Brookfield Enterprise
Encyclopedia
The Brookfield Enterprise was a weekly community newspaper based out of the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois
. The newspaper, under the ownership of Elmer C. Johnson, would go on to be merged with three other local newspapers (The Lyons Times, Summit Valley Times, & Clear Ridge Times) and be known under the masthead
of The Times.
operator and publisher of The Melrose Parker newspaper Porter Reubendall as a weekly paper full of advertisements of Brookfield businesses. The paper was to be distributed for free to every home in Brookfield, as well as, the Hollywood & Congress Park
sections of Brookfield. The first issue of the Brookfield Enterprise was printed, on a printing press
that could only print 12 x 15 in. paper, on Dec., 9, 1932 in the small basement of Reubendall's home at 9125 Sheridan Ave. in Brookfield, IL..
Distribution of the paper was handled by a group of men sent over from the local work relief office and the paper itself was initially assembled as a family effort with "Mama, the children and the in-laws" helping out according to Reubendall.
While the first issue of the newspaper was about business and advertising-orientated, Reubendall soon decided that he would include small news stories and information concerning Brookfield's governmental affairs.
By 1936, the Brookfield Enterprise was printing 3,000 copies a week out of its new offices at 3724 Prairie Ave. in Brookfield. The paper had been so well received that it was necessary for Reubendall to invest in a larger Babcock Printing Press to handle the work.
With the onset of World War II, the military draft had begun to cut in to his male workforce and according to Reubendall, "it became necessary for me to work every evening, and it became quite a burden." So, in January 1945 Reubendall sold the paper to Robert Hladik and Lawrence Morrell Gross. Soon after the sale the paper began to falter.
In September 1945, Elmer C. Johnson, then a printer's apprentice and freelance photographer for the Chicago Daily News
, Chicago Tribune
and in the arly 1930s a writer of the weekly columns "On the Funny Side" & Radio Ramblings" in the South Side News was hired as managing editor of the Brookfield Enterprise.
In January 1947, Mr. Gross sold his interest in the paper to Mr. Hladik and Mr. Johnson then bought a half-interest in the paper. By 1949, Elmer C. Johnson and his wife Genevieve bought out Mr. Hladik's half of the paper and became sole owners of the Brookfield Enterprise.
In the 1950s the Brookfield Enterprise, now owned by photographer Elmer C. Johnson, became billed as "Brookfield's Picture Newspaper" and as "A Picture News-Weekly. It was also at this time that the newspaper began to focus on hard news
as well as community and governmental news.
In 1951, Mr. Johnson acquired the Lyons Times, Summit Valley Times and the Clear Ridge Times publishing them all under the name Enterprise Publications.
Elmer C. Johnson (who carried his Rolleiflex
camera everywhere he went) worked as publisher, editor, writer and photographer for the paper. Writing stories on a second-hand typewriter that he bought in Oak Park, Illinois
which was, according to the shop's owner, previously owned by writer Ernest Hemingway
. Whether the proprietor's claim was true or not, it did make for a good story.
In 1958, Johnson moved the Enterprise to a new office at 9034 Brookfield Ave. in Brookfield, Illinois and then again in 1960 he moved to a much larger office at 8694 W. 47th St. in Lyons, Illinois
.
In 1967, Elmer C. Johnson's photo of Chicagoland's most deadly tornado (an F4
) that hit Oak Lawn, Illinois
and left a trail of destruction eastward to Lake Michigan, appeared with a title "Portrait of a Killer" on the front page of the Chicago American and in special sections of the Chicago Tribune
& Chicago Sun-Times
. The National Weather Service
says that it is "the only known tornado photo of this event".
Johnson took the photo of the tornado while at the Southfield shopping center to pick up an ad from a store for his Enterprise Publication. According to a story in the Chicago American, Johnson, who always had his camera in his car, saw the tornado forming and ran to his car from where he took the photograph. Of the photo, Johnson said "I opened the lens way up and shot. It was moving so fast I kept losing the funnel behind the buildings."
Between 1975 and 1979, the four newspaper editions published by Enterprise Publications and now under the masthead of The Times, were reduced to two editions covering Lyons Township
and Garfield Ridge with a circulation
of 50,000.
Beginning in the 1970s, The Times was billed as having "More photos and local news" and included a contest that included a reader winning money if their car was spotted with a Times bumper sticker on the bumper. The bumper sticker read "In our town it's The Times- an Enterprise Publication."
In 1979, Elmer's son and managing editor of The Times Denny C. Johnson, moved the paper from free distribution to a paid subscription and newsstand sales operation. By 1983 the paper had roughly 5,000 subscribers and 500 weekly newsstand sales. The papers operations were now being run out of an office at the former Old Willow shopping complex in Willow Springs, Illinois
.
