Title: Oregon Clippings

Written by: Karen Ballentine

OregonClippings,pic

Interesting collage of state, local and international news posted in the Lincoln County Leader weekly newspaper posted in Toledo, Oregon. At that time the population consisted of 300 inhabitants. The 1899 eight page newspaper covered a plethora of subjects which paint a portrait of life in 1899. The postings range from what you would expect in a local newspapers, births, deaths, weather and local gossip to a larger view of the state, country and world. For example, readers learn that Venice is sinking and that the Yellow River in China has overflowed. On the local side, a reporter tells of a local woman who is able to locate her missing husband in a dream, and a murderer who has hung himself in his cell. We learn that the US government has more gold coin than it knows what to do with, and that paper money cannot be used for exchange in the Philippines because the bugs eat it. The paper reports that a rosary in the British museum is made of the vertebrae of a snake, and another one is made of rat’s teeth.

Sundry and varied for sure, but the tiny paper presents a remarkable picture of life in 1899 both here and abroad. An interesting, if random, arrangement of facts that makes for a pleasant afternoon of nostalgic fun.

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