Steamship and stage lines were extensive advertisers; a great reduction in regular fares from Portland is announced; the new rates were $5 from Portland to Salem; $8 to Albany, and $12 to Eugene.
The advertiser had not yet learned his technique, and, for instance, "S. Ackerman wishes to inform," "William Barlow begs leave to call the attention of his old friends and customers," "C. W. Pope & Co., the subscribers, would respectfully announce," are characteristic of the ads of the day.
There wasn't much local news, but it was not uncommon in those days to get one's name in print by obtaining subscribers for the paper. So there was this item:
Still They Come.—Our friends, Dr. J. L. Barlow, Sheriff Burns, E. B. Kelly and B. C. Lewis have again placed us under obligations for lists of yearly subscribers. Thank you gentlemen. The larger the subscription list, the better will be the paper we shall be able to lay before you.
Inspection of files and comparison with the calendar indicate that the paper had a way of coming out some weeks on Friday and some on Saturday.
In July 1867 the Enterprise was enlarged to an eight-column paper to accommodate increased advertising.
Ireland's successor as publisher in 1869 was John Myers, who employed D. M. McKenney, a lawyer, and E. D. Kelly to get out the paper for him.
Myers didn't stay long, and about 1870 we find two well-known names in early Oregon journalism connected with the story of the Enterprise. The first was M. H. Abbott, better known in connection with Albany and Baker journalism, who soon sold to Anthony Noltner, native German, then just past 30 years old, who had started his newspaper career as "devil" in the office of J. C. Avery's Occidental Messenger in Corvallis, and whose half-century in Oregon journalism covered most of the state.
F. S. Dement succeeded Noltner in 1875, succeeded by John Rock four years later. Rock kept the paper going for the next five years, then in 1884 J. A. White took charge, selling out to E. M. Rands, later a Clark county (Wash.) state senator, who became publisher January 2, 1887. Charles Meserve bought the Enterprise in the spring of 1889, selling a half interest in September 1890 to J. M. Lawrence. Meserve & Lawrence carried on until 1898, when, after the death of his wife and baby, Meserve withdrew.[1] The paper was now taken over by a group of ten Oregon City business men, who sold it to L. L. Porter, another lawyer, who gave up his practice to become an editor.
It was under Mr. Porter's ownership that the linotype came to Oregon City in 1902. In 1906 he sold the paper to an Ohio main
- ↑ Howard Petit in souvenir edition of Enterprise, September 12, 1937.
