The Owl
Beaverton, Washington County, Oregon
[LCCN: sn96088375]
1912-191?
Beaverton Times
Beaverton, Washington County, Oregon
[LCCN: sn96088374]
191?-19??
In 1909, Fry, Emmons & Whitmore established the Beaverton Times [LCCN: sn96088374], which originally went under the name the Reporter [LCCN: not found]. The Times got yet another name change in 1912, when Earl E. Fisher purchased the paper. Fisher renamed it the Owl [LCCN: sn96088375]. The paper underwent a final name change in 1914, when A. J. Hicks and Davis purchased it.
In addition to being owner of the Owl, Fisher was also the editor, with Owl Publishing Co. as publisher, from 1912 to 1914. The first issue of the Owl was released on July 20, 1912. It was a weekly newspaper, published every Saturday, and it had a six-column, four-page layout. A yearlong subscription to the Owl was $1.
Topics the Owl covered ranged from school news to produce prices to politics—local and national. Additionally, it featured weekly sections “Current Events of the Week,” “Items of Interest,” “Industrial Development and Progress of Our Home State,” and “Society.” Around the time of its ownership by Hicks and Davis, the Owlfocused even more on political news, such as mayoral nominations and legislative happenings (bills passed, introduced, etc.).
In 1914, when Hicks and Davis purchased the Owl, the world was on the verge of war. The newspaper focused mainly on events surrounding World War I, printing mostly army and war council news, war-related short stories, and advertisements promoting liberty bonds. Sentiments such as, “There are no pacifists now. The people are either patriots or enemies. There can be no other classification,” were evident throughout the newspaper.
In 1918, Robert H. Jonas took control of the Owl, becoming both editor and publisher of the newspaper. The paper’s ramped-up coverage of political events continued through early 1919. However, such coverage lessened as World War I came to a close and U.S. troops returned home. The Owl still ran advertisements ranging from services wanted/available, home remedies, items for sale, and products.
Throughout its existence, the Owl saw many layout changes. It began with a six-column, four-page layout. Then, in 1915, it featured a four-column, eight-page layout. In 1917, the layout changed again, to seven columns and eight pages. Eventually, the Owl would revert to its 1912 layout: six columns and four pages. Despite these changes, the subscription would stay the same: $1.
Prepared with reference to:
“About Beaverton.” Beaverton, Oregon. Accessed June 16, 2015. http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/index.aspx?nid=89
“History.” Beaverton, Oregon. Accessed June 16, 2015. http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/index.aspx?nid=95
Turnbull, George S. History of Oregon Newspapers. Portland, Oregon: Binfords & Mort, 1939.
— Written by Erin Choi