Newspaper Articles The Sioux Center Public Library has worked in cooperation with other Sioux County libraries to digitize thousands of historical Sioux County newspapers dating back to 1872, which are now available online at http://siouxcounty.advantage-preservation.com  Bits of Odd Tales

De Volksvriend

• September 19, 1895
  In Dutch with English translation
  

Assorted Newspaper Articles [see link for new additions]

Click here to read Sioux County Herald articles dated June & July 1879

• Click here to read about the sudden death & ensuing murder case of Mrs. Wm. Lester. She was Mary (nee' Hunt) Lester, died 13 Feb 1888.
• Click here to read about the devastating great tornado of May 3, 1895--Sioux County.
• Click here to read about the Great Tornado, April 30, 1898 - as reported by The Sioux County Herald, May 4, 1898.
• Click here to read about the "Blood Murder Case" in Hull (1898)!
 

Newspaper Early Microfilm Indexes: The microfilm of the Hawarden Independent has two newspapers from East Orange (which later was Alton) and Rock Mills (which later was Rock Valley) in the fore part. Those first two segements contain some birth, marriage and deaths that are recorded no other place, because those two towns didn't have surviving newspapers until much later. The court house records for birth and deaths didn't start until about 1880, and then very few were recorded. Fortunately, much of the birth, marriage and death information was printed in the local news columns of the early newspapers. Check out the following newspaper index links for these early records. Thanks to Wilma VandeBurg, of Sioux County, for her diligence in putting these indexes together and making them available for genealogy research on this website.

East Orange, 1878-1879

Rock Mills/Rock Valley, 1879-1882

Hawarden Independent, 1881-1890 Births -- Deaths -- Marriages

---

READ ALL ABOUT IT--Sioux County Newspapers in 1897 ~Transcribed for posting by volunteer, Wilma VandeBerg. January 30, 1897, Alton Democrat page 5 ONLY SEVENTEEN PAPERS That’s the Number in Sioux County and Its Most Too Many. Three new papers for Sioux county during January is not a bad record. The Rock Valley Bee is the firstborn, the Hospers Echo is the second and the Maurice Journal is the third. The Rock Valley Bee has been established by Lansing Hurd, formerly editor of the Hospers Bee, which was absorbed by the Ireton Clipper for “county printing purposes." The Maurice Banner went the same way that the Hospers paper did, and these two "aching voids" have immediately been filled. The Hospers Echo has started upon its journey under Jake DeBoor's management and the first issue is a creditable sheet. The Maurice Journal will be published by Mr. Woodward who has been filling a "long felt want" at Struble. He published an interesting paper at Struble and will doubtless give Maurice people their money's worth. And this leads us to remark that Sioux county has more newspapers than any other county in the state with equal population, and they are supported more liberally than some papers we know of, in counties that boast of only three or four publications. This is remarkable when it is considered that a large portion of the people cannot read the language. The time will come in this county, however, when the people will refuse to support so many different publications and will insist upon taking but two or three papers, which will of necessity be splendid ones. Then the papers that best serve the people with the news and are true to the real interests of the people—papers of proven integrity and honesty will survive and be built into splendid properties. When that time comes these surviving papers will be magnificent publications—a credit to the county and a delight to their subscribers. So long, however, as the people split up into small factions and divide their patronage between seventeen different papers, just that long will there be seventeen papers that must live a hand to mouth existence. THE DEMOCRAT has been greatly favored by the people of this county and it has done its utmost to serve its patrons to the extent of its income. Every cent made by THE. DEMOCRAT above cost of living has been spent in adding to the equipment of the office and the betterment of the paper. This has been appreciated by the subscribers as is evidenced by their continued patronage. Yet if only half of those who do not take the DEMOCRAT would subscribe, the DEMOCRAT could astonish the "oldest inhabitants" by improvements. That the newspaper business in this county is badly overdone nobody can deny. That all the papers are sending out publications equal or better than their patronage warrants must be conceded. That the people of Sioux county are most liberal in supporting newspapers is a truth known the state over. But there must come a time when this will change and the seventeen papers will be merged into a half dozen, we confidently predict, and while this may prove a hardship to those who are compelled to remove, yet the result will be beneficial to the people for they will then receive papers that are newspapers in every sense of the word. In the county today there are the (1) Herald, (Sioux County Herald) (2) Volksvriend and (3) Free Hollander at Orange City ; (4) Journal at Maurice; (5) Clipper at Ireton ; (6) Independent and (7) Republican at Hawarden (8) Register and (9) Bee at Rock Valley ; (10) Index at Hull ; the (11) Reporter at Boyden ; (12) Mirror at Matlock ; (13) Echo at Hospers ; (14) Observer at Granville; (15) Free Press and (16) Nieuwsblad at Sioux Center, (17) THE DEMOCRAT at Alton. Here's to all of them !