Hal Wright was the founder of this newspaper in October of 1949 with his beloved Allene "Sweetie Pie" Wright. Hal served as editor and Sweetie Pie served as associate editor. They moved to Loyalton from Oakland and made the Booster a fortnightly because, "We come out one week, then try to come out the next. Never make it, so come out the third week and call it a fortnightly." Newspapering was in Hal's blood as his paternal grandparents, Horace George and Christiana McKay Muirson Wright started the El Paso de Robles Leader in 1886 and ran it until 1919. At the California State Fair in 1953, Sweetie Pie and Hal were awarded the "California Magic" award for pre-eminent public service at a formal presentation by the Governor of California.

Sweetie Pie and Hal initiated the passing of the Senate Rules Resolution No. 40 on April 23, 1968 proclaiming the Second Sunday in September as "Grandparents Day".

At age 50, Hal took flying lessons from Frank Nervino in Beckwourth. He purchased a J3 Piper Cub and enlisted his 10 year old son, Nard, as his co-pilot. He used skis on the aircraft in winter and would land in surrounding fields. The Sierra Booster and Hal became famous when he bought a 1949 classic four-place Aeronca Sedan and began taking aerial photos and delivering the newspaper by air. Hal's famed March 21, 1975 Williams Loop photo with a long freight train overlapping it is still in demand. For his aerial delivery to area ranches and lookouts, Hal was questioned by the Plumas County Sheriff for susupected drug smuggling and escalated to fame by news service wires, featured in magazines including the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and National Enquirer on television's "Today Show", "Good Morning America", "Ripley's Believe It or Not" and "That's My Line", Japanese and German television and regularly featured on the radio.

But even knowing how to fly, Hal still had to drive local roads gathering news and ads. "I used to feel I owned Yuba Pass Highway. I skied over that 6,701 foot summit when it was closed 49 days by snow in 1952." One trip on skis took 2-1/2 days from Loyalton to Sierra City to have the Booster printed and delivered. That was Hal's first experience on skis.

Sweetie Pie died in January of 2000 and Hal 6 months later in July. Their daughter Jan has kept the Sierra Booster going, now in its 59th year. She with the help of her daughter Nichole hope to keep the traditions of Sweetie Pie and Hal as well as move foward with the focus of maintaining a "pictorial newspaper aggressively devoted to the best interests of Sierra, Eastern Plumas and Parts of Lassen, Nevada and Yuba Counties."