"The Gazette is now before the public; we leave it to them to decide on its merits, while we return, with pleasure, to our labors."
-William Woodruff, Editor. November 20, 1819

Following the creation of the Arkansas Territory in early 1819, numerous Americans flocked to the new territory, hoping to take advantage of the many business opportunities the new land offered. Among the settlers attracted to Arkansas was William Woodruff, a young printer from New York. Transporting his printing press and other equipment by pirogue, Woodruff arrived at Arkansas Post on October 31, 1819, and quickly set up shop. The first issue of The Arkansas Gazette came only 20 days later.

This website is a digital version of Arkansas' first newspaper. The links to the left will allow navigation through the four pages of the papge, and an article index is available to go directly to specific items within the issue. Within these pages discover a little about what life was like at Arkansas Post in the fall of 1819.

To learn more about the Arkansas Gazette, and the important role it played in early Arkansas history, read:

Ross, Margaret. Arkansas Gazette: The Early Years, 1819- 1866, A History. Little Rock: Arkansas Gazette Foundation, 1969.

Volume 1, number one of the Arkansas Gazette; November 20, 1819.

Read the Gazette:
Read Page One
Read Page Two
Read Page Three
Read Page Four

Article Index

While the modern Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published in Little Rock is not a direct descendant of Woodruff's newspaper, it represents the legacy of Arkansas' first newspaper. Read the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette online edition.