Scott Stursa, author of the recently published book Distilled in Oregon, shares his interests and processes for researching with local historic resources, including Historic Oregon Newspapers online!

Can you tell us a little about your publication and yourself?

Distilled in Oregon  details the history of spirits distillation in the state, beginning with the “Blue Ruin” being manufactured by fur traders during the 1830s and 1840s. It traces the development of commercial distilling during the nineteenth century as well as the prohibition movement that ended alcohol production in 1916. The Prohibition period was rife with moonshining, and the operations of a couple of practitioners is described. A history of Hood River Distillers (opened 1934) is followed by one of Clear Creek Distillery (1985). The final portion of the book covers the rise of the craft distilling movement in Oregon, with a number of notable distilleries described in detail.

During a 40 year career in Information Technology, writing was a hobby until my retirement in early 2016. I’m now able to devote more time to it.

What interested you in this topic?

I’ve had an interest in gourmet food and drink since my late twenties (early 1980s) and the interest in craft distilling is a facet of that. After arriving in Oregon in 2007 I became acquainted with a local craft distiller and decided to write a book on the topic.

What resources did you use for your research?

The World Wide Web was instrumental in not only finding the content of primary source accounts (digitized books [both old and new], newspaper articles, online media reports, etc.), but also provided the names of out-of-print books (which I could find and buy via Amazon), and catalogs of the contents of historical archives. These last allowed me to visit historical archives (from Medford to Seattle to The Dalles) with a list of requested resources.

What did you use in Historic Oregon Newspapers online? How did you use the site and which newspaper titles were useful to you?

Old articles describing the construction, operation, and fate of various distilleries around the state, along with advertisements placed by distillers and liquor retailers. Google Advanced Search was used, restricting the domain to oregonnews.uoregon.edu and inputting various relevant keywords such as distillery, moonshine, whiskey, etc.* Probably the one most useful title was The Oregonian.

Where can we purchase/access your book?

It was available at a number of retail outlets around the state (ranging from Powells to Costco). Most of these have sold out, but it can be ordered from Amazon or from the publisher (Arcadia/History Press).

What’s your next project?

Currently working on a book about the history of wine making in Oregon.

Thank you for sharing, Scott! We are looking forward to your next publication.

*The Historic Oregon Newspapers website also features advanced search functionality!

Heppner Weekly Gazette (Heppner, OR.) December 13, 1883, image 1. http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071041/1883-12-13/ed-1/seq-1/

Available at the University of Oregon Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) is a collection of correspondences, scrapbooks, newspapers, and miscellaneous papers pertaining to Colonel John “Watermelon” Redington (1851-1935). An Oregon scout turned newspaper man, this eccentric character was editor of the Heppner Weekly Gazette in Heppner, Oregon during its frontier days. The Colonel published quite an unusual periodical for such a small western town, and University of Oregon alumnus Brant Ducey used Redington’s editorial career with the Heppner Weekly Gazette as the focus of his master’s thesis (John Watermelon Redington: “Hell on Hogthieves and Hypocrites” 1963). To add to the bulk of resources available on John “Watermelon” Redington, the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program (ODNP) has also made digital issues of the Heppner Weekly Gazette available online from the period of his editorial management. Drawing upon the research already completed by Brant Ducey, and the resources made available by SCUA and ODNP, this post takes a quick look at the editorial career of Redington, which Ducey remarked as perhaps one of the most unique moments in the history of Oregon’s periodical publications.

Scrapbook in the John W. Redington Papers, 1880-1935. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. Jane Conway photo.

As Brant Ducey explains in his research, Colonel Redington was propositioned with an offer to run the Heppner Weekly Gazette following his service in both the Nez Perce and Bannock Indian wars. He was hesitant to accept the job, as an editorial position didn’t quite match the excitement of his nomadic life as an Oregon scout. After hearing that the previous publisher of the paper had been run out of Heppner by the town “baddies,” Redington felt that the proposition might provide enough of a challenge to stay entertained.

“The Original Boy Scout.” John. W. Redington Papers, 1880-1935. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. Jane Conway photo.

In the 1880’s, the city of Heppner, Oregon was much like the majority of early frontier towns scattered throughout the west: chaotic. Redington embraced the challenges accompanying his role as editor and sought to establish a paper that prioritized the best interests of the fledgling town, despite the often raucous environment he was surrounded by. Tensions between law-abiding citizens, gamblers, saloon-keepers, and horse thieves ran high, with each constituency having their own ideas as to what the political position of the paper should be. The small, but vibrant town of Heppner was anxious to see what their new editor was made of, and Redington did not disappoint. In his introductory address, the Colonel made clear the position of the Heppner Weekly Gazette:

Undated clipping from the Heppner Weekly Gazette in one of the John W. Redington scrapbooks. John W. Redington Papers, 1880-1935. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. Jane Conway photo.

The hardy and strong-willed homesteaders, which composed the Gazette’s readership, resonated with their new editor’s straightforward approach to journalism, and the publication quickly garnered support. But the paper’s eventual infamy and nationwide readership cannot be solely credited to Redington’s blunt tone of authorship. A dry sense of humor, which he let infiltrate all aspects of his paper, proved to be the defining source of the periodicals success.

Image of John W. Redington in the John W. Redington Papers, 1880-1935. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. Jane Conway Photo.

The Colonel knew that homesteading was a grueling task that left little time for reading newspapers. The comedic tone he chose to adopt for the Heppner Gazette gave the news a readable quality to worn out pioneers and a popularity unusual for periodicals of its time. The Colonel was a natural comedian and found a special talent in giving the routine or mundane a comedic spin:

Heppner Weekly Gazette (Heppner, OR.) June 22, 1883, image 2. http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071041/1883-06-22/ed-1/seq-2/

More often than not left without much news to tell, Redington also wrote comedic shorts to fill his columns:

Heppner Weekly Gazette (Heppner, OR.) John W. Redington Papers, 1880-1935. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. Jane Conway Photo.

The Heppner Weekly Gazette and its “comedic journalism” achieved a moderate amount of fame, and Redington’s office was often flooded with letters from all across the country. This would have been normal for a newspaper published in Chicago or New York, as during the last quarter of the 19^th century papers included a high level of correspondence, but for a town the size of Heppner it was strange indeed! Readers were delighted that as the Colonel published some of the correspondences he received, it only increased the Gazette’s comedic quality:

Heppner Weekly Gazette (Heppner, OR.) January 24, 1884, image 3. http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071041/1884-01-24/ed-1/seq-3/

Heppner Weekly Gazette (Heppner, OR.) John W. Redington Papers, 1880-1935. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. Jane Conway Photo.

Heppner Weekly Gazette (Heppner, OR.) John W. Redington Papers, 1880-1935. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. Jane Conway Photo.

Throughout the rest of Redington’s life, he continued to publish newspapers, but none of them ever achieved the same comedic quality as the Heppner Weekly Gazette. Something about the small town of Heppner inspired the Colonel; perhaps it was the rural isolation or the vivacious assortment of town folk. Only a small sampling of Redington’s humor has been able to be featured in this blog post; to read more of his entertaining anecdotes, check out the digitized issues of the Heppner Weekly Gazette at ODNP.

Written in reference to:

Ducey, Brant. “John W. Redington- Hell on Hogthieves and Hypocrites,” MA Thesis. University of Oregon, 1963.

Stewart Redington, Elizabeth. “Col. John Watermelon Redington, my Papa.” The Pacific Northwest Forum, vol. 5, no.1, 1979, pp. 12-22.