The California Owl was an African-American newspaper founded by John J. Neimore in 1879. Neimore was born in Washington County, Texas around 1862 to a farmer Daniel Neimore and his wife Susan Neimore.

While still in his teens, Neimore moved to California and started the California Owl newspaper. He published the paper to provide the black community with information about jobs, housing, and other relevant information happening throughout the community.

A decade after the first publication of the California Owl, Charlotta Amanda Spears arrived in Los Angeles and took a job selling subscriptions to the newspaper. In 1911, Spears married Joe Bass an employee of the Owl. In 1912, in failing health, Neimore, called Charlotta to his bedside, he made her promise to keep the newspaper in circulation.

Bass took control of the newspaper upon Neimore’s death. She renamed the weekly the California Eagle and published the Eagle in Los Angeles for over 40 years until she retired.

sources:

https://www.pbs.org/blackpress/news_bios/ca_eagle.html

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll102/id/1077