In the town near Harbin Hot Springs called Middletown, and in the new beautiful Middletown Public Library, I was looking for the earliest newspapers for Middletown, and found these interesting resources online dating by Google searching on ... "middletown independent" california newspaper archives 1880s" ... and vis-a-vis the first newspaper "Middletown Independent" which began 1886:
Beginning of Middletown
Guenoc was the name of a village started in Coyote valley, which had but
a brief existence. Herrick & Getz had a store there in 1860, the first store in
the southern end of the county, but moved it the same year to Lower Lake.
Strader & Clark started a store there in 1866, and O. Armstrong had a saloon
there soon afterward. An Odd Fellows' hall was built, but was moved to
Middletown in 1871. The founding of the latter town, nearer the quicksilver
mines and at the junction of two roads killed Guenoc.
The first house was built at Middletown in the fall of 1870 by J. H. Berry,
who conducted a hotel therein. O. Armstrong started a saloon in the same
year. C. M. Young bought a half-interest in the townsite in 1871. D. Lobree
started the first store in 1872. The town developed and prospered in the da.ys
of extensive quicksilver mining in that section. It was then, as now, con-
nected by stages with Calistoga, Lower Lake and Lakeport. A brewery was
established in 1875 by Munz & Scott, which continued under varying manage-
ment until recent years. The Middletown Independent was established in 1886
by P. B. Graham and J. L. Read. Read bought Graham's interest in 1889 and
later in the same year sold a half interest to W. C. Pentecost. In 1895 Read
again acquired full control, placed T. A. Read as editor until 1899, and then
Warren E. Read until 1904, when the paper was sold to J- D. Kuykendall. The
latter conducted it one year and sold it back to J. L. Read, Warren Read again
becoming editor. On October 11, 1906, the paper passed to A. O. Stanley, who
published it up to January 1, 1911, when he leased it to his son, "Mort" Stanley.
The Independent was Republican in politics up to 1906, and independent since.
Quicksilver mining in this section reached the height of its development
about 1895. The Great Western Mine, operated by Andrew Rocca, employed
250 men and was equipped with modern machinery. This mine had been
located in 1850, but little development was made until 1872, when E. Green and
Hiram Taft operated it. The Mirabel mine was another large producer. The
Great Western and other small mines still produce considerable quicksilver.
A franchise to construct and operate a toll road was granted by the Legis-
lature in 1866 to John Lawley, a Mr. Patterson and Henry Boggs. The road
was built in 1867 from Calistoga over Mt. St. Helena to Middletown. The
toll road is still in operation by the Lawley heirs, a suit in 1909 to terminate
the franchise by reason of the death of the original grantees having been de-
cided in their favor.
http://archive.org/stream/historyofmendoci00carp/historyofmendoci00carp_djvu.txt
(And related - http://archive.org/stream/historyofmendoci00carp/historyofmendoci00carp_djvu.txt ).
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MIDDLETOWN INDEPENDENT,
Middletown, bake County, California.
The only newspaper published (every Saturday) in an enterprising town, lias a good circulation,
and makes money for its advertising patrons. Send for sample copy and rates.
PKNTKCOST & READ. Editors and Proprietors.
http://archive.org/stream/pacificstatesnew00palm/pacificstatesnew00palm_djvu.txt
*
Lake County, California Deaths ... and which mentions Middletown's first newspaper "Middletown Independent" - http://www.cagenweb.com/lake/Deaths.htm
*
Old West title we've never offered before...
Item #559165
JANUARY 25, 1896
MIDDLETOWN INDEPENDENT, Middletown, Lake County, California, 1896
* Rare title
Over the years we have offered hundreds of different titles from the Old West, but this is one we've never offered before. We have just 4 such issues, all from 1896. Fortunately, this newspaper used rag paper so the quality is nice, not the least bit fragile or pulpish.
http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/559165?list_url=%2Flist%2Fwildwest%3Fpage%3D6
see, too: http://www.rarenewspapers.com/list/wildwest?page=6
Interesting resources ... but nothing about Harbin itself ...
*
How easily will such resources and even more become available, and eventually, via "History" wiki subject pages at WUaS and in all languages?
http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/History
...