However, on Oct. 8, 1985, subscribers and advertisers received a letter that stated
The letter went on to say,
And the paper ceased publication.
Brookfield, Illinois
Brookfield is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, west of downtown. The population was 19,085 at the 2000 census...
. The newspaper, under the ownership of Elmer C. Johnson, would go on to be merged with three other local newspapers (The Lyons Times, Summit Valley Times, & Clear Ridge Times) and be known under the masthead
Masthead (publishing)
The masthead is a list, published in a newspaper or magazine, of its staff. In some publications it names only the most senior individuals; in others, it may name many or all...
of The Times.
History
The Brookfield Enterprise was started in 1932 by former linotypeLinotype machine
The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....
operator and publisher of The Melrose Parker newspaper Porter Reubendall as a weekly paper full of advertisements of Brookfield businesses. The paper was to be distributed for free to every home in Brookfield, as well as, the Hollywood & Congress Park
Congress Park (Metra)
Congress Park is one of three stations on Metra's BNSF Railway Line in Brookfield, Illinois. The station is from Union Station, the east end of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Congress Park is in zone C. Shelters are on both sides of the tracks....
sections of Brookfield. The first issue of the Brookfield Enterprise was printed, on a printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
that could only print 12 x 15 in. paper, on Dec., 9, 1932 in the small basement of Reubendall's home at 9125 Sheridan Ave. in Brookfield, IL..
Distribution of the paper was handled by a group of men sent over from the local work relief office and the paper itself was initially assembled as a family effort with "Mama, the children and the in-laws" helping out according to Reubendall.
While the first issue of the newspaper was about business and advertising-orientated, Reubendall soon decided that he would include small news stories and information concerning Brookfield's governmental affairs.
By 1936, the Brookfield Enterprise was printing 3,000 copies a week out of its new offices at 3724 Prairie Ave. in Brookfield. The paper had been so well received that it was necessary for Reubendall to invest in a larger Babcock Printing Press to handle the work.
With the onset of World War II, the military draft had begun to cut in to his male workforce and according to Reubendall, "it became necessary for me to work every evening, and it became quite a burden." So, in January 1945 Reubendall sold the paper to Robert Hladik and Lawrence Morrell Gross. Soon after the sale the paper began to falter.
In September 1945, Elmer C. Johnson, then a printer's apprentice and freelance photographer for the Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
, Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and in the arly 1930s a writer of the weekly columns "On the Funny Side" & Radio Ramblings" in the South Side News was hired as managing editor of the Brookfield Enterprise.
In January 1947, Mr. Gross sold his interest in the paper to Mr. Hladik and Mr. Johnson then bought a half-interest in the paper. By 1949, Elmer C. Johnson and his wife Genevieve bought out Mr. Hladik's half of the paper and became sole owners of the Brookfield Enterprise.
In the 1950s the Brookfield Enterprise, now owned by photographer Elmer C. Johnson, became billed as "Brookfield's Picture Newspaper" and as "A Picture News-Weekly. It was also at this time that the newspaper began to focus on hard news
Hard News
Hard News: The Scandals at The New York Times and Their Meaning for American Media is a 2004 book by journalist Seth Mnookin about the reign of Howell Raines at The New York Times.Mr...
as well as community and governmental news.
In 1951, Mr. Johnson acquired the Lyons Times, Summit Valley Times and the Clear Ridge Times publishing them all under the name Enterprise Publications.
Elmer C. Johnson (who carried his Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werk. The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of medium format twin lens reflex cameras...
camera everywhere he went) worked as publisher, editor, writer and photographer for the paper. Writing stories on a second-hand typewriter that he bought in Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
which was, according to the shop's owner, previously owned by writer Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
. Whether the proprietor's claim was true or not, it did make for a good story.
In 1958, Johnson moved the Enterprise to a new office at 9034 Brookfield Ave. in Brookfield, Illinois and then again in 1960 he moved to a much larger office at 8694 W. 47th St. in Lyons, Illinois
Lyons, Illinois
Lyons is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,255 at the 2000 census.-History:Incorporated in 1888, Lyons is steeped in earlier historical roots. In 1673 French Explorer Louis Joliet and Jesuit missionary Father Pierre Marquette left Green Bay, Wisconsin by canoe...
.
In 1967, Elmer C. Johnson's photo of Chicagoland's most deadly tornado (an F4
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
) that hit Oak Lawn, Illinois
Oak Lawn, Illinois
Oak Lawn is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 55,245 at the 2000 census.Oak Lawn is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located southwest of the city...
and left a trail of destruction eastward to Lake Michigan, appeared with a title "Portrait of a Killer" on the front page of the Chicago American and in special sections of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
& Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. The National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
says that it is "the only known tornado photo of this event".
