How did newspapers report on the Bellingham Riots of 1907?
This photo appeared on the front page of The Bellingham Herald on September 6, 1907 Like most cities in America, Bellingham has a racist past. Not only did it boast the "strongest chapter of the KKK" in the 1920s and 1930s, but a mere 30 years earlier, a mob of over 500 white men drove nearly all the South Asian people out of town. Their rationale for their violent act was that they were afraid of missing out on labor available at the local mills, where South Asian and Indian men worked for cheaper. Coverage of this riot was prevalent in The Bellingham Herald, The American Reaville and The Puget Sound American, all of whom covered the events with varying levels of racism, bias and inaccuracy. One large problem with the coverage surrounding these riots was finding the most accurate information. Many newspapers reported on this issue, though few managed to capture the scope and source of the riots. In the Washington State Journal and Adams County News published on Septe...