22Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
San Juan County Historical Society
Silverton, Colorado
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Silverton.
1879 to 2021Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
125,446Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Silverton, Colorado.
Discover another side of Silverton, Colorado through newspapers preserved in the San Juan County Historical Society's digital archive. Its twenty-two titles include material from 1879 to 2021.
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Selected titles
Explore titles such as “Animas Forks Pioneer” as well as “The Silverton Standard and the Miner”, shared by San Juan 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.
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
Browse twenty-two titles and 125,446 digitized pages, with material from 1879 to 2021. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, San Juan County Historical Society shares these sources from the past. 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.
Animas Forks Pioneer
1,434 pages from 1882 to 1886
Daily Standard
54 pages in 1894
Democrat Herald
16 pages in 1885
La Plata Miner
2,298 pages from 1879 to 1885
La Plata Miner
554 pages from 1885 to 1886
Red Mountain Pilot
168 pages in 1883
Red Mountain Review
342 pages in 1883
San Juan
652 pages from 1886 to 1901
San Juan Courier
Page count not currently available dates not yet available
San Juan Democrat
272 pages in 1888
San Juan Herald
1,368 pages from 1881 to 1885
San Juan Mountain Register
732 pages from 1997 to 1998
Silverton Democrat
1,668 pages from 1883 to 1888
Silverton Democrat Herald
176 pages in 1885
Silverton Miner
772 pages from 1919 to 1920
Silverton Standard
17,818 pages from 1889 to 1916
Silverton Weekly Miner
2,674 pages from 1890 to 1919
Silverton Weekly Miner And Red Mountain Journal
1,068 pages from 1894 to 1896
Silverton Weekly Miner And San Juan Democrat
9,484 pages from 1890 to 1916
The San Juan Mountain Register
1,036 pages from 1997 to 1998
The Silverton Standard
6,254 pages from 1914 to 1934
The Silverton Standard and the Miner
76,606 pages from 1933 to 2021
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About the Society
About The San Juan County Historical Society
The San Juan County Historical Society (SJCHS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1964, dedicated to preserving the rich history of San Juan County, Colorado. The society plays a crucial role in maintaining and promoting the area's mining heritage, which has been pivotal in the county's development.
Partner Story
The Mission of the SJCHS
The SJCHS is dedicated to preserving the stories of our past and ensuring that the history of San Juan County is not forgotten. The society operates various historical properties and museums, including the Mining Heritage Center, the 1902 County Jail Museum, and the Mayflower Mill Tour. It also collaborates with local entities to maintain the historic Old Hundred Boarding House and other significant structures.
Partner Story
Historical Significance of San Juan County
San Juan County is renowned for its rich mining heritage, which has shaped the local economy and culture. Key landmarks such as the Town of Silverton, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and the Mayflower Mill are recognized as National Historical Landmarks, reflecting the area’s historical significance. The SJCHS also works on various renovation projects funded by visitor fees, donations, and membership subscriptions, ensuring the continued preservation of these historical sites.
Local History
Did You Know?
The SJCHS has received numerous accolades, including two National Honor Awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, highlighting the society's commitment to historical preservation and education. Your support through donations and membership dues is vital in sustaining these efforts and making a positive impact in preserving the heritage of San Juan County.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Follow a report into its setting
The history of Silverton includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the San Juan County Historical Society, 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. 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 San Juan 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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