The Columbia County Chronicle & Chief, a newspaper with roots in Columbia County for more than 140 years, will cease publication at the end of September, according to a post on its website.

According to the Chronicle & Chief, revenue at the two newspapers had dropped considerably and it was difficult to recruit employees to Columbia County.

The Chronicle & Chief was originally two newspapers, The St. Helens Chronicle and The Clatskanie Chief. Both papers were started in the late 1800s and merged eight months ago by its parent company, Country Media Inc., based in Salem.

 “Combining the two newspapers into one was a last-ditch effort to reduce expenses and reestablish profitability,” Country Media president Steve Hungerford said in a statement on the newspaper’s website. “Sadly, that wasn’t successful.”

The last edition of the Chronicle & Chief will be Sept. 25.

The company said employees at the Chronicle & Chief are being offered positions at other Country Media locations. Country Media operates several newspapers in Oregon, including newspapers in Cannon Beach, Cottage Grove and Polk County.

The St. Helens Chronicle was formed in 1881 as the Oregon Mist, and has merged with several newspapers during its lifetime, starting with the St. Helens Sentinel in 1933. The paper became The Sentinel-Mist Chronicle in 1968 and The Chronicle and Sentinel-Mist before rebranding as the St. Helens Chronicle in 2009 when it was sold to Country Media. The Clatskanie Chief was formed in 1889 and was renamed The Chief in 2014 after Country Media’s purchase of the paper.