History: The South Bend Tribune

Early years of the South Bend Tribune Alfred B. Miller and Elmer Crockett (a descendent of Davy Crockett) co-founded the South Bend Tribune. Both men were natives of South Bend who served in the American Civil War. They worked together at the St. Joseph County Register, a now defunct newspaper that served the St. Joseph County area. Miller learned the newspaper business from his father, a newspaper publisher in Ohio and was a writer for the Register. He was the first editor of the South Bend Tribune. Crockett had attended Northern Indiana College at South Bend. He was a printing foreman at the Register. The first Tribune offices was located at 127 W. Washington. On March 9, 1872, the first edition of the Tribune was printed. For fourteen months, the four-page Tribune was printed weekly. In 1873, the Tribune became a daily newspaper. Today the Tribune is printed every day of the year. To help meet the expenses of starting a newspaper, Miller and Elmer co-founded The Tribune Store located at 127 W. Washington Street, South Bend. It opened the day after Thanksgiving Day 1873. Besides selling wallpaper, jewelry, and Christmas toys, this side-business also included a bookbindery. The store was sold when the newspaper moved to its new (and current) location at Colfax and Lafayette.