Thomas H. Ayers established the Vermillion Plain Talk in 1883 and continued to publish it until January, 1893, when it was renamed the Clay County Freeman.

The new ownership lasted less than a year, and Ayres quickly returned and revived the Plain Talk which he edited until he became the private secretary of Gov. Andrew E. Lee.

In 1922, C.T. Bostad purchased the Plain Talk and published it until his death in 1937. Members of the Bostad family continued to operate the paper for two more years until it was sold to D.C. DeVany and his son, Guy, in 1939.

The elder DeVany died in 1941 and his son published the paper until 1949, when it was sold to Williams and Lois Gibson.

The Broadcaster Press bought the Plain Talk in 1981, with W.H. (Bill) Willroth Sr. and Jon Jacobsen, publishers.

The Plain Talk has been the official newspaper of Vermillion, Clay County and the Vermillion school district since 1884. It actively covers issues affecting the city, county, school system and the University of South Dakota, the state's flagship public university, located in Vermillion. The weekly newspaper is well-known locally and throughout South Dakota, having received several awards for journalism excellence.

Morris Communications acquired the Vermillion Plain Talk in July 1996.