USA > Washington > Douglas County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 75
USA > Washington > Adams County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 75
USA > Washington > Franklin County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 75
USA > Washington > Lincoln County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 75
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FRED BASKE, of the firm of Baske & Huesmann, dealers in lumber, paints, and oils, Davenport, Lincoln county, was born in Ger- many, August 10, 1862. His father, Gottlieb Baske, died in Germany when our subject was about six months old, and the boy was reared by his mother, Henrietta, who passed away when he was seven years of age.
In 1885 young Baske came to the United States, settling first in Nebraska, where he re- mained until 1892. Thence he came to Daven- port, Washington, and in partnership with Fred Huesmann, a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere, engaged in the lumber business. Our subject has one brother and two sisters, Au- gust, Louisa, wife of Julius Vohrpahl, and Ber- tha, wife of Otto Paga, all living at present in Germany.
Mr. Baske was married in Germany, in 1884, to Laura Zagelow, born in Germany, and the daughter of Fred and Louisa (Lueck) Zagelow. Both parents now reside with Mr. Baske in Davenport. Mrs. Baske has five brothers and three sisters, William, Fred, Ed- ward, and Paul, farmers living near Odessa, Lincoln county, and Herrman, living in Stevens county, Washington ; Amanda, single, in Nebraska, Annie, wife of John Kraatz, of Davenport ; and Agnes, wife of Emil Lueck, a merchant living in Nebraska.
Mr. and Mrs. Baske have two children, Fritz and Hugo. Fraternally, Mr. Baske is a member of Acacia Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & A. M., the I. O. O. F., and A. O. U. W. Although a staunch Republican our subject is not particularly active in politics, but has been a delegate to county conventions, and is now
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serving his second term in the city council of Davenport. He owns a story and one-half cot- tage at the corner of Tenth and Washington streets, Davenport, adjacent to apple, pear and
prune orchards. He owns and occupies, for business purposes, an entire block. Mr. Baske is popular with all, and a business man of sterling merit.
PART VI.
CHAPTER I.
THE PRESS OF LINCOLN, DOUGLAS, ADAMS AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES.
The history of the Big Bend country would be incomplete minus a chapter devoted to the press. It would have been an impossiblity to write a comprehensive and complete history of this territory without the data gathered from the files of the old established newspapers of the four counties comprising the Big Bend. Perhaps it is on this account, perhaps because of the courteous treatment the writer has re- ceived at the hands of the newspaper publishers in his search for. historical data, perhaps be- the files of the old established newspapers through long association with them, this chap- ter has been given more space than was origin- ally intended. The country weekly occupies a field exclusively its own. It cannot give from day to day the happenings of the world, nor furnish the pages of interesting general matter which the metropolitan dailies provide. But it does give a weekly history of events in the community in which it is published, and heralds abroad the virtues of the territory in which it circulates. It gives what no daily outside can give-the local news of the immed- iate neighborhood in which its readers are more vitally interested than they are in the Russo- Japan war. The country newspaper is the most powerful factor in the upbuilding of a town, and the settlement of the country surrounding its place of publication.
LINCOLN COUNTY.
Beginning with the year 1882 there have been established in Lincoln county two monthly publications, forty-three weeklies, two semi- weeklies and three daily newspapers. At the present writing, August 30, 1904, there are published in the county twelve weekly news- papers and one religious weekly.
The first paper established within the pres- ent boundaries of Lincoln county was the Sprague Herald, issued in Sprague in the fall of 1882 by J. T. Armstrong and W. H. Small- wood. Mr. F. M. Gray, who two years later launched the Lincoln County Times, was also at one time interested in the Herald, either as part owner or as an employe. The old Herald was an important factor in the development of Sprague during its infancy. The Herald was published about four years. Mr. Smallwood first came to Washington in 1876, having been appointed at that time by President Grant regis- ter of the Vancouver Land Office. He held this position five years, then engaging in the practice of law and newspaper work. Aside from editing the Sprague Herald Mr. Small- wood at different times published the Van- couver Independent and the Klickitat Sentinel.
