Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 141

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992

USA > Washington > Chelan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 141
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 141
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 141
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 141

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tor, Mr. Drake retiring to engage in the job printing business in Republic. Mr. Cleveland continued to edit the paper until March 16, 1901, when it was leased by J. C. Kerley. Mr. Kerley remained with the paper six months, at the termination of which period, or on Sep- tember 7, J. E. Cullins became the editor. In November of that year The Pioneer was consolidated with the Republic Miner.

Although the Republic Pioneer, soon after its establishment, became the oldest established paper in the county, it was not the first news- paper to make its appearance in .Ferry county. In October, 1897, Earl McCarter, of Grand Forks, B. C., and Rube Hull took a printing outfit from Grand Forks to the new town of Nelson (now Danville), just over the interna- tional boundary line, in Ferry county, and es- tablished the Reservation Record. This paper was published for over a year, but in June, 1898, the town of Republic offering a better field for a newspaper than did Nelson, the plant was removed to Republic and the Republic Record made its appearance. Rube Hull and H. C. Parliment were the publishers. In 1900 Mr. Parliment purchased his partner's interest and has since conducted The Record. Politi- cally The Record stands for Republicanism.

Until January 21, 1899, the Pioneer and Record enjoyed a monopoly of the newspaper business in Republic and Ferry county. O11 that date the Republic Miner was established by John R. Reavis, secretary of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, and Fred Barker, as a Republican newspaper. The following year Mr. Reavis retired from the business and Mr. Barker became sole owner. In 1901 he pur- chased The Pioneer from E. R. Cleveland and consolidated the two under the name of the Pioneer-Miner. During the life of The Miner the town of Republic was passing through the sensational experiences of a "boom," and news- paper business was good. From December, 1899, to November, 1900, The Miner was issued daily as well as weekly, and a very cred-

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itable publication was the result. The Pioneer- Miner was conducted by Mr. Barker until June 15, 1903, when another merger of newspaper interests occurred, the Pioneer-Miner and The News consolidating and passing into the con- trol of A. I. Drake.

After Mr. Drake had retired from The Pio- neer he engaged in the job printing business, but October 4, 1900, he re-entered the field and launched the Republic Daily News, a Demo- cratic newspaper. The News was issued as a daily only until November 17, of the year of its establishment. From that date until Decem- ber 4, 1901, it was a weekly publication, and was then issued twice a week until June 15, 1903. On that date Mr. Drake purchased from Mr. Barker the Pioneer-Miner, consolidated the two and has since continued the publication under the name of the Republic News-Miner. It is a Republican paper. Three other papers have made their appearance in Republic, but in each case their life was short.

In May, 1900, Hughes Brothers established a Democratic paper-The Journal-but fol- lowing an existence of one short month it sus- pended and the plant was purchased by The Pioncer. The Independent American was put in the field in the fall of 1902, by J. C. Caie and J. C. Kerley. It was issued as a daily and weekly, the former being Independent in poli- tics and the latter Democratic. This was a campaign sheet and was issued only about two months. In December, 1902, J. L. Harper brought a newspaper plant to Republic from the Palouse country and began the publication of the Morning Standard, but only a few num- bers were printed.

In 1899 Keller, on the "South Half" of the reservation enjoyed quite a "boom," and in that year the Keller Miner was established by Thur- ston Daniels, son of the then lieutenant gov- ernor of Washington. Publication was sus- pended after one year. Shortly afterward M. E. Robb renewed the publication of The Miner, but after a few months of publication it was

laid aside. The little town of Danville, until 1902 known as Nelson, has been highly distin- guished by attempts to conduct newspapers within its limits. The first one in the county was published there and since that time two other papers have appeared in the field. For some time in 1901 there was published at Nel- son a very unique article in the line of a news- paper. Nels B. Nelson, one of the business men of the town, issued the Nelson Bee from a "toy" printing outfit. In November of the same year J. E. McCarter, the Grand Forks newspaper man, took a portion of his plant to Nelson and there established a paper which was issued only for two or three weeks. It was edited by J. E. Cullins.

Aside from the two papers at the county seat the only other newspaper in Ferry county is the Kettle River Journal, published at Orient by A. A. Anderson. The Journal was estab- lished in June, 1902, and politically it is Demo- cratic.

OKANOGAN COUNTY.

