Whitman County Gazette

The first issue of the Palouse Gazette was published on September 29, 1877, by local residents Charles B. Hopkins and Lucien E. Kellogg of Colfax, then a small town in Washington Territory. The newspaper was established during the Nez Perce War, which brought settlers in the Palouse in conflict with the indigenous tribes of the region.^[3] The newspaper expended to a four-page, nine-column layout in 1887, making it the largest in the Washington Territory at the time.^[4]

Kellogg sold his interests in the business to editor Ivan Chase in 1887.^[5] Later that year Hopkins sold out to W. W. Chapman,^[6] who left after two years, leaving Chase as sole owner.^[7] In 1891, J. E. Ballaine and H.T. Browne purchased the paper from Chase.^[8] Browne withdrew from the business after a year and was replaced as business manager by Howard Bramwell.^[9]

In 1893, Charles A. Elmer and W. L. Caldman purchased the paper,^[10][11] which around that time was renamed to the Colfax Gazette.^[12] A few months later ownership was reorganized with Caldman exiting. He was replaced by Chase, local merchant M. A. Corner and Howard Bramwell,^[13] who later took possession of the printing plant with his brother Charles.^[14] In 1897, Elmer and Corner disposed of their interests in a sale to Chase for $3,500. At that time Chase was the paper's business manager.^[15] Chase sold the Gazette in 1904 to W. L. Hunter for $5,000,^[14] and resumed ownership 18 months later.^[16] In 1901, Chase sold the Gazette to the Bramwell brothers for $1.^[17]

The Colfax Gazette, a Republican-leaning newspaper, merged with the Democratic-leaning Colfax Commoner in 1932, forming the Colfax Gazette-Commoner.^[18][12] The Commoner had originally been founded in 1885 and began regular publication in 1911.^[19] At the time Charles Bramwell owned the Gazette and Allen M. Lacey owned the Commoner. The two operated the new venture together.^[18] In 1948, Bill Wilmot purchased the Gazette-Commoner from Lacey,^[20] and the combined newspaper's name was reverted to the Colfax Gazette in 1958.^[3] Wilmot operated the paper until 1983 when he sold it to Matlock Communications Inc.^[21]

Two years later the paper was acquired by A. L. Alford Jr., who owned the Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Lewiston Morning Tribune. Former publisher Gordon Forgey was then installed as publisher.^[22] In 1989, the paper's name was changed again to the Whitman County Gazette to reflect its county-wide coverage.^[3] Alford sold the Gazette to long-time editor Forgey in 2003.^[23] Free Press Publishing acquired the Gazette from Forgey in March 2020 following their purchases of the Colfax Daily Bulletin and Odessa Record.^[24][25] The Gazette moved to a new office in Colfax in July 2020.^[26]