One of the wonders of the Internet is that of treasure hunting --- finding those little unexpected items that just popped up on your screen after a little browsing. This Paso Robles Leader newspaper from 1898 caught my eye while looking at eBay offerings. I thought it would be fun to read the local gossip from 111 years ago. My biggest surprise was seeing the dearth of news about the old homestead. There was the obligatory "who is visiting from Fresno" and "Mrs. So-and-So visits the beach for a week" fare, but the only important story I read was a short blurb about the big drought of that year, which was buried way down on the page.
The quality of the printing (or lack thereof) and the fact that my copy had never been cut in half after the sheet was printed, leads me to believe this was a make-ready sheet. It is an 8-page piece, but all in one big sheet. Much of it was difficult to read because of poor impression, wrinkled paper and lack of ink in certain areas.
The multitude of ads were a treat to peruse. The philosophical blocks on both sides of the banner prove the independent spirit of the publisher, H.G. Wright.
99% of the names mentioned eluded my memory. D.D. Blackburn and C.S. Smith are two that I recognized. But, hey, my history doesn't go back that far.
The moral of the story: Who will remember the least thing about you 111 years from now?
