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Whitman County Gazette

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Whitman County Gazette
TypeWeekly newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Free Press Publishing
Founder(s)Charles B. Hopkins
Lucien E. Kellogg
Founded1877
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersColfax, Washington
Circulation3,802 (as of 2022)[1]
ISSN2157-653X
OCLC number26200048
Websitewcgazette.com

The Whitman County Gazette is a local newspaper in Colfax, Washington, United States. It was established in 1877 as the Palouse Gazette and merged with other newspapers in the city in the early 20th century, adopting its current name in 1989. The Gazette claims to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in Washington state.[2]

History

[edit]

The first issue of the Palouse Gazette was published on September 29, 1877, by local residents Charles B. Hopkins and Lucien E. Kellogg of Colfax, then a small town in Washington Territory. The newspaper was established during the Nez Perce War, which brought settlers in the Palouse in conflict with the indigenous tribes of the region.[3] The newspaper expended to a four-page, nine-column layout in 1887, making it the largest in the Washington Territory at the time.[4]

Kellogg sold his interests in the business to editor Ivan Chase in 1887.[5] Later that year Hopkins sold out to W. W. Chapman,[6] who left after two years, leaving Chase as sole owner.[7] In 1891, J. E. Ballaine and H.T. Browne purchased the paper from Chase.[8] Browne withdrew from the business after a year and was replaced as business manger by Howard Bramwell.[9]

In 1893, Charles A. Elmer and W. L. Caldman purchased the paper,[10][11] which around that time was renamed to the Colfax Gazette.[12] A few months later ownership was reorganized with Caldman exiting. He was replaced by Chase, local merchant M. A. Corner and Howard Bramwell,[13] who later took possession of the printing plant with his brother Charles.[14] In 1897, Elmer and Corner disposed of their interests in a sale to Chase for $3,500. At that time Chase was the paper's business manager.[15] Chase sold the Gazette in 1904 to W. L. Hunter for $5,000,[14] and resumed ownership 18 months later.[16] In 1901, Chase sold the Gazette to the Bramwell brothers for $1.[17]

The Colfax Gazette, a Republican-leaning newspaper, merged with the Democratic-leaning Colfax Commoner in 1932, forming the Colfax Gazette-Commoner.[18][12] The Commoner had originally been founded in 1885 and began regular publication in 1911.[19] At the time Charles Bramwell owned the Gazette and Allen M. Lacey owned the Commoner. The two operated the new venture together.[18] In 1948, Bill Wilmot purchased the Gazette-Commoner from Lacey,[20] and the combined newspaper's name was reverted to the Colfax Gazette in 1958.[3] Wilmot operated the paper until 1983 when he sold it to Matlock Communications Inc.[21]

Two years later the paper was acquired by A. L. Alford Jr., who owned the Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Lewiston Morning Tribune. Former publisher Gordon Forgey was then installed as publisher.[22] In 1989, the paper's name was changed again to the Whitman County Gazette to reflect its county-wide coverage.[3] Alford sold the Gazette to long-time editor Forgey in 2003.[23] Free Press Publishing acquired the Gazette from Forgey in March 2020 following their purchases of the Colfax Daily Bulletin and Odessa Record.[24][25] The Gazette moved to a new office in Colfax in July 2020.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy" (PDF). League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund. November 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "About Whitman County Gazette". Whitman County Gazette. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Meany, Edmond S. (July 1922). "Newspapers of Washington Territory". The Washington Historical Quarterly. 13 (3). University of Washington Press: 188. JSTOR 40474644. OCLC 2392232. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "Short Stops". Columbia Twice-A-Week Chronicle. February 12, 1887. p. 3.
  5. ^ "Notice". The Washington Standard. Olympia, Washington. June 10, 1887. p. 2.
  6. ^ "Personal". The Spokesman-Review. March 7, 1890. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Localettes". Pullman Herald. October 2, 1891. p. 1.
  8. ^ "Notice". The Spokesman-Review. March 16, 1892. p. 7.
  9. ^ "A Newspaper Sold. | The Palouse Gazette of Colfax Changes Hands". The Spokesman-Review. March 7, 1893. p. 7.
  10. ^ "In The Newspaper Field". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. March 21, 1893. p. 5.
  11. ^ a b "About The Colfax Gazette". Chronicling America. National Digital Newspaper Program. Retrieved January 23, 2020 – via Library of Congress.
  12. ^ "Has Changed Hands. | The Palouse Gazette Under a New Management". The Spokesman-Review. May 6, 1893. p. 7.
  13. ^ a b "The Colfax Gazette Is Sold". The Daily Herald. Everett, Washington. October 11, 1904. p. 7.
  14. ^ "The Sold The Colfax Gazette. Elmer & Corner Disposed of Their Interests to Ivan Chase". The Spokesman-Review. October 22, 1897. p. 3.
  15. ^ "Colfax Gazette Changes Owners | William Hunter Steps Out Of Management - Ivan Chase Returns". The Spokesman-Review. March 7, 1906. p. 6.
  16. ^ "Bills of Sale". Pullman Herald. October 14, 1910. p. 3.
  17. ^ a b "Pioneer Papers Merged | Gazette-Commoner Appears, Headed by C. Bramwell and A. M. Lacey". The Spokesman-Review. December 17, 1932. p. 10.
  18. ^ Bagwell, Steve; Stapilus, Randy (2013). New Editions: The Northwest's newspapers as they were, are, and will be. Carlton, Oregon: Ridenbaugh Press. pp. 199–200. ISBN 978-0-945648-10-9. OCLC 861618089.
  19. ^ "Prize-Winning Paper Sold to Bill Wilmot". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. May 8, 1948. p. 2.
  20. ^ "Colfax Gazette sold to Matlock Communications of Idaho". The Spokesman-Review. March 4, 1983. p. 2.
  21. ^ "Colfax Gazette is sold to Tribune Co". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. September 6, 1985. p. 4.
  22. ^ "Publisher Forgey purchases Whitman County Gazette". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. January 2, 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  23. ^ "Whitman County Gazette changes hands". Lewiston Tribune. March 1, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  24. ^ Thomas, Virginia (March 12, 2020). "Free Press Publishing acquires two newspapers". Spokane Journal of Business. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "Gazette office moving". Whitman County Gazette. June 25, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
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