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Women and Newspapers on the Oregon Frontier

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Women and Newspapers on the Oregon Frontier r ! I ANTIQUE LADIES: WOMENAND NEWSPAPERS ON THE OREGON FRONTIER. 1846-1859 by LYNNE ERTLE A THESIS Presented to the School of Journalism and Communication and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts June 1995 11 "Antique Ladies: Women and Newspapers on the Oregon Frontier, 1846-1859," a thesis prepared by Lynne Ertle in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the School of Joumalism and Communication. This thesis has been approved and accepted by: Dr. Lauren Kessler, Chair of the Examining Committee I Committee in charge: Dr. Lauren Kessler, Chair Dr. Timothy Gleason Dr. Leslie Steeves lll An Abstract of the Thesis of Lynne Ertle for the degree of Master of Arts in the School of Journalism and Communication to be taken June 1995 Title: ANTIQUE LADIES: WOMEN AND NEWSPAPERS ON THE OREGON FRONTIER, 1846-1859 Dr. Lauren Kessler Studies have shown that women's ideas, especially those that challenge the status quo, have historically received little attention from the press. This thesis discusses how women \Vere described in three of Oregon's frontier newspapers from 1846 to 1859, and also explores their contributions to the newspapers as writers, poets, editors, and businesswomen. Information from established Americanmedia clipped for the frontier papers described popular, mainstream ideas of womanhood, as well as provided news on the emerging women's rights struggle. Information generated locally on women encompassed a variety of themes, including marriage, education, and temperance. This study shows that even though content about women and women's roles a<; contributors were constrained by contemporary ideas of propriety and women's place in society, women were valued as readers and contributors to the three Oregon newspapers. iv CURRICULUM VITA NAME OF AUTHOR: Lynne Ma rie Ertle DATE OF BIRTH: August 8, 1963 GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLATTE NDED: University of Oregon DEGREES A WARDED: Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication, 1995, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, with honors, 1985, University of Oregon Honors College AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: History of Communication PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: GraduateTeaching Fellow, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, Eugene, 1990-91 Writer and Copy Editor, 1989-95 A WARDS AND HONORS: Kappa Tau Alpha, National Journalism Honor Society Pi Gamma Mu, International Social Science Honor Society Phi Beta Kappa Pass with Distinction, Honors College Thesis University of Oregon Dean's List: Winter 1983, Spring 1983,Fa ll 1983, Spring 1984 GRANTS: Travel and Research Grant, School of Journalism and Communication, 1995 Senior Research Fellowship, University of Oregon Honors College, 1985 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to first thank my thesis committee, Professors Lauren Kessler, Tim Gleason, and Leslie Steeves, for their insightful comments on my thesis as well as their thought-provoking classroom lectures. Lauren 's ideas and rec ommendations throughout this project were especially helpful. I appreciate as well thekno wledge and guidance offered by Professors Jim Lemert, Steve Ponder, Duncan McDonald,and Randy Beam at the School of Journalism and Communication. Professors Richard Maxwell Brown of the History Department and Frances Cogan of the Honors College challenged my thinking with theirboo ks and classroom lectures, an d I would like to extend my gratitude to them as well. I would also like to thank the Graduate Affairs Committee at the School of Journalism and Communication for awardi ng me a. research grant to help defray the expenses of my thesis work. And finally, thanks especially to my husband, Randy Nishimura; my parents, Richard and AnitaErtle; and the rest of my family and fri ends for their continuous supportand encouragement. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ............ ... ......... ...... ........ ...... ..... .... ..... .... 1 II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .......... .... .......... ... ..... ... ..... ..... ...... 19 Life on the Frontier .................. .. .. ..... ....... ... ........... .. ........ ... 19 Newspapers in Oregon ........... .. ..... ... .............. ......... ......... ....... 26 The Anatomy of FrontierNewspapers ..... .............. ....... .................. .34 Conclusion .... .... ...... ................ .. .. ................. .... ......... ........ ..42 III. CLIPPINGS OF WOMEN: IDEALS, REFORM, AND GENERAL NEWS ....... 44 The Idealized Woman .... ................................... ............................45 Reform-Minded Women ...... .......... .......... .... .... ........... ... ... ...... ... 