Grandpa Fast Loved Newspapers and Magazines (1 of 15)

Grandpa David D. Fast (1884-1974) #112786 was proud of being a self-taught man and was an

avid reader. Even though he only completed eighth grade, he believed that education and knowledge mattered greatly. According to my dad Harold, about 1950 he counted the periodicals to which he subscribed for a total of seventeen. My dad and his siblings could still remember fourteen of them, which are described below. (The cover pictures below are just examples that I found on the internet.)

Because we live in an era of dying print newspapers and magazines, it is hard to imagine how important they were to a ranching family in the Oklahoma Panhandle. In 1950, the average household subscribed to 2.3 daily and weekly newspapers, and this doesn’t include magazines. In comparison, the Fasts subscribed to 8 newspapers! But in 2020 only 39% of households subscribe to a newspaper. Even medium-sized cities had morning and evening newspapers, and many people subscribed to both. Every small town had its own paper, sometimes several. Newspapers and magazines brought the latest information and entertainment to the remotest ranch or farm on the prairie.

Periodicals were a social and family event as well. Families listened with rapt attention while Father read the latest news aloud, shared a humorous joke, or groused about the cattle prices in Kansas City. Or as Mother informed them of the latest “doings” of the neighbors that were detailed in the local columns sent in by township correspondents. Newspaper and magazine salesmen traveled the prairies and aggressively sold their products to every household. If a family could not pay cash for a subscription, they were willing to trade for old batteries, radiators, chickens, anything that could be sold for cash. Print media were the lifeblood of the nation. 

The next series of posts will describe each periodical.