Explore publications and collections from the past.
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.
See individual titles for available dates.
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.
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Selected titles
Selected titles from Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library include “Bennington Tribune” as well as “Weekly News And Bryan County Democrat”.
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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.
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.
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
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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