The Pitchfork, a magazine owned, edited, and published by Wilford B. Smith, originated in Kansas City, Missouri, under the name of Plain Talk and was moved to Dallas, Texas, in May 1909 as a monthly publication. The magazine, which the editor said was three-fourths nonsense and one-fourth good, sensible matter, was known for its outspoken but humorous editorials, signed "Pitchfork Smith." Contributions were accepted, but most of the copy was written by the editor, who was especially critical of Dallas newspapers. The content of the magazine ranged from political exposés to anecdotes and humorous articles on Greek mythology. On September 1, 1911, Smith issued the Pitchfork Scrap Book No. 1, a collection of editorials previously printed in his magazine. The size of the magazine varied from pocket size to smaller. The publication was sometimes called Plain Talk or Phil Ossifer's Plain Talk in addition to its regular title. It was discontinued at Smith's death in 1939.
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William W. Baxley, Pitchfork Smith: Texas Liberal (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1944).
Categories:
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Journalism
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Writers, Authors, Publications, and Literature
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Publications, Journals, and Magazines
Places:
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North Texas
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Dallas/Fort Worth Region
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Dallas
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Anonymous,
“Pitchfork,”
Handbook of Texas Online,
accessed July 02, 2022,
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/pitchfork.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Original Publication Date:
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1952
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Most Recent Revision Date:
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June 1, 1995
This entry belongs to the following Handbook Special Projects:
