I’ve always felt that you take from the community you should give back, and you should give back. Time is one of the most valuable things you can probably give to the community, trying to make things better.”

Washington County Bulletin owner Gary Spooner

Cottage Grove history is vast, and Washington County Bulletin owner Gary Spooner helped record it. On May 21, 2025 he was recognized for his contribution to area history.
“Mr. Mayor, Council, I am honored this evening to introduce the 2025 Historic Preservationist of the Year for his work with the South Washington County Bulletin,” Community Development Director Emily Schmitz announced to the Council May 21.
Currently a resident at the Legends of Cottage Grove, Spooner was recognized for his efforts at recording Washington County history as editor and publisher of the Washington County Bulletin. Spooner shared more on his role at the paper in a video tribute from the May 21 Council meeting.
“The paper was originally started in 1958, it was an 8 1/2 by 11 and they called it Newport News at the time but it went to the Washington County Bulletin,” Spooner shared. “A fellow by the name of Larry Mattson took it over in the Sixties. And Larry died, so John Currell, who was a realtor in this area, bough the paper from Bea Mattson and then hired John Herman as editor/publisher.
“My wife was writing for the Bulletin, and John approached me to come in to purchase the paper from John Currell. And then we were a tabloid at the time and then we went full width, sixth columns across. It was accepted by the community and by all the communities, Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park, Newport, Grey Cloud and Woodbury. I started out selling the advertising and also working with John with the books. And then writing a column myself. And then in 1983 I bought John Herman out. He didn’t want to expand and I did. And then we expanded to put out the Woodbury Bulletin in 1986 I believe. Back in those days when we first started out that’s where you got your information. We had people that subscribed to our paper but we would deliver it on a Wednesday at the local milk store, but that would sell out almost as soon as we delivered them. Because everyone wanted it the day it came out and not the day it came in the mail.
And when I first got into it I was very naive, I didn’t think that people paid that much attention, but as I got into it I found that people really paid attention, and they really wanted to know what was going on in their community. Some of the sections that people really read, what was happening at the Council meetings, and of course the police reports.
“I sold it to the Red Wing Republican-Eagle in 1994, and they sold it to the Fargo Forum in either 1999 or 2000,” Spooner said.
The paper was later dissolved by the Fargo Forum.
“History is so important for our world, for our nation, and for our community,” Spooner went on. “How we grew and what we had to do I order to grow, and to elect people who could foresee the future. That could plan out that growth. We were very fortunate that we had people that were on our city councils and on our school boards that saw that future. And were willing to plan for it and be ready for the growth.
“I love this community and I’ve been out here practically all my life. Any award is important to anybody whose been active in the community. That’s the reason that they’re giving an award, that I’ve been active. I’ve always felt that you take from the community you should give back, and you should give back. Time is one of the most valuable things you can probably give to the community, trying to make things better. If that’s what they giving me this award for I’m honored. But it’s not only for me. I had a tremendous amount of people who worked with me, they never worked for me they worked with me.
Being a business owner in Cottage Grove and having the support of the citizens is something that you prize. Because you can’t make a living if you don’t have the support of the people who live with you. That was always important to me. And I really thank them for all that they’ve done for me and I hope that I’ve done something for them.”
Following the videos presentation Spooner was presented a plaque by the city and Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, Mayor Myron Bailey reading the plaque inscription:
“Cottage Grove 2025 Preservationist of the Year, presented to Gary Spooner, on behalf of the South Washington County Bulletin, for their work preserving history by reporting on local residents, events, and places in Cottage Grove. Given May 21, 2025 by the City of Cottage Grove and the Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation.”
Bailey thanked Spooner on behalf of residents and those present.
“So again on behalf of all of us up here, those out here and the residents, thank you Gary for the many years of running that amazing newspaper. And I was one of those people that use to run to the dairy store to make sure I got there, 25 cents and I got my paper,” Bailey said.
Spooner thanked those present and invited them to sit down for stories on the newspaper business.
“It was a great amount of fun,” he said of his days as publisher of the Bulletin.
For those looking to do newspaper related research, Bulletin archives are kept on microfilm in the Ronald M. Hubbs Microfilm Room of the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul, located at 345 West Kellogg Boulevard in St. Paul. Local researchers can make an online appointment at the Center by going to https://mnhs.libcal.com/reserve/microfilm. There is a parking lot fee for the Center.