The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The first newspaper published in Wahkiakum county was the Cathlamet Gazette, which was established in 1887, by Alfred Davis. In 1889, Mr. George M. Cornwall obtained an interest in the Gazette and the paper was published under their joint management until the removal of Mr. Cornwall in 1899 to Portland, when he sold his interest to Mr. Davis taking a mortgage on the plant as security for payment. Mr. Cornwall subsequently foreclosed the mortgage and sold the plant. Mr. Davis continued the publication of The Gazette for some time longer, changed the name to The Cathlamet Breeze and finally suspended publication. On the 19th of April, 1902, some months before the suspension of the Cathlamet Breeze, George F. Hanigan and C. L. Haynes began the publication of the Columbia River Sun. Some time later Mr. Haynes sold his interest to Link C Burton, who finally transferred it to Mr. Hanigan, who continued the publication until 1912 when he sold the paper to John Bailey, who continued its publication to the time of his death in 1914. In 1915 Mr. Bailey's heirs sold the paper to Joseph Girard, who, in September, 1919, sold it to Edgar Burkebile, the present owner. The Sun is now being published under the editorial and managerial direction of Mr. Allan Faith. In 1912, J. Alden Seabury, in association with M. Gorman, began the publication of the Criterion, relinquishing it later to W. A. Arnold whose subsequent prolonged illness and death closed the files of The Criterion.

In 1891, S. G. Williams, a newspaper publisher in North Dakota, moved to Wahkiakum county and, at Skamokawa, established the Skamokawa Eagle. Mr. Williams continued the publication of The Eagle until the time of his death in 1925. Thereafter his daughter, Mrs. Peter Johnson and her two daughters carried on until January 1929, when the paper was sold on a contract basis to David F. Head. Publication was continued at Skamokawa under the management of Mr. Head, until in May 1934, when the plant was removed to Cathlamet. From that date publication of the paper was by the agency of the Eagle Publishing Co., which has recently been reorganized under the name, Wahkiakum Publishing Co., Inc.

(As transcribed by the Wahkiakum County Historical Society 2008 from the original newspaper collection.)

Kari Kandoll

WCHS Volunteer Curator, Genealogist

65 River Street

Cathlamet, WA 98612