Newspaper began when town had about 500 people

The Clovis Tribune (predecessor to The Independent) office in the 1910's with proprietor/editor H.E. Armstrong at right.

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The first edition of The Clovis Independent -- then called The Clovis Tribune -- published March 3, 1905, from the newspaper's office in the original brick DeWitt Building on what is now Pollasky Avenue. Not yet an incorporated city, the community had a population of roughly 500.

From that day forward, the newspaper kept local residents and merchants informed about news that made a difference in their lives.

In those early years, there were stories covering everything from the vote to incorporate into a city in 1912 and the civic-minded news that followed to announcements of out-of-town relatives coming to visit their Clovis kin or the listing of upcoming entertainment at McCord's Hall.

One of the paper's first long-term proprietors, H.E. Armstrong, a lawyer who had relocated from Pennsylvania, was known for writing strong opinions of right and wrong. He spent 25 years at the helm and was there when Spurgeon and May Case began a second newspaper in town in 1918 called The Clovis Independent.

The community had an upclose view of bitter disputes between the two newspapers. Armstrong called Spurgeon Case a "yellow dog" and "a rotten egg" in his newspaper columns. Armstrong reportedly was against progress, especially paved roads. His views differed greatly from the Cases' who touted "a progressive newspaper in a progressive city." May Case, a legend with the newspaper, was a feisty woman who stood less than 5 feet tall. She would ignore the angry antics and make a point to greet Armstrong with a cheery hello whenever she saw him on the street -- sometimes, she said, she'd quickly circle the block to encounter him again and repeat her sweet salutation.

Armstrong died in 1938, and through various changes in ownerships of both papers, the two newspapers merged Feb. 12, 1942, and became The Clovis Independent & Tribune.

May Case continued to work for the newspaper although no longer an owner. Her columns, "Par-Ci, Par-La," "Over the Fence," and "May's Column," were beloved to the community. She had a love for adventure and a natural curiosity. She had dined with Apache Chief Geronimo, was the confidant of outlaws, peace officers and gamblers, and fought her way into the work against her husband's great objections. But her determination and addiction to local news kept Case working for The Independent until three months prior to her death in 1967. She was 93 years old, the oldest working newspaper reporter in the nation.

To this day, many still remember May Case walking about town with her straw press hat on and notepad in hand asking people about the news.

The paper continued to change hands, having been owned by Myron and Ruby Hinkley, Tony Terrano, John Bonadelle and Ellen Funch, and in 1968 it was bought by Russell Mazzei and partners Joe Romano and Hugh Pollard. Mazzei later became publisher and for the next decade gained a reputation for sensationalism. In 1983 Mazzei was sued for libel and lost.

The Clovis Independent, by then having dropped the Tribune portion of its name, was sold to the McClatchy Corp. in 1979. It moved to an office on Railroad Avenue in 1981 and returned to Old Town in 1997. In its later years, the newspaper advocated for truth in politics following the Operation Rezone political corruption scandal. It also advocated for smart growth and city planning during the city's population boom, and equitable and meaningful education for students throughout Clovis Unified School District.