Columbia-Washington-Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Mitchell, Robert H. February 17, 1854 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com June 12, 2009, 1:20 am Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company ROBERT H. MITCHELL, editor and publisher of the Kalama Bulletin, at Kalama, Cowlitz county, Washington, has had extensive experience in the newspaper business and since coming to this place has not only been successful in his individual affairs, but has in a very definite way contributed to the welfare and progress of his community. Mr. Mitchell was born in Marshall county, Illinois, on the 17th of February, 1854, and is a son of S. H. and Nancy (Rachford) Mitchell, the former born in Ohio and the latter in Pennsylvania, and both are now deceased. His father was a farmer and during the Civil war, owing to the scarcity of labor, he found it difficult to properly take care of his growing crops. His mechanical ingenuity was then put to practical use, for, taking certain parts of a wagon, a plow and other machinery about the farm, he devised a cultivator which did its work well and at the same time avoided injuring the growing corn. The outcome was that in 1863 he patented what was called the Mitchell Corn Dodger and engaged in its manufacture. For this purpose he established a foundry at El Paso, Illinois, and one at Lincoln, that state, for making parts, and was apparently on the road to large success, when patent troubles arose, which caused him to stop manufacturing the cultivators. In 1874 he went to Kansas, locating east of Great Bend, where he secured four hundred acres of land adjoining old Fort Zarah reservation, and he spent the remainder of his life in that state, his death occurring at Elkton. Robert H. Mitchell attended the public schools and learned the trade of an iron moulder in his father's foundry. He accompanied his father on his removal to Kansas, and about a year later, having decided to teach school, went into the town to take the required examination. On the way home it grew dark and at first he thought a heavy cloud must have obscured the sun, but it turned out to be a cloud of grasshoppers, which plagued Kansas that year and completely ruined the crops. Mr. Mitchell then returned to Illinois and worked for his grandfather for a short time, but had an attack of "chills and fever," in consequence of which he went back to Kansas. He taught a term of school at Great Bend and then, on the solicitation of an editor who wanted him to write for his paper, he turned his attention to newspaper work and for about eighteen months was connected with the Great Bend Register. He then went to La Crosse, Kansas, and established the La Crosse Eagle, which he ran for about four years. Later he located in Deighton, Kansas, where he established the News, and was also appointed postmaster. His career there was cut short by a cyclone which scattered the printing office, post office and the rest of the town to the four quarters of the country. It later became necessary to get a bill through congress to relieve him from liability for the stamps and other government property lost in the storm. Mr. Mitchell took an active part in republican political affairs in that state and served as delegate to three conventions. After the cyclone he moved to Wyandotte and worked on the Wyandotte Gazette for a time, and then went to Crab Orchard, Johnson county, Nebraska, where he established the Crab Orchard News, which he ran for five or six years. In 1889, in the hope of benefiting his wife's health, Mr. Mitchell located in Cornelius, Oregon, near which place he taught school for awhile. He then went to Hillsboro and served as editor of the Hillsboro Independent for two years. In 1892 he started the Hillsboro Argus, in which venture he had a partner, who walked with him to Portland to get the printing outfit. Soon afterwards he bought out his partner and in 1894 he sold the paper and went to Vernonia, where he bought the Vernonia Sentinel, and shortly afterward also bought the Pittsburgh News, which he consolidated with the Sentinel, under the latter name. He conducted that paper for four years, and then bought the Columbia County News, at St. Helens, to which he devoted his attention for several years. He bought and published the Rainier Review, but several years later returned to St. Helens for a short time. In June, 1906, he came to Kalama and started the Cowlitz County News, which he conducted during the most of the time up to the third county seat fight, when he sold the paper, which was moved to Kelso when that place was made the county seat. Going then to Woodland he bought the Woodland Chronicle, the name of which he changed to the Lewis River News, and soon afterwards bought the Kalama Bulletin, publishing both papers for a number of years with the assistance of his sons, Royce H. and Hugh. Subsequently he traded his interest in the Woodland paper to the Imus brothers for their interest in the Kalama Bulletin, and has since been the sole owner of the latter paper. He possesses the genuine newspaper man's instinct for news, which he presents in a readable and attractive form, and the Bulletin is steadily growing in popularity throughout this section of the county. The Bulletin was established in 1889 by Hite, D. D. and F. H. Imus, the first named being the principal owner. The paper was in and out of their hands from time to time through a period of years, but finally D. D. Imus became the owner and ran the paper until selling to Mr. Mitchell, in September, 1923. The Bulletin consists of eight six-column pages, is issued on Friday of each week, and is well edited and has a circulation of about eight hundred and fifty. In connection with the paper, Mr. Mitchell also has a well equipped job printing plant, including a linotype machine, a cyclinder press, two job presses, paper cutter and other necessary machinery, as well as an up- to-date assortment of type faces, and is doing a large business in commercial printing. Mr. Mitchell was married in 1875, in Kansas, to Miss Mary Dennis, who died at Hillsboro, Oregon, in 1893, leaving three children, namely: Park Ingalls, who was born at LaCrosse, Kansas, and is a printer in Woodland, Washington; Jessie, who is the wife of Carl Lindquist and the mother of three children, Marion, Laura and Jane; and S. Sylvester, who is connected with the Salem Statesman and is married and has two children, Robert and Ellen Low. While living at Vernonia, Mr. Mitchell was married to Miss Emily Schoonover, whose father, S. G. Schoonover, was a prominent citizen of Columbia county. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are the parents of three children: Georgie, who is the wife of Elbert Towne, of Carrolls, Cowlitz county, and the mother of four children, Lewis, Dorothy, Richard and Jessie; Hugh W., who lives between Woodland and Kalama, and is married and has a daughter, Nadine; and Royce H., who is publishing the Lewis River News at Woodland, and is married and has two children, Jack and Harold. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed through the chairs; the Knights of Pythias, of which he is vice chancellor, and the Kalama Business Men's Club. A man of vigorous mentality, sound, practical judgment and sterling character, he has gained a high place in the esteem of the people of Kalama, in the welfare of which community he has evinced a deep interest, and the columns of his paper are a reflection of his earnest efforts to provide this section of the county with a newspaper worthy of the public patronage. In this his efforts have been appreciated and he is regarded as one of Kalama's substantial and representative citizens. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 854-855 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/columbia/bios/mitchell764gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 8.3 Kb