摘要：The article discusses the research potential of periodicals as a historical source along with economic, office work and other types of documents. Due to the content of the headings and the regularity of replication of their issues, periodicals can serve as a kind of diary that forms the socio-cultural context of the era. Significant characteristics characteristic of the northern and Siberian territories of the Russian Empire at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries are recorded. As a basis for determining the informational image of cities, communities and localities of this part of the empire, the regional journal «Dorozhnik po Sibiri i Aziatskoj Rossii (Road worker in Siberia and Asian Russia)» was chosen – the first private journal in Tomsk. The editor-in-chief and ideologist of the publication was Prince V.A. Dolgorukov, who was active in publishing and journalism. In "Dorozhnik" there was periodically a column dedicated to the cities of Omsk, Tomsk, Irkutsk, Turukhansk, etc., as well as the territories adjacent to them. As a result of the qualitative content analysis and system analysis, the characteristic features of the Siberian territories of the Russian Empire were identified: positivity, ambiguity, inconsistency, prospects, resource wealth, the desire to overcome territorial remoteness due to the merits of the Siberian and northern lands. The image of Siberian cities, communities and territories was consolidated with the help of the Siberian regional press not only at the local level, but also at the all-Russian and international level, since journal the Dorozhnik had publications in French and was published in France.
