The Hillsboro Argus
Encyclopedia
The Hillsboro Argus is the twice weekly newspaper for the city of Hillsboro, Oregon
. Published on Tuesdays and Fridays, the Argus has a circulation of 9,532 copies distributed in Washington County, Oregon
, United States
. First published in 1873, the award-winning paper was owned by the McKinney family for more than 90 years when it was sold to Advance Publications
in 1999.
traces its history back to 1873. In 1873, the Forest Grove Independent newspaper was founded as the first newspaper in Washington County, Oregon
. By December the paper had moved to Hillsboro and named itself the Washington Independent. Albert E. Tozier owned the paper with a partner from 1885 to 1887. Daniel Gault
owned the Independent from 1892 to 1902.
In March 1894, R. H. Mitchell and C. W. Clow founded a new paper in Hillsboro, the Argus. On March 28, 1894, the first Hillsboro Argus was printed which included a front page advertisement for Hillsboro lawyer and later Congressman Thomas H. Tongue
. Other news of the day concerned a battle over the county seat of Lincoln County, Oregon
. At that time it was a weekly paper of only six pages and was located on Second Street between Main and Washington streets.
In the early years of the Argus, ownership changed hands often, with Mrs. Emma C. McKinney acquiring a half interest in the newspaper in 1904. McKinney’s son W. Verne McKinney would join the paper in 1923. In November of that year, the size of the paper began to grow beyond the six pages that had included two pages of wire-report news known as boilerplate. Next, in January 1932, the Argus purchased the Independent from S.C. Killen and merged the two papers. The Argus won accolades from the National Editorial Association in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, and 1939 for various topics ranging from production to general excellence to editorials. In 1940, it was selected as t best weekly newspaper in the United States for its size by the National Editorial Association.
The Argus remained as a weekly publication until November 1, 1953, when it became a twice-weekly newspaper. From 1917 to 1955 the paper was located on Main Street in Hillsboro between Second and Third streets. In 1955 it moved to its current home on Third Street between Main and Washington. The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association awarded the paper the award for best sports coverage in 1988. In 1989, they were selected as the best non-daily newspaper in the United States for papers with a circulation in excess of 10,000 by the National Newspaper Association.
In October 1999, the Argus was sold by the McKinney family to Advance Publications, Inc.
after the family had held ownership interests in the paper since 1904 and had been sole owners since 1909. Advance also owns the region's daily newspaper, The Oregonian
. The two papers' operations are completely separate, and the newspapers compete for stories and advertising revenue.
As of 2003 the paper had a total weekly circulation
of 15,000 copies. In 2007, the paper won first place from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association for best use of a small space for an advertisement and second place for best black and white ad.
The newspaper's staff also compiles the Hillsboro Argus Courier-Mail. This newspaper is mailed for free to 41,000 homes across Washington County on Tuesdays and contains partial articles from the prior week's editions of the paid edition of the Argus.
Former Chicago-area sports columnist Gary Stutzman has been the Managing Editor since 2002.
, Forest Grove
, Cornelius
, and Aloha
. Areas east of 185th Avenue generally are not covered. The paper's staff covers sports, politics
, business, and local events.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
. Published on Tuesdays and Fridays, the Argus has a circulation of 9,532 copies distributed in Washington County, Oregon
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. First published in 1873, the award-winning paper was owned by the McKinney family for more than 90 years when it was sold to Advance Publications
Advance Publications
Advance Publications, Inc., is an American media company owned by the descendants of S.I. Newhouse Sr., Donald Newhouse and S.I. Newhouse, Jr. It is named after the Staten Island Advance, the first newspaper owned by the Newhouse family...
in 1999.
History
The Argus newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
traces its history back to 1873. In 1873, the Forest Grove Independent newspaper was founded as the first newspaper in Washington County, Oregon
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
. By December the paper had moved to Hillsboro and named itself the Washington Independent. Albert E. Tozier owned the paper with a partner from 1885 to 1887. Daniel Gault
Daniel Gault
Daniel M. C. Gault was a newspaperman, educator and politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Iowa, he immigrated to the Oregon Territory with his family as a child where he became a teacher in several locales. A Republican, he served three terms in the Oregon Legislative Assembly over a...
owned the Independent from 1892 to 1902.
