TheBlue Mountain Eagle was established in 1898,[6] and has undergone a long string of mergers in the decades since.[7]
In 1908, P. F. Chandler, who owned theGrant County News, formed a partnership with Clint P. Haight to purchase theBlue Mountain Eagle and merge it with theNews.[8] The two ran the paper for decades until Haight sold his interests in 1941 to Chandler,[9] who died the following year.[10] The paper was inherited by his son W. Glen Chandler.[11] In 1945, theEagle merged with theJohn Day Valley Ranger, owned by Chester A. Ashton.[12]
Editor Scotta Callister left the paper in 2015 to become part-owner and interim publisher of theMalheur Enterprise, which had great success under her leadership and that of her husband, Les Zaitz.[18] Publisher Marissa Williams left in 2018 after 14 years with the company, with Kathryn Brown taking over as interim publisher. During Williams' tenure, theEagle's coverage ofAryan Nation's failed effort to establish a headquarters inGrant County earned aPulitzer Prize nomination.[19]
In June 2024, EO Media Group announcedBlue Mountain Eagle will cease print publication and go online-only. All print subscribers will instead receive theEast Oregonian, published weekly and including news fromBlue Mountain Eagle's website.[20][21] The company was purchased by Carpenter Media Group in October 2024.[22] The newspaper then listed its building for sale in November 2024. The property had housed the paper since it was built in 1997.[23][24]
