''The Oregon Spectator'', was a

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

published from 1846 to 1855 in

Oregon City Oregon City is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, located on the Willamette River near the southern limits of the Portland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 37,572. Established in 1829 ...

of what was first the

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...

and later the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The ''Spectator'' was the first American newspaper west of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

and was the main paper of the region used by politicians for public debate of the leading topics of the day. The paper's motto was ''Westward the Star of Empire takes its way''.

History

Antecedents

Although small publications were printed in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

from 1834, there were no newspapers published in that territory until after American triumph in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

of 1846 — several months after establishment of the ''Oregon Spectator.'' A printing press, brought to Oregon from the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), had been in operation at the Waiilatpu Mission as early as 1839.

Establishment

The Oregon Printing Association (OPA) was formed in Oregon City with the purpose of establishing a newspaper. The OPA consisted of a group of seven, including William G. T'Vault, James W. Nesmith, John P. Brooks,

George Abernethy George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 – March 2, 1877) was an American politician, pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government based in the Willamette Valley, an area later a part of the American sta ...

John H. Couch John Heard Couch ( ; February 28, 1811 – January 19, 1870) was an American sea captain and pioneer in the Oregon Country in the 19th century. Often referred to as Captain Couch, he became famous for his singular skill at navigation of the ...

, Robert Newell, and John E. Long. It formally declared that the press they acquired was never to be used "...by any party for the purpose of propagating sectarian principles or doctrines; nor for the discussion of exclusive party politics." The group secured a press from New York. The OPA produced the first issue of the ''Oregon Spectator'' on Thursday, February 5, 1846.Gray, William H. ''A History of Oregon, 1792-1849, Drawn from personal observation and authentic information''. Harris & Holman: Portland, OR. 1870 The publication thereby became the first newspaper published on the

Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

of the United States. T'Vault served as president and the first editor of the paper. Most of the owners of the paper had roots in the Methodist Mission which had dominated Oregon politics prior to the establishment of the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

in 1841. T'Vault was succeeded in a matter of months by Henry A. G. Lee, who was the Association's original choice, but had not been hired due to differences over his salary. Lee also remained for only a few months, and was succeeded for another two months by John Fleming, the paper's printer.

George Law Curry George Law Curry (July 2, 1820 – July 28, 1878) was a predominant American political figure and newspaper publisher in the region that eventually became the state of Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he published a newspaper in St. Louis, Miss ...

, who succeeded them, lasted into 1848, when he resigned due to a dispute with the Association over his wish to adopt a "firm and consistent American tone." The United States formed the Oregon Territory in August 1848, with Oregon City—the home of the ''Spectator''—serving as the seat of government for its first three years. After Curry's departure, Aaron E. Wait of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, became the editor. On February 10, 1848, Wait enlarged the paper to twenty-four columns. The first edition was only four tabloid pages; their contents were described by Himes in 1902. It was printed on a hand press which was purchased in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and shipped by sailing vessel around

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

. The paper was initially published semi-monthly, with pages of , arranged into four columns.

Development

For the first four years the owners did not allow sectarian political discussions in the paper. This lack of partisan politics from the ''Spectator's'' pages does not mean it did not have an overt political line, however, as throughout its existence the paper took a consistent stance agitating opposition to

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

. In the view of pioneer Western American historian

Hubert Howe Bancroft Hubert Howe Bancroft (May 5, 1832 – March 2, 1918) was an American historian and ethnologist who wrote, published, and collected works concerning the Western United States, Texas, California, Alaska, Mexico, Central America, and British Colum ...

, the ''Spectator'' might reasonably be viewed as the organ of the American merchant class against its

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

competitors. During most of the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

period, it was the only newspaper published in Oregon. The paper also advocated in favor of the principles of morality, temperance, and education among the European-American immigrant population of the

. Owing to transportation and communications difficulties, "current" national news in the ''Spectator'' was usually at least 6 months out of date, consisting of rewrites of material covered in newspapers brought into Oregon by annual migrations of settlers or by ship via the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

. After 5 issues T'Vault was dismissed as editor for his moderate temperament, to be replaced by Henry A. G. Lee. Lee lasted for 9 issues in the formal editor's role before he was himself replaced in favor of a period of collective editorship. Effective with issue 18

formally took over the editorial reins. He remained on the job until he was removed in 1849, to be replaced briefly by Aaron E. Waite, who was followed as editor by Wilson Blain. In 1850 the ''Spectator'' and the press on which it was produced were sold to Robert Moore, who continued with Blain at the editorial desk. Blain was subsequently removed by D. J. Schnebley, who purchased the publication and edited it for a time in conjunction with C. P. Culver. The ''Spectator'' was sold one final time, with C. L. Goodrich buying the paper in March 1854 and continuing it until its termination in March 1855.

Demise

Oregon City's position being eclipsed by that of nearby

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

as the center of commerce and Salem for politics, the paper's fortunes faltered, and publication ceased in 1855.

Controversies

As the main newspaper in the region, the ''Spectator'' was often used to inform the populace of current topics, such as the debate over banning the manufacturing and sale of ardent spirits by law of the Provisional Legislature where Samuel Parker and James Douglas debated the proposed law. Parker accused Douglas and the

(HBC) of selling rum at

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th-century fur trading post built in the winter of 1824–1825. It was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was ...

with Douglas asserting the sovereignty of the HBC over its own people, but pledging to enforce any laws of the

against all other parties. Under George Curry's editorship, the paper attacked Jesse Quinn Thornton when Thornton was sent to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He had been sent as a representative of the government, but Curry accused Thornton of actually trying to secure favorable federal appointments for himself and his political allies.

Legacy and archives

The ''Spectator'' was indexed by a project of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

in 1941. The index is available in two volumes hosted by the

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

library. Archives of the issues themselves are available in the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

Historic Oregon Newspapers archive.

Footnotes

External links

''Oregon Spectator'' archive
from the University of Oregon's Historic Oregon Newspapers project * {{Oregon Pioneer History Defunct newspapers published in Oregon Newspapers established in 1846 Publications disestablished in 1855 1846 establishments in Oregon Country 1855 disestablishments in Oregon Territory Oregon City, Oregon