The Redmond Spokesman
Encyclopedia
The Redmond Spokesman is a weekly newspaper published in Redmond, Oregon
. The paper serves the city of Redmond and neighboring communities in northern Deschutes County
, focusing on local news and events. It has a circulation of about 2,700. The Spokesman was founded in 1910 by Henry H. Palmer. Today, the paper is owned by Western Communications
, a publishing company with newspaper holdings in Oregon
and California
.
. Palmer operated the newspaper with his wife Clara, who was also an experienced journalist.
In September 1911, the Palmers announced that The Spokesman had acquired a new press
and paper cutter to improve newspaper printing and production. A typesetting
machine was added a short time later. In January 1912, the new 1,200 pound linotype machine
was installed to further improve the operation. However, on 26 Feb 1912 a fire started in a neighboring hardware store. The fire spread to adjacent building, burning down a grocery store, a bakery, a furniture store, and The Spokesman office. Despite the fact that the loss exceeded their insurance coverage by $4,000, the Palmers were able to keep the newspaper going by using the presses at Redmond’s other newspaper, The Oregon Hub and at the The Bulletin
in nearby Bend
to print The Spokesman while new equipment was ordered.
After several months in temporary quarters, the paper moved into a new stone building on the old office site. When new equipment, including another modern linotype machine, was installed the Palmers began printing The Spokesmen in their own production facility again. The sign on top the new office building announcing the home of "The Redmond Spokesman" was 3 foot (0.9144 m) high and 24 feet (7.3 m) long.
The Spokesman was Redmond’s second paper. Its competition was The Oregon Hub, which was founded in 1909. A third community paper, the Redmond Enterprise, began publication in 1913. In 1914, the Palmers bought out the other two newspapers, leaving The Spokesman as Redmond’s only newspaper.
The Palmers sold The Spokesman to M.W Pettigrew in 1916. The change in ownership was announces in the 17 February edition of the paper that year. Pettigrew had been in the newspaper business in Kansas
, but had moved to central Oregon
to become a farmer. He was the publisher and editor of the paper until 1920, when he sold the business to Douglas Mullarky.
Mullarky was an experienced newspaperman, having been a reporter for The Hub and the founder of the short-live Redmond Enterprise. He published the The Spokesman until 1922. Mallarky sold the newspaper to W. B. Russell and J. Edger Bloom. Bloom and his wife bought Russell’s share in the newspaper in 1925. The Blooms ran the business until November 1931, when they sold it to Joe and Mary Brown.
The Browns owned and published The Spokesman for the next forty years, first as a couple and then Mary alone. Both of the Browns were graduates of the University of Oregon
. Under their leadership the paper won the prestigious Hal E. Hoss
memorial trophy three times in five years in the mid-1930s. Sponsored by the University of Oregon School of Journalism, the Hoss trophy honored the best weekly newspaper in the state of Oregon. After The Spokesman won it for the third time, the trophy was retired and presented to Joe Brown at a ceremony in Redmond.
In 1939, the Browns built a new facility to house their newspaper operation. The building was construction on two adjoining lots located on 6th Street between C and D streets in downtown Redmond. The new building was one-story, built in the streamline moderne
style. It had a 50 feet (15.2 m) façade and was 60 feet (18.3 m) front to back. The building provided office space for the newspaper staff as well housing the print shop. Today, The Spokesman still occupies the building, which is a local landmark.
In 1942, Mary Brown was elected president of the Oregon Press Conference while her husband was serving in the United States Navy
. In 1955, she became sole owner of The Spokesman. She continued to running the business until 1971.
In June 1971, Mary Brown sold the The Spokesman to Western Communications, Inc. The first publisher after Western Communications took ownership of the paper was Robert Moody. He stayed until 1975, when Carl Vertrees became publisher. Vertrees ran the paper for twenty-six years, winning the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s Carl C. Webb award for long-term public service in 1992. When Vertrees retired in February 2001, Gary Husman moved from general manager to publisher. In 2010, Husman was elected president of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.
. It is headquartered in Bend, Oregon, twenty miles south of Redmond. In addition to The Spokesman, Western Communications publishations include:
Redmond, Oregon
Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated on July 6, 1910, the city is located on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascade Range, in the High Desert, and is considered the geographical heart of Central Oregon...
