The Chehalis Bee-Nugget was a weekly newspaper published and circulated in Chehalis, Washington. The publication began in November 1898 after the merger of the city's first two newspapers, The Chehalis Bee and The Chehalis Nugget.
The first owner was Dan W. Bush, who as the proprietor of the Bee, purchased the Nugget for $2,400, . The newspaper's headquarters were located in the Bush Block of the Chehalis Downtown Historic District beginning in 1908. Bush began selling his interest in the paper in 1916 but remained as an editor and correspondent after his stock interest was entirely sold by 1921.
In 1915, the Bee-Nugget produced a souvenir book highlighting the history of the city of Chehalis, as well as past and present businesses and prominent citizens. The book was updated and republished in 2011. The newspaper held a 50th anniversary celebration at the city's St. Helens Hotel in 1932.
The Chehalis Bee-Nugget ceased publication in 1937 when the newspaper was bought that year by Advocate Publishing Company, owners of The Lewis County Advocate newspaper. The Bee-Nugget combined with the Advocate to create The Chehalis Advocate; the first official issue under the new name was printed in August 1938. The Chehalis Advocate ended in 1962.
Background
The first newspaper in Lewis County was The Lewis County Nugget, published in 1883. The following year, The Lewis County Bee was first issued. Both newspapers removed the county name, switching to "Chehalis" in their nameplates.
Separate circulation numbers for the Bee and Nugget were recorded in 1898 as 4,980 and 1,000, respectively.
History The Chehalis Nugget merged with The Chehalis Bee in November 1898 to become The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. Dan W. Bush, who was owner of the Bee, remained the owner of the new publication. The transaction was officially completed on November 28, 1898 for a price of $2,400, , which included all Nugget holdings and machinery. Judd Bush, Dan's brother and previously an owner of the Bee, became the editor of the Chehalis Bee-Nugget.
The Chehalis Bee-Nugget moved to a new office in the Bush Block of the Chehalis Downtown Historic District in September 1908. The relocation to the Dan Bush-owned building was reported to be "permanent" though a small business office remained open at a nearby millinery shop. The offices, which included a composing room, were situated on two floors; the press room was situated in the basement. All printing of the Bee-Nugget was handled from the new location. A large fire occurred during the morning hours of August 2, 1912, beginning in the Bush Block. The fire caused damages to some of the Bee-Nugget offices located above the city's post office. Damages for the newspaper were estimated to be $20,000, .
In 1916, Dan Bush sold a stake of the Bee-Nugget to Clarence Ellington. Bush sold his remaining ownership stock outright to Ellington in November 1921. The paper was sold in 1925 to Chapin Foster.
The Daily Nugget The Bee-Nugget began a daily newspaper known as the Chehalis Daily Nugget, was first circulated on June 8, 1911. The first issue was given to J.T. Browning, an 85-year old pioneer from Claquato. Also known as The Daily Nugget, the afternoon-edition paper was free for a limited time, "until after everyone has become aquatinted with it". The Bee-Nugget ownership believed the city to be ready for a daily publication, considering the growth and recent national publicity of the city, but noted the attempt was to be a "heavy financial burden" considering the dependence on advertising revenue that was necessary for the success of the new venture.
The paper was originally published as an evening issue and was a "six-column folio", expanded as needed. A different typeface, considered clearer and more professional, was noted to be used. In 1912, subscription options included forty cents for one month, a three or six month choice, and either $3 or per year, by mail or delivery, respectively.
Before the first edition was released, the Centralia Weekly Chronicle reported that paperboys of the Bee-Nugget had enticed several Chronicle delivery boys to work for the new daily paper in Chehalis. The report also stated that this action was a standard, but questionable practice of the Bee-Nugget and their actions revealed poor conduct in the newspaper industry.
The Daily Nugget was the first to report on the November 8, 1911 fire at the city's Imperial Flour Company factory in which eight girls died. The afternoon edition covered the incident in full and the following day's print run included extra issues.
Despite a "large circle of readers", the venture lasted until February 15, 1913 when it was discontinued for a lack of advertising revenue as the newspaper did not attract the attention of local businesses as a marketing strategy. In remarks announcing the cessation, the Bee-Nugget editors mentioned that the daily had become a "burden" but expressed that the Daily Nugget was successful in avoiding yellow journalism and was meant to help bring upon the "upbuilding" of both Lewis County and the city of Chehalis. Several local or regional newspapers, including the Columbia River Sun, the Olympian, the Skamokawa Eagle, and the Toledo Messenger, wrote messages of condolences on the Daily Nugget's demise, regretting that daily papers were not a viable option for smaller cities despite the need for such.
The Daily Nugget's issues were sold on Fridays, supplanting the Chehalis Bee-Nugget's editions which shifted to Thursdays. After the end of the daily newspaper, the Bee-Nugget resumed printing on Fridays. The Bee-Nugget editors, stating their intention to use "all of our time for the present to the weekly edition of the paper", instituted news departments for education, horticulture, and poultry with additional remarks that the newspaper was to make other improvements "from time to time" for a "better and more interesting paper".