At the present writing, January, 1904, there are five weekly newspapers published in Okanogan county-the Okanogan Record at Conconully, the Palmer Mountain Prospector at Loomis, the Brewster Herald at Brewster, the Meyers Creek Newes at Chesaw, and the Methow Valley New's at Twisp. Other papers have made their appearance at different points in the county, flourished for a time while the town in which they were published was enjoy- ing prosperity, and then with the reversal of fortune they would cease to exist.

The first paper published in the county was the Okanogan Outlook, at Conconully. The discoveries of rich silver ore in the Salmon River Mining district had brought hundreds of people to the Okanogan country and Con- conully had become a flourishing mining camp in 1888. In July of that year The Outlook made its appearance, a four-page, six-column sheet, two pages home print and two pages

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"patent." The subscription price was $2.50 per year, which rate was maintained during the life of the paper. W. B. McDougal was the proprietor and editor of the pioneer newspaper of Okanogan county. Mr. McDougal pub- lished the paper for about a year and then dis- posed of it to E. W. Lee and J. W. Romaine, ` the former a merchant and the latter a lawyer, both of Conconully. For only six months was The Outlook published under the proprietor- ship of Lee & Romaine. It was then sold to A. H. Alford, who remained the publisher about six months and then sold it to H. W. Thompson.

The history of The Outlook under Mr. Thompson's proprietorship discloses a series of misfortunes and difficulties to be overcome, rarely experienced in newspaper work even in the newest and wildest mining camps in the northwest. Mr. Thompson did practically all the literary work as well as typographical on the paper from start to finish, and his efforts on The Outlook were one of the chief elements . composing the forces which brought about the development of the now prosperous Okanogan county. The disastrous fire which visited Con- conully August 30, 1892, reduced The Outlook plant to ashes. A new equipment was imme- diately installed. Then came the depreciation in silver and the resultant closing down of the silver mines about Conconully. Hard times were upon the camp and as usual the newspaper was among the first institutions to feel the effects. But misfortunes generally come in car-load lots and on May 27, 1894, The Out- look was again placed hors de combat by the flood, the plant being totally destroyed. Mr. Thompson immediately secured another outfit and on July 14th resumed publication. Con- cerning Mr. Thompson's perseverance a con- temporary, the Leavenworth Times, on August 4. 1894, said :

The Okanogan Outlook has again made its appear- ance, looking as cheerful as though the visitation of calamity was unknown to its career. Two years ago

Brother Thompson suffered the loss of his entire plant by fire, and again a nemesis in the form of a flood cast its withering scowl upon him. His pluck and perse- verance in battling against fate's irony cannot be too highly appreciated by the people of the upper Okanogan country, and if the sincere wish of his fellow newspaper men will assist in warding off misfortunes of the future and will aid in paving the way to prosperity his tribula- tions are at an end and the golden goal of triumph awaits his entry.

Owing to the irregularity of the freight traffic in the early days difficulty was often ex- perienced in getting print paper for the publi- cation and on several occasions The Outlook made its appearance printed on wrapping pa- per. Notwithstanding all these difficulties and misfortunes the pioneer Okanogan newspaper was a very creditable publication during its en- tire life, and will never be forgotten by the pio- neers who settled the county. In politics The Outlook was Republican throughout all the changes in proprietorship. In the fall of 1898 Mr. Thompson suspended publication of the paper and removed to Republic where he is now engaged in the hotel business. Part of the newspaper plant was removed and part has since gone to wreck. For over two years the Okanogan Outlook enjoyed a monopoly of the newspaper business in the county, but Novem- ber 1, 1890, a second publication made its ap- pearance. This was the Ruby Miner, a Demo- cratic organ established by Dr. C. F. Webb. A. H. Alford, who a short time before had pub- lished The Outlook, was installed as editor by Dr. Webb. The Miner was a four-page, six- column paper, and all its columns were printed at home. The subscription price was $2.50 per annum, and for display advertising $2 per inch per month was charged. While to the average country newspaper man of today these prices would appear exorbitant, they were not so considered in this flourishing mining camp.

In June, 1891, the control of The Miner passed into the hands of a stock company, the Ruby Publishing Company, Mr. Alford con- tinuing as editor. September 2, 1891, Mr. Alford severed his connection with the paper

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

and George J. Hurley, now representing the counties of Okanogan, Ferry and Douglas in the Washington state senate, assumed editorial charge. For three years The Miner discoursed weekly on the virtues of Okanogan county and the town of Ruby in particular, but with the closing down of the mines in the vicinity and the deterioration of Ruby The Miner suspended.

