Western Publishing Company, at Halstead, Kansas, was or­ganized in 1875 and chartered under the laws of Kansas with 1,000 shares of stock. Its purpose was to publish and distribute Christian literature among Mennonites. Thus it took over the publication of Zur Heimath from the Mennonite Board of Guardians in January 1876 and continued its publication with David Goerz as editor until 1881.

Members of the first board of directors were Wilhelm Ewert, David Goerz, John Lehmann, Peter Wiebe, and Bernhard Warkentin. In addition to these Christian Krehbiel, Heinrich Richert, and Her­mann Sudermann served at various times until the company was dissolved in 1882.

In addition to Zur Heimath the Western Publishing Company also published Nachrichten aus der Heidenwelt for the General Conference 1877-1881. It also published some books, and operated a bookbindery and bookstore. David Goerz, secretary of the company throughout its existence, was the mov­ing spirit of the organization. In its last year (1882) there were stockholders in eight states, Indian Territory, Germany, and Russia. The General Con­ference Mennonite Church, the Western District Conference, and the Kansas Conference also were shareholders.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 934. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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