. The paper serves the city of Redmond and neighboring communities in northern Deschutes County
Deschutes County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Deschutes National Forest * Newberry National Volcanic Monument-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 115,367 people, 45,595 households, and 31,962 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 54,583...
, focusing on local news and events. It has a circulation of about 2,700. The Spokesman was founded in 1910 by Henry H. Palmer. Today, the paper is owned by Western Communications
Western Communications
Western Communications, Inc. is an American newspaper publisher serving the states of Oregon and California. The family-owned company is based in Bend, Oregon and was founded by Robert W. Chandler...
, a publishing company with newspaper holdings in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Audience
The Spokesman is weekly newspaper that serves the city of Redmond and northern Deschutes County. The paper is published every Wednesday. It is a community newspaper that primarily covers local area news, sports, business, and events. Most of the paper’s adverting is local as well. As of 2010, The Spokesman had a circulation of approximately 2,700. The paper maintains an on-line presence through redmondspokesmanonline.com, a web-site that has feature articles, local announcements, a current events calendar, and obituaries.History
The Spokesman is the oldest continuously operated business in the city of Redmond. It was first published on 14 July 1910. The paper’s first publisher was Henry H. Palmer. He had previously published a newspaper in the neighboring town of TumaloTumalo, Oregon
Tumalo is an unincorporated community in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States on U.S. Route 20 between Sisters and Bend. It is eight miles south of Eagle Crest Resort. In the Klamath language, tumolo means "wild plum," a plentiful shrub in south central Oregon. Tumola means "ground fog," which...
. Palmer operated the newspaper with his wife Clara, who was also an experienced journalist.
In September 1911, the Palmers announced that The Spokesman had acquired a new press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
and paper cutter to improve newspaper printing and production. A typesetting
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
machine was added a short time later. In January 1912, the new 1,200 pound linotype machine
Linotype machine
The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....
was installed to further improve the operation. However, on 26 Feb 1912 a fire started in a neighboring hardware store. The fire spread to adjacent building, burning down a grocery store, a bakery, a furniture store, and The Spokesman office. Despite the fact that the loss exceeded their insurance coverage by $4,000, the Palmers were able to keep the newspaper going by using the presses at Redmond’s other newspaper, The Oregon Hub and at the The Bulletin
The Bulletin (Bend)
The Bulletin is the daily newspaper of Bend, Oregon, United States. The Bulletin is owned by Western Communications, a family-owned corporation founded by editor Robert W. Chandler. WesCom owns nine publications in Oregon and California.-History:...
in nearby Bend
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
to print The Spokesman while new equipment was ordered.
After several months in temporary quarters, the paper moved into a new stone building on the old office site. When new equipment, including another modern linotype machine, was installed the Palmers began printing The Spokesmen in their own production facility again. The sign on top the new office building announcing the home of "The Redmond Spokesman" was 3 foot (0.9144 m) high and 24 feet (7.3 m) long.
The Spokesman was Redmond’s second paper. Its competition was The Oregon Hub, which was founded in 1909. A third community paper, the Redmond Enterprise, began publication in 1913. In 1914, the Palmers bought out the other two newspapers, leaving The Spokesman as Redmond’s only newspaper.
The Palmers sold The Spokesman to M.W Pettigrew in 1916. The change in ownership was announces in the 17 February edition of the paper that year. Pettigrew had been in the newspaper business in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, but had moved to central Oregon
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
to become a farmer. He was the publisher and editor of the paper until 1920, when he sold the business to Douglas Mullarky.
Mullarky was an experienced newspaperman, having been a reporter for The Hub and the founder of the short-live Redmond Enterprise. He published the The Spokesman until 1922. Mallarky sold the newspaper to W. B. Russell and J. Edger Bloom. Bloom and his wife bought Russell’s share in the newspaper in 1925. The Blooms ran the business until November 1931, when they sold it to Joe and Mary Brown.
The Browns owned and published The Spokesman for the next forty years, first as a couple and then Mary alone. Both of the Browns were graduates of the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. Under their leadership the paper won the prestigious Hal E. Hoss
Hal E. Hoss
Hal Elden Hoss was an American journalist and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Portland, he was raised there and edited several newspapers in Oregon before he became the private secretary for the Governor of Oregon, I. L. Patterson...
memorial trophy three times in five years in the mid-1930s. Sponsored by the University of Oregon School of Journalism, the Hoss trophy honored the best weekly newspaper in the state of Oregon. After The Spokesman won it for the third time, the trophy was retired and presented to Joe Brown at a ceremony in Redmond.