72 Women in the News . ......... ...... ...... .... ..... ...................... ....... ..... 78 Women' s Contributions.. ... ....... ..... .............. .......................... ... 81 .............. ...... .......... ..... .................. ........ .... .! Trends in Coverage . ..82 Conclusion ............. ........ .... ...... ......... ................... ..... ...... ... 83 IV. CLIPPINGS OF WOMEN: WOMEN' S RIGHTS AND DRESS REFORM. .. .. 86 Trends in Oregon Newspaper Coverage ...... ....... ....... ..... ... ....... ... .. .... 90 Women' s Rights .............. ...... .............. ..... .......... ........ ... .... ... 94 Dress Reform .......... ...................... .............. ... ............ ......... 110 Conclusion .... .. .. .. ........ ... ... .. .... ........... ......... ........ ..... 122 V. LOCAL WRITINGS ABOUT AND BY WOMEN . .. .... ......... ............ ... 127 Boosting ...... .... ..... ..................... ... ..... ... ........ ... ........ 128 Women' s Ri ghts and Dress Reform ........................... .. ........ ... ...... 13 1 Traditional Beliefs ............... ...... ......... ....... ................ ............ 133 Domestic Relationships ..... � ... .................... ....... ..... .... ... .. ....... 133 Women and Violence ....... .. ... ... ........ ............ ... .. ..... ....... 144 Indian Wars ........ ... ...... ... ...... .... ....... .. .... ...... ... ......... ... ...... 146 Educati on . ........ .. ....... ..... ................. ............. ....... ..... ... 150 Temperance.. ........ ............ .... ... ................... ............ ............ 156 Slavery............ ........................................... .................... ...... 164 Churches and Other Organizations............. ..... ............ .............. ..... 164 Other Community Involvement . ...... .. ................... .. ...... ........ 166 Entertainment..... ... .............. ............ ................... ... ... ............ 167 Advertising ... .. .............. ... ............... .... ..... ............. ... ... ... 173 Conclusion . ... .... ..... .......................... ........... ... ...... ... .... 181 vii Pa ge VI. LADIES' DEPARTMEN'TS ............................................................. 185 History of Ladies' Departments ........... .......... ..... ............. ..... ..... 185 Oregon's Ladies' Departments .. .. .............. .................. ........ ...... 188 MargaretJewett Bailey ..... ... .. ... ........ ...... ...... ... .. ............... ...... 193 Conclusion.... .. .... ... ..... ......... .... ... ... ....... ... ............ .... ...... 199 VII. CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 206 APPENDIX: NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES TO APPEAR IN PORTLAND-AREA NEWSPAPERS ....................... .......................... 223 WORKS CITED ................... ................. ............................................. 228 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Sources of Information in Newspapers ...................................................3 4 2. Clipped Item Typein Newspapers ........................................................ 37 3. Local ternI Type in Newspapers .......................... .................................40 1 CHAPrER I INTRODUCTION With expectation beating high, Myself I now desire to spy; And straight I in a glass surveyed An antique lady, much decayed -Elizabeth Hamilton, 1758?-1816, no date Studies of women and communication have branched in many directions in the past few decades. One of the sturdier limbs has beena historical view, setting a foundation from which current trends can be understood. Some historical researchers, noting a lack of women's coverage in newspapers, have attempted to highlight and explain this lack. l Others have focused on women's alternative press, where women's voices were welcome,2 and on non-media communication networks, such as study clubs3 and sewing societies.4 Still others have viewed women's communication from a different l see Lauren Kessler, "The Fight for Woman Suffrage and the Oregon Press," in Women in PacificNort hwest History, ed. Karen J. Blair (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988); Glenda Riley, Frontierswomen: Th e Iowa Experience (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1981), xii. 2see Lauren Kessler, Th e Dissident Press: AlternativeJo urnalism in American History(Beverly Hills: Sage, 1984); Martha M. Solomon, ed., A Voice of Their Own: The Woman Suffrage Press, 1840-1910 (Tuscaloosa: University of AlabamaPress, 1991). 3see Theodora Penny Martin, Th e Sound of Our Own Voices (Boston: Beacon Press, 1987); Karen J. Blair, The Clubwoman as Feminist: True Womanhood Redefined, 1868-1914 (New York: Holmes and Meier, 1980). 4Katherine Harris, "Homesteading in Northeastern Colorado,
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