American Fork's first newspaper, the Weekly Gazette, began in 1868. Interestingly, it was a pen-and-ink manuscript and included items like original poetry, essays, and wit and humor. It was short lived, folding after only 12 editions. The American Fork Independent came along in March 1890 and provided coverage of Utah's mining industry for two years. Several other newspapers came and went until the Citizen appeared May 27, 1903. The newspaper provided citizens of American Fork with a mixture of local and national news, along with light-hearted material. In the summer of 1906 the Citizen included coverage of a visit by President Teddy Roosevelt to the Panama Canal Zone; a how-to-guide on dry farming, and the following: "Four [young girls] surrounded a big black snake the other day and stabbed it to death with hatpins. Oh that Mother Eve had been so courageous----and had possessed a hatpin!" In 1912, the Citizen changed hands and added the name of the town, becoming the American Fork Citizen. In 1979 the paper was absorbed by Utah County's largest newspaper, the Provo Herald which distributes an online edition of the American Fork Citizen. Utah Digital Newspapers