The paper was established by Leonard H. McMahan on December 1, 1888.[4][5] According to the newspaper's staff, the paper preceded the incorporation of Woodburn by about nine months and initially read more like a gossip sheet than a news source.[5] McMahan went on to become a member of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1923 Legislature, and a Marion County Circuit Judge from 1924 to 1943.[4]
In 1921, Herbert L. Gill and his son Wayne B. Gill became co-owners of the paper.[6] Gill sold his stake to Rodney W. Alden in 1930.[7] Alden sold out to Mabel Grass in August 1944,[8] and who then acquired full ownership in October 1946.[6] She sold the paper to Edward C. Conman and Eugene F. Stoller in August 1947.[9]Eagle Newspapers acquired the paper from Stoller in 1971.[10][11] About forty years later the company sold the paper along with five others in January 2013 to Pamplin Media Group.[12][13]Robert B. Pamplin Jr. sold the company in June 2024 to Carpenter Media Group.[14]
Lawsuit
The Independent sued the city of Salem when the city denied access to records of a 2017 arrest for child abuse. The newspaper lost the initial case, but won on appeal in September 2018.[15]