Oregon Historic Newspapers has recently been able to add new content from Dallas, OR! This project was made possible, in part, by funding from the Polk County Cultural Coalition. The added issues come from The Dallas Itemizer and the The Polk County Itemizer and cover a period of the paper’s publications from 1876 to 1903.

The Dallas Itemizer was a predecessor to The Polk County Itemizer, changing its name to the latter in 1879 by publisher George E. Good. Our newly added time-span was a formative period for The Itemizer, and the paper underwent an incredible amount of changes in ownership. From 1876 to 1903, a total of 10 different individuals each had a turn as publisher!

One publisher, W. A. Wash, who took over the paper in June 1888 was considered to be quite the ‘interesting’ editor. Wash didn’t utilize much space for set editorials and instead dispensed his own moralistic opinions throughout the paper at will. These examples are taken from just one issue on December 15, 1893.

To see more of the The Dallas Itemizer or The Polk County Itemizer, feel free to browse the span of issues we have digitized on our website. These titles, as with all our historic newspapers, can be browsed and searched by keyword thanks to optical character recognition (OCR). In addition, content can be downloaded as a PDF or JPEG file and saved for future reference or research purposes. All of these services are free and open to the public, so don’t wait and take a look at Oregon’s historic newspapers today!

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This summer, thanks to the generosity from the Friends of the Nyssa Library, Oregon Digital Newspaper Program was able to add new content from Nyssa, Oregon. This new content makes available the Nyssa Gate City Journal during an interesting time span we usually don’t see on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website, from 1937 to 1953!

This span of the Nyssa Gate City Journal covers life in Nyssa through the last of the Great Depression, WW2, and post-war American life. More locally specific, this selection chronicles the introduction of sugar beets to Nyssa’s agricultural economy, a crop that quickly became the foundation upon which the far eastern Oregon town came to survive on.

The start of our available issues of the Nyssa Gate City Journal could not be timelier for they coincide with the construction of the Amalgamated Sugar Company’s factory in Nyssa. The newspaper positioned itself as a promoter of the budding industry and began to push the people of Nyssa to grow sugar beets.

The Amalgamated Sugar Company did well in Nyssa; its factory remained operational until 2005. Perhaps it was due to solely the quality of the town’s surrounding land, but looking through the Nyssa Gate City Journal’s aggressive advertising campaign it seems that paper-based factors may have been equally at play.

To see more of the Nyssa Gate City Journal, feel free to browse the span of issues we have digitized on our website. This title, as with all our historic newspapers, can be browsed and searched by keyword thanks to optical character recognition (OCR). In addition, content can be downloaded as a PDF or JPEG file and saved for future reference or research purposes. All of these services are free and open to the public, so don’t wait and take a look at Oregon’s historic newspapers today!

We have recently been able to add a new paper to the Oregon Historic Newspapers website, this time coming from Newberg, OR! Thanks to the generosity of the Newberg Public Library, ODNP has been able to digitize a large span of the Newberg Graphic, one of the historic newspapers from Newberg dating back to 1888. The large span of the Graphic we now have available, from 1888 to 1922, records the growth and development of Newberg and interestingly, small snippets from the early life of our 31^st United States President Herbert Hoover.

In 1885, Herbert (Bert) Hoover moved to Newberg, OR at age 9 after both his parents passed away. Though Hoover moved to Salem to work with his uncle at age 13, he continued to visit his friends and family in Newberg and thus remained a figure in the local news section of the Graphic. These entirely commonplace mentions offer insight into the young president when he was still regarded as a regular small town Oregon boy.

To see more of the Newberg Graphic, feel free to browse the large span of issues we have digitized on our website. This title, as with all our historic newspapers, can be browsed and searched by keyword thanks to optical character recognition (OCR). In addition, content can be downloaded as a PDF or JPEG file and saved for future reference or research purposes. All of these services are free and open to the public, so don’t wait and take a look at Oregon’s historic newspapers today!

Thanks to the generosity of the Cottage Grove Historical Museum, we have recently been able to expand upon our available issues of the Cottage Grove Sentinel! This new content added to the Oregon Historic Newspapers website covers the early years of the Sentinel, a wonderful addition to the current issues we already have digitized. The new issues span from 1909 to 1918, and showcase the aspirational personality of one of Oregon’s most famous editors, Elbert Bede.

Quoted by Oregon’s historic newspaper expert George S. Turnbull, Elbert Bede was “the one man who spent the most time, did the most work, [and] became the best known as the Cottage Grove Editor.” (Turnbull, 269) Bede’s entrepreneurial spirit is evident throughout the newly added historic issues of the Cottage Grove Sentinel, especially in articles like the ones below which were published shortly after Bede took ownership of the paper.

