In Chicago, he founded the Mutual Newspaper Publishing Company in 1886 which provided advertisements and articles to over 200 newspapers. In 1887, he established the weekly ""Saturday Blade"", an illustrated newspaper aimed at rural audiences and sold by thousands of newsboys—an innovation at the time. By 1892, the "Saturday Blade" had the largest circulation of any weekly newspaper in the United States. Boyce's detailed reports of his foreign travels provided articles for the ""Saturday Blade"" and were reprinted in books by atlas/map publisher Rand McNally. The success of the ""Saturday Blade"" spawned the W. D. Boyce Publishing Company, which Boyce used to buy or start several newspapers and magazines. In 1892, Boyce bought out the ""Chicago Ledger"", a fiction weekly publication. In January 1903 he founded the international ""Boyce's Weekly"", which advocated worker's rights. Boyce's prominence as a supporter of labor attracted labor/union leaders such as John Mitchell of the United Mine Workers and Henry Demarest Lloyd as writers and editors for ""Boyce's Weekly"". Eight months later, ""Boyce's Weekly"" was consolidated with the ""Saturday Blade."" Boyce also established the selected subject/topical newspapers ""Farm Business"" in 1914 and ""Home Folks Magazine"" in 1922. Dwindling sales led to the 1925 merger of the ""Blade"" and ""Ledger"" into the monthly ""Chicago Blade & Ledger"", which was published until 1937. As Boyce's enterprises grew, he insisted on looking after the welfare of about 30,000 delivery boys, who were key to his financial success. Working with them may have helped him gain an understanding of America's youth. Boyce felt that delivering and selling newspapers taught a youth important responsibilities such as being polite, reading human nature, and handling money. Boyce's focused determination was evident in the advice he gave to young men: "There are many obstacles to overcome, but toil, grit and endurance will help you to overcome them all. Help yourself and others will help you." and "whatever trade you have selected; never swerve from that purpose a single moment until it is accomplished".