the UPI, The Northern Illinois Press association, Inland Press and Associated Press, including the sweepstakes award for school coverage and for its 9/11 coverage. The Courier News covers northern St. Charles, South Elgin, Elgin, Burlington, Hampshire, East and West Dundee, Carpentersville, Sleepy Hollow, Gilberts, Pingree Grove, and portions of Genoa, Bartlett, Streamwood, Huntley, Sycamore, Lake in the Hills and Algonquin.
(source: Courier News website)
(source: Daily Herald)
Knight Foundation diversity report
You will need a Gail Borden Public Library card number.
Follow these instructions:
That will take you to a searchable database of Courier News articles dating back to 1997. Older articles are available on microfilm at the Gail Borden Public Library in downtown Elgin.