In 1939, the Browns built a new facility to house their newspaper operation. The building was construction on two adjoining lots located on 6th Street between C and D streets in downtown Redmond. The new building was one-story, built in the streamline moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
style. It had a 50 feet (15.2 m) façade and was 60 feet (18.3 m) front to back. The building provided office space for the newspaper staff as well housing the print shop. Today, The Spokesman still occupies the building, which is a local landmark.
In 1942, Mary Brown was elected president of the Oregon Press Conference while her husband was serving in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. In 1955, she became sole owner of The Spokesman. She continued to running the business until 1971.
In June 1971, Mary Brown sold the The Spokesman to Western Communications, Inc. The first publisher after Western Communications took ownership of the paper was Robert Moody. He stayed until 1975, when Carl Vertrees became publisher. Vertrees ran the paper for twenty-six years, winning the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s Carl C. Webb award for long-term public service in 1992. When Vertrees retired in February 2001, Gary Husman moved from general manager to publisher. In 2010, Husman was elected president of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.
Western Communications
Today, The Spokesman remains part of Western Communication’s family of publications which includes five other Oregon newspapers and two California papers. Western Communications Western Communications was founded by publisher Robert W. ChandlerRobert W. Chandler
Robert W. Chandler was an American journalist, businessman, and philanthropist. He was the editor and publisher of The Bulletin, a daily newspaper in Bend, Oregon. He ran the newspaper for 43 years. Chandler was the founder of Western Communications, Inc., a company that owns and publishes...
. It is headquartered in Bend, Oregon, twenty miles south of Redmond. In addition to The Spokesman, Western Communications publishations include:
- Baker City HeraldBaker City HeraldThe Baker City Herald is a tri-weekly paper published in Baker City, Oregon, United States, since 1870. It is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays by Western Communications and has a circulation of 2,715. The Herald was formerly the newspaper of record for Baker County...
, published in Baker CityBaker City, OregonBaker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Oregon - The Bulletin, published in Bend, Oregon
- Central Oregon Nickel Ads, published in Bend, Oregon
- Curry Coastal PilotCurry Coastal PilotThe Curry Coastal Pilot is a biweekly paper published in Brookings, Oregon, United States, since 1946. It is published on Wednesdays and Saturdays by Western Communications and has a circulation of 6,439....
, published in BrookingsBrookings, OregonBrookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber and Box Company, which founded the city in 1908. As of the 2010 census the population was 6,336. The total population of the Brookings area is over 13,000, which...
, Oregon - The ObserverThe Observer (La Grande)The Observer, established in 1896, is a newspaper that serves Union and Wallowa counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its headquarters are in La Grande, the county seat of Union County. The Observer circulates every day except Sunday to more than 14,000 people...
, published in La GrandeLa Grande, Oregon-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,327 people, 5,124 households, and 2,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,833.5 people per square mile . There were 5,483 housing units at an average density of 1,260.3 per square mile...
, Oregon - The Daily TriplicateThe Daily TriplicateThe Daily Triplicate is a semi-daily newspaper, published Tuesday through Saturday based in Crescent City, California. It is owned by Western Communications, who also publish The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon....
, published in Crescent CityCrescent City, CaliforniaCrescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...
, California - The Union DemocratThe Union DemocratThe Union Democrat is a newspaper that serves the Sonora, California area. It is owned by Western Communications, who also publish The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon.-External links:*...
, published in SonoraSonora, CaliforniaSonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,903, up from 4,423 at the 2000 census. Sonora is the only incorporated community in Tuolumne County.-Geography:...
, California
Publishers
- Henry H. Palmer and Clara L. Palmer, 1910–1916
- M. W. Pettigrew, 1916–1920
- Douglas Mullarky, 1920–1922
- J. Edger Bloom, 1922–1931
- Joe C. Brown and Mary Conn Brown, 1931–1955
- Mary Conn Brown, 1955–1971
- Robert Moody, 1971-1974
- Carl Vertrees, 1975–2001
- Gary Husman, 2001–present