In March 1894, R. H. Mitchell and C. W. Clow founded a new paper in Hillsboro, the Argus. On March 28, 1894, the first Hillsboro Argus was printed which included a front page advertisement for Hillsboro lawyer and later Congressman Thomas H. Tongue
Thomas H. Tongue
Thomas H. Tongue was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the State Senate from 1889 to 1893 and was the seventh mayor of Hillsboro...
. Other news of the day concerned a battle over the county seat of Lincoln County, Oregon
Lincoln County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge*Siuslaw National Forest -Demographics:...
. At that time it was a weekly paper of only six pages and was located on Second Street between Main and Washington streets.
In the early years of the Argus, ownership changed hands often, with Mrs. Emma C. McKinney acquiring a half interest in the newspaper in 1904. McKinney’s son W. Verne McKinney would join the paper in 1923. In November of that year, the size of the paper began to grow beyond the six pages that had included two pages of wire-report news known as boilerplate. Next, in January 1932, the Argus purchased the Independent from S.C. Killen and merged the two papers. The Argus won accolades from the National Editorial Association in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, and 1939 for various topics ranging from production to general excellence to editorials. In 1940, it was selected as t best weekly newspaper in the United States for its size by the National Editorial Association.
The Argus remained as a weekly publication until November 1, 1953, when it became a twice-weekly newspaper. From 1917 to 1955 the paper was located on Main Street in Hillsboro between Second and Third streets. In 1955 it moved to its current home on Third Street between Main and Washington. The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association awarded the paper the award for best sports coverage in 1988. In 1989, they were selected as the best non-daily newspaper in the United States for papers with a circulation in excess of 10,000 by the National Newspaper Association.
Advance Publications
Advance Publications, Inc., is an American media company owned by the descendants of S.I. Newhouse Sr., Donald Newhouse and S.I. Newhouse, Jr. It is named after the Staten Island Advance, the first newspaper owned by the Newhouse family...
after the family had held ownership interests in the paper since 1904 and had been sole owners since 1909. Advance also owns the region's daily newspaper, The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
. The two papers' operations are completely separate, and the newspapers compete for stories and advertising revenue.
As of 2003 the paper had a total weekly circulation
Newspaper circulation
A newspaper's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. Circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the...
of 15,000 copies. In 2007, the paper won first place from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association for best use of a small space for an advertisement and second place for best black and white ad.
The newspaper's staff also compiles the Hillsboro Argus Courier-Mail. This newspaper is mailed for free to 41,000 homes across Washington County on Tuesdays and contains partial articles from the prior week's editions of the paid edition of the Argus.
Editors
L.A. Long, father of judge Donald E. Long, was editor of the newspaper from 1894 to 1907 and again from 1909 to 1923. Long-time editors Emma McKinney and W. Verne McKinney were both inducted into the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame in 1981. In 2002, Walter McKinney was also inducted to the hall of fame. The National Newspaper Association presents an annual award, the Emma C. McKinney Memorial Award, honoring her 58 years of work in the newspaper business and her place as dean of Oregon newspaper people.Former Chicago-area sports columnist Gary Stutzman has been the Managing Editor since 2002.
Coverage
The Argus covers western Washington County, primarily focusing on Hillsboro, North PlainsNorth Plains, Oregon
North Plains is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, off U.S. 26 on the northwest outskirts of the Portland metropolitan area. The population was 1,605 at the 2000 census; by July 2007 the population was estimated to be 1,813.-Geography:...
, Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
, Cornelius
Cornelius, Oregon
Cornelius is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 9,652 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 10,895 residents.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, and Aloha
Aloha, Oregon
Aloha is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 49,425.-History:...
. Areas east of 185th Avenue generally are not covered. The paper's staff covers sports, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, business, and local events.