The Weston Weekly Leader was launched on December 7, 1878, in Weston, Oregon, by William L. Black and Paul D'Heirry. An early standout on the paper's staff was Harry "Harrie" L. Bowmer. By the time Bowmer joined the Weston Weekly Leader, he was already prominent in the newspaper industry. In its second year, W.T. Williamson and G.P. McColl took over, publishing the Weston Weekly Leader at home. Williamson and McColl expanded the layout of the paper from a six- to a seven-column folio. They also changed it from a politically independent paper to a Democratic one. The Weston Weekly Leader featured illustrated works of fiction, comics, and advertisements for a variety of medical remedies. The Weston Weekly Leader saw many publishers and editors, starting with Black and D'Heirry in 1878, Williamson and McColl in 1879, and McColl alone in 1883. Felix R. Mitchell ran the paper in 1886, Martin A. Baker and Emsley Ridenour in 1888, Baker alone in 1889, Foster and Boyd in 1890, and Bowmer in 1891. In 1893, under M.J. Harvey, the Weekly Leader underwent a name change and was called the Philistine. It became the Weston Weekly Leader once more in 1896, when Clark Wood took over. Wood left in 1913, lured away by Charles Samuel "Sam" Jackson, founder of the Oregon Journal. He later returned to Weston and published the last issue of the newspaper before selling out to the Milton Eagle of Milton-Freewater in 1946.

       Tragically, the Weston Weekly Leader's plant was destroyed by fire twice. The second fire took place in 1895, and all files prior to that date were lost.