2Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Murray County Historical Society
Slayton, Minnesota
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Slayton.
1881 to 1902Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
5,982Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Slayton, Minnesota.
Explore the past of Slayton, Minnesota through newspapers in the Murray County Historical Society's digital archive. The archive includes Murray County Independent and Southwest Minnesotian, with material from 1881 to 1902.
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Selected titles
Explore titles such as “Murray County Independent” and “Southwest Minnesotian”, shared by Murray County Historical Society.
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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
Explore Murray County Independent and Southwest Minnesotian through 5,982 digitized pages, with material from 1881 to 1902. This collection is shared through Murray County Historical Society'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.
Murray County Independent
3,962 pages from 1893 to 1902
Southwest Minnesotian
2,020 pages from 1881 to 1885
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About the Archive
About the Murray County Historical Society’s Digital Archives
The Murray County Historical Society offers free and open access to its digitized collection of historical newspapers, photographs, and local records, providing an invaluable educational resource for researchers, genealogists, and community members interested in exploring Murray County’s collective history. In partnership with Advantage Archives , the society has digitized a significant number of pages spanning from the late 19th century to the present. This initiative underscores a shared responsibility to preserve and make accessible the firsthand accounts and perspectives that document history as it happened.
About the Society
About the Murray County Historical Society
Located at 2480 29th Street in Slayton, Minnesota, the Murray County Historical Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating the county's history. Established in 1934, the society operates the Murray County Historical Museum, the Sierk Building dedicated to agricultural heritage, the Wornson Log Cabin built in 1872, and the Dinehart-Holt House, a historic residence built in 1891 :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}. The society provides a welcoming space for research, exhibitions, and community events, reflecting its commitment to greater access to historical content.
Institution History
The History of the Murray County Historical Society
Since its establishment in 1934, the Murray County Historical Society has been instrumental in preserving the county's rich heritage. The society's museum began in 1952 with a single donated farm wagon and has since grown to house over 10,000 artifacts :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}. The Dinehart-Holt House, acquired by the county in 2007, offers visitors a glimpse into the lives of prominent residents C.E. Dinehart and his family, showcasing Victorian architecture and period furnishings :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.
About the Community
About Slayton and Murray County, Minnesota
Slayton, the county seat of Murray County, is a city rich in history and cultural heritage. Founded in 1882 and named after Charles W. Slayton, the city has a population of approximately 2,013 residents as of the 2020 census :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}. Murray County, established in 1857 and organized in 1872, encompasses a diverse landscape of rolling hills and lakes, with agriculture serving as the primary industry :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}.
Local History
Did You Know?
The Murray County Historical Society's research library contains over 24,000 obituaries, topical scrapbooks, county commissioner meeting minutes from 1872 to 2020, and various genealogical resources. These materials provide a comprehensive view of the county's development and are invaluable for anyone researching the area's past :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}. Explore the Digital Archives .
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 Slayton. The digital archive shared by the Murray County Historical Society 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 Murray County Historical Society, 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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