Leavenworth Echo

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1904-01-29

1904-01-29


Title info


Digitization plan

2008-2009 grant

History


Essay Draft

The first issue of the Leavenworth Echo was published January 15, 1904 by Deed H. Mayar. The community of Leavenworth had been growing since the 1890s when the Great Northern Railway built a line through nearby Stevens Pass. The Lamb-Davis Lumber Co. built a large timber operation in the area. The town of Leavenworth was incorporated on July 28, 1906 and Deed Mayar was elected the first mayor.7

News about the railroad industry is particularly well covered by this small-town paper. Timber and mining were also important in this region and accidents are frequently described. The activities of both businessmen and labor unions were reported, as well as the entertainment events of the town, which ranged from saloon brawls to theatrical events and an annual Chautauqua. News from the local communities of Peshastin, Cashmere, Dryden, and Blewitt were included in this paper.

When Mayar retired and sold the Echo in October 1919, the Cashmere Valley Record [LCCN:87093033] commented that Mayar was "quite a distinct character...He was firm in his convictions almost to the point of obstinacy, and his fearlessness made him a thorn in the side, at one time or another, of many of the people and interests in this territory." The fiery side of Deed Mayar was clearly expressed in his editorials during World War I in which he questioned the loyalty of Leavenworth citizens who did not buy Liberty Bonds and diligently promoted the thrift campaign. In April 1918 he wrote: “[The US] entered this war to help stamp out the German will to impose her laws and customs on other peoples, and ultimately on our own people. The German spirit must be stamped out as one stamps out a fire that threatens his home.” Ironically, in the 1960s the citizens of Leavenworth transformed their town into a Bavarian-style village in an attempt to lure tourists to the Alpine-like area. The transformation was successful, and Leavenworth now hosts one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the country as well as other events.

Mayar sold the Echo to the Echo Publishing Company: H.S. Rearick, W.G. Schannach, and O.A. Lee. The three men had owned the Griggs County Sentinel Courier [LCCN: 88076343] in North Dakota before relocating to Leavenworth. Under their ownership the paper took a less partisan tone. Unfortunately, the Great Northern Railroad chose to move their local headquarters to Wenatchee in 1922. This ushered in a long period of economic decline that would not be alleviated until the citizens remodeled their town in the 1960s. The Echo has continued to be published through all of the ups and downs in Leavenworth history.

Research

  1. N.W. Ayer & Son's American newspaper annual -- 1905 -- 887
  2. NDNP Candidate Title List (Appendix A1.2)
  3. Chronicling America record (LOC) - Leavenworth Echo
  4. WorldCat record - Leavenworth Echo
  5. WSL record - Leavenworth Echo
  6. UW record - Leavenworth Echo
  7. Stevens Pass: The Story of Railroading and Recreation in the North Cascades By JoAnn Roe

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Notes

Part of batch2 - delivered to OCLC in WSL_Metadata_2009-04-01 zip file.lrobinson, 2009/04/01 10:12

Evaluation

See Leavenworth Echo eval spreadsheets (Google)

Totals



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