Title

1908-03-28
- Ayer Annual1; 2
- Publish day: Saturday
- Content: Democratic
- Established: 1907
- Pages: 10; 8
- Size: 9x12 in.; 15x22 in.
- Editor: J.C. Harrigan
- Publisher: Stevens County Publishing Co.; J.C. Harrigan
- Frequency: Weekly
- Coverage
- Region: Northeast 3
- County: Stevens
- Unique ids
- LCCN: sn88085318
- OCLC: 17365658
Digitization plan
2008-2009 grant
- WSL ordered duplication and testing of 1907-1922 (5 reels) from Proquest
- Received order 2008-12-01
History
Essay Draft
Short version for LOC
In 1907 a group of Colville, Wash
ington, democrats formed a corporation to produce a new weekly paper. They hired J. C. Harrigan, a twenty-n
ine year old newspaperman, to serve as editor. They also f
inanced the purchase of modern pr
int
ing equipment. Harrigan had learned his trade
in the m
ining towns of Montana and had worked at such prestigious papers as the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer[LCCN: sn 83045604] and the
Spokane Spokesman Review [LCCN: sn 84024754], but was enchanted by Colville. He purchased the paper
in 1909 and cont
inued edit
ing it for forty years.
The early development of Stevens County, Wash
ington and the activities of its residents are well-covered by the Colville Exam
iner. Kettle Falls, Marcus, Summit Valley, Greenwood, South Bas
in, Meyers Falls, and other small communities contributed columns regularly. The area is noteworthy for its silver m
ining, timber, and agricultural
industries. News, history, and legends of the nearby Spokane and Colville
Indian tribes were
included. News related to survey
ing activities on the Columbia River anticipat
ing the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam appears occasionally. Reports of bootlegg
ing and liquor smuggl
ing were frequently related due to the community's proximity to the Canadian border. Harrigan was a witty and self-effac
ing writer who commented upon local, state, and national politics from the democratic perspective. He was active
in many service organizations and served as president of
Inland Empire Press Association.
The
introduction of a third newspaper
into the small town of Colville resulted
in fierce competition for government pr
int
ing contracts and subscription
income. The early editorials of the
Colville Examiner and its rivals (the
Colville Statesman-Index [LCCN: sn 88085320] and the
Stevens County Reveille [LCCN: sn 88085325]) document a lively struggle for survival. The
Reveille soon went out of bus
iness and the
Statesman-Index was bought and sold several times.
In 1948 the
Examiner was sold to Charles Graham and merged with its old competitor to form the
Statesman-Examiner [LCCN: sn 88085317].
The Stevens County Historical Society has
indexed this paper for births, deaths, and legal notices. The Society also holds an obituary
index for all local papers. The University of Wash
ington Libraries has a subject
index for the Colville Exam
iner cover
ing the dates 1908-1920. This
index was completed
in 1940 as a WPA project and is available on microfilm.
A detailed history of Colville newspapers, written by J. C. Harrigan, was pr
inted
in the
Statesman-Examiner on October 21, 1960.
long version
In 1907 a group of Colville men, dissatisfied with the way that the democratic position was represented
in other local newspapers, formed a corporation to produce a new weekly paper. They contacted J. C. Harrigan of Spokane to edit the paper and authorized him to purchase a modern newspaper plant.
The early development of Stevens County, Wash
ington and the activities of its residents are well-covered by the Colville Exam
iner. Kettle Falls, Marcus, Summit Valley, Greenwood, South Bas
in, Meyers Falls, and other small communities contributed columns regularly. The area is noteworthy for its silver m
ining, timber, and agricultural
industries. News, history, and legends of the nearby Spokane and Colville
Indian tribes were
included. News related to survey
ing activities on the Columbia River anticipat
ing the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam appears occasionally. Reports of bootlegg
ing and liquor smuggl
ing were frequently related due to the community's proximity to the Canadian border. Local, state, and national politics were commented upon from the democratic viewpo
int.
James Corneal Harrigan, editor of the Colville Exam
iner for forty years, was born
in Toledo, IA
in 1878 and had worked
in the newspaper
industry s
ince he was a child. Upon complet
ing his college degree, Harrigan moved west. His first professional newspaper work took place
in the Butte-Anaconda area of Montana. He later moved to the Seattle Post-
Intelligencer [LCCN: sn 83045604] and was work
ing for the Spokane Spokesman Review [LCCN: sn 84024754] before accept
ing the call to run the Colville Exam
iner.
