The Oregon City Spectator has, since its inception, been published under more than one name in its long history. Some of its more common titles include The Spectator, The Oregon City Argus and most recently, the Oregon City Enterprise. The first issue of the Enterprise appeared on October 27, 1866 as a weekly Saturday morning newspaper. It still remained a four page publication but had now increased in length to seven columns. In July, 1867, the Enterprise was enlarged to an eight-column paper in order to accommodate the increasing number of advertisers.
    According to Turnbull in the History of Oregon Newspapers, the Enterprise, after many owners and editors, began a daily edition in January 1911, called the Morning Enterprise. While the weekly paper continued under the old name of Oregon City Enterprise. The first issue of the Enterprise devotes an editorial nearly a column long promoting the state fair and agricultural fairs, in general. In one issue three quarters of a column is devoted to describing the new pioneer paper mill in Oregon City; in another issue the first baseball story was published in Oregon. Advertising also provided some rather unique marketing ploys. For instance, one issue offered hope to cancer sufferers with the proclamation: “Peace! Peace!” in which readers are told of Dr. Henley’s “knife less cancer cure.” Steamship and stage lines were extensive advertisers listing both their rates and the types of incoming and outgoing cargo. Although there wasn’t much local news to report,  it was not uncommon in those days to get one’s name in print simply by obtaining new subscribers for the paper.
    Regardless of the problems these early newspapers encountered, we still pour over them looking for information concerning news of our ancestors, the early pioneers.  In retrospect, we do not really care about the specifics of journalism in the 1800's, about politics in general, or whether or not the editor was Republican or Democrat. But the newspapers themselves are priceless reminders of our own Oregon history, and often yield secrets and treasures about daily happenings in “the good old days”. Besides that, they’re a lot of fun to read!