The Lincoln County Times, the oldest news- paper in Lincoln county at this period, was
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born in a blacksmith shop, at Harrington, in June, 1884. The paper started under quite inauspicious circumstances. In fact it was a bold experiment, for the county was sparsely settled, and money was a scarce article among the few pioneers. But little land was under cultivation and there was no market for what little produce was raised. Towns which came to the front a few years later were not then dreamed of. The sole means of travel was by private conveyance.
The founder of the Times was Frank M. Gray, a gentleman who played an important part in the early history of the county. Mr. Gray was, eminently, a hustler, a graphic and interesting writer whose trenchant literary style attracted wide attention. He was a typical pioneer editor and boomer. In the face of ob- stacles that would have discouraged almost any- one else Mr. Gray clung to his work and built up a subscription list which was equalled in number by few interior papers.
The establishment of the Times at Harring- ton was an event that changed the history of Lincoln county to a considerable degree. Ow- ing to the central location of Harrington Mr. Gray believed that that town could secure the county seat at the coming election. It was largely through his efforts that Harrington en- tered the race for county seat honors, and be- yond a doubt had Harrington not entered the race Davenport would have retained the county seat at the initial contest. The Times put up a robust fight for the town in which it was published, but shortly after the contest Mr. Gray decided to abandon the enterprise in Har- rington. He was a shrewd newspaper man and saw that Davenport, although at this time not able to poll as large a vote as its neighbor in the southeastern corner of the county, was destined to become a town of some importance. Accordingly he entered into negotiations with the people of Davenport to move his plant from Harrington and occupy the field made vacant by the suspension of the Leader.
The following summer he moved his plant to Davenport, the people of that town furnish- ing a lot and erecting a building for him as an inducement for the change. The building was one of the pretentious edifices of Davenport at the time, but in the rapid growth of the town it soon became out of date and remained one of the landmarks of the town until 1899, when it was remodeled. Mr. Gray at once applied himself to patching up the differences between the two ends of the county, and when the change was made he adorned the head of his paper with an emblem consisting of an eagle, under which were clasped hands and the motto, "In union there is strength."
This emblem adorned the Times heading until 1902, when it was discarded for some- thing more up to date. Only the old timers knew the significance of the emblem and motto or why it had been made. While Mr. Gray's efforts were largely devoted to healing the wounds of the recent county seat contest, he very successfully and profitably took care of Mr. Gray's interests. He filled his paper with "ads" from Sprague, Sheney and Spokane Falls, all these towns making a strong pull for the Big Bend trade, and Mr. Gray's efforts were not directed to throwing cold water on this rivalry. A small part of the support came from the town of Davenport .. The Times dur- ing this profitable period of its life was an eight-column folio. A rush of advertising often caused the editor to issue a six-page pa- per. A monthly circulation of 4,000 copies was guaranteed. The subscription price was $2.50 per year and advertising rates were $18 per column per month. At the head of the editorial columns appeared : "Office hours all day and half the night," and old time residents state that this was not in the least overdrawn. The Times was established as a Republican paper by Mr. Gray and it has been strongly of that faith ever since. To Mrs. Gray belongs much of the credit for the success of the Times, she having written articles and set type for al-
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most every issue that went forth during Mr. Gray's proprietorship. In November, 1888, a large Campbell cylinder press now in use in the Times office was installed. It was the first press of the kind ever brought into the country.
During the summer of 1904 there was placed in the office of the Times a Simplex typesetting machine. This, and the one in the office of the Lind Leader, are the only ones in Eastern Washington, outside of Spokane.
January 13, 1889, Mr. Gray sold the Times to Frank M. Dallam. The latter is one of the brightest newspaper men in Washington. He has passed his whole life in a printing office, his first experience at the "case" being in 1858. For several years he worked for his father on the Quincy, Illinois, Republican. Upon the death of his father in 1868, Frank assumed charge of the Warsaw, Illinois, Bulletin, where he continued until 1875. He then went to California and published the Hayward Journal from 1877 to 1882. In 1883 Mr. Dallam came to Spokane Falls and started the Review as a weekly publication, later issuing it as a daily. He remained with the Lincoln County Times until July, 1890, when he was appointed re- ceiver of the United States land office at Water- ville. When the Washington Press Associa- tion was formed in 1888 Mr. Dallam was made its first president. He is now publisher of the Palmer Mountain Prospector, at Loomis, Washington. When he secured control of the Tinies several changes were made, the most important being the entire home publication of the paper. He made the paper a mirror of local happenings of the town of Davenport and presented to the outside world in his pleasing style the various advantages which the Big Bend country held forth to the industrious and ambitious immigrant. During Mr. Dallam's residence in Lincoln county he was honored by an election as a member of the Constitutional Convention. When he took up his duties as receiver of the Waterville Land office July 1, 1890, he installed Mr. L. E. Danforth as local
manager. January 23, 1891, Mr. Danforth was succeeded as manager by Lawrence A. Inkster, who had formerly worked on the Times for Mr. Gray, and who later had pub- lished the Sprangle Record, in Spokane county. With this change the all home print feature was eliminated and two pages of eight-column fo- lio were patent. A short time after assuming the management Mr. Inkster purchased the business from Mr. Dallam, and the form of the paper was again changed, the patent pages being discarded, and the Times became a seven- column folio all printed in the home office. In this form it remained until October 20, 1893, when the five-column quarto form was intro- duced, four pages being general news printed in Spokane.
On the first of July, 1898, Mr. Inkster leased the plant to Mr. Dallam, who conducted the Times until November 9, 1900, when it was taken in charge by Mr. Inkster. During Mr. Dallam's incumbency the journal became an all home print paper-five-column quarto- and it has retained that form since. For a short time during the summer of 1901 Mr. Inkster, issued the Times semi-weekly, but the support would not justify the extra labor and it again became a weekly publication. The Lincoln County Times is the oldest paper in the Big Bend country, and is one of the leading and most influential papers in Central Wash- ington.
The organization of Lincoln County in the closing days of 1883 and the lively contest which followed for the location of the county seat led to the establishment of newspapers at the three towns in the race for county seat honors, Sprague, Harrington and Davenport. Davenport's champion was the Lincoln Leader, issued for the first time June 12, 1884, by El- mer C. Warren. The Leader ably presented Davenport's side of the controversy and in re- turn was supported by every business house in the city which was seeking to retain the county seat. It should be remembered, however, that
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the business houses in Davenport at that time were not many, and after, the contest the Leader suspended publication. The last issue was run from the press November 21, 1884.
The fourth newspaper to be launched . in Lincoln county was the Sprague Journal. This came into existence January 16, 1885, having been established by Frank McMorley. Later the Journal passed into the hands of Frank Mc- Masters. Under his control the paper. flour- ished for a time and in 1888 was designated as the county official paper. Financial diffi- culties overtook the Journal and early in March 1888, publication was suspended and the county printing contract was turned over to the Lin- coln County Times.
Among the earliest of Lincoln county news- paper ventures was the publication of the Sprague Sentinel by John W. Kelly, January 7, 1887. The Sentinel continued to appear reg- ularly at the county seat until the summer of 1888 when it suspended and left the field to the Sprague Herald. Mr. Kelly conducted the Sentinel in anything but a conservative man- ner and his treatment of men and measures
through the columns of his paper was of the "fire-eating" style. In the first issue he suc- ceeded in stirring up enough trouble to satis- fy the average newspaper man a lifetime. An editorial entitled "Self Defense" appeared in the first issue, which was pronounced very bit- ter by those who read it. The article was in reply to a paragraph in the East Portland Vin- dicator, and it went so far as to make specific charges against the editors of the Vindicator. The Sentinel readers supposed the East Port- land paper would take the matter. up again, and the next number of the V'indicator was anx- iously awaited. But instead of the paper one of its publishers arrived and immediately swore out a complaint against Mr. Kelly, charging him with criminal libel. The case came up before Justice Bartol, W. H. Smallwood ap- pearing for defendant and Wallace Mount for plaintiff. The case resulted in the binding of
Kelly over to the district court in the sum of $750, which bond he filed with George Murphy and George Bonninghoff as sureties. McGuire, the East Portland publisher, left on the even- ing train for his home, but on complaint of Kelly was, in return arrested at Ritzville by Sheriff Green, of Adams county and brought back to Sprague. He was charged with a sim- ilar libel in an article published against Kelly which had been printed about three years be- fore. The law limits the time to two years in which such an action can be brought, hence McGuire was released, but was placed under $200 bonds to appear at the May term of court to prosecute his charge. Mr. Kelly got out of his difficulty, but succeeded in getting into more personal trouble within the succeed- ing year and a half.