The new pr
int
ing equipment (a water-powered Cranston folio press) was not available until 1908, so the first issues of the Exam
iner were pr
inted on a C&P 10x15 job press and stapled together with a borrowed stapler.
In spite of this hardship, the Exam
iner soon proved to be a strong competitor for not only subscription
income, but also lucrative county pr
int
ing contracts. The
introduction of a third newspaper
in the small town of Colville was not welcomed by the compet
ing papers (the Colville Statesman-
Index [LCCN: sn 88085320] and the Stevens County Reveille [LCCN: sn 88085325]) and a lively banter soon sprung up
in the editorial pages, document
ing the fierce competition for survival between the papers.
The Statesman-
Index was particularly
incensed by the upstart paper. The editors began referr
ing to Harrigan as "Red Top" on account of his red hair. They also filed a successful lawsuit dur
ing that year, claim
ing that the Exam
iner had been unfairly awarded a government pr
int
ing contract.
Harrigan claims not to have been
intimidated by this, and steadily worked to build the Exam
iner. One day he "woke with the realization that Red Top was a complete name and not a nickname." The May 9, 1908 issue of the Exam
iner appeared with the paper's name pr
inted
in red
ink at the top of the front page, with no explanation provided
in the text of the paper. Readers were amused by the reference, and Harrigan pr
inted "Red Top" on his bus
iness cards. Witt
iness and self-effacement are typical characteristics of Harrigan's writ
ing style.
The Reveille went out of bus
iness and the Statesman-
Index changed hands many times, but Harrigan stayed with the Exam
iner (tak
ing full ownership of the paper
in 1909) until 1948. It was sold to Charles Graham and merged with its old competitor to form the Statesman-Exam
iner [LCCN: sn 88085317].
The Stevens County Historical Society has
indexed this paper for births, deaths, and legal notices. The Society also holds an obituary
index for all local papers. The University of Wash
ington Libraries has a subject
index for the Colville Exam
iner cover
ing the dates 1908-1920. This
index was completed
in 1940 as a WPA project and is available on microfilm.
A detailed history of Colville newspapers, written by J. C. Harrigan, was pr
inted
in the Statesman-Exam
iner on October 21, 1960.
Essay Notes
- New printing equipment was used to print the newspaper on March 21, 1908
- 75 Years of Colville Newspapers, By J.C. Harrigan, The Statesman Examiner 1960-10-21
- Colville took shape as a town in 1882, dedicated on Feb 28 1883
- 1885 rich silver strike at Old Dominion Mountain
- Competition for county printing contracts/ 1910 ballot mixup scandal
- Stateman Index refers to Harrigan as "Red Top". Original cartoon appears in June 12, 1908 Statesman Index depicting "Red Top" raiding the county treasury. Harrigan "woke up one day with the realization that Red Top was a complete name and not a nickname." May 9, 1908 issue of Colville Examiner: Newspaper's name appears in red ink at top of first page with no internal comment in paper. Harrigan beings printing the name "Red Top" on his business cards and signs editorials with the nickname.
- First press was a "C&P 10x15 job press". Replaced in 1910 by Cranston folio newspaper press run by water power. in 1912 Examiner expandes, buys press used for Kettle Falls Scimitar.
- Main street vs back alley offices
- Alonzo Melville Doty buys Statesman Index in 1910. Starts Colville News Bureau. Sold paper in 1926
- In 1912 Colville Examiner produces Colville Daily Bulletin, a free advertising sheet for motion picture houses, published 3 times per week.
- From Tales of the Pioneers, p. 82-83
- James Corneal Harrigan, editor of Colville Examiner for 40 years, born in Toledo, IA July 18, 1878. Ph B(?) from Coe College, Cedar Rapids, at age 23. Moved west, worked for Montana papers, Seattle P-I, and Spokane Spokesman Review. Worked in newspaper industry from childhood through high school and college.
- "In1907 a group of Colville men, dissatisfied with the way in which the two Colville newspapers were presenting the democratic cause, contacted Mr. Harrigan in Spokane and asked him to become the editor of the third paper in Colville...He agreed to accept the offer and boarded the SF&N for the 4 hour trip to Colville, arriving at the Colville depot on a hot, dusty July day."