The Loomiston Journal was the name of a paper published by A. H. Sroufe at Loomis (then known as Loomiston). The Journal was established in June, 1893, just before the hard times struck the famous mining camp, but battled against fate for a couple of years, and expired.

In August, 1892, J. M. Hagerty, the min- ing man, began the publication of a paper at Oroville-the Madre d'Oro. This is said to have been a "red hot" paper and after a few months' publication suspended.

The oldest paper in Okanogan county at the present time is the Palmer Mountain Pros- pector, published at Loomis. The first issue of the paper was printed May 28, 1897, and was launched by Frank M. Dallam, who still presides over its destinies. Mr. Dallam was attracted to Loomis by the revival of mining in the Palmer Mountain District, going there from Spokane, where he had been engaged in the newspaper business for several years. He is the founder of the Spokane Review, the first daily paper in Spokane which did not fail.

The Prospector was established as a four- page, six-column paper and for more than a year all four pages were printed at home. It was filled with interesting local news matter and was ever as faithful to the interests of the district as it is today. Shortly after establish- ing The Prospector Mr. Dallam became inter- ested in the Lincoln County Times, of Daven- port, and for two years he spent nearly his en- tire time on the Davenport publication. Dur- ing his absence the Loomis paper for a part of the time was in charge of Fred J. Fine, who afterward edited the Chesare News, and later

the Meyers Creek News at Chiesaw. The bal- ance of the time it was in charge of Frank M. Dallam, Jr. The Prospector has, beyond a doubt, done more for the mining interests of upper Okanogan county than any other single agency. Mr. Dallam is a thorough newspaper man and The Prospector ranks among the best edited papers in eastern Washington. Polit- cally it is Republican.

The now practically deserted town of Bol- ster was the home of a newspaper for one year. In June, 1900, D. C. Jenkins started the Bolster Drill. The Drill stopped boring when the town ceased to thrive, suspending on its first birth- day. A. A. Batterson, now engaged in literary work in Seattle, launched a number of news- paper ventures in Okanogan county. The first of these was at Oroville. That town was un- dergoing a railroad boom, that is, there were good prospects for the building of a road to Oroville immediately, and Mr. Batterson de- cided to get in on the ground floor. Accord- ingly he brought in from Ellensburg a well equipped plant which had formerly been em- ployed in the publication of the Ellensburg Daily Register, and established his first paper in Okanogan county, in 1899. The railroad at Oroville did not materialize, and after three months he discontinued publication. The fol- lowing year George W. Mechem was building the town of Molson and Mr. Batterson was induced to cast his lot in this new and decidedly "boom" town. Accordingly on September 7, 1900, he began the publication of the Molson Magnet. This paper was destined to live only a few issues as the crash in Mr. Mechem's for- tumes came shortly afterward, and the three hundred people who had come to the new town departed, and Mr. Batterson departed with them.

He removed his plant to Loomis and in Oc- tober, 1900, put forth a Democratic paper, the Loomis Register, in opposition to The Prospec- tor. It was a four-column, four-page paper, all home print. The venture was not a success.

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financially, but Mr. Batterson continued the paper until April 28, 1903. The plant was then purchased by Mr. L. L. Work, the Conconully banker, and other business men and farmers, who formed the Record Publishing Company for the publication of a newspaper at the county seat, and on May 19, 1903, the Okanogan Rec- ord made its initial bow. Mr. Batterson edited the paper until September 4, when Ozro H. Woody, formerly managing editor of the Fair- haven Evening Journal, was installed as editor. A new Taylor cylinder press and a steam en- gine to provide power have been added to the plant formerly employed in the publication of the Ellensburg Daily Register, and The Rec- ord's plant is now fully equipped and one of the best in northern Washington. One of the fea- tures of The Record is the weekly publication of news from every part of the county, and it is doing no injustice to the other papers of the county to say that in the matter of county news The Record is the best paper in the county. A large circulation has been built up and it has readers in every hamlet in the county. Polit- ically it is Republican.

