becoming an eight-page paper, 26×40, (eight columns), and the Rustler changing from a three-column to a seven-column eight-page paper. In 1905 the county had three papers[1]—two at Lakeview, the Examiner, published by C. O. Metzker; the Herald, with William Wagner in charge, and one at Silver Lake, the Central Oregonian.
The Lake County Tribune of Lakeview was not always a Lakeview paper. It was started at Fleetwood in the spring of 1916, by L. B. Charles and his son, Glen. The plant was moved to Fort Rock, where until 1919 Mr. Charles used it to publish the Fort Rock News. A former paper at Fort Rock, the Times, started by William A. Busch, had disappeared when Mr. Charles took the Fleetwood plant there.
Meanwhile the Silver Lake Leader, with William Holder as editor much of the time, had been running since August 12, 1907. Its origin is a little different from that of most newspapers. It was not installed in a neglected field, with potential business beckoning. The Central Oregonian was already at Silver Lake, having been running for four years. The editor, N. W. Taylor, however, had antagonized several of the local business men by his manner of writing up the news and by what they regarded as unjustified editorial "roasting." Finally, in the summer of 1907, a small group of them got together and decided to put in another paper and freeze out the Central Oregonian. Three of those present at the session were F. M. Chrisman, G. B. Wardwell, and John W. Body. (132). Mr. Chrisman was invited to publish the paper, but lacking in journalistic experience, he declined to take the responsibility. What the group did was to subscribe $250 each to install the plant and hire William Holder, an editor of considerable experience in Central Oregon, to edit the paper for the little corporation. This was Mr. Holder's last editorial position, which he held until he died four years later.
The Leader's competition proved too much for the Central Oregonian, and after a few months the corporation bought out the opposition. The Leader had run its circulation up to 500 for a four-page six-column folio, half of which was American Type Founders readyprint. The Central Oregonian s list, meanwhile, had dwindled, Mr. Chrisman says, to 60, and the Leader group took over the plant, Washington hand-press and all, for $500, and closed down the paper.
Editors following Mr. Holder were T. H. Jolly, Guy La Follette, Mr. Chrisman himself (1915-16), and E. K. Henderson to December 19, 1919. Mr. Chrisman recalls that when he took over the editorship it was all so new to him that it took him two days to write one editorial. He stayed with the job, however, until he had vastly increased his facility. The Leader fire is memorable. Mr. Chrisman, who had given up the editorship, was managing a stage
- ↑ (131)