Johnson took the photo of the tornado while at the Southfield shopping center to pick up an ad from a store for his Enterprise Publication. According to a story in the Chicago American, Johnson, who always had his camera in his car, saw the tornado forming and ran to his car from where he took the photograph. Of the photo, Johnson said "I opened the lens way up and shot. It was moving so fast I kept losing the funnel behind the buildings."
Between 1975 and 1979, the four newspaper editions published by Enterprise Publications and now under the masthead of The Times, were reduced to two editions covering Lyons Township
Lyons Township, Cook County, Illinois
Lyons Township is one of thirty townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 109,264. Lyons Township was established in 1850.-Geography:...
and Garfield Ridge with a circulation
Newspaper circulation
A newspaper's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. Circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the...
of 50,000.
Beginning in the 1970s, The Times was billed as having "More photos and local news" and included a contest that included a reader winning money if their car was spotted with a Times bumper sticker on the bumper. The bumper sticker read "In our town it's The Times- an Enterprise Publication."
In 1979, Elmer's son and managing editor of The Times Denny C. Johnson, moved the paper from free distribution to a paid subscription and newsstand sales operation. By 1983 the paper had roughly 5,000 subscribers and 500 weekly newsstand sales. The papers operations were now being run out of an office at the former Old Willow shopping complex in Willow Springs, Illinois
Willow Springs, Illinois
Willow Springs is a village in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,027 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Willow Springs is located at ....
.
However, on Oct. 8, 1985, subscribers and advertisers received a letter that stated
"No Times this week! Sorry but after more than 52 years of service to the community, Enterprise Publications Co. is temporarily suspending publication of The Times' Lyons Township edition, so we can reorganize our operations."
The letter went on to say,
"Due to the increased costs of printing, mailing, labor and other expenses, we are forced to take this action. Paid subscriptions will be honored and dated up when we resume publication. Please bear with us during this period. Sincerely, The Times, Enterprise Publication Co."
And the paper ceased publication.
Awards
- (1982) First Place in the Spot News Photography category by the Illinois Press Association.
- (1979) First Place in Circulation Promotion Idea by the Illinois Press Association.
- (1982/1980) Honorable Mentions in Feature News & Promotion Idea by the Illinois Press Association.
- Also awards by the Illinois Ethnic Commission, The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society & the Summit, IllinoisSummit, IllinoisSummit is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,637 at the 2000 census. The village is best known as the setting to Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "The Killers".-Geography:...
Fraternal Order of PoliceFraternal Order of PoliceThe Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...
.
Staff
- Porter Ruebendall died on December 21, 1961 at the home of his daughter Valliere Onstad in Mountain View, CaliforniaMountain View, California-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
at the age of 86. - Elmer C. Johnson, after the closing down of the newspaper, went on to work briefly selling real estate, writing and continued to take photographs. One of his Brookfield Enterprise-era photographs was published in the Mike Corbitt book Double DealDouble Deal-Cast:*Monte Hawley as Jim McCoy*Jeni Le Gon as Nita*Edward Thompson as Dude Markey*Florence O'Brien as Sally*Freddie Jackson as Tommy McCoy*Buck Woods*Maceo Bruce Scheffield as Murray Howard*Charles Hawkins*Jack Clisby*Tom Southern*Vernon McCalla...
. He died November 26, 2003 at his home in Orland Park, IllinoisOrland Park, IllinoisOrland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States; it also extends slightly into Will County. The population was 56,767 at the 2010 census. The office of the Assistant Village Manager, Ellen Baer, states that the Will County section of Orland Park is industrial while the Cook County...
at the age of 90. - Denny C. Johnson, after the closing of the newspaper went on to do freelance writing and photography for many newspapers across the country including USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
the National Enquirer. He also self-published many short stories and a book titled The Oaxaca Connection]]A photograph from his Times photography was published in Mike Corbitt's book Double DealDouble Deal-Cast:*Monte Hawley as Jim McCoy*Jeni Le Gon as Nita*Edward Thompson as Dude Markey*Florence O'Brien as Sally*Freddie Jackson as Tommy McCoy*Buck Woods*Maceo Bruce Scheffield as Murray Howard*Charles Hawkins*Jack Clisby*Tom Southern*Vernon McCalla...
. He died June 14, 2004 at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IllinoisBerwyn, IllinoisBerwyn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, co-existent with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,016.-Demographics:...
at the age of 57.