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Community History Archive Partner

Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library

Caddo, Oklahoma

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

24Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1893 to 2018Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

825,978Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Caddo, Oklahoma.

Explore the past of Caddo, Oklahoma through newspapers in the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library's digital archive. Its twenty-four titles include material from 1893 to 2018.

  • Selected titles

    Selected titles from Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library include “Bennington Tribune” as well as “Weekly News And Bryan County Democrat”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • 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.

Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse twenty-four titles and 825,978 digitized pages, with material from 1893 to 2018. This collection is shared through Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Follow a family connection or a question about the community through the titles below and the history they preserve.

Bennington Tribune

2,730 pages from 1911 to 1922

Blue County Democrat

692 pages from 1904 to 1907

Bokchito News

652 pages from 1916 to 1917

Bryan County Democrat

616 pages from 1907 to 1917

Caddo Banner

622 pages from 1893 to 1895

Calera Enterprise

8 pages in 1928

Calera News

426 pages in 1917

Duncan Banner

24 pages in 1981

Durant Daily Democrat

763,538 pages from 1911 to 2018

Durant Daily News

220 pages from 1905 to 1906

Durant Statesman

528 pages from 1906 to 1907

Durant Times

16 pages in 1898

Durant Weekly News

21,372 pages from 1904 to 1979

Durant Weekly News And Bryan County Democrat

22,966 pages from 1944 to 1985

Durant Weekly News Bryan County And Democrat

380 pages from 1966 to 1967

Independent Farmer

1,244 pages from 1905 to 1906

Saturday Morning Advertiser

428 pages in 1914

Southeastern

82 pages in 1989

Southeastern Oklahoma Citizen And Bryan County Democrat

3,204 pages from 1932 to 1937

Sterrett Banner

16 pages in 1901

The Banner-Ledger

56 pages in 1904

The Bennington Tribune

1,736 pages from 1903 to 1910

The Bokchito News

4,374 pages from 1913 to 1920

Weekly News And Bryan County Democrat

48 pages in 1977

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About the Library

About The Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library

The Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library in Durant, Oklahoma, serves as a vital community hub, offering a range of services including access to a comprehensive collection of historical documents. The library is dedicated to preserving the rich history of Durant and Bryan County, making these resources accessible to the public for free. It is a key partner in digitizing historical records, ensuring that these valuable resources are preserved for future generations. The Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library has a rich history of serving the Durant community. Originally established to meet the area's growing needs, the library has expanded its services over the years. Today, it is a testament to the community’s commitment to education, history, and culture. The library’s partnership with Advantage Archives has significantly enhanced its ability to preserve and provide access to historical documents.

About the Community

About The Durant Area

Durant, Oklahoma, has a storied history that dates back to the early 19th century. The area was once claimed by both Spain and France before officially becoming part of the United States. During the 1820s and 30s, it was designated as part of the Choctaw Nation. Pierre Durant and his family, of French-Choctaw origin, played a significant role in the area's early development. Dixon Durant, Pierre’s grandson, is recognized as the founder of Durant. His efforts to establish a general store and influence the construction of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad siding in Durant were pivotal in the community's development.

Local History

Did You Know?

The Durant Area was once claimed by both Spain and France before officially becoming part of the United States. A memorable event in Durant's rail history occurred on April 5, 1905, when a special southbound Katy train stopped in the city with President Roosevelt aboard. Durant's local airport is named after Ira Eaker, a United States Air Force General and aviation pioneer who was born in Field Creek, Texas, and moved to southeastern Oklahoma in 1912. Bryan County, created from Choctaw lands in 1907, was named after William Jennings Bryan, who was nominated three times for President of the United States. Robert L. Williams, one of Durant's own, was the third governor of Oklahoma and played a significant role during the First World War.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Read a report in its time and place

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Caddo. The digital archive shared by the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library offers a place to begin. 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. Check nearby issues or another listed newspaper when available. Differences in timing and wording can add perspective to a story, while the issue date and surrounding articles help show what kind of account you are reading.

Follow a promising report into a nearby issue or another title where available. Compare dates and surrounding coverage; a single account is one perspective on a story. Use the surrounding account to shape your next question, while keeping each source's perspective distinct.

Keep the title, date, page, or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help connect a local story to its evidence and show what remains uncertain.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & 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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