Nordlands Avis was started at Hemnesberget on June 17, 1893, based on a general desire for a local newspaper in the Rana district.
The company was founded by prominent local businessmen. They saw the newspaper as an opportunity to promote their own political opinions, and the newspaper was considered a left-wing newspaper.
For a short period in the early 1900s, the newspaper was owned by Ø.J. Berg; then by A/S Dunnderlands Aktietrykkeri in Mo. In 1904, the newspaper was restarted at Hemnesberget – now under the name “Ranens Tidende” – a name the newspaper had for a short period. In 1905, the newspaper was taken over by typographer Ole Jensen and in 1914 his brother Jens joined the editorial staff. The newspaper thus became a family business, and took on the name Nordlands Avis again.
The newspaper was published mostly twice a week from 1893 to 1978. When the newspaper's editorial office and printing house burned to the ground during the great fires at Hemnesberget in 1923 and 1940, publication naturally came to a halt. In 1949, it started up again in newly built premises at Torggata 2, and an investment was made in a typesetting machine to facilitate the work. However, the equipment that was purchased was both old and used, and the newspaper was left behind in comparison to its competitors who had been in operation throughout the war period. The unbalanced competitive situation intensified in the post-war years. There was no money to invest in new equipment and eventually the competition became too great. After an attempt to continue operations by forming a limited company, operations were discontinued. Editor Ragnar Årmod Jenssen, son of Ole Jenssen, therefore had to end 85 years of newspaper history with a very last issue on June 29, 1978.
Nordlands Avis is one of the best-preserved pre-digital newspaper houses in the Nordic countries, and the newspaper premises with equipment and furnishings, including the Johannesberger press from 1888, remain as they were when the newspaper was closed down. The newspaper is today owned by Hemnes Municipality.
