The Ballantines

The saga of a family and the small-town newspaper the Ballantines have loved and stewarded for three generations. A fascinating account of a world that is rapidly disappearing, and a great argument for saving it.

-- Alex S. Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter, biographer of Bingham and Ochs/Sulzberger newspaper families and himself from a four-generation small-town newspaper family

Filled with amusing anecdotes and revealing stories, John Peel’s book The Ballantines: Building Community Issue by Issue traces family history across generations for a well-written account of a family dedicated to a free press and grassroots community building. Rarely do business and family histories have this deep level of insight and cultural context. The Ballantines understand the struggle to maintain local, independent journalism in a digital age. Peel tells their story with masterful research, enlightening, incisive interviews and editorial excerpts. This book is a family history but also a business history of one of America’s great media-owning families still committed to rigorous, award-winning journalism.

-- Andrew Gulliford, Professor of History, Fort Lewis College, Durango

The Ballantines: Building Community Issue by Issue shines a bright light on the larger-than-life families whose love of the West and newspapers created the fiercely independent Durango Herald. The book is a love letter to the transformational influence of good journalism on a small town.

-- Lynne Perri, Journalist in Residence, American University School of Communication

John Peel takes the reader on a behind-the-scenes look at the life and family of Arthur and Morley Ballantine whose reach and influence was national in scope as they set about creating a legacy of award-winning small-town newspapering through honest, compassionate, hard-hitting journalism that continues to this day. Their lasting impact on the Durango, Colo., region through the news and editorial columns of The Durango Herald is matched by their committed involvement in all things Durango and their charitable giving back. Morley Ballantine’s words spoken in 1992 ring very true today: “For democracy to function successfully, its citizens need to have information about the wide variety of topics important to their government. They need complete information and they need accurate information. It’s a newspaper’s responsibility to provide this information.”

John Peel has done a delightful job of capturing the Ballantine story.

-- Gary M. Hook, Director (retired), USA Today, former board member Ballantine Communications Inc.

John Peel’s book is a revealing story – and a very readable one – about one of Durango’s first families. Durango has always had its movers and shakers, from the 19th century founders who ensured their city would be dominant in Southwest Colorado, to those who picked up the torch in the 20th century to maintain and grow that status. The list of people and families who worked to make Durango a special place is long, but few on that list had a loftier vision for or exerted more power and influence in making Durango a progressive city than the Ballantines. Their presence in Durango marks nearly half the city’s history. To a great extent, their history is our history.

-- Robert McDaniel, founding Director, Animas Mu