William Thompson

Col. William Thompson (1846-1934 ) was an American-Indian fighter and journalist, the editor of multiple newspapers in Oregon and California, having his longest run with the Alturas Plaindealer. Thompson was born in Missouri on February 2, 1846, the son of Samuel George Thompson. He immigrated to Oregon in 1852, studying at Columbia College in Eugene, Oregon before beginning a career in journalism that led him to travel extensively and, between 1870 and 1910, to be one of the few to cover the periodic incidents of internal strife that affected Central Oregon. His first work in the newspaper business was with the Eugene City Guard where he worked for a year and a half. Then he sold his stake in The Guard for $1,200 and started the Roseburg Plaindealer. He died on May 24, 1934, of bronchial pneumonia at his home in Alturas.