If you want to learn more about the Cottage Grove Sentinel, Elbert Bede, or historic newspapers in general check out our collection of digitized historic newspapers on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website! Doing research through ODNP is easy thanks to optical character recognition (OCR), which allows all of our historic newspapers to be keyword searchable. In addition, this newspaper can be downloaded as a PDF or JPEG file and saved for future reference or research purposes. All of these services are free and fully available to the public, so don’t hesitate and take a look at what historic Oregon was like through the newspapers that documented it!

References:

Turnbull, George S. History of Oregon Newspapers. Binfords & Mort, Publishers. Portland, OR. 1939.

We’ve recently added more content from Polk County, this time coming from Independence, OR! This batch was made possible by the folks at Independence Public Library. The added issues come from The Polk County Post, going back to the start of the paper in 1918 and through 1921.

During that time, it was the second largest newspaper coming out of Independence. Though it was a lot newer than the other town newspaper, the Independence Enterprise, it still managed to develop a circulation of 705 in a town of about 1,380 by 1920, its third year in existence, according to the American Newspaper Annual and Directory from that year.

Even though it was a relatively small paper, The Polk County Post still managed to squeeze in a lot of important news tidbits from around the world and across the state in its weekly issues. The newspaper also had a focus on the agricultural leanings of the town, particularly hops which were a major part of the town’s economy during this time.

The Post also started to include film listings from the local movie theater, a glimpse into the entertainment available at that time.

As with all of our digitized papers, you can browse through more issues on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website. Each issue of The Polk County Post can be browsed and searched by keyword, thanks to optical character recognition (OCR) technology. In addition, content can be downloaded as a PDF or JPEG file and saved for future reference or research purposes at absolutely no cost to visitors to Historic Oregon Newspapers.

With support from the Dallas Public Library and the Polk County Cultural Coalition, we were recently able to digitize and add more newspapers from Dallas, Oregon! Issues from The Polk County Signal, Polk County Times, and Polk County Itemizer are now available online. Of these newspapers, the issues available from the The Polk County Signal cover the earliest period from 1868 and 1869, while the Polk County Itemizer covers a later period from 1903 to 1914.

In 1868, J.H. Upton started the The Polk County Signal in Dallas, OR. As a small weekly paper, it covered issues of both local and national import. The paper had strong political leanings, supporting the Democratic party of that time and often arguing in favor of states’ rights. However, this meant that articles in this paper ranged widely, from simply offering support for Democratic politicians to using extreme and racist rhetoric.

In 1879, the Signal would merge with the Dallas Itemizer to form the Polk County Itemizer, which for a time billed itself as “the best and largest paper in Polk County.” However, that was relative for the time as its circulation in 1884 would have only been about 950. In this transition, the newspaper became more politically independent, not affiliating itself with either party while moving away from the Signal’s sometimes harsher language.

Meanwhile, the Polk County Times had a brief run during this time between 1869 and 1870, published by F.R. Stuart. It often printed news briefs from across the county, but focused mainly on state and local news. Though the paper was short-lived, it is still an interesting glimpse at life in Dallas and Polk County during that time. Take for example the below clipping from the County News and Town Gossip section:

In this article about a singing class taught by a Professor McNutt, we get a sense of the type of pleasurable activities “Dallasanians” would have taken part of back then. To find out about other aspects of life in Dallas in the mid to late 1800s, browse through more issues of each of these newspapers on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website. Each issue of The Polk County Signal, Polk County Times, and Polk County Itemizer can be browsed and searched by keyword, thanks to optical character recognition (OCR) technology. In addition, these historic Dallas, Oregon newspapers can be downloaded as a PDF or JPEG file and saved for future reference or research purposes at absolutely no cost to visitors to Historic Oregon Newspapers.

Thanks in large part to the generosity of a group of donors from Coquille, we were recently able to add the Coquille City Herald to the Historic Oregon Newspapers website, covering a time period between 1883 and 1894. The earliest issue currently available from this weekly paper is from September 11, 1883, while the last one is from December 11, 1894. More issues will be added later from that time period, as well as from the rest of the paper’s run through 1917.

Incorporated in 1885, Coquille remains a relatively small town to this day. These issues of the Coquille City Herald offer insight into the town’s early days and neighboring areas, featuring not only recent news related to the area, but also plenty of ads for some of the local businesses and trades. In fact, the paper often promoted the city itself in an attempt to help its growth, emphasizing the natural charms and availability of reasonably affordable properties.

Interestingly enough, the property agent listed in the ad for the city is J.A. Dean, who was also the publisher and editor of the newspaper during this time. In fact, Dean was also one of the incorporators of the Occidental Water company, which was created in 1885 to transport water into the town for its citizens and business to use. His dual roles as newspaper man and property agent likely worked well for him, as the paper afforded him a mouthpiece with which to encourage others to move to this “blossoming” city.

