301 E. Highway 70 • Safford, AZ 85546
928.428.2560
www.eacourier.com

It was the Graham County Guardian established in March of 1895 and changed name to Eastern Arizona Courier in 1967. Merged with: Graham County guardian (Safford, Ariz. : 1971), to form: Eastern Arizona courier and Graham County guardian. Eastern Arizona College and the Courier both opened for business in 1888, though both were known by different names. Eastern Arizona Courier was known initially as the Safford Graham Guardian, becoming the Gila Valley Farmer in 1916, the Graham County Guardian in 1923 and the Eastern Arizona Courier in 1975.

The Safford Graham Guardian began as a weekly newspaper published by the Guardian Publishing Company and edited by John J. Birdno. Safford was the first seat of Graham County when it was formed in 1881, but the seat was moved to Solomonville after only two years. The issue of moving the county seat from Solomonville back to Safford became a topic of fervent conversation during the Guardian’s early years. The issue did not make it to the ballot that year, and Solomonville remained the county seat until June 1915, when Safford defeated Pima in a close race.

After a number of ownership changes, the Guardian merged with Safford Eastern Arizona Courier in 1975, under the ownership of Wick Communications, the publishing company of newspapers in Greenlee, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Pima, La Paz and Mohave counties, as well as Alaska, Colorado, North Dakota, Louisiana and North Carolina.