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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Arapahoe Public Library

Araphoe, Nebraska

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Araphoe.

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12Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1879 to 2000Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

170,698Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Araphoe, Nebraska.

Get to know Araphoe, Nebraska in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Arapahoe Public Library's digital archive. Its twelve titles include material from 1879 to 2000.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    The collection from Arapahoe Public Library includes “1880 Census Franklin County” and “Public Mirror”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.

Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse twelve titles and 170,698 digitized pages, with material from 1879 to 2000. A partnership between Arapahoe Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.

1880 Census Franklin County

1,624 pages in 1880

1900 Census Frontier County

1,190 pages in 1900

Arapahoe Pioneer

15,024 pages from 1879 to 1911

Arapahoe Public Mirror

44,996 pages from 1974 to 2000

Arapahoe Weekly Pioneer

4,326 pages from 1879 to 1885

Edison Echo

14,124 pages from 1925 to 1946

Edison News

1,064 pages from 1911 to 1915

Edison Record

1,036 pages from 1915 to 1917

Herald

916 pages from 1896 to 1897

Holbrook Herald

1,054 pages from 1895 to 1899

Holbrook Observer

18,568 pages from 1908 to 1941

Public Mirror

66,776 pages from 1882 to 1974

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About the Archive

About The Arapahoe Public Library’s History Archives

  • The Public Mirror (1882-1974)
  • The Arapahoe Public Mirror (1974-2000)
  • The Holbrook Observer (1908-1941)
  • The Arapahoe Pioneer (1879-1911)
  • The Edison Echo (1925-1946)
  • The Arapahoe Weekly Pioneer (1879-1885)
  • 1880 Census Franklin County (1880)
  • 1900 Census Frontier County (1900)
  • The Edison News (1911-1915)
  • The Holbrook Herald (1895-1899)
  • The Edison Record (1915-1917)
  • The Herald (1896-1897)

Thanks to donations from the Arapahoe Area Foundation and the Friends of the Library, the Arapahoe Public Library was able to kick-start its microfilm digitization project. In the Spring of 2015, the library received over $5,000 from the Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund, an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation. This grant, aimed at supporting public libraries in Nebraska communities with populations under 3,000, enabled the completion of the digitization process. Additionally, the Arapahoe Alumni Class of 1950 contributed $1,950 in the summer of 2015. With these combined funds, the library successfully digitized its newspaper collection from 1879 to 2015. This archive not only serves as a robust research platform but also acts as an educational resource for teachers integrating local primary source documents into their curricula. It also supports the library’s engagement and outreach efforts. The Arapahoe History Archive empowers the community to explore, discover, and connect with their collective history, offering access to "history as it happened" through firsthand accounts and perspectives recorded in the past.

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About the Library

About The Arapahoe Public Library

The Arapahoe Public Library serves the small city of Arapahoe in Furnas County, Nebraska. Since 1919, the library has been dedicated to providing research tools, inspiring lifelong learning, and igniting imagination. The mission of the Arapahoe Public Library is to inspire lifelong learning, provide research tools, serve and strengthen the community, and ignite imaginations. The library is open Monday 1pm-5pm, Tuesday 10am-5:30pm, Wednesday 1pm-5pm, Thursday 1pm-7pm, Friday 1pm-5pm, and Saturday 9am-12pm. You can contact the library at (308) 962-7806 or email them at arapahoereads@gmail.com . Follow them on social media: Facebook , Instagram

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Library History

The History Of The Arapahoe Public Library

The Arapahoe Public Library has a rich history dating back to 1919, initiated by the volunteer efforts of the Arapahoe Women’s Club. Initially, books were acquired through donations and contributions. The library found a permanent home in 1984 when the city purchased the former Peace Lutheran Church edifice and converted it into a public library through community fundraising efforts. In 2021, the library underwent significant renovations, adding a new 1,700 square feet addition and modernizing its facilities. These improvements included a new community/programming room, drive-up service lane, updated lighting, electrical, and fiber, all made possible by the hard work of volunteers and donors.

About the Community

About The City of Arapahoe

Arapahoe, Nebraska, located in Furnas County in the southwestern part of the state, is a vibrant rural community with a population of approximately 1,028. The community is home to notable landmarks such as the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, a Veteran's Memorial, various parks and ballfields, a city pool, a municipal golf course, and a volunteer-operated movie theater. On May 10, 1871, a group known as the "Arapahoe Town Company," led by Captain E.B Murphy, left Plattsmouth, Nebraska, to establish a town in the Republican River Valley. Named after a small band of Arapahoe Indians who had wintered in the valley, the town site was staked out by July 18, 1871, with a central park for community activities. This park remains a central feature of Arapahoe today.

Local History

Did You Know?

The Arapahoe House, run by Louis Clute, was strategically located at the intersection of major wagon roads and thrived on stagecoach trade, hosting celebrities like Buffalo Bill Cody. The hotel, once the best in the Republican River Valley, burned down in 1899. Early settlers faced many challenges, including harsh winters, grasshopper infestations, prairie fires, and diphtheria epidemics. The Arapahoe Telephone Company was established on July 1, 1904. During the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration helped build a swimming pool and solarium, which are still central to community activities in the tree-shaded park.

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Partner Story

Contact Information and Hours

For more information, contact the Arapahoe Public Library:

  • Phone: (308) 962-7806
  • Website: Arapahoe Public Library
  • Email: arapahoereads@gmail.com
  • Hours: Monday 1pm-5pm, Tuesday 10am-5:30pm, Wednesday 1pm-5pm, Thursday 1pm-7pm, Friday 1pm-5pm, Saturday 9am-12pm
  • Social Media: Facebook, Instagram

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Trace a name across nearby issues

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Araphoe. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Arapahoe Public Library to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story.

If a name does not appear, try an alternate spelling or a related term, then read around any match. Note the issue date and page so a result stays connected to its context. Use those details to follow a story without treating one search result as a complete answer.

Build a trail through the past that someone else can follow: record the title, date, page or item reference, and a link when available. Keep historical quotations distinct from your own interpretation. If accounts disagree, note what each source supports before deciding how the details fit together in a family or community story.

Review collection titles

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Arapahoe Public Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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