[2] The Echo was founded by Deed H. Mayar and published its first edition on January 15, 1904.
[3] It was preceded by a now-defunct newspaper, the Journal, which began publication in 1898.
[4] The newspaper leaned Republican and was published from Mayar's home in a five-column format.
[3][6] The newspaper's editors during this period were Deed and his son Julian, who later enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War I.
[7] Mayar retired in 1919 and sold the newspaper to the Echo Publishing Company (EPC).