13Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Elkader Public Library
Elkader, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Elkader.
1855 to 2023Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
248,298Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Elkader, Iowa.
Explore the past of Elkader, Iowa through newspapers in the Elkader Public Library's digital archive. Its thirteen titles include material from 1855 to 2023.
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Selected titles
Explore titles such as “Clayton County Centennial” and “Times Register”, shared by Elkader Public Library.
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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 thirteen titles and 248,298 digitized pages, with material from 1855 to 2023. This collection is shared through Elkader Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Bring a person, place or date you recognize, and browse the titles below for a first clue in the story you want to follow.
Clayton County Centennial
160 pages in 1936
Clayton County Herald
828 pages from 1855 to 1857
Clayton County Journal
6,912 pages from 1859 to 1887
Clayton County Messenger
1,836 pages from 1922 to 1926
Clayton County Register
175,530 pages from 1926 to 2019
Elkader Argus
13,848 pages from 1891 to 1984
Elkader Register
27,604 pages from 1878 to 1926
Elkader Semi Weekly Register
216 pages in 1884
Elkader Weekly Register
3,226 pages from 1886 to 1889
North Iowa Times
1,494 pages in 2020
Register And Argus
9,014 pages from 1907 to 1918
The Clayton County Register
2,184 pages from 2013 to 2020
Times Register
5,446 pages from 2021 to 2023
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About the Library
About The Elkader Public Library
The Elkader Public Library, located in Elkader, Iowa, has a rich history dating back to 1899 when it was established by a group of dedicated club women. The library has moved multiple times and grown significantly since its inception. It now resides in a modern facility that offers a wide range of services and materials to the community, supporting education, recreation, and lifelong learning.
Library History
History of the Elkader Public Library
The Elkader Public Library was established on September 19, 1899, by a group of club women who purchased $35.00 worth of books and set up a library in the parlor of Miss Martha Mentzel, a school teacher. Over the years, the library moved to several locations, including the schoolhouse, the rear of the Louise Leibrock store, and the Cowie Building, before finally settling in its current location. The library has expanded multiple times to accommodate the growing needs of the community.
About the Archive
Services and Collections
The Elkader Public Library offers a variety of services and materials, including a large collection of local and Iowa history resources. These include:
- Family histories
- Obituaries
- Yearbooks
- The digitized Clayton County Register and other historical newspapers, available online
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Follow a report into its setting
A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Elkader. The digital archive shared by the Elkader Public 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. Read the headline and neighboring articles as well as the matching lines. The surrounding page can show whether a report is local news, an editorial, or another kind of account; compare its details with later coverage where available.
Take a place or institution mentioned in a report as a new search lead. Check the issue date and read nearby articles to see how the setting is described. Preserve historical names and boundaries as written, and compare another dated reference before connecting the place to a present-day location.
Record which title, date, page, or item supports a useful lead. Mark unanswered questions before connecting it to a family or community story. A similar name can point you toward another source, but it is not proof of identity.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Elkader 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.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
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May 7, 2025
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
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
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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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