- Directors of the new democratic newspaper corporation were: EM Heifner, JA Rockford, John B Slater, LC Jesseph, CA Ledgerwood, JG Luzer of Valley, JW Dunlap of Loon Lake. These men named the paper and gave authority to Mr. Harrigan to order a modern newspaper plant.
- First papers were produced on a small job press with pages stapled witha stapler "borrowed from Attorney H. Wade Bailey" in the basement of a building owned by Rusch and Allen on what is now "King Cole's Corner."
- Newspaper not greeted cordially by competitors. "One editorial challenged the new paper and its backers to a scrap which would not be terminated until 'hell became a frozen lake'."
- March 1908. Examiner moves to brick structure owned by Stenger and Thomas. New press run by water power was installed. The new paper prospered even at the "exorbitant price" of $1.50 per year. "The word went around that the newspaper cost 50% more than the older papers because it contained 50% more news."
- Paper sold to Charles Graham in 1947
- Harrigan was a member of several service organizations: President of Inland Empire Press Association, VP of Colville Chamber of Commerce, Asst. Exe. Clerk US Senate (1933-35), County Food Administrator in WWI, State delegate to democratic convention (1920), member of Modern Woodmen, Knights of Pythias, Royal Arch Mason, Royal and Select Master, Shriner, and Philatelic Society.
- "JC Harrigan took ownership and full control of Colville Examiner April 3, 1909" | From the Colville Examiner 76, April 10, 1909.
- Books by J.C. Harrigan:
Indexes
- The UW has an subject index of the Colville Examiner on Microfilm. This was originally a WPA project completed in 1940. It covers the Colville Examiner from 1908-1920. Some place names are also indexed. A1128
- The Stevens County Historical Society has also indexed this paper. They typically indexed for births, deaths, and legals. They also have an obituary file which covers these years.
Research
- N.W. Ayer & Son's American newspaper annual-- 1909 -- 910
- N.W. Ayer & Son's American newspaper annual and directory -- 1912 -- 965
- NDNP Candidate Title List (Appendix A1.2)
- Chronicling America record (LOC) - Colville Examiner
- WorldCat record - Colville Examiner
- WSL record - Colville Examiner
- UW record - Colville Examiner
- Colville Examiner. Index. 1900s
- Steven's County Historical Society has indexed the Colville Examiner for births, deaths, and legal notices, as well as an obituary index for all local papers.
- Colville Mothers' Club.; Stevens County Historical Society (Wash.)Tales of the Pioneers
- 75 Years of Colville Newspapers, By J.C. Harrigan, The Statesman Examiner 1960-10-21
TopReel
- Filmed by: Bell and Howell for WSU
- Positives held by: WSL
- Holdings:
- Location: WSL
- Call Number: NEWSPAPER 44/468
- Lib. has Oct. 31, 1907 - April 30, 1948
- Negatives held by: Proquest
Notes
OCLC
invoiced us for test
ing of duplicate reels. Proquest
invoiced for duplication and test
ing of all master reels
lrobinson, 2009/03/23 11:09Re-batched WA-NDNP_DB_20090312 with OCLC's fixes to reel dates, commas, and erroneous character returns. I fixed marc org codes, number of resolution targets to 0, section counts and labels
lrobinson, 2009/03/12 11:16Film eval data batched (WSL_Metadata_2009-02-03) and sent to OCLC Feb. 03, 2009
lrobinson, 2009/02/09 16:19I created a new spreadsheet (renamed old one "old.Colville Exam
iner"). Per new new IssuePresent decision (see
Notes) I deleted all cataloged miss
ing issues as there were no miss
ing issue dates enumerated
in the film.
lrobinson, 2009/01/30 12:33Input new density read
ings and calculated reduction ratios; created sequence numbers
lrobinson, 2009/01/30 10:53 Proquest is go
ing to re-test and email results
lrobinson, 2009/01/08 14:54Ray Murray at LC reiterated the need for Proquest to test the darkest areas of the film for the 10 density read
ings - wait
ing to hear back from Proquest to see if they are will
ing to do this without extra cost
lrobinson, 2008/12/23 15:0310 density read
ings are dm
in read
ings. Check
ing with LC on correct density read
ing procedure
lrobinson, 2008/12/23 10:18 TopEvaluation
See
Colville Examiner eval spreadsheets (Google)Totals
Top