Away back in December 1885 the longings for a school paper were realized by the appearance of the "Washburn Argo" - a sixteen page monthly magazine which closely resembles the "Review" as we have it. In rather I should say that altho' the form of the two are different, the papers are similar in their editorials, locals, exchanges, library and athletic notes and etc. "The Argo" was well proportioned in its departments and seemed to be edited with a serious purpose to better the school life. The front cover of this first paper was a fanciful picture of Jason setting out on his journey while on the back was pictured a view of Washburn College, very different in appearance from what it is today. The pages of the paper were numbered consecutively from one edition to another thru each entire volume.
In the April 1887 issue we find a notice of the establishment of a new weekly sheet which served to fill a place which the Argo could not fill. After the advent of this Washburn Reporter we find fewer locals in the Argo and we notice that it has decreased the number of its pages. Beginning with Vol. 5 we find also that the Argo is published bi-monthly. After a time there came to be bitter feelings between the two papers which threatened to end disastrously. However a solution to the trouble was reached by the union of the two. In the "Argo Reporter" for Jan. 29 - 92, as the new paper was called, we read "Monday morning Jan. 11 -'92 the Argo' and Reporter' staffs met in joint session for the purpose of consolidating the papers. In less than an hour the two papers had become one to be known as the Argo-Reporter' and to be issued bi-weekly in magazine form."
In 1893 the name of the paper was changed to the "Washburn Mid-Continent". Under this name it appeared monthly for three or four years. In appearance and content it resembled its original "Argo". As a frontispiece it gave full-page pictures of the college buildings.
In 1895 the weekly news sheet "The Washburn Reporter" was revived. In 1896 "The Mid-continent" changed to a weekly and in Feb. 1897 these two combined under the name of "The Washburn Weekly Review". Several uneventful but prosperous years followed this union until in the fall of 1900 the Comet appeared on the scene of action. However, owing to the interference of the faculty on behalf of the best interests of the school, it was permitted to run only about six weeks. Since that time the different factions in the school have all united in their support of the Review and in doing so more of the "faction" spirit is dying out each year. There is of course a friendly rivalry shown between the different societies but only such as is conducive to growth and expansion.
Many young men and women have received much help thru their work for the college paper as well as giving help thru its columns to the other students. "The Review" at the present time is more than ever a representative college paper and offers a chance for every student to contribute to it and to really be a part of it. Tho' perhaps not as library, in the sense of containing long library articles, as it was under the name of the "Argo". Yet it fills a great place in Washburn life.