Irrigon Irrigator

The Irrigon Irrigator was a newspaper based in Irrigon in the U.S. state of Oregon from 1904 to 1912.

The newspaper was founded by Addison Bennett, who had previously named the town, as a portmanteau of the words "irrigation" and "Oregon." The town was "the scene of a promising irrigation enterprise," the basis for the names of both the newspaper and the town. The first issue, published January 27, 1904, bore the name Oregon Irrigator; the title was changed several months hence. Bennett made several entrepreneurial forays into the newspaper publishing business, and later served as a staff writer for the Oregonian.[1]

Bennett, at about age 60, was new to the American west when he founded the paper.[2] He was the town's second postmaster.[3] He used the paper as a vehicle to promote the irrigation industry in the region; he was also known for his "jackrabbit" stories, which were syndicated in other newspapers. The Irrigator was discontinued in 1912 (or 1914??), the year after Bennett departed for Portland.[2] The paper was known for being full of "droll wit" and "homespun philosophy," but not selling much advertising.[3]

Bennett's work was published in other Oregon newspapers during the Irrigator's run, including the Oregon Daily Journal.[4] Bennett was an invited speaker at the Pendleton Fair in 1908, two years before the Pendleton Round-Up was established.[5]

Another paper by the same title was later started, publishing in the early 2000s.[6]