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Rocky Mountain News Dead at 150

Denver saddened, surprised by the closure of old friend 'Rocky '

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 28, 2009 6:01 AM CST

(Newser) – The Rocky Mountain News published its last issue yesterday just short of 150 years after its founder hauled a printing press by oxcart to the nameless gold-rush settlement that would become Denver. Staffers and readers alike mourned the passing of the paper believed to have been Colorado's longest-running business, reports the Denver Post—now the city's sole daily newspaper.

The closure came after a long and fruitless search for a buyer and leaves the US with only about 10 two-paper cities left. "It is a very, very sad day, not just for Denver but also for Colorado and the United States," said Mayor John Hickenlooper. "It is in some ways symbolic of this gigantic transformation in how people get information, and that kind of change creates loss."

A copy of the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News sits on a counter in the empty photo editing section in the newsroom in Denver on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.
A copy of the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News sits on a counter in the empty photo editing section in the newsroom in Denver on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Copies of the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News sit in the Washington Street printing plant of the Denver Newspaper Agency in Denver on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009.
Copies of the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News sit in the Washington Street printing plant of the Denver Newspaper Agency in Denver on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A copy of the Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 edition of The Denver Post documents the demise of rival Rocky Mountain News.
A copy of the Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 edition of The Denver Post documents the demise of rival Rocky Mountain News.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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I'm heartbroken. I've given 24 years of my life to this paper, and I really liked it. I had a goal when I came to Denver: to work for a great American newspaper, and I met that goal, and I got to stick with it. - Rocky Mountain News reporter John Ensslin

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