In 2026, the Royal Purple will celebrate its 125th anniversary. This accomplishment marks an important milestone, providing an opportunity to look back at the publication’s history to reminisce, learn and reflect on major moments. 

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, originally called the Whitewater Normal School, was founded in 1868. The Royal Purple was not established until 1901, and at its founding, it was a monthly literary magazine.

The first edition of the Royal Purple was published in November 1901. Editor-in-Chief Chas B. Woodstock led a team of six editors and four reporters to publish content that was “in the interests of the school,” according to the mission statement.

The first issue contained several student-submitted literary pieces and a call for more student submissions from “the most efficient writers of [the] school.” Not only did this first issue showcase student work, but it also highlighted other student organizations and prominent people at the school.

The last three pages of this issue were dedicated to displaying advertisements for local businesses and individuals’ services. A wide range of businesses and services were listed, including jewelers, bakeries and laundry facilities.

This first issue was only the start of the Royal Purple’s rich history. The magazine continued to publish monthly in the literary magazine format until February 1913. After a one-month hiatus, the magazine rebranded into a weekly newspaper.

On April 1, 1913, the newspaper’s front page read “The Royal Purple Rejuvenated” in a nod to this change. Although the number of pages was significantly reduced, the editorial staff wrote that the reason for this switch was to “make the paper more interesting and progressive.”

The newspaper published weekly issues throughout the academic year, and there were originally no issues published in the summer sessions. That all changed on June 22, 1931, when the first Summer School Bulletin was published.

While not bearing the Royal Purple name, this issue was symbolic. The Whitewater State Teachers College, as the school was renamed in 1927, published a list of course offerings and important notices for the first summer session issue.

The Summer School Bulletins would continue to be published under that name until June 16, 1952. On June 24, the name was switched to “Summer Royal Purple.” The final issue with this branding was released on June 29, 1977.

With the rise of the internet and related technology in the 1990s, the newspaper needed to adapt to its newly digital audience. The Jan. 28, 1998, print issue was the first to have a URL displayed on the front page.

The Royal Purple continued to publish print issues weekly until March 9, 2020, when the last weekly edition was released. Starting in the Fall 2021 semester, print issues are only published quarterly, with four issues being published per academic year.

Today, the Royal Purple publishes weekly issues on Mondays on royalpurplenews.com and continues to publish its four quarterly print issues. The print issues are distributed all around the UW-Whitewater campus and the community.

The Royal Purple’s evolution throughout history demonstrates how the media landscape has changed throughout time and how newspapers as a whole have adapted to meet such changes. From the very beginning, Royal Purple staff have pushed for excellence despite the ever-changing field of journalism.