50th anniversary
The newspaper celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1932 at an event held at the city's St. Helens Hotel. The toastmaster was Mayor John West. Other speakers included prominent men in the city, as well as past and present editors of the newspaper. Dan Bush, who remained as a correspondent, recalled early pioneer days and previous owners. The founder of the Chehalis Nugget, Albert Tozier, recollected the early history of news media in the city and presented a pair of tweezers used during the first Nugget publication to the Bee-Nugget's editor, Clarence Ellington.
The Bee-Nugget noted in the lead-up to the celebration that the issue count was incorrect, listed as 52; the reason for the error was simply stated as, "someone blundered along the line".
In a column from a May 1932 edition, residents of Chehalis and the county were asked to fill out a blank form on the front page. The form included parameters for their personal information and history, as well as experiences living, working, or being of public service in the area. Of particular interest were those who lived in Chehalis or the surrounding region for more than 40 or 50 years, and anyone who had subscribed to, or were long-time readers of, the Bee or Nugget. The effort was to create an honor roll in the 50th anniversary edition, which was published as a special issue on July 15, 1932. Artifacts and early copies of both newspapers, including the first Lewis County Nugget edition, were displayed in the Chehalis Bee-Nugget office windows. The Bee-Nugget did not have a copy of the first issue of the Lewis County Bee and implored any resident who might have had a copy to loan the historical printing to the company.
Publication ceases
The Chehalis Bee-Nugget ceased under its own separate name and publishing in 1937. The newspaper was bought that year by Advocate Publishing, combining the Bee-Nugget with The Lewis County Advocate to create The Chehalis Advocate. The first official issue under the combined name was printed on August 2, 1938. For a time after the merger, the paper switched between using the Bee-Nugget and Advocate nameplates between editions. The editors printed a column on the front page of the August 1938 issue explaining that a unified new name, combining "Chehalis" and "Advocate", was a better solution and would end any confusion. The column also mentioned that the inclusion of, "The", to the title was simply because the word existed in both previous names.
The Chehalis Advocate ceased publication in 1962.
1915 Historical Souvenir Edition In 1915, the newspaper under the Bee-Nugget Publishing Company printed a special issue book originally known as The Chehalis Bee-Nugget Historical Souvenir Edition, May 14, 1915. The book covered the history of Chehalis, with some general inclusions about Lewis County. Authorized under the Lewis County commissioner's board, the cover contained a photograph of Mt. St. Helens and Spirit Lake. Facts and photographs of neighborhoods, prominent Chehalis citizens, and businesses were featured throughout the issue.
In a proem, the publishers mentioned a free copy was to be given to any existing subscriber to the Bee-Nugget. The issue was printed on "high grade book paper of superior quality" and credit for the new, "not an old one in the book" illustrations was given to R.C. Rohrabacher, an experienced editor of "exceptional ability in special edition work".. A copy sold for 25 cents, with a discount of 20 cents if more than 5 issues were purchased. The print run for the 1915 edition was 3,500 copies; only a few copies were known to remain by 2011, including a small number stored at the Lewis County Historical Museum.
The effort was considered by the Centralia Daily Chronicle Examiner to be "artistic in makeup and unique in design", "excellent", and the "finest publication of its kind" ever printed in Southwest Washington. The issue was an extension of an earlier descriptive booklet issued by the Bee-Nugget in 1909 that the Centralia News Examiner referred to as "handsome", "typographically perfect", and a "credit" to the publishers.
The book was updated and republished in 2011 by local historian, Julie McDonald Zander. Containing 208 pages, the updated publication included an eight-page inclusion for Elizabeth "Eliza" Tynan Saunders Barrett, the "Mother of Chehalis". In the original publication, Barrett was unnamed and alluded to only twice, both in regards to her refusals to sign her land claims to the city during its growth phase in the late 19th century. While McDonald Zander admitted that the reason for Barrett's lack of mention in the 1915 edition was historically unknown, the historian theorized that chauvinism and frustration over her caution in deeding her property were possible causes. Barrett's three divorces were also suspected for her absence in the first edition.
Publishing aspects Advertising The city's Coffman, Dobson & Co. Bank first advertised in both the Bee and Nugget when the financial institution first opened in August 1884. By 1911, the Chehalis Bee-Nugget reported that the bank had advertised, uninterrupted, in each weekly publication since.
Content The paper began featuring a long-running column that listed prior news reporting from the archives of the Chehalis Bee and Chehalis Nugget from twenty and forty years prior. The first column was published on December 31, 1926 and featured a list of events from the Lewis County Bee in December 1884.
Subscriptions By 1919, a subscription to the Chehalis Bee-Nugget could be purchased in advance for three months at $0.50, a six-month term for $0.75, or a year-long delivery contract priced at $1.50. The paper could be delivered via the Chehalis Post Office as "second-class matter". The rates were increased to seventy-five cents, one dollar, and $2.00, respectively, by 1931.
Dan W. Bush