About The daily gazette-times. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1909-1921
Corvallis, Benton County, Or. (1909-1921)

The Daily Gazette-times

The Corvallis Daily Gazette-Times was born from two longstanding Corvallis, Oregon, newspapers: the Corvallis Gazette and Corvallis Times. The consolidation came after the realization that neither the Times nor the Gazette had a plant capable of publishing a daily paper. The name of the new daily was reportedly decided by a coin toss, landing in favor of the Gazette. The paper was referred to as the Daily Gazette-Times thereafter. New proprietors N. R. Moore at the Times and Charles L. Springer at the Gazette issued the first edition on May 1, 1909.

With Moore as editor and Springer as business manager, the Daily Gazette-Times was published every evening except Sunday. The paper was available by mail at a rate of $5 per year, or it could be delivered by carrier for $0.50 a month. It had a six-column, four-page folio. In its early years, the Daily Gazette-Times largely focused on local news and community events, including sporting events, theater happenings, and church services. Activities at O.A.C. (Oregon Agricultural College, now Oregon State University) were reported on with regularity.

Moore and Springer had established a "very reliable and attractive journal, devoted to the interests of the community in which they live and to the dissemination of general news," according to Charles Henry Carey's History of Oregon Illustrated (1922). By 1915, however, focus on national and international events had broadened as war escalated in Europe. In September of that year, Claude E. Ingalls, a former newspaper owner from Kansas, took over as editor and publisher of the Daily Gazette-Times. In need of work after relocating to Corvallis, Ingalls had gone to the office of the Gazette-Times to buy the paper from Moore, who had become busy with other political interests. Ingalls succeeded and bought the paper in full.

Although community coverage continued throughout 1917 and 1918, the bulk of the Daily Gazette-Times’ front-page headlines were focused on World War I events taking place both overseas and at home. Patriotic imagery and war support campaigns ran alongside updates on war preparations taking place in Corvallis, especially the activities of O.A.C. cadets. The November 11, 1918, announcement of the armistice between Germany and the Allies stretched across the front page and was followed by details of the signing terms and celebrations in Corvallis.

In October 1920, Springer ended his long-term connection to the Daily Gazette-Times when he sold his one-third interest in the newspaper to G. Lansing Hurd. At this point, the paper ranged from six to eight pages and included more social content, full-page advertisements, and business news. On September 1, 1921, the newspaper's title was changed to the Corvallis Gazette-Times, which to this day is Corvallis' primary newspaper.

Provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR