While the "North Half" of the Colville Indian reservation was opened to mineral entry in 1896, and valuable properties discovered where the city of Republic was afterward built, it was not until the spring of 1898 that the grand rush to the land of promise was made.  With the discoveries of the rich mines at Republic Camp and the rapid building of a new town at this point heralded abroad, it would indeed have been a miracle had not some newspaper man conceived the idea of bringing in a printing plant and establishing a paper.  And no miracle happened.

     Early in the spring of 1898, E. R. CLEVELAND and Albert I. DRAKE purchased a plant and set out for the famed Republic Camp.  The outfit was shipped by way of the Spokane Falls and Northern railway to Marcus, and from there was freighted to Republic, the latter end of the journey requiring eight days.  On their arrival at their destination, Messrs. CLEVELAND and DRAKE at once set to work and the first paper in Republic, the Republic Pioneer, made its appearance March 26, 1898.  We quote from its initial issue:

     The first number of the first paper to be printed in Republic makes its appearance today.  One year ago those in this section would have been charged with entertaining extreme optimistic views concerning the camp had they predicted that a paper like the Pioneer could be circulated in March, 1898.  But developments and radical changes take place so rapidly in this age that it is impossible to anticipate the future, especially in the great and growing west.

     The Pioneer will do what it can to help develop the business of Republic and advance the mining interests of the entire district.  It will take pot luck with the other pioneers of the camp, putting up like the remainder of the community with the inconveniences and discomforts that exist here at present.  As the camp grows this paper will grow with it.  Its aim will be to print all of the news of the district.

     As evidence that the Pioneer was appreciated, the publishers state that within four months' time, the plant, which had cost about $800, had been paid for from the paper's patronage.  To those who have had experience in managing newspapers, and putting them on their feet financially, this fact means a great deal.  The Pioneer was first published as a six volume folio, with two "patent" pages, but the patronage increased to such an extent that on May 21, the paper was made all "home print".  January 27 following, the Pioneer was enlarged to a seven-column folio and its four pages were filled with live local news.  November 18, 1899, Mr. CLEVELAND purchased his partner's interest and became sole proprietor, Mr. DRAKE retiring to engage in the job printing business in Republic.  Mr. CLEVELAND continued to edit the paper until March 16, 1901, when it was leased by J. C. KERLEY.  Mr. KERLEY remained with the paper six months, at the termination of which period, or on September 7, J. E. CULLINS became the editor.  In November of that year, the Pioneer was consolidated with the Republic Miner.

   Although the Republic Pioneer soon after its establishment became the oldest established paper in the county, it was not the first newspaper to make its appearance in Ferry county.  In October, 1897, Earl McCARTER, of Grand Forks, B. C., and Rube HULL took a printing outfit from Grand Forks to the new town of Nelson (now Danville), just over the International boundary line, in Ferry county, and established the Reservation Record.  This paper was published for over a year, but in June, 1898, the town of Republic, offering a better field for a newspaper than Nelson, the plant was removed to Republic, and the Republic Record made its appearance.  Rube HULL and H. C. PARLIMENT were the publishers.  In 1900, Mr. PARLIMENT purchased his partner's interest and has since conducted the Record.  Politically, the Record stands for Republicanism.

     Until January 21, 1899, the Pioneer and Record enjoyed a monopoly of the newspaper business in Republic and Ferry county.  On that date, the Republic Miner was established by John R. REAVIS, secretary of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, and Fred BARKER, as a Republican newspaper.  The following year, Mr. REAVIS retired from the business, and Mr. BARKER became sole owner.  In 1901, he purchased the Pioneer from E. R. CLEVELAND and consolidated the two under the name of the Pioneer-Miner.  During the life of the Miner, the town of Republic was passing through the sensational experience of a "boom", and newspaper business was good.  From December, 1899, to November, 1900, the Miner was issued daily as well as weekly, and a very creditable publication was the result.  The Pioneer-Miner was conducted by Mr. BARKER until June 15, 1903, when another merger of newspaper interests occurred, the Pioneer-Miner and the News consolidating and passing into the control of A. I. DRAKE.

     After Mr. DRAKE had retired from the Pioneer, he engaged in the job printing business, but on October 4, 1900, he re-entered the field and launched the Republic Daily News, a Democratic newspaper.  The News was issued as a daily only until November 17 of the year of its establishment.  From that date until December 4, 1901, it was a weekly publication, and was then issued twice a week until June 15, 1903.  On that date, Mr. DRAKE purchased from Mr. BARKER the Pioneer-Miner, consolidated the two and has since continued the publication under the name of the Republic News-Miner.  It is a Republican paper.  Three other papers have made their appearance in Republic, but in each case their life was short.

     In May, 1900, HUGHES Brothers established a Democratic paper - the Journal - but following an existence of one short month, it suspended and the plant was purchased by the Pioneer.  The Independent American was put into the field in the fall of 1902, by J. C. CAIE and J. C. KERLEY.  It was issued as a daily and weekly, the former being Independent and the latter Democratic.  This was a campaign sheet and was issued only about two months.  In December, 1902, J. L. HARPER bought a newspaper plant to Republic from the Palouse country and began the publication of the Morning Standard, but only a few numbers were printed.

     In 1899, Keller, on the "South Half" of the reservation enjoyed quite a "boom", and in that year, the Keller Miner was established by Thurston DANIELS, son of the then lieutenant governor of Washington.  Publication was suspended after one year.  Shortly afterward, M. E. ROBB renewed the publication of the Miner, but after a few months of publication it was laid aside.  The little town of Danville, until 1902 known as Nelson, has been highly distinguished by attempts to conduct newspapers within its limits.  The first one in the county was published there, and since that time two other papers have appeared in the field.  For some time in 1901 there was published at Nelson, a very unique article in the line of a newspaper.  Nels B. NELSON, one of the business men of the town, issued the Nelson Bee from a "toy" printing outfit.  In November of the same year, J. E. McCARTER, the Grand Forks newspaper man, took a portion of his plant to Nelson, and there established a paper which was issued for two or three weeks.  It was edited by J. E. CULLINS.

     Aside from the two papers at the county seat, the only other newspaper in Ferry county is the Kettle River Journal, published at Orient by A. A. ANDERSON.  The Journal was established in June, 1902, and politically it is Democratic.

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