Redington, John W., 1851-1935

John "Watermelon" Redington was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1851, attended grammar school, and worked as a printer's devil. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1874 as a means of traveling to the West. He was discharged in 1874, worked for the Salem Oregon Statesman, and founded a job printing establishment in Salem. He left job printing to wander through Oregon, Idaho, and Utah as a tramp printer and in search of adventure. In the process he served as a scout in the Nez Perce Indian War and the Bannock Indian War. His small stature and juvenile enthusiasm led General Oliver O. Howard to refer to him as the "original boy scout." Redington took over the Heppner, Oregon Gazette in 1883, and later published papers in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington. He was a native humorist, invented tall stories to fill his columns, and issued outrageous political broadsides in a style reminiscent of Bill Nye. He was married to Nellie Meacham, daughter of Alfred B. Meacham. His last years were spent as a wandering journalist, and in and out of the Veterans' Home at Sawtelle, California until his death in 1935.

From the description of John W. Redington papers, 1880-1935. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 53196045

John Redington (1836-1915) was born in Essex, England, and baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1850. Following a mission throughout England, Redington traveled to the United States and arrived in Salt Lake City in 1863. He died in Oxford, Idaho, in 1915.

From the description of Diary and correspondence of John Redington, 1897. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 669985755

John Watermelon Redington (1851-1935) was born in Cambridge, Mass. and moved west in 1877. He joined the state militia, and at sixteen, headed west for Salem, Oregon. In 1877, he enlisted as a volunteer scout in the Nez Perce War. He served as a U.S. scout in the 1870s and 1880s during conflicts with the Nez Perce. He published newspapers in Oregon and Washington, including the Heppner Gazette. He then went to San Francisco where he worked briefly as a newspaperman before returning to Idaho to fight the Bannock and Sheepeater Indians under General O. O. Howard. Redington later served as Assistant Adjutant General of Oregon from 1879 to 1883. He died in California in 1935.

From the description of Scouting in Montana. (Spokane Public Library). WorldCat record id: 743073275

John "Watermelon" Redington (1851-1935) was an Indian War scout, newspaper editor and writer, and humorist. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Redington worked as a printer's devil with the Cambridge University Press before enlisting in the United States Army in 1874 as a way to get to the West. After his discharge that same year, he settled briefly in Salem, Oregon, where he established a printing firm. Over the next few years, Redington traveled around the West lending his printing expertise to communities in Oregon, Idaho, and Utah, before he served as a scout in the Nez Perce Indian War of 1877 and the Bannock Indian War of 1878. His small stature led General Oliver O. Howard to refer to him as the "original boy scout." After the war, Redington settled in Eastern Oregon where he married Nellie Meacham, daughter of Alfred B. Meacham, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and became publisher of the Heppner Gazette in 1883. He later published newspapers in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington, where he settled with his wife and their four daughters. In his later years, he moved to California, where he lived in a home for veterans until his death in 1935. Printed on his stationery was the slogan: "California -- home of the December dandelion and the winter watermelon."

From the description of John W. Redington scrapbooks, 1868-1932. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 266075488

John Watermelon Redington (1851-1935) was born in Cambridge, Mass. and moved west in 1877.

From the guide to the John Watermelon Redington papers, circa 1867-1978, (Oregon Historical Society Research Library)

John Watermelon Redington (1851-1935) was born in Cambridge, Mass. and moved west in 1877.

He served as a U.S. scout in the 1870s and 1880s during conflicts with the Nez Perce. He published newspapers in Oregon and Washington, including the Heppner Gazette.

From the description of John Watermelon Redington papers [manuscript], circa 1867-1978. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 744421040

John Watermelon Redington (1851-1935) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1851. He worked as a printer's devil with the Cambridge University Press. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1874 as a means of traveling to the West. He was discharged in 1874 and travelled to Oregon where he worked for the Salem Oregon Statesman, and founded a job printing establishment in Salem, Oregon. He left job printing to wander through Oregon, Idaho, and Utah as a tramp printer and in search of adventure. He served as a scout in the Nez Perce Indian War and the Bannock Indian War. His small stature and juvenile enthusiasm led General Oliver O. Howard to refer to him as the original boy scout.

Redington took over the Heppner, Oregon Gazette in 1883, and later published papers in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington. He was a native humorist, inventing tall stories to fill his columns, and issued outrageous political broadsides in a style reminiscent of Bill Nye. He was married to Nellie Meacham, daughter of Alfred B. Meacham. His last years were spent as a wandering journalist, and in and out of the Veterans' Home at Sawtelle, California until his death in 1935.

From the guide to the John W. Redington papers, 1880-1935, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)