its newspaper—at least one. C. J. Shorb tried it as a member of his chain of southern Oregon country papers in 1926; but the place was too small, and the paper died the same year. More recently the town is covered in a local way by the Rogue Record, combined town and school weekly mimeographed publication, under the direction of Miss Nell Perrine. The paper is now (1939) in its sixth year.
Ashland.—The Ashland Tidings, now more than 63 years old, was Ashland's first newspaper. The town had 500 population in 1876, when its journalism was born. The first issue of the Tidings, then, of course, a weekly, came off the press June 17, 1876. J. M. Sutton was the first editor, publisher, and owner.
The advent of the newspaper was a great event and so recognized, and there was a grand scramble for the first number to come off the old Washington hand-press. Welborn Beeson, who had hauled the press from Roseburg, a distance of 125 miles, had been promised the first copy, but C. B. Watson, who two years later was to establish the first newspaper in Lake county.41 and Clark Taylor got the first and second copies, as it happened.
The health of the first editor soon failed, and after a few issues J. M. McCall & Co., Ashland merchants, took over the paper. Capt. O. C. Applegate was the next publisher, taking hold in 1878, in time to get his name into Pettengill's 1878 newspaper directory.
William Leeds and Corliss Merritt purchased the paper in 1879. Mr. Merritt soon sold out to Mr. Leeds, who conducted the paper for many years, starting a semi-weekly in 1892. He became state printer in 1894, serving for eight years, and died in southern California in 1921.
Another long-time publisher of the Tidings was F. D. Wagner, who had been "roller boy" on the paper in 1881 and had grown up with the plant. He was taken in by Mr. Leeds as partner and active manager in 1894, when Leeds took over the duties of state printer. He soon purchased the Leeds interest and continued as editor and publisher until 1911. R. B. Bennett and F. M. Bennett, later of Hood River and The Dalles, conducted the paper through 1911 and 1912, when Bert R. Greer purchased it.
The first linotype was installed in 1908 by Mr. Wagner, who ran the paper as a semi-weekly. The Daily Tidings dates from September 1, 1919, under the ownership of Mr. Greer, who conducted the paper until his death in 1927.
The Tidings was then taken over by the Ashland Printing Company, with C. J. Read editor and manager. In 1928 Mr. Read was succeeded as editor and manager by G. M. Green, who has continued direction of the paper.
The best Publisher Sutton could do in his first issue was two with the other two pages of local news, editorial, and advertising, pages "patent" ready-print. The equipment consisted of the old hand-
