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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

State Historical Society of Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

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

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2Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1883 to 1919Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

45,138Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Des Moines, Iowa.

Explore the past of Des Moines, Iowa through newspapers in the State Historical Society of Iowa's digital archive. The archive includes Iowa-Posten and Svithiod, with material from 1883 to 1919.

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

    The titles shared by State Historical Society of Iowa include “Iowa-Posten” and “Svithiod”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.

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 Iowa-Posten and Svithiod through 45,138 digitized pages, with material from 1883 to 1919. This collection is shared through State Historical Society of Iowa's partnership with Advantage Archives. 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.

Iowa-Posten

19,854 pages from 1904 to 1919

Svithiod

25,284 pages from 1883 to 1903

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About the Archive

About the State Historical Society of Iowa’s Digital Archives

The State Historical Society of Iowa Digital Archives provides free and open access to an expansive collection of Iowa’s historical newspapers, government documents, maps, photographs, and manuscripts. As the state’s official archival and preservation institution, SHSI ensures that Iowa’s collective history is discoverable and accessible. In partnership with Advantage Archives and through internal digitization programs, the institution supports research, education, genealogy, and community engagement by making “history as it happened” available to all.

State Historical Society of Iowa photo 1

About the Archive

Key Collections & Digital Resources

  • Iowa Historic Newspapers — full-text searchable collection of Iowa newspapers going back to the 1830s and through the 21st century.
  • Iowa Digital Library (IDL) Collections — photographs, postcards, maps, museum objects, and manuscript collections across Iowa’s communities.
  • Government Records & State Documents — Iowa legislative journals, agency reports, census records, and early statutes.
  • Manuscript Archives & Family Papers — diaries, correspondence, organizational records, and local historical society donations.
  • Maps, Atlases & Sanborn Fire Insurance Surveys — geospatial documents detailing towns, railroads, flooding, and community infrastructure changes.

These collections stand as a portal to Iowa’s past—capturing people, places, and events across time. Together, they preserve cultural assets and offer practical, searchable online access to core historical documents and primary sources.

About the Society

About the State Historical Society of Iowa

Located at 600 East Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319, the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) serves as the state’s principal archival and historical institution. It oversees the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ archival functions, the State Archives, the Iowa Digital Library, and several museum and preservation initiatives. The SHSI supports Iowa’s libraries, historical societies, and research institutions statewide. ([iowaculture.gov](https://iowaculture.gov/history/archives), [iowaculture.gov](https://iowaculture.gov/about/shsi/about-us))

State Historical Society of Iowa photo 2

About the Archive

The History of the Society & Its Archives

Founded in 1857, the State Historical Society of Iowa initially served as a repository for early state documents, maps, and pioneer records. Over time, it expanded to accept manuscript collections, coordinate with county historical societies, and embrace digital preservation. In recent decades, SHSI has led statewide newspaper digitization, the Iowa Digital Library collaboration, and shared archival infrastructure for grassroots history projects.

About the Community

About Des Moines & Iowa Context

Des Moines, Iowa’s capital city, is a hub for cultural, governmental, and historical functions. SHSI’s central location in Des Moines places it at the intersection of preservation, accessibility, and statewide archival coordination. Its collections illuminate Iowa’s settlement, territorial period, agricultural development, urban growth, and civic identity over nearly two centuries.

Local History

Did You Know?

  • The Iowa Historic Newspapers collection is one of the largest state newspaper digitization projects in the U.S., with over 12 million pages available online. ([iowaculture.gov](https://iowaculture.gov/history/archives/iowa-historic-newspapers))
  • SHSI’s Iowa Digital Library partners with local museums, historical societies, libraries, and universities to aggregate cultural heritage materials from across the state into a unified access platform. ([idl.iowa.gov](https://www.iowadigitallibrary.org))
  • Many of the smaller town and county historical archives you use (via Advantage Archives) rely on SHSI’s guidelines, best practices, and preservation support behind the scenes.

To explore Iowa’s newspapers, state records, maps, and archival manuscripts, visit: SHSI Digital Archives .

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Keep publication context with a finding

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Des Moines. The digital archive shared by the State Historical Society of Iowa 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. 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.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the State Historical Society of Iowa, 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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