Cherry Creek pioneer

In 1859 there was a race to see who would publish the first newspaper in Cherry Creek (now Denver) of the Colorado Territory. The Rocky Mountain News, whose first issue came off the press on April 23, 1859, was considered the winner. However, earlier that same day John Merrick had printed the sole issue of the Cherry Creek Pioneer. The News absorbed the Pioneer immediately thereafter, but printers used the press that had produced the Pioneer’s single issue to print at least three more newspapers. AAS’s copy of the Cherry Creek Pioneer is undergoing extensive conservation work. Only four or five copies of this rare Colorado paper survive.