The Lynden Tribune Archive

The town of Lynden is situated near the Canadian border in northwest Washington State. The Nooksack Indians dominated this area prior to the 1870s. English and Scandinavian settlers incorporated the city in 1891, but an economic depression caused the population to drop significantly by 1900. At this time, Dutch immigrants started arriving in Lynden, attracted by the area's potential for dairy farming. Most were members of the Christian Reformed Church and formed a closely-knit community-within-a-community. The town is still known for its Dutch-influenced culture.

The first issue of the Lynden Tribune was published on June 9, 1908, by Charles D. Jones and H. E. Stuart. The pair had purchased the equipment and subscription list of the Lynden Sun-pilot. By 1909 the Tribune had been purchased by Dan Cloud, former editor of the Tacoma Daily News and future owner of the Montesano Vidette. On October 19, 1911, Herman Rosenzweig became the proprietor of the Tribune after Cloud fell ill. In October of 1914, Sol H. Lewis took ownership of the paper. Lewis was among the first graduates of the University of Washington’s journalism program.  After graduation, he taught journalism at the University of Kansas for two years, then went to New York City in 1913 to join the staff of the World. Dissatisfied with city life, he jumped at the chance to purchase the Lynden Tribune. Under his leadership, the paper became quite successful. Lewis became known regionally and nationally for his "Parsnip Corners" radio program and newspaper column in which he shared his witty "country editor's" perspective on a variety of subjects. The Tribune became a family enterprise.  Sol Lewis’s wife Aimee Michelson Lewis was a syndicated home economics columnist in fourteen West Coast weekly papers. Sons Julian and William took over the paper after Sol's death in 1953. Julian's son Michael has been the editor of the paper since 1992. The Lynden Tribune is still published today.