eResource Spotlight: Colorado Historic Newspapers

Here at Mesa County Libraries, we’re very passionate about our local history, and we love to help make researching it more accessible for everyone. If there’s one eResource we love that helps open a window into the past, it would definitely be Colorado Historic Newspapers!

The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (CHNC) is a free archive of over 650 newspapers, historic journals, and printed publications ranging from 1859 up to 2022. The CHNC features over 2.9 million digitized, searchable pages from publications across the state. Their collection not only includes vintage issues from familiar newspapers, including our very own Daily Sentinel, but also provides an easy way to view several defunct and obscure publications, including several you may have never even heard of from the Grand Valley.

Ever wanted to read the short-lived Western Colorado: A Fruit, Farm, and Sugar Beet Journal, published for just twelve issues in 1899 by Fruita founder William Pabor? How about over 3,300 issues of The Palisade Tribune? Or maybe you’re more of a fan of The Glenwood Post?

Well, if you cant decide, you could always use the search function to find what you’re looking for. CHNC’s search function has a ton of features, letting you limit your search by date, county, city, or even paper. Otherwise, you can select all newspapers to see what comes up across the entire state.

If I sound like I’m gushing over a collection of dusty old newspapers, I am! There is truly no replacement for primary sources, and Colorado Historic Newspapers lets you experience Colorado history as it happened. Come and open a time capsule into the past and see why CHNC is beloved by students, historians, and casual researchers alike.

If you’re interested in more local history, be sure to check out our Western Colorado History Subject Guide as well as our Rashleigh Regional History Room located in our Central Library. If Colorado Historic Newspapers doesn’t have what you’re looking for, you might want to check out our microfilm collection of The Daily Sentinel, which is also located at the Central Library.

While you’re at it, you should definitely take a look through our Local History posts for some excellent history produced by Mesa County Libraries staff. Last but not least, our Local Digital Archive maintains an impressive collection of historical photos, documents, people, locations, and events, and more. I’d like to give special attention to the Mesa County Oral History Project collection, which includes digitized and transcribed interviews with historic pioneers and notable people from across Mesa County.

Okay, I’ll have to stop myself there. If you have any questions, you can reach us on our contact page. If you find anything fun in Colorado Historic Newspapers, let us know in the comments! Have fun exploring!