imported>Eric Schucht at 00:13, 9 June 2025

2025-06-09T00:13:22Z

New page

{{Short description|Weekly newspaper published in Ontario, Oregon}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = Argus Observer
| image =
| type = [[Weekly newspaper]]
| format =
| foundation = {{start date and age|1897|1|6}}
| language = English
| owners = [[Wick Communications]]
| headquarters = [[Ontario, Oregon|Ontario]], [[Oregon]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| Political allegiance =
| editor =
| publisher = Leslie Thompson
| circulation = 4,987<ref name="ONPA">{{cite web |title=The Argus Observer |url=http://www.orenews.com/ontario |publisher=[[Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association]] |access-date=2020-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731201937/http://orenews.com/ontario |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| ISSN =
| website = {{URL|argusobserver.com}}
}}
The '''''Argus Observer''''' is a weekly [[newspaper]] in [[Ontario, Oregon|Ontario]], [[Oregon]], [[United States]].<ref name=":0" /> It is owned by [[Wick Communications]].

== History ==
The newspaper and went through several names and owners before becoming the ''Argus Observer'', which is a reference to [[Argus Panoptes]], a creature from [[Greek mythology]] that had 100 eyes.<ref name="Contact">{{cite news |title=Contact Us |url=http://www.argusobserver.com/contact_us/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228044740/http://argusobserver.com/contact_us/ |archive-date=2011-02-28 |access-date=2011-03-01 |work=Argus Observer}}</ref>

The paper was established January 6, 1897 as a weekly publication in [[Vale, Oregon]] called the ''District Silver Advocate.'' The first proprietor was Bert Venable and editor John E. Roberts. The paper's name was in reference to the [[Free Silver Movement]], which the publication supported along with politician [[William Jennings Bryan]].<ref name="turnbull39" />

Roberts moved the paper from Vale to Ontario, changed its name to the ''Advocate'' and it became an organ of the [[Democratic Party of Oregon|Democratic Party]]. Don Carlos Boyd purchased the paper on November 28, 1900, changed its allegiance to [[Oregon Republican Party|Republican]] and assumed the name ''Argus''. In the paper's first decade it was generally a weekly newspaper, with at least two short-lived efforts to switch to daily publication.<ref name="turnbull39">{{cite book |title=[[wikisource:en:History of Oregon Newspapers|History of Oregon Newspapers]] |first= George S. |last=Turnbull |year=1939 |publisher=[[Binfords & Mort]] | chapter=[[wikisource:en:History of Oregon Newspapers/Malheur County|Malheur County]] }}</ref>

In January 1947, Ralph Curtis sold ''The Ontario Argus'' to Bernard Mainwaring and Don Lynch.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=February 4, 1953 |title=Mainwaring Sells Interest in Newspaper |work=The Idaho Statesman |pages=9}}</ref> At the time the two men owned ''[[The Idaho Press]]''. That same year In August they bought the ''Eastern Oregon Observer,''<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=August 30, 1947 |title=Pair Purchase Ontario Newspaper |work=The Idaho Statesman |pages=5}}</ref> a paper founded in Ontario by [[Elmo Smith]] in 1936.<ref name="turnbull39" /> Smith sold the ''Observer'' to Jessica Longston and Robert Pollock in December 1946 and eight months later they sold it again to Mainwaring and Lynch. It was then the ''Argus'' and ''Observer'' were merged to form the ''Argus Observer.<ref name=":2" />'' Mainwaring sold his interests in the paper to Lynch in February 1953.<ref name=":3" /> Lynch sold the paper in 1962 to William F. MacKnight, publisher and president of Malheur Publishing Co.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=June 20, 1968 |title=Chain Buys Newspaper In Ontario |work=The Idaho Statesman |pages=5}}</ref> He sold it to [[Wick Communications]] in 1968.<ref name=":4" /> Two years later the paper assumed a daily publication schedule in 1970.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn00063522/|title=About The Ontario Argus-observer. (Ontario, Or.) 1947-1970|website=chroniclingamerica.loc.gov}}</ref>

In summer 2020, the ''Independent-Enterprise'' in [[Payette, Idaho]] was folded into the ''Argus Observer.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sunseri |first=Antonio |date=2024-06-08 |title=Malheur will be the only county in eastern Oregon with two print newspapers after July 1 |url=https://www.argusobserver.com/free_access/malheur-will-be-the-only-county-in-eastern-oregon-with-two-print-newspapers-after-july/article_38a75b4a-2375-11ef-864a-0777d9a8644a.html |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=Argus Observer |language=en}}</ref> In January 2024, the newspaper notified readers it plans to cut print days from four to two starting March 1. Also, delivery will transition from carrier to postal and the paper's Ontario printing operation will shutter. Moving forward, the paper will be printed in [[Nampa, Idaho]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=Pat |date=2024-02-02 |title=Ontario newspaper announces slash in publication days, switch to mail delivery |url=https://www.malheurenterprise.com/2024/02/02/ontario-newspaper-announces-slash-in-publication-days-switch-to-mail-delivery/ |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=[[Malheur Enterprise]] |language=en-US}}</ref> About a year later the ''Argus Observer'' announced it will cease it's Saturday print edition and moving forward will only publish once a week on Wednesdays.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schumacher |first=Jeff |date=2024-01-31 |title=From the publisher: A letter to our customers |url=https://www.argusobserver.com/free_access/from-the-publisher-a-letter-to-our-customers/article_99af7a2a-bfb7-11ee-ab10-0b15e2d8f425.html |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Argus Observer |language=en}}</ref>

In April 2025, Wick announced it was looking to sell the ''Argus Observer.''<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-05-06 |title=Wick Communications explores sale of the Argus Observer |url=https://www.argusobserver.com/breaking_news/wick-communications-explores-sale-of-the-argus-observer/article_ddc8ae27-3b56-4463-b304-0b742ab46d5c.html |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Argus Observer |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of newspapers in Oregon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.argusobserver.com}}
{{Ontario, Oregon}}
{{Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association}}
{{Wick Communications}}

[[Category:1897 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Newspapers established in 1897]]
[[Category:Ontario, Oregon]]
[[Category:Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association]]
[[Category:Wick Communications publications]]
[[Category:Newspapers published in Oregon]]

{{Oregon-newspaper-stub}}

Argus Observer - Revision history

imported>Eric Schucht at 00:13, 9 June 2025