In 1901 an effort was made to establish a newspaper in Chesaw. The effort was only partially successful. The Chesaw Times made its appearance at irregular intervals. Fred J. Fine endeavored to resurrect the publication and on June 7 The Times was given a fresh start. But it soon suspended. In March, 1902, the people of Chesaw were successful in the establishment of a permanent newspaper. This was the Meyers Creek News and was launched by the Meyers Creek Printing & Pub- lishing Company of which D. Frazer, L. A. Loundagin, J. O. Loundagin, H. McGregor and A. B. Campbell were the stockholders. Fred J. Fine edited The News until May 9, 1903, when it was taken in charge by L. A. and J. O. Loundagin. November 1, 1903, the plant was purchased by J. O. Sehorn, until re- cently of Lexington, Kentucky, who is now editor and proprietor. The Newes has always

had the interests of the Meyers Creek Mining District at heart, and is always working to herald abroad the virtues of the locality and the town of Chesaw.

The latest venture in the newspaper busi- ness in Okanogan county is the Methow Valley News, published in the young, but progressive town of Twisp. The News was established July 10, 1903. H. E. Marble is the editor and publisher.

The Brewster Herald was established July 13, 1901, by D. L. Gillespie. The paper was first issued as a four-page, six-column sheet, with two patent pages, but following the publi- cation of a few issues it was increased in size to a seven-column paper, in which form it has since been maintained. J. E. Savage became associated with Mr. Gillespie shortly after the paper was launched, and he still owns an in- terest in it. The Herald is a Republican paper.

The Methow Herald was the name of a newspaper issued by Mark W. Musgrove at Methow. It was established in March, 1895, and lived but a few issues. No plant was put in, the mechanical work being done in Spokane. The Squaw Creek Mining District had brought many people to Methow, and at one period it looked as if a paper might be maintained, but results proved the contrary.

CHELAN COUNTY.

The first newspaper published in the terri- tory which several years later was made a new political division of the state of Washington and named Chelan county, was the Wenatchee Advance. It is doubtful if there is a paper pub- lished in the state today, of equal age, which has witnessed so many changes in administra- tration, in politics, policy and prosperity. The first copy of The Advance was taken from the press May 7, 1891. It was at first a seven-col- umn folio, two pages of which were printed away from home. Frank Reeves, who estab- lished the Washington Sentinel at Ellensburg,

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and who had previously been editor of the Washington State Register, launched The Ad- vance, and for nearly a year was editor and publisher. "Washington, Kittitas county and Wenatchee" was The Advance's theme, and "Independent in all things and neutral in noth- ing" was its motto. At this period Wenatchee was a little village with possibly one hundred people within its limits. The railroad was an uncertain possibility, and the establishment of a newspaper an uncertain venture.

March 24, 1892, Mr. Reeves associated with him in the publication Mr. O. B. Fuller and The Advance continued publication under the firm name of O. B. Fuller & Company. At this time the railroad was an assured fact and Wenatchee began to enter upon most prosper- ous times. Two months later the paper was made all home print to accommodate the in- creased patronage. July 7, of this year The Advance, which had heretofore been an inde- pendent paper-in name at least-announced that thenceforward its politics would be Demo- cratic, and it took an active part in the cam- paign following. May 11, 1893, Mr. Reeves, the founder, severed his connection with the paper, and L. E. Kellogg, who is at present auditor of Douglas county, Washington, took editorial charge, Mr. Fuller still retaining his interest. Under Mr. Kellogg's administration The Ad- vance became a Republican organ and worked for that party in the campaign of 1894. Sep- tember 2, 1893, the paper was again issued with two pages "patent," and the following spring another reduction in size was made "to suit the times," it being made a four-column, four-page paper. For several years thereafter The Advance was a four-column paper, the number of pages varying from four to twelve.

Arthur Gunn leased the plant January I. 1895, and conducted it for a short time, when it again reverted to O. B. Fuller. Mr. Fuller conducted the paper until July 18, 1896, when A. H. Bosworth purchased a one-half interest and the publishing firm became Fuller & Bos-

worth. At this time the politics of the paper again underwent a change and in the campaign of 1896 the free silver forces received The Advance's support. January 1, 1897, Mr. Fuller, who had been identified with The Ad- vance five years, in every capacity from "devil" to editor and publisher, sold his interest to E. T. Balch, and the publishers became Balch & Bosworth. The paper still supported the free silver forces. Mr. Fuller was not destined to long remain away from the paper which he had so many years been connected with, for Sep- tember 18, of the same year Messrs. Balch & Bosworth retired, and the management again passed into the hands of Mr. Fuller. He con- tinued the publication of The Advance until January 1, 1899, when A. H. Bosworth again resumed charge and announced that the paper under his management would be independent in politics.

