11Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Clear Lake Public Library
Clear Lake, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Clear Lake.
1860 to 1961Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
109,780Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Clear Lake, Iowa.
Get to know Clear Lake, Iowa in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Clear Lake Public Library's digital archive. Its eleven titles include material from 1860 to 1961.
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Selected titles
A selection from Clear Lake Public Library: “Cerro Gordo County Republican” and “The Clear Lake Reporter”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.
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 eleven titles and 109,780 digitized pages, with material from 1860 to 1961. A partnership between Clear Lake Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A family story or a question about a familiar place can lead somewhere unexpected. Browse the titles below and see which detail draws you in.
Cerro Gordo County Republican
16 pages in 1897
Cerro Gordo Republican
36 pages from 1864 to 1865
Clear Lake Independent
390 pages from 1860 to 1861
Clear Lake Mirror
50,594 pages from 1879 to 1955
Clear Lake Observer
4,644 pages from 1870 to 1879
Clear Lake Record
2,236 pages from 1882 to 1885
Clear Lake Reporter
18,842 pages from 1896 to 1922
Fertile Enterprise
46 pages in 1912
Mason City Express Republican
14 pages in 1887
The Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter
9,658 pages from 1955 to 1961
The Clear Lake Reporter
23,304 pages from 1922 to 1955
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Partner Story
Clear Lake Public Library
The Clear Lake Public Library provides informational, educational, cultural, recreational, and technological services. The library strives to be a welcoming community center for all seeking personal and professional growth and development.
Partner Story
Vision
The Clear Lake Public Library envisions a community where everyone has access to information, resources, and opportunities for lifelong learning and personal growth.
Partner Story
Mission
The Clear Lake Public Library connects people with information, ideas, and experiences to enrich lives, foster lifelong learning, and strengthen the community.
Partner Story
Services and Programs
The Clear Lake Public Library in Iowa offers a variety of services and programs to meet the needs of the community, including:
- Extensive collection of books, magazines, and newspapers
- Electronic resources and online databases
- Public computers and high-speed internet access
- Children’s programs and storytimes
- Teen programs and activities
- Adult programs and workshops
- Meeting rooms and community spaces
- Special events and cultural programs
Partner Story
Contact Information
Address: 200 N 4th St, Clear Lake, IA 50428 Phone: (641) 357-6133 Email: clearlakelibrary@cltel.net Website: www.cllibrary.org
Partner Story
Hours of Operation
- Monday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Friday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Compare accounts as you trace a story
Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Clear Lake. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Clear Lake 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. Use a report's date to look for earlier or later coverage where those issues are available. Compare what each account says and what it leaves out, treating a related mention as a lead rather than a complete history.
Compare each newspaper account with a nearby dated issue where available, noting what changes or stays consistent. Keep alternate versions and unresolved details visible rather than blending distinct sources into one story. Use those differences to frame a next question, not to settle the account before the sources support it.
Keep source details beside each quotation or observation. If accounts differ, preserve both references and note what remains unresolved. Let the evidence, rather than a smooth retelling, show where the sources agree and where the story is still open.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Clear Lake 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
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.
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Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
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Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
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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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