Westra posten (Seattle, Wash.) 1889-1902 Browse the title

Westerns tribun (Seattle, Wash.; Tacoma, Wash.) 1902-1903 Browse the title

Pacific tribune (Seattle, Wash.; Tacoma, Wash.; Portland, Or.) 1903-1914 Browse the title

Svenska Pacific tribunen (Seattle, Wash.) 1914-1946 Browse the title

Westra posten (the Western Post), the first Swedish language newspaper published in Seattle, Washington, printed its first issue on March 8, 1889. The weekly was published by the Swedish Publishing Company, incorporated February 25, 1889 with B.A. Anderson as president, Nils P. Lind as vice-president and Tobias Sandegren as secretary.  Previous attempts to publish a Swedish language paper in Washington State had quickly failed, as the Swedish speaking population of the area was mostly comprised of transient workers. Lind and Sandegren, however, believed that there was a great need for a Swedish language paper in the region at this time.

Westra posten was very financially unstable at first. In 1890 Sandegren left to edit the new Tacoma tribunen and Westra posten was sold to the Scandinavian Publishing Company, which also published the Norwegian weekly Washington posten. In 1902 the paper merged with Tacoma tribunen, as the region was unable to support two Swedish language papers, and its name was changed to Westerns tribun (the West's Tribune). In December 1903 Westerns Tribun changed its name to Pacific tribune. This title was issued in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. In 1914 Pacific tribune merged with Svenska pressen of Spokane, Washington and was again renamed Svenska Pacific tribunen (the Swedish Pacific Tribune).

Nils Gillgren served as the editor of this paper for 30 years. Axel Hedberg was publisher for 30 years and often doubled as editor. In 1915 Svenska Pacific tribunen boasted a circulation of 12,500. In 1926 a rival Swedish language paper, Svenska journalen, began publication in Seattle, but there was again not enough demand to support two papers and both suffered financial pressure as a result. Svenska Pacific tribunen was published until 1946 when it was acquired by Svenska posten of Seattle, which had been formed in 1936 from the merger of Svenska journalen, Puget Sound posten, and Oregon posten.

Bibliography

• Backlund, J. Oscar. A Century of the Swedish American Press. Chicago: Swedish American Newspaper Co., 1952.
• Beijbom, Ulf. A. "The Swedish Press." The Ethnic Press in the United States, Sally M. Miller (ed.). New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.
• Lange, Greg. "Seattle's first Swedish Newspaper, Westra Posten, is issued about March 8, 1889," Historylink.org: The free online encyclopedia of Washington State history, History Ink, June 2, 2001. Web.

Westra posten, den första svenskspråkiga tidningen i Seattle i Washington, tryckte sitt första nummer den 8 mars 1889. Veckotidningen gavs ut av Swedish Publishing Company, som bildats den 25 februari 1889 med B.A. Anderson som VD, Nils P. Lind som vice VD och Tobias Sandegren som sekreterare.  Tidigare försök att ge ut en svenskspråkig tidning i delstaten Washington hade snabbt misslyckats eftersom den svenskspråkiga befolkningen i området mest bestod av tillfälliga arbetare. Lind och Sandegren ansåg dock att det fanns ett stort behov av en svenskspråkig tidning i regionen vid den här tiden.

Westra posten var först ekonomiskt instabil. 1890 lämnade Sandegren företaget för att bli redaktör för Tacoma tribunen och Westra posten såldes till Scandinavian Publishing Company, som också gav ut den norska veckotidningen Washington posten. 1902 slogs tidningen samman med Tacoma tribunen, eftersom regionen inte klarade att ha två svenskspråkiga tidningar, och namnet ändrades till Westerns tribun. I december 1903 bytte Westerns tribun namn till Pacific tribune. Tidningen gavs ut i Seattle och Tacoma i Washington samt i Portland i Oregon. 1914 slogs Pacific tribune ihop med Svenska pressen i Spokane i Washington och återtog namnet Svenska Pacific tribunen.

Nils Gillgren var redaktör för tidningen i 30 år. Axel Hedberg var utgivare i 30 år och fungerade ofta även som redaktör. 1915 hade Svenska Pacific tribunen en utgåva på 12 500. 1926 började en konkurrerande svenskspråkig tidning, Svenska journalen, att ges ut i Seattle, men det fanns återigen inte tillräckligt stor efterfrågan för två tidningar och båda fick ekonomiska svårigheter som följd. Svenska Pacific tribunen gavs ut fram till 1946 när den köptes av Svenska posten i Seattle, som hade bildats 1936 i och med sammanslagningen av Svenska journalen, Puget Sound posten och Oregon posten.

Litteraturförteckning

• Backlund, J. Oscar. A Century of the Swedish American Press. Chicago: Swedish American Newspaper Co., 1952.
• Beijbom, Ulf. A. "The Swedish Press." The Ethnic Press in the United States, Sally M. Miller (ed.). New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.
• Lange, Greg. "Seattle's first Swedish Newspaper, Westra Posten, is issued about March 8, 1889," Historylink.org: The free online encyclopedia of Washington State history, History Ink, June 2, 2001. Web.