December 23, 1899, Fred Reeves purchased a half interest in The Advance and became editor and business manager. Under the re- gime of Bosworth & Reeves the paper again entered the Democratic fold. At the time Mr. Reeves became associated with the paper it was enlarged to a six-column folio and was printed at home. In May, 1900, the old form of a four column paper was again substituted, but it con- sisted of eight pages and was filled with live and newsy local matter. April 13, 1901, owing to ill health, Mr. Bosworth retired. In Sep- tember B. N. Kennedy became interested with Mr. Reeves in the publication of The Advance, but remained only a short time. Mr. Reeves sold The Advance June 28, 1902, to A. S. Lindsay, who immediately disposed of a half interest to Martin P. Spencer. With this change in management the paper became Re- publican in politics and was enlarged to a seven column folio, all home print. In June, 1903, Lynn W. Miller purchased Mr. Lindsay's half interest, but resold to that gentleman four months later.

The Advance has a well equipped plant in

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every particular. It is printed upon a large cyl- inder press, and power is furnished by an elec- tric dynamo. It now occupies a place among the leading papers of central Washington.

The second newspaper to be installed in what is now Chelan county was the Chelan Falls Leader, which first sounded the praises of Chelan county August 6, 1891-only a few months after the Wenatchee Advance first re- hearsed the virtues of the Wenatchee country. In the summer of 1891 De Witt C. Britt brought into Chelan Falls, which was then showing the first symptoms of a "boom," a printing outfit which he had purchased at St. Paul, Minnesota, for $800. Concerning the difficulties encountered in "getting started," Mr. Britt said in his first issue: "At last the Leader is on deck, over a month later than its originally published date. We were consid- erably, though unavoidably delayed, in getting our printing office material on the ground. Then so great was the demand for lumber we were obliged to wait until we found a build- ing which we could occupy; and lastly, when we hoped to be able to issue on the first, a por- tion of the press gave way and had to be re- paired-one delay after another-until we are truly glad to be on earth at all."

The Leader began life a seven-column folio and each of its four pages were well filled with interesting home news and descriptive matter. For the first few years of its life The Leader was a liberal Republican paper. It was started and continued for one year under contract with the Chelan Falls townsite owners. It was expected at that time that Chelan Falls was to become the metropolis of the Lake Chelan country, but after the contract was fulfilled Mr. Britt de- cided that Chelan would be the future town. Accordingly on August 4, 1892, he moved his plant to that town and continued publication under the name of the Chelan Leader. In jus- tification of this move Mr. Britt said: "In the present move The Leader simply, and as a mat-

ter of judgment, chooses the central location covering at once the outlet of the lake, the great water power, a splendid natural townsite and the center of population, giving the newspaper vital touch with the wonderful Chelan mining district, upon which, in a large measure, the future prosperity of the whole proposition de- pends, as well as with the Columbia river's navigable waters and the splendid wheat fields that lie to the eastward."

When the change of location was made The Leader was issued as a five-column quarto, four pages of which were "patent." May MI, 1893, the paper was enlarged to a seven-column folio and the "patent" feature was eliminated. The era of "hard times" was approaching, however, and The Leader was obliged to prac- tice retrenchment in common with all business enterprises in those days. The paper was re- duced to a five-column folio. During the suc- ceeding few years The Leader struggled hard for an existence. It is not often that newspaper men in pioneer settlements attain a foothold without going through adversity, but it is doubtful if any ever encountered more difficul- ties than did Mr. Britt in keeping The Leader on top of earth. Quite often it would really seem as if the paper must suspend publication. Men with less determination and grit than this editor would have given up in despair and sought new fields and greener pastures. But The Leader struggled on, occasionally missing an issue, and finally weathered the storm. It was not until March 3, 1899, that the paper was enlarged. On that date it was made a six-column folio, all home print. The Leader is still published by De Witt C. Britt, its founder. At first it advocated the principles of the Republican party; then it joined forces with the free silver party, in common with so many papers in the western mining districts. It is now an independent publication, although taking an active part in politics. The Leader is all printed in the home office, which is sup- plied with a cylinder press and all modern

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 141

Author: Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History Number of Pages: 992

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992