Early Newsmakers: The LeHuquet Family

and the Lake Washington Reflector

Bellevue’s earliest newspaper, the Lake Washington Reflector, first appeared on January 1, 1918. Publisher W. Eugene LeHuquet produced the paper with the help of his wife and the six oldest of his nine children, who spent their spare time setting type, printing, and gathering news, subscriptions, and advertisements.

The paper was designed to be a “ray of sunshine in a world of strife.” Even serious news items were presented with a smile in an effort to raise spirits. “Nearly everybody is laid up with the flu, and news is scarce as feathers on a frog,” LeHuquet joked when the Spanish Flu hit Bellevue in 1918.

The Reflector ended its run in 1934. The children had grown up and left home, the Depression set in, and the Bellevue American (which began printing in 1930) was competing for subscribers. Today, back issues of the Reflector are a valuable source of information for historians, a lasting record of the early Bellevue community and its residents.

To learn more about Bellevue and Eastside history, contact the Eastside Heritage Center at 425-450-1049 or visit www.EastsideHeritageCenter.org.