When the first 16-page issue of the Inter-County Leader rolled off the presses in the early morning hours of November 2, 1933, the headlines across the front page read "Farmers' Strike Called Off Temporarily." Those words were very significant of the times in which the paper came into being, and perhaps of the background for organizational efforts to produce this new newspaper. The fact that farmers were organizing a nationwide strike to hold all farm produce off the market was some indication of troublesome times which were common throughout the nation during the Great Depression.
Besides the many people who were unemployed in the urban areas, farmers were being subjected to foreclosures and bankruptcies because the prices they could receive for what they produced was less than their cost of operation.
In many cases, there was no return on their investment, and little or no pay for the labor involved in producing and delivering to market the nation's food supply.
"Given that Wisconsin was the leading producer of surplus milk and dairy products in the country, the situation was serious," wrote Sean Scallon, author of "Beating the Powers that Be." "Local smalltown newspapers in Polk County attacked the strikers in editorials and news stories," Scallon writes, "tying them in with the violence occurring in other parts of the state. A group of local farmers - feeling unfairly mischaracterized, thought it was time someone spoke up for them and their interests. By November 1933 - with help from $5 from each interested farmer - the Leader was born."
Some of the original organizers were members of the Polk County Farmers Holiday Association, the principal promoter for the farm strike called in the fall of 1933. Included were D.D. Kennedy, president of the Polk County Holiday Association; George An Nelson of Milltown; Herb Mittelsdorf of Farmington; J.W. Hanson of Luck; J.W. Bosley of Beaver; F.W. Wiese of Eureka; Ed McKenzie of Balsam Lake; and Marius Dueholm of Bone Lake.
Many Farmers Union members were also involved in both the Farm Holiday movement and the development of the Leader.

The board of directors of the Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association has changed its membership many times during its 65-year history. Shown above is one of the early groups which served including the first president and several others who guided the destiny of the cooperative for many years. Seated are Herb Mittelsdorf of Farmington; J.W. Hanson, president, Bone Lake; and Carl Linden, Grantsburg; standing: Harry Hallquist, Paul Bosley, Fred Weis and Arnold Biederman.

The present board of directors include (L to R), back row: Manager Doug Panek, Charles Johnson, Harvey Stower and Merlin Johnson. Front: Janet Oachs and board chairman Vivian Byl.

In its sixth year, growing pains were again beginning to be a problem. The garage building was no longer adequate, and there was no larger space available in the Village of Centuria. However, the building which had originally been built by the Odd Fellows Lodge in Frederic was available. The location seemed appropriate for service to both Polk and Burnett counties, and the move was made in November of 1939. The Village of Frederic held a housewarming party for the new publishing firm just after its arrival. More than a thousand people came to view the new plant and welcome a new business. The village now had two newspapers, adding the Leader to the original newspaper, The Frederic Star, which had a history from the year 1903.
In another five years, things were getting crowded again. In addition to the Leader, several other publications, including Farmers Union papers, were being published in the plant. An addition was constructed, 24 by 30 feet in size, to provide added office space, work area and storage. The circulation had grown to 5,000 copies per week. The addition was completed in 1944. The change which took place next, in 1951, was the purchase of The Frederic Star. Harvey Oleson, its owner, was about to retire, and his assistant, Elmer Haumant, changed his workplace to the Leader shop. Once again, the Village of Frederic became a one-newspaper town, but the purchase of the Milltown Advertiser again expanded the Leader operation to another town. A crisis occurred in 1953 when Editor Bennie Bye died suddenly. Since he had been the heart and soul of the enterprise since its beginning, there were some doubts that the Leader would be able to continue in keeping with its original purpose. But, board members looked for qualified help within the staff and hired Romain Brandt to serve as editor and publisher. he served in that capacity for five years before moving to a new position at Berlin. He went on to become the executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
Facing the need for another change, the Board of Directors offered the position of manager to Edward F. Greinke, who was already employed in the accounting department. Elmer Haumant was advanced to the editor's position, and it was another five years before change occurred again.
In 1963, the resignation of Haumant brought the need for hiring of a new editor. While it was still not the generally accepted practice for newspapers to be edited by women, a quick decision was necessary in order to get the paper out the next week, and Bernice Asper became the editor. She had previously been employed by the Enterprise-Herald at Luck, but had more recently been employed in bookkeeping positions in the village.
Some doubts were expressed concerning the wisdom of such a move, both by the public and by the editor herself. But, in due time, the routines and pressures of weekly deadlines again became natural, and no week of publication was ever missed. The urgency of the farm situation had by this time become much lessened, and the newspaper adapted to its role as a service to the community.
Edward Greinke continued in the management position for 24 years, retiring in 1982. During his period of managership, there was continued growth. net earnings for the cooperative showed a steady growth from the year 1967, when the Advertisers first expanded to provide a greater source of income from a wider area.

Beginning with the changeover of the Milltown Advertiser, a monthly publication, to the Indianhead Advertise, with total free circulation in two counties, it became apparent that the new advertising medium was being widely accepted. As time progressed, three other Advertisers, The Tri-County Advertiser, Wild Rivers North, and Wild Rivers South, were also published to serve a growing business area.
In 1974 a new publishing plant, at a highway location, was constructed, still in the Village of Frederic. Equipment had been m modernized, adopting the new offset method of printing, and later the use of computers was introduced into the bookkeeping, editorial, advertising and circulation departments. Original staff members would be amazed to witness the changes in operation which have taken place.
The newspaper also widened its scope of coverage, giving more attention to the doings of governing bodies in both Polk and Burnett counties as well as the Frederic community and its neighboring villages. The editor and four reporters, plus several weekly correspondents, work long hours to keep people informed.
Growth of the assets of the cooperative have increased through its 50 years from $2,596 at the close of its first year to more than $1 million.
Changes were made to make it possible for regular subscribers, rather than just farmers, to become members of the cooperative. Once again the weekly press run for the Leader has grown to more than 7,000 copies.
The persons chosen by the board to be manager of the Leader following Ed Greinke's retirement in 1982 were both longtime employees. Frank Gursky, who immediately followed Greinke in the position, served as ad manager for several years and Doug Panek, who followed Gursky as manager, was the plant's shop foreman.
The Leader plant nearly doubled in size under Gursky's managership, with a press room and storage building added in the early 1980s.
Panek is currently the manager and has guided the Leader through still more growth. The addition of a jobwork department in 1996 and the remodeling of offices in the main plant in 1997 are a few of the recent changes. Total sales topped $5 million in 2005.

Thus far, in its 73rd year, the dream of a few farmers in 1933 seems to have proven to be a successful realization. As far as can be determined the Leader is still the only cooperative publishing firm in the state, and probably in the nation.
And its primary goal still remains...publishing a weekly newspaper to serve the needs apparent in the rural community as it exists at any given time.