The North Dakota Newspaper Law of 1905 required official newspapers to provide copies to the State Historical Society of North Dakota. As a result, our newspaper archives contain issues from Dakota Territory to the present.
The first newspaper known to have been published in northern Dakota Territory was the Frontier Scout issued at Fort Union on July 7, 1864 and it is available online via Digital Horizons. By 1884,160 newspapers were distributed throughout Dakota Territory, and by 1910, more than 344 newspapers documented the developing state. Presently, fewer than 100 newspapers are published in North Dakota.
Newspaper titles may be searched using WorldCat. Some select newspapers may be viewed online by clicking the links below.
North Dakota Newspapers on Microfilm
This database shows all of the newspapers that the State Archives has on microfilm for the state of North Dakota. Each record shows the date ranges and film numbers. Please reference the relevant film number if you would like to order or interlibrary loan a roll of microfilm.
Chronicling America
Since 2011 the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded four grants to the State Historical Society of North Dakota to participate in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). To date the project has funded digitization of nearly 400,000 pages of ND newspapers from microfilm. The Library of Congress has made these newspapers available and word searchable on its Chronicling America website.
Advantage Archives
Advantage Archives offers a digitization solution for word-searchable, digital newspapers at an affordable price for libraries, historical societies and other organizations. Since 2018, with the blessing of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, the State Historical Society of North Dakota is partnering with local groups and newspaper publishers interested in having their newspaper online and searchable. Advantage has already created several websites for clients in North Dakota with communities across the state interested in doing the same. North Dakota newspapers can be found on the Advantage Archives North Dakota website.
Information:
Researching Newspapers
Requests by Mail
Interlibrary Loan
Purchasing Newspaper Microfilm
Reading Room Use
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We are closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. We are closed at noon Christmas Eve if it falls on Mon.-Thurs. and are closed all day if it falls on Fri.-Sun.
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