1Title
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Longview Public Library
Longview, Washington
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Longview.
1923 to 1932Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
54,700Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Longview, Washington.
Discover another side of Longview, Washington through newspapers preserved in the Longview Public Library's digital archive. The archive includes Longview Daily News, with material from 1923 to 1932.
Opens in a new tab.
-
Selected title
Discover “Longview Daily News” in Longview Public Library’s collection.
-
Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
-
Ways to explore
Notice the details that interest you, and record any date or description provided so you can revisit them.
The reporting of earlier years offers a way to explore how events were understood as they happened and how local experiences became part of the historical record. A family story, a classroom project or curiosity about a familiar place can lead to a closer look at the community and the lives of earlier generations. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Explore Longview Daily News through 54,700 digitized pages, with material from 1923 to 1932. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Longview Public Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Follow the details that speak to your question, and keep the source and its date close to what you find.
Longview Daily News
54,700 pages from 1923 to 1932
Opens in a new tab.
About the Library
About The Longview Public Library
The Longview Public Library, a welcoming destination and gathering place, encourages people and ideas to come together. The Library nurtures a joy of reading and discovery through creative programs, resources, collections, and innovative partnerships that meet the needs and interests of our diverse community. Our well-trained and motivated staff provide open and equal access to information through excellent customer service. The Library celebrates the history of Longview while embracing the future.
In 1922 and 1923, the Long-Bell Lumber Company, under the leadership of Mr. Robert A. Long, conceived and started building the "Planned City" of Longview. The Public Library was the first of R. A. Long's gifts to the City of Longview. Mr. and Mrs. Long gave $150,000 to the city to build a public library. A local book drive helped gather book donations to create the original collection, and the Longs contributed an additional $10,000 to purchase new titles.
The Library was dedicated April 26, 1926, with much fanfare and speeches by Mr. Long and Dr. Henry Suzzalo, president of the University of Washington. Miss Helen Johns was the first Librarian. The original building was designed by architect Arch Torbitt in the Georgian style to match the grand design for the Civic Center that had been proposed in 1926.
During the early years of the Lower Columbia Junior College, many of the classes were held in the Library and it was the center of the college until the Main Building was built in 1950. In 1953, the Library was extensively remodeled to make more use of the lower floor for library collections. In 1967 and 1968, an expansion was completed which tripled the floor space of the original building.
About the Community
About Longview, Washington
Longview, Washington, located in Cowlitz County, is a relatively new city with a unique history. Established in the early 1920s by the Long-Bell Lumber Company under the leadership of Robert A. Long, Longview was one of the first fully planned cities in the United States, built entirely with private funds. The city was designed to support the company's large sawmills and accommodate a population of up to 50,000 people. Longview is situated at the confluence of the Cowlitz and Columbia Rivers, approximately 90 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Before its establishment, the area was sparsely populated with wilderness and rural homesteads. The city's growth was rapid, particularly during the early years, and it quickly became the largest community in Cowlitz County. Historically, Longview played a significant role in the timber industry, which was the backbone of its economy. The city also became a key location for industrial and economic activities, particularly during the boom years of World War II when the Port of Longview was a strategic hub for cargo going into the Pacific Theater. Today, Longview continues to grow and evolve, embracing its rich past and promising future. The city's layout and design reflect its origins in the City Beautiful movement, with planned streets, parks, and civic buildings contributing to its charm and functionality.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Check a text match against the page
The history of Longview includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Longview Public Library, begin with a name, place or date connected with the story you want to explore. 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 search result looks incomplete or misspelled, inspect the scanned page when available. Record the issue date and page, then distinguish the printed wording from search text before following the story to another mention.
If a text match looks incomplete, compare it with the scanned newspaper page when available. Check whether wording or names differ, then record the page's printed wording with the issue date and page. Keep the search result distinct from what the page itself shows.
As you connect materials, note where each detail came from and what it can support. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available. Keep names and relationships tentative until the evidence is strong enough to connect them, and mark which words come from the record and which are your interpretation.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Longview 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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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,…
Read article
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.
Read article