Do you hold any missing issues?
Did you know that newspapers have been an integral part of Eden Valley’s history since 1896? Over the years, a number of local publications have chronicled the happenings of our community, preserving a record of the events, people, and stories that shaped our town. From the early days of The County Line to the current Eden Valley-Watkins Voice, these papers offer a fascinating window into our past.
Here’s a quick look at some of the key publications that have been printed in Eden Valley over the years:
• The County Line: Published from 1896 to 1900.
• Eden Valley Journal: Published from 1892 to 1939.
• Eden Valley Illustrated Journal: Published from 1939 to 1940.
• The Eden Valley Journal: Published from 1940 to 1992.
• Journal Patriot/Eden Valley Watkins Journal Patriot: Published from 1992 to 2012.
• Eden Valley-Watkins Voice: Published from 2012 to the present.
The Eden Valley Area Historical Society (EVAHS) received a generous donation from Mike Jacobson, Editor/Publisher of the Eden Valley-
Watkins Voice and the Paynesville Press, who provided numerous printed copies of these Eden Valley newspapers. As part of an ongoing effort to preserve and protect these invaluable records, EVAHS volunteers have been diligently inventorying and researching the donated papers.
While working through this collection, EVAHS discovered that historical papers can be found in the digital archive of the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS). The digital newspaper hub, available at www.mnhs.org/newspapers/hub, houses news-
papers published across Minne-sota between 1849 and today. Although the archive is vast, it is important to note that not all issues of Minnesota papers are available there. Some older issues remain in microfilm format due to the cost of digitization ($1 per page), while other issues are not in their possession at all.
However, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), and the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (through a vote by Minnesota citizens in 2008), a significant portion of newspapers from 2008 onward have already been digitized, and the rest are in the works. Many libraries, including SELCO (Southeastern Libraries Cooperating) have been key contributors to this process, thanks to grants supporting the digitization of local newspapers.
Mike Jacobson also provided MNHS with permission to digitize the Eden Valley/Watkins and Paynesville papers that he holds the copyrights on. This generous act, along with efforts by a friend of his, led to local donations of $21,000 to fund MNHS’s digitization of most of the Paynesville Press issues.
Despite these efforts, there are still more than 54,000 pages of Eden Valley newspapers prior to 2008 on microfilm that are not yet digitized and are not scheduled to be. To help close this gap, EVAHS recently approved a budget of approximately $1,500 to digitize two of the more historical papers: The County Line and The Eden Valley Illustrated Journal. This digitization project will take several months, and we are incredibly thankful for the support of our members and donors who made it possible. If you would like to donate toward the digitization efforts of the other EV newspapers, contact us (info below).
Furthermore, while conducting our inventory, we were thrilled to find 162 missing issues of Eden Valley newspapers at the Eden Valley Area Library. The library, which recognizes the importance of preserving these materials, has agreed to loan several bound volumes containing these issues to MNHS for digitization. MNHS is generously offering the digitization service at no cost as it fills a gap in their inventory.
We are excited about this progress, and will continue to keep you updated on our inventory and digitization efforts. We also are eager to find more missing issues! And here’s where you come in: If you have printed copies of Eden Valley newspapers, you can help us complete the puzzle.
We are looking for complete issues, or complete pages (individual articles cannot be accepted). If you have any of the following issues in your possession, please consider donating or allowing us to borrow them for digitization. Your support will ensure that these historical records are persevered for future generations
If you have any of the following issues and would like to donate or lend them to us, please contact EVAHS at edenvalleyahs@gmail.com, or call Sue Odenthal at (763) 248-1551.
Name of newspaper/Dates needed:
• The County Line – All dates prior to 1/7/1898
• The County Line – 1/21/1898
• The County Line – 8/5/1898
• The County Line – 10/27/1899
• Eden Valley Journal – Almost all dates prior to 9/26/1912
• Eden Valley Journal – 11/8/1917
• Eden Valley Journal – 11/7/1918
Thank you for your continued support in preserving Eden Valley’s rich history. We look forward to sharing more updates with you as our project progresses.