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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Red Wing Public Library

Red Wing, Minnesota

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Red Wing.

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7Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1857 to 1900Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

54,285Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Red Wing, Minnesota.

Get to know Red Wing, Minnesota in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Red Wing Public Library's digital archive. Its seven titles include material from 1857 to 1900.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    Red Wing Public Library shares titles including “Advance Republican” and “Red Wing Argus”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • 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 seven titles and 54,285 digitized pages, with material from 1857 to 1900. A partnership between Red Wing Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

A familiar name or place can be the beginning of a story. Explore the titles below to see where that connection leads.

Advance Republican

1,134 pages from 1884 to 1885

Advance Sun

11,850 pages from 1885 to 1895

Daily Advance Republican

12 pages in 1880

Goodhue County Republican

12,288 pages from 1859 to 1880

Red Wing Argus

22,317 pages from 1868 to 1900

Red Wing Republican

1,251 pages from 1857 to 1859

Republican

5,433 pages from 1880 to 1884

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About the Library

About The Red Wing Public Library

The Red Wing Public Library is committed to providing for the lifelong learning and informational needs of the community. Offering a wide range of materials for all ages, including books, audiobooks, movies, music, and newspapers, the library also provides free Internet access, meeting rooms, and a genealogical index to the local newspaper. As a central part of the Red Wing community, the library is dedicated to supporting education, creativity, and engagement through its programs and resources.

Red Wing Public Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of The Red Wing Public Library

The Red Wing Public Library has a long and rich history, beginning in 1893 when the mayor appointed a committee to explore opening a public reading room. The library has grown significantly since then, with notable milestones including the construction of the Carnegie-Lawther Free Library in 1903 and the opening of a new, larger library building in 1969. Over the years, the library has expanded its collections and services, introduced computerized catalogs, and joined regional library networks, ensuring that patrons have access to a wide range of materials and resources. Today, the library continues to serve the community with an updated facility and a commitment to lifelong learning.

About the Community

About Red Wing, Minnesota

Red Wing, located in Goodhue County, Minnesota, is a city known for its scenic beauty along the Mississippi River and its rich cultural heritage. The city has a strong history of industry, including pottery and shoe manufacturing, and is home to numerous historical landmarks. The Red Wing Public Library plays an important role in preserving and sharing the history of the community, providing access to historical documents and offering programs that engage residents in local history and culture.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Goodhue County Republican , one of the earliest newspapers in the area, was first published in 1859? These archives offer a fascinating look into the early history of Red Wing and Goodhue County.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Follow a story beyond the first mention

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Red Wing. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Red Wing 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.

When a promising newspaper lead runs out, check the dates and titles represented before trying another name, place, or nearby issue. Keep unsuccessful searches with useful findings; gaps in coverage can limit what a search reveals. Use the dates and references to shape your next question, not as proof a missing result never existed.

As you piece together a story from the past, note where each detail came from and why it matters. Include the title, date, and page or item reference. Mark uncertain identifications and unanswered questions so a promising connection does not become an unsupported fact.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Red Wing 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
Read All About It

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.

Newest published articles

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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