Our History

The Star Tribune has it roots in three newspapers whose history is interwoven with the history of Minnesota: the Minneapolis Tribune, the Star and the Minneapolis Journal. During its 140-year history, the Star Tribune has had five owners: King, Washburn and Morrison, W. J. Murphy, the Cowles family, The McClatchy Company and Avista Capital Partners (the current owner).

The Minneapolis Tribune, the oldest of the three newspapers that eventually became the Star Tribune, was founded in 1867. At that time, Minneapolis was home to only about 7,000 people and just half the size of St. Paul. It didn't have a fire department, a sewage system or even a city water supply.

The Cowles family of Des Moines, Iowa, entered the Minneapolis newspaper market with the purchase of the smallest of the city's three papers, the Star, in 1935. Their arrival marked the beginning of an era of growth and transformation that lasted more than six decades, and their leadership set the stage for today's successful Star Tribune. Many of their values – especially the concepts of presenting the news impartially, taking strong editorial stands in the opinion pages and offering space for those with differing opinions to express their views – still guide the newspaper.

The Cowles family purchased the Minneapolis Journal a few years after the Star, and the papers were consolidated, renamed the Star-Journal, and operated as an evening and Sunday publication. In 1941, they purchased the Tribune, which was a morning paper, and continued to publish the Star-Journal in the afternoon. On Sunday, they published one edition under the Tribune name. In 1947, the Star-Journal name was simplified to the Minneapolis Star.

The evening Minneapolis Star and the morning Minneapolis Tribune were combined in 1982 to make one daily morning newspaper – the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. In 1987, the Minneapolis Star and Tribune became the Star Tribune, Newspaper of the Twin Cities, a designation that reflected the newspaper's growing presence across the metro area. That same year, Star Tribune built Heritage Center, a high-technology production facility. Today, Heritage Center is a nationally recognized leader in quality, efficiency and environmental responsibility.

In 1998, Cowles Media sold the Star Tribune to The McClatchy Company, and in 2007, McClatchy sold the
Star Tribune to Avista Capital Partners.

The Star Tribune launched StarTribune.com in 1996. This electronic news and information service is now the leading news and information service in the Twin Cities. The site also provides a vibrant online marketplace exemplified by the ShopMinnesota section of the site that features products and services from retailers across the state.

Beginning in 2003, the Star Tribune launched a series of suburban sections focused on specific geographic regions. The sections center on community news including schools, sports, road construction, crime, local government and community development.

In addition to the newspaper and website, the Star Tribune produces numerous niche products both in print and online. Examples include MARQ magazine, Ideal Homes (print publication), vita.mn (entertainment website and weekly print tab) and buzz.mn (local news website). The company also offers direct marketing and database marketing services.