As with all historic newspapers available on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website, each of the Coquille City Herald can be browsed and searched by keyword, thanks to optical character recognition (OCR) technology. In addition, this historic Coquille, Oregon, newspaper can be downloaded as a PDF or JPEG file and saved for future reference or research purposes at absolutely no cost to visitors to Historic Oregon Newspapers. So, check out these newly added issues and learn a little more about late-nineteenth century Coquille!

Two historic newspapers from Hood River, Oregon — the Hood River Sun and Hood River Glacier — are now online at the Historic Oregon Newspapers website. These particular Hood River titles are available online thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the people at Hood River County Library and the History Museum of Hood River County.

If it weren’t for the people at Hood River County Library and History Museum, the Hood River Sun especially would not be available. Amazingly, print copies of this historic Hood River paper were discovered in a closet at the museum! If they hadn’t found them, this content would have been lost forever! After this discovery, volunteers at Hood River County Library scanned issues of the Hood River Sun (and the Hood River Glacier) from print. This process veers from normal procedure in that historic newspapers are typically scanned from microfilm. Scanning these newspapers from print allowed these historic titles from Hood River, Oregon, to be accessible online at the Historic Oregon Newspaper website. Special kudos to Buzzy Nielsen, director of Hood River County Library, and Arthur Babitz, a local volunteer who is writing a book about the Hood River Sun.

Eleven issues of the Hood River Sun have been added to Historic Oregon Newspapers. The dates of publication of the newly added issues range from September 28, 1899, to February 8, 1900. This date range spans the entire existence of the newspaper, of which only twenty issues were printed. Notable newspaperman Sloan P. Shutt established the Sun, which initially was delivered to homes throughout Hood River at no charge. Eventually the Sun became available by subscription, with a yearlong subscription costing $1.50 and a six-month subscription $1. Shortly after the release of the first issue, Shutt walked away from the Sun to pursue mining interests in Sumpter, Oregon. Eber R. Bradley took over and was editor and publisher of the Hood River Sun until its final issue, which rolled off the presses on February 8, 1900.

The Hood River Glacier was the Sun‘s rival. As a matter of fact, the Hood River Glacier preexisted the Hood River Sun by an entire decade. The Glacier was the first ever newspaper in Hood River, Oregon, established in 1889 by postmaster George T. Prather. In an early issue, Prather claimed he did not enter the newspaper business to gain fortune. As a play on the paper’s title, he wrote, “If the little Glacier will slide along slowly and grind out its own expenses we [the publishers] shall be satisfied.” The first issue of the Glacier was published on June 8, 1889. The newspaper would remain in print for more than forty years, far outlasting its onetime rival, the Sun. Nearly 1,650 issues of the Hood River Glacier have been added to Historic Oregon Newspapers, with publication dates ranging from June 8, 1889, to December 28, 1922.

As with all newspapers on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website, these newly added issues of the Hood River Sun and the Hood River Glacier can be searched by keyword because of optical character recognition (OCR) technology. In addition, every issue of these historic Hood River, Oregon, newspapers can be downloaded and saved for future use as a PDF or JPEG file, at absolutely no cost to readers of Historic Oregon Newspapers. Thanks again to the incredible people of Hood River County Library for making it possible for these historic papers to be online!

Nearly 10,000 pages of historic Oregon newspapers are now online! This is an abundance of content, spanning from 1868 to 1931, that is newly available for research or reading pleasure.

More specifically, eight — yes, EIGHT — historic newspaper titles from the state of Oregon are now available online. These newly added historic Oregon newspapers are as follows:

Corvallis, Benton County, OR. The Corvallis Gazette (Jan. 20, 1882-Nov. 9, 1888)

Corvallis, Benton County, OR. The Corvallis Times (June 2, 1900-Dec. 30, 1903)

Corvallis, Benton County, OR. Corvallis Gazette (Jan. 1, 1906-Dec 28, 1906)

Albany, OR. The Albany Register (Oct. 3, 1868-Dec. 31, 1880)

Lebanon, Linn County, OR. The Lebanon Express (March 5, 1887-April 29, 1897)

Weston, Umatilla County, OR. Weston Weekly Leader (Dec. 21, 1878-Feb. 4, 1890)

Weston, Umatilla County, OR. The Weston Leader (Aug. 12, 1892-May 13, 1921)

Athena, Umatilla County, OR. The Athena Press (Jan. 1, 1926-Dec. 4, 1931)

As with all of the newspapers on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website, each and every newly uploaded issue of The Corvallis Gazette, Corvallis Times, Corvallis Gazette, Albany Register, Lebanon Express, Weston Weekly Leader, Weston Leader, and Athena Press can be searched by keyword because of optical character recognition (OCR) technology. In addition, each issue of these historic newspapers can be downloaded and saved for future use as a PDF or JPEG file, at absolutely no cost to readers of Historic Oregon Newspapers. Go ahead and take a look today!