Siskiyou Daily News

In August 1878, B. H. Evans published the first issue of the Scott Valley News in Fort Jones, California.^[3] At some point Frank Norcross became an owner and sold his stake to his partner Samuel P. Curtis in September 1879.^[4] A year later Ed. S. Culver bought a half-interest.^[5] Culver retired and was succeeded by Frank Markey on Jan. 1, 1883.^[6] In May 1886, Curtis skipped town. He left for Ukiah, taking all the business' available funds and leaving it $500 in debt. Markey struggled to run the paper on his own and decided to close it that August due to financial problems.^[7]

About four months later, L.D. Clark, founder of the Oroville Mercury, relaunched the News.^[8] Clark continued to operate the paper in Fort Jones and invented an automatic hand-press frisket to improve production. He got it patented it in December 1891. The Scientific American published an article on Clark's device a year later.^[9] In May, 1894, Clark sold the paper to E. H. Ellsworth.^[10] In June 1895, J. N. Bohen joined Ellsworth as a co-owner and the two moved the Scott Valley News to Yreka and changed its name to the Siskiyou News.^[11] In 1897, their partnership dissolved and Bohen exited.^[12] In 1898, W. J. Balfrey bought the News for $2,150.^[13]

Ten days after selling the paper Ellsworth was stopped by Constable E. E. Dixon while attempting to board a train in Montague with his family to San Francisco. At the time Ellsworth was being sued for libel by local citizens and for unpaid wages from an employee.^[14] He posted bail but another warrant for his arrest was issued stemming from another libel case.^[15] Ellsworth refused to be detained and shot Dixon, who later died from his injuries.^[14] Ellsworth was later found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 21 years imprisonment.^[15]

In 1900, W. S. O'Brien paid Balfrey $2,850 for the business.^[16] A year later W. D. Crow bought the paper from O'Brien.^[17] Crow sold it in 1905 to brothers Frank E. and Horace Holbrook, former owners of the Times-Index.^[18][19] Horace sold out to his brother two years later.^[20] In 1923, Frank Holbrook sold the News to Herbert G. Moody, who had been editor The Searchlight in Redding. At that time the News had a 2,000 circulation and 17 paid correspondents.^[21] The Redding paper was owned by Moody's father, which he sold to his son in 1925.^[22] In 1929, H. G. Moody sold the News to his father H.L. Moody.^[23] A year later business was acquired by the Siskiyou Publishing Company for $18,000.^[24]

On Oct. 2, 1941, the Siskiyou News, owned by Albert Wedin, and the Yreka Journal, owned by Walter B. Stafford and William G. Bailey, were merged to form a daily called the Siskiyou Daily News.^[25] In 1948, Wedin sold the Daily News to E. Glenn Drake,^[26][27] who was succeeded as publisher in 1951 by Edgar J. Foss. At that time business operations were moved to Turlock.^[28] In 1979, the chain Thomson Newspapers Inc. bought the paper from Foss.^[29] The company owned more than 100 papers by 1993 when it sold the Daily News and four others to Hollinger.^[30]

In 1997, the Daily News was among the 167 papers acquired by Leonard Green & Partners from Hollinger for $310 million.^[31] A year later the investment firm formed Liberty Group Publishing to manage its publications.^[32] In June 2005, Fortress Investment Group bought Liberty for $527 million.^[33] The company was then renamed to GateHouse Media.^[34] In 2019, GateHouse merged with Gannett.^[35]

• Official website
• GateHouse Media