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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Yankton Community Library

Yankton, South Dakota

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

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22Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1861 to 1929Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

233,654Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Yankton, South Dakota.

Discover another side of Yankton, South Dakota through newspapers preserved in the Yankton Community Library's digital archive. Its twenty-two titles include material from 1861 to 1929.

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

    Examples from Yankton Community Library’s collection include “Daily Dakota Herald” as well as “Yankton Press and Dakotan”.

  • 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.

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 233,654 digitized pages, with material from 1861 to 1929. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Yankton Community Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Start with a detail you already know, then browse the titles below for another perspective on the people and places connected with this collection.

Daily Dakota Herald

616 pages in 1912

Daily Press and Dakotaian

29,396 pages from 1876 to 1889

Daily Press and Dakotan Gazette

12,718 pages from 1903 to 1906

Dakota Weekly Union

80 pages in 1864

Semi Weekly Dakota Herald

9,326 pages from 1904 to 1915

Semi Weekly Yankton Press and Dakotan

48 pages from 1908 to 1911

The Dakota Herald

12,430 pages from 1873 to 1904

The Dakotian

704 pages from 1862 to 1864

The Press and Dakotaian

16 pages in 1873

The Union and Dakotaian

2,292 pages from 1864 to 1871

The Volin Telegram

42 pages in 1900

The Weekly Dakotian

98 pages in 1861

The Yankton Daily Gazette

12,974 pages from 1897 to 1903

The Yankton Press

1,378 pages from 1870 to 1873

The Yankton Press and Union and Dakotaian

940 pages from 1873 to 1882

The Yankton Press and Union and Dakotan

590 pages in 1902

The Yankton Weekly Gazette

728 pages from 1898 to 1900

Yankton Daily Journal

36 pages in 1891

Yankton Daily Press and Dakotaian

4,614 pages from 1875 to 1888

Yankton Press and Dakotan

127,930 pages from 1889 to 1929

Yankton Press and Dakotan and Dakota Herald

16,590 pages from 1919 to 1922

Yankton Press and Dakotan and The Yankton Daily Gazette

108 pages in 1903

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About the Library

About The Yankton Community Library

Established in 1903, the Yankton Community Library is one of South Dakota's oldest public libraries. Located at 515 Walnut Street since 1973, the library serves the informational, recreational, cultural, and educational needs of the community through a diverse collection of materials, services, and programs. The library holds 72,000 books, 150 magazine and newspaper subscriptions, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks, eBooks, and eAudiobooks, as well as various electronic databases provided by the South Dakota State Library. Governed by a mayoral-appointed board of five members along with one city and one county commissioner, the library is a cornerstone of the community, with a friendly staff always ready to assist patrons.

Yankton Community Library photo 1

About the Community

About The City of Yankton

Yankton, a town nestled in the heart of South Dakota, boasts a rich and significant history. Established on the banks of the timeless Missouri River, Yankton's early days were characterized by the bustling activity of steamboats and their enterprising captains. However, the introduction of the Dakota Southern Railway in 1873 marked a turning point, causing a gradual decline in river traffic. This transition culminated in the infamous Great Flood of 1881, which ultimately brought an end to the once-thriving steamboat era.

As Yankton neared its momentous 100th birthday in 1957, it was rightfully bestowed with the distinction of being designated an "All-American City," a title that it proudly retains to this day. This prestigious honor acknowledged a century of hard work and enterprise, highlighting the town's success in building a vibrant and prosperous community along the banks of the Missouri River.

Delving into Yankton's history reveals a tapestry woven with the presence of notable figures and significant events. From the arrival of the first white settler, Pierre Dorian, to the involvement of Lt. Col. George Custer and the establishment of Yankton College in 1881, the town's narrative is replete with captivating stories and pivotal moments that have shaped its identity.

Moreover, Yankton has not only been a center of historical significance but also a notable hub for media. The town lays claim to the longest-running daily newspaper in the region, the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. Additionally, Yankton's media landscape features the influence of the Freie Presse, a German-language newspaper, and the enduring impact of WNAX radio, all of which have contributed to the town's rich cultural tapestry.

Yankton Community Library photo 2

Local History

Did You Know?

- Yankton was the first capital of the Dakota Territory, which in the 1860s included both Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana. - The first high school and college in the Dakota Territory were established in Yankton. - Yankton is home to South Dakota’s only drive-in bar, the Ice House, a historic warehouse converted into a unique local landmark. - The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan is the longest-running daily newspaper in the four-state region. - Notable figures associated with Yankton include NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw, who graduated from Yankton High School, and professional football player Lyle Alzado, who attended Yankton College.

Yankton Community Library photo 3

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Check a text match against the page

The history of Yankton includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Yankton Community Library, 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. If a search result looks incomplete or misspelled, inspect the scanned page when available. Record the issue date and page, then distinguish the printed wording from search text before following the story to another mention.

If a text match looks incomplete, compare it with the scanned newspaper page when available. Check whether wording or names differ, then record the page's printed wording with the issue date and page. Keep the search result distinct from what the page itself shows.

As you connect materials, note where each detail came from and what it can support. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available. Keep names and relationships tentative until the evidence is strong enough to connect them, and mark which words come from the record and which are your interpretation.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Yankton Community 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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