Arlington Sun

The Sun is now approaching its 140th birthday, having been continuously published under that name since April of 1885. The first newspaper in Arlington was The Nordland Gazette, which got its start in May of 1883, but it was replaced by The Arlington Sun.

Elbert W. Smith and Thomas Hopp founded the newspaper, with Smith as the first editor. The partnership soon dissolved, and the Sun was subsequently owned and operated by a series of short-lived publishers, before coming full circle back to Smith again in 1891. E.W.’s son “Hal” became the publisher shortly after the turn of the century, partnered with Harry Keene, and they ran the paper for several years before Hal went West and left the paper in Harry’s hands.

Bert Lloyd arrived in 1910 and published the newspaper until 1926, when a Beresford journalist named H.A. Sturges took over. That began a four-generation, 77-year history of the Sturges family publishing The Arlington Sun. H.A. Sturges remained at the helm until his death in 1944, when his son, Gerald L. “Gerry” Sturges succeeded him. The second-generation newspaperman continued as publisher until 1980, when he sold the newspaper to his son, Robert G. “Bob” Sturges.

Bob Sturges died in 2001, and the reins were passed to his son Tim, who operated The Arlington Sun until Jan. 1, 2003. On that date, Tim sold to David Parker, who was publisher for just over a year, before selling the paper to Chris and Linda Schumacher of Volga.

The newspaper was owned and operated by Chris and Linda Schumacher until Chris’s death in 2012. Linda continued to run the paper before she sold it to Ken Reiste of Clear Lake in 2016.