43Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Osborne Public Library
Alton, Kansas
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Alton.
1870 to 2010Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
453,208Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Alton, Kansas.
Get to know Alton, Kansas in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Osborne Public Library's digital archive. Its forty-three titles include material from 1870 to 2010.
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Selected titles
The titles shared by Osborne Public Library include “Bull City Post” and “Western Empire”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.
Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse forty-three titles and 453,208 digitized pages, with material from 1870 to 2010. A partnership between Osborne Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Every search for the past starts with a question. Explore the titles below, follow the sources that speak to it, and see what new detail appears.
Bull City Post
160 pages in 1880
Census
9,504 pages from 1870 to 1920
Daily News
384 pages in 1881
Downs Headlight
60 pages in 1887
Downs News
7,428 pages from 1956 to 1966
Downs News And The Downs Times
30,212 pages from 1921 to 1956
Downs News And Times
27,938 pages from 1983 to 2008
Downs News And Times
13,090 pages from 1970 to 1983
Downs Times
7,408 pages from 1880 to 1892
Natoma Independent
24,596 pages from 1909 to 1954
Natoma Luray Independent
22,498 pages from 1954 to 1979
News And Times
4,028 pages from 1966 to 1970
Osborne County Farmer
68,618 pages from 1876 to 2010
Osborne County Farmer
51,198 pages from 1876 to 1939
Osborne County Journal
2,068 pages from 1887 to 1889
Osborne County News
30,164 pages from 1883 to 1920
Osborne Evening News
1,394 pages from 1888 to 1915
Osborne Farmer Journal
16,788 pages from 1942 to 1958
Osborne Journal
588 pages from 1886 to 1887
Our Messenger
2,228 pages from 1904 to 1919
Portis Independent
27,112 pages from 1904 to 1943
Portis Patriot
3,328 pages from 1881 to 1890
Saturday Eve Lamp
16 pages in 1883
The Alton Empire
20,456 pages from 1895 to 1935
The Downs Chief
3,752 pages from 1885 to 1891
The Downs Daily Chief
16 pages in 1890
The Downs Globe
1,460 pages from 1888 to 1890
The Downs News
10,090 pages from 1904 to 1916
The Downs News and The Downs Times
4,316 pages from 1916 to 1920
The Downs Times
19,998 pages from 1892 to 1916
The Downs World
656 pages from 1893 to 1895
The Farmer's Aid
298 pages in 1890
The Friend
80 pages from 1880 to 1881
The Kansas Prohibitionist
360 pages from 1910 to 1911
The Natoma Courier
980 pages from 1901 to 1903
The Osborne County Farmer
29,064 pages from 1990 to 2002
The Osborne County Key
632 pages from 1881 to 1883
The Rustler
8 pages in 1889
The Truth Teller
682 pages from 1879 to 1881
The Western Odd Fellow
384 pages from 1886 to 1888
The Whisperer
64 pages in 1890
Waverly Gazette
16 pages in 1981
Western Empire
9,088 pages from 1883 to 1895
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About the Library
About Osborne Public Library
The Osborne Public Library was founded in 1889 by the Osborne Ladies Library Association. In 1912, Dr. Henshall, the mayor of Osborne, wrote to Andrew Carnegie, securing a $6,000 grant to construct a library building. The construction of the library began in October 1912, and the library officially opened its doors to the public on July 11, 1913.
Library History
The History Of Osborne Public Library
Since its opening in 1913, Osborne Public Library has grown from a small community library into a center of knowledge and resources. The library continues to serve the local population, offering a variety of materials and digital access to local historical newspapers and records through partnerships like Advantage Archives.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that Osborne Public Library’s archives contain digital access to newspapers dating back to the 19th century? These archives are a treasure trove for anyone interested in the local history of Osborne County.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Keep publication context with a finding
Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Alton. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Osborne Public Library to follow that question into the historical record. 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. Note the newspaper title, issue date, and page for a useful report. Compare another account where available, and keep differences in timing or perspective visible rather than blending them into a single version.
Save the newspaper title, issue date, and page, then compare another dated account where available. Keep differences in timing and perspective visible so the source context is not lost. If the accounts disagree, record what each source supports and use the difference to shape a further search rather than smoothing them into one version.
A research trail is most useful when it leaves room for what is not yet known. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available, along with what remains uncertain and which question you want to follow next. Those details help keep a possible connection from becoming an unsupported conclusion.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Osborne 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
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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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