One of the most popular and enterprising papers published in Lincoln county was the Sprague Herald, a namesake of the initial paper printed in the county. This paper was first printed April 19, 1888, and for nearly two years it was a factor in making Sprague the flourishing city it became. F. M. Winship was the editor and proprietor of the Herald, and the Sprague paper was recognized as one of the best papers of Washington. Politically it. was independently Republican. From July' 12, 1890, to October 7, 1891, the Herald was issued twice a week, and during the many years that Sprague occupied its prominent place on the map, Mr. Winship's paper was the fore- most. In the early 90's the Herald had oppo- sition represented by a daily and from three to five weeklies. But the fire of 1895, which within a few hours blighted the hopes of a town reduced the newspapers to an extent that at the beginning of 1897 the town of Sprague was not able to support even one weekly. The Herald was the only Sprague paper to escape destruction in that office conflagration, but Mr. Winship lost otherwise in the fire, and in De- cember, 1896, he decided to discontinue the business he had been connected with so long.
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Removing to Spokane he opened the Quick Print job office. The last issue of the Herald, December 4, 1896, came out in handbill form, in which the editor discussed the suspension question as follows :
"The Herald appears this week in a diminu- tive form corresponding to the dwarfed condi- tion of our city. The air of prosperity which once pervaded this place has become so rarefied that it will no longer sustain the life of even a country editor who; heaven knows, is accus- tomed to subsist on very little. Our city could have overcome the ravages of fire and again risen with new strength and beauty as our sis- ter cities have done; could have survived the loss of the county seat, even drought, flood or pestilence might have been met and lived through, but when our great ally, the Northern Pacific deserts us, and like the Arab, silently folds its tents and gets out, there remains but one course to follow. With the glad new year (it will be the only glad thing around) the Herald will bid a kindly adieu to the old friends who still stand loyally by the emancipated form of our once robust city, and thanking them sincerely for all the favors of the past years, still hope later to meet them all again in cordial business and social relations in a fairer and more permanent abiding place."
For six months Sprague was without a newspaper. The Herald was established as an eight-column folio with two pages patent, but on December 6, 1888, was enlarged to a six- column quarto, four pages being printed at home. In July, 1889, it returned to its old form, but on November 14, of that year it be- came a seven-column folio and an all home print publication. June 10, 1891, it was en- larged to a seven-column quarto, all printed at home, and was an exceptionally good paper.
The Herald, established at Sprague in the spring of 1888, was not long without opposi- tion. Its politics was independent Republican, but some of the radical Republicans of the ·county did not like the independent proclivi-
ties of the Herald and induced W. M. Chand- ler to start a paper which should be conducted more in accordance with their views. Accord- ingly in June, 1888, Mr. Chandler launched the Sprague Mail. This was a good newspaper but unpopular in many respects, and on June 14, 1889, it suspended publication leaving the field to the Herald. In the last issue of the Mail Mr. Chandler said :
"With this issue of the Mail I sever my con- nection with the newspaper business. I have come to the conclusion that the people of this community will not support two newspapers in the way they should be supported. The Mail has not been a paying investment."
One of the most influential and best edited newspapers in the Big Bend country, or of eastern Washington, is the Wilbur Register, published by Howard Spining. An interesting event was the establishment of the Register at Wilbur in 1889, and one that caused consider- able excitement among several newspaper men in the county. It had been known for some time that the people of Wilbur were anxious to secure a newspaper in their town, and several parties had their eyes on the place, each one ignorant of the intention of the others. There was a general disposition to hold off invading the field until the following spring, but the demands among the people became so urgent that three parties started to the prospective field at the same time. Expeditious move- ments on the part of those desiring the field were called out by the report that several par- ties were "working" the inhabitants for en- couragement to locate.
