The West Side Journal, located in Port Allen, Louisiana, serves as the official journal of West Baton Rouge Parish. The newspaper’s roots run deep in the West Baton Rouge community, as the earliest dates of publication reach back to the mid-1800s. But the Journal, as it is known now, dates back to 1936, when L.D. Young bought it and changed its name from the Port Allen Observer to the West Side Jo
urnal. The newspaper publication was created in 1852, when it was published as the Capitolian Vis-a-Vis by Philip Winfree, Jr. Judge Henry Hyams purchased the paper in 1855 and renamed it the Sugar
Planter. The Planter stayed around under various owners until 1925, though it was not published regularly from 1861-65, during the Civil War. Jake Wade purchased the paper in 1925, and renamed it the Port Allen Observer. The paper was sold in 1936, when L.D. Young bought it and changed the name to the West Side Journal. In 1990, the publication went up for Sheriff Sale and was bought by Loretta Young, and in 1997 was purchased by George Jenne-owned Venture Capital Publisher LLC, who is the current owner.
