The Yakima Herald Archive

E.M. Reed and James R. Coe founded the Yakima Herald in February 1889. Both men had owned other local newspapers prior to this joint venture and had been attracted to the Yakima area's potential for growth. The Herald was founded during Washington's transition from territory to state. The town of North Yakima sought to be named state capital and site of the state agricultural college. It lost both contests, but with a population of 5,000 North Yakima eventually developed into an important agricultural center.

The presence of the Northern Pacific Railroad had a strong impact on the development of the region. The residents of the old city of Yakima had refused to give the Northern Pacific land on which to build a depot, so the railroad decided to build the line several miles north of the town. In 1884-85, the railroad formed the community of North Yakima and offered to assist the residents in relocating. Many stubbornly refused, leading to the bombing of the offices of the Yakima Signal (a newspaper which preceded the Herald and which backed the move). This tension still colored the atmosphere of the town when the Herald was organized in 1889. North Yakima is today called Yakima.

The Herald went through several changes in ownership during its early history. Coe left the paper in 1892 for health reasons. Reed retired from the paper in 1893, while Coe returned as business manager and W.W. Watson became editor. In 1894, Watson left and Reed returned as editor. Reed continued to manage the Herald until 1897 when Charles F. Bailey and George N. Tuesley of Minnesota bought the paper. In 1898, Robert McComb also purchased an interest in the Herald, and George Tuesley's brother Walter joined the staff. Bailey left the Herald in 1899 to work for a steamboat company. These frequent changes in ownership perhaps reflect the financial difficulties businesses in the Yakima Valley faced following the Panic of 1893.

"Tuesley, McComb and Tuesley" controlled the Herald until 1904 when Walter Tuesley and McComb sold their interest. E.L Boardman briefly served as editor. On November 28, 1905, George Tuesley installed a linotype machine and started publishing the daily Yakima Morning Herald in addition to the weekly Herald. Tuesley sold the paper to his primary competitor Wilbur Robertson, owner of the Yakima Daily Republic in 1913. Robertson continued to run the two dailies for many years. Though both papers were Republican by affiliation, Robertson maintained a separate staff for the Republic and the Herald and encouraged the writers and editors to develop a distinct voice for each. The weekly Herald ceased publication in 1914.