For some time H. L. Frost, who had form- erly been in the newspaper business at Heron Lake, Minnesota, had been located at Daven- port, and had been considering the advisability of establishing a paper at Wilbur. He had a printing plant in the depot at Spokane Falls ready for shipment. His energy was aroused on Thursday, February 7th, by the appearance at Davenport of Messrs. F. M. Winship, and
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Harry J. Hubler, of Sprague, who were bent on the same object as Mr. Frost. The Sprague gentlemen secured a sleigh and started for Wilbur. They had hardly got out of sight be- fore Mr. Frost, in charge of Mr. Lee, dashed madly in the same direction. Mr. Lee was a driver who started out with the intention of reaching his destination at the earliest possible moment and consequently landed Mr. Frost at Wilbur at seven o'clock that evening. What was Mr. Frost's surprise to find already on the ground Mr. Inkster, of Davenport, on the same errand. This sudden influx of newspaper men was a surprise to the people of Wilbur and it resulted in the establishment of a journal without unnecessary delay. The Sprague con- tingent did not arrive until the next morning, and was too late. Mr. Frost had secured the support of the people, and immediately ordered the plant shipped from Spokane Falls.
Mr. Frost formed a partnership with H. J. Hubler, and March 23, 1889, the first num- ber of the Register was taken from the press. The name of H. J. Hubler & Company ap- peared as proprietors and Mr. Hubler, who was a young man recently from Ohio, did the editorial work. The paper was an eight-col- umn folio with two pages patent, and was well filled with advertisements from the business men of Wilbur and Davenport. With the is- sue of July 12, 1889, the partnership between Mr. Frost and Mr. Hubler was dissolved, the former, securing entire control. August 16th, of the same year Mr. Frost installed M. C. Hopkins, an excellent printer, as manager of the Register. The latter conducted the paper only until October 18th. November 22d Mr. Frost sold the Register to Frank Atkinson, one of the pioneers of Lincoln county, and a farmer residing in Sassin precinct. Mr. At- kinson published a good paper during his ownership. The Register had been established as an independent organ, but under the new management it became Democratic. January 16, 1891, the plant was sold by Mr. Atkinson
to Harry J. Neeley, who for some time had been foreman of the office, and the agriculturist returned to his home on the farm. Mr. Neeley changed the politics of the paper to Republican, with which party it has since affiliated. He made several improvements in the journal, among other things being the publication of three of the four pages at home. In June, 1892, the form of the paper was changed to a six-column quarto, with four pages patent.
Mr. Neeley continued the publication un- til April 1, 1893, when he leased the plant to C. H. Cole and W. H. Waynick, who had personally been connected with the Spokane- Spokesman. Both were practical printers and newspaper men. They remained in charge of the Register until August. II, 1893, when Mr. Neeley again became the publisher. He made the paper a seven-column folio with only two pages of home print. C. H. Cole and L. B. Goshorn purchased the Register April 13, 1894, and Mr. Goshorn presided over the edi- torial desk. Under the control of Cole & Gos- horn, the paper was made a five-column quarto with patent features. Harry Neeley again be- came interested in the Register February 15, 1895, through purchase of Mr. Goshorn's in- terest, and the firm of publishers was Cole & Neeley. It was continued under this manage- ment until May 8, 1896. On that date the pa- per, was purchased by Howard Spining, form- erly county clerk and treasurer of Lincoln coun- ty, and H. S. Bassett, who for several years had been connected with the printing business in Sprague. Under the management of these gentlemen the Register made rapid strides un- til today the paper is one of the best published anywhere in a town the size of Wilbur. In the spring of 1902 Spining & Bassett purchased a new Cottrell press, a gasoline engine and made other improvements which caused the Register office to be recognized as one of the best equipped between Spokane and the Columbia river. At that time the Register was made all home print, and its eight pages have since been
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printed in the home office. October 2, 1903, Mr. Spinning purchased his partner's interest and is the sole publisher.
Occasionally it falls to the lot of a news- paper to explain in its first issue the exact spot on the map where it is published and to give an excuse for being in existence. This was the case with the Almira Journal. It was first published in September, 1889, on the spot where Almira now stands, and its excuse for being in existence was because that it believed that Almira would soon appear upon the sur- face of the earth. The publisher was not mis- taken in this. The railroad arrived and Almira became one of the liveliest towns in the county.
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