Volume 8 , Issue 17

Freedom Call Celebrates 100 Years, April 19, (1906 - 2006)...

"The Freedom Call" celebrates 100 years with their Volume 85, No. 16, Thursday, dated April 20th 2006. It all began from an idea, fullfillment of R. I. DeGeer in April 19, 1906 and "The Freedom Express" under an elm tree in "Old Freedom." The Freedom newspaper spanned a lifetime through several family owners, names to the present "The Freedom Call" today that sits on the Main Street of Freedom, Oklahoma with Donna & Rocky Hodgson, present owners for the past five years.

Freedom's newspaper went through many names and owners back during those 100 years. BUT... it had its beginnings April 19, 1906 when Renfrew I. DeGeer and his family published the first issue of the newspaper, The Freedom Express. There was no housing for the equipment, so a platform was built under a huge elm tree and published there until an additional room to his home culd be completed.

It was in 1922 that the Freedom newspaper took on a new name (The Cimarron Call); new location and new owner, Mabel Jennings.

In 1923, J. F. Cowgill purchased The Cimarron Call from Mabel Jennings and gave it yet another new name - The Freedom Call.

It was shortly a year after that, in the spring of 1924, the the Freedom newspaper underwent another new owner. That's when Mrs. Ruth Hinton stepped in and published "The Freedom Call." The Hinton's (John & Ruth) would continue publishing the newspaper for 43 years before they sold it in 1967 to Jan Howard. It was in February, 1930, that "The Freedom Call" became a member of the "Oklahoma Press Association.

That next new owner published "The Freedom Call" for another six years before it was sold to Sandra Estep. Under Estep the newspaper was published until July 1978 when it was sold to Darlene Farr. Farr published it until October, 1980 when the Shepard's (L. H. and Janice) became the new owners. The Shepard's published it for another three years until 1983 when another new owner, Judy DeVine, took over for the next five years of the Freedom newspaper's life.

In March, 1988 it was sold to Tanya Burkhart and took on another new name - "The Call" until July 1, 1993 when Linda Armantrout Carrico took ownership. Three years passed, on July 4, 1996 Vic and Jan Burnham purchased "The Call" and published it for four more years.

From October, 2000 to the present, the Hodgson family (Donna & Rocky) have continued "The Freedom Call's" newspaper legacy, spanning 100 years from a platform under an old elm tree to its current location on Main Street of this unique, friendly Freedom community in northwest Oklahoma. Thanks to the Hodgson family for keeping this tradition and newspaper going!
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