Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/278

Rh of work. The one man who spent the most time, did the most work, became the best known as the Cottage Grove editor, and has supplied most of the information herein contained about the journalism of the community since the beginning, is Elbert Bede, editor of the paper for 25 years.

Cottage Grove's first newspaper, the Leader, was not printed in Cottage Grove but in Drain, 18 miles south, a much livelier town at that time. The first paper came off the press at Drain July 15, 1889. The editor was E. P. Thorp, who was at that time publishing the Drain Echo, established four years before.

On October 12 of the same year the Leader started publication in its home town. F. W. Chausse, later a member of the Portland printing firm of Chausse-Prudhomme, Portland, was the editor and publisher. Mr. Thorp continued with the Echo at Drain, but in 1895 came to Cottage Grove, bought out Mr. Chausse, and continued the Drain and Cottage Grove papers as the Echo-Leader.

A number of years ago, while equipment was being replaced in the office of the Sentinel, a much later newspaper, an old case was discarded. On the reverse side was found this legend: "E. P. Thorp, Drain, Ore. C.O.D. $5735." That figure probably represented a large payment on the first newspaper plant that figures in the history of Cottage Grove journalism. The equipment included an army press. In the possession of the Sentinel is an old tombstone that shows signs of having done service as an imposing stone. A figure chiseled upside down in the inscription is believed to account for the discarding of the stone for cemetery memorial purposes. Years ago when an old building was razed, this stone and other items were found inside the walls. The building had once housed the Leaden and the stone evidently had been walled inside while the building was so occupied. Among the items inside the walls were some old iron quoins, patterned after the old wooden quoins for form-locking. They had to be driven into place with a "shooting-stick."

In February, 1897, Mr. Thorp dropped dead while on his way to the office, and the paper was taken over by L. F. Wooley, son of a pioneer preacher, who changed the title back to the Leader. Mr. Wooley died in Eugene within recent years. C. W. Wallace, an other pioneer minister's son, became editor and publisher four years later, running an "independent Democratic" newspaper. Mr. Wallace was later in the mercantile business in Cottage Grove and is now living in Sunnydale, Washington.

There are at least three names still on the Sentinel's subscription list that have been there since the regime of Wooley and Wallace.

W. C. Conner, later for many years editor of the Northwest Poultry Journal at Salem, took over the Leader in 1903. He had been an apprentice under Mr. Chausse and was sent by Mr. Thorp to Riddle to establish a paper there.