Montana Newspapers

Free Historical Newspapers Online

  • Big Timber Pioneer Newspaper
    The town of Big Timber was settled in south central Montana when the Northern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1882. By 1892, Big Timber was one of the world’s largest exporters of wool, shipping out as much as 2 million pounds a year.The Big Timber Pioneer newspaper started in 1889 and is still in print today.This collection of newspapers begins with 1893 when Big Timber had a population of 500 and follows the community through its colorful history – including adventures with Indians, the arrival of Chinese and Norwegian immigrants, the big fire on Friday the 13th (March 1908), the decline of the wool industry, the rise of cattle and cowboys, and lots more.
  • Char-Koosta News
    Published by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation, the newspaper started in 1956 and continued through five decades. With the exception of a ten-year hiatus from December 1961 through May 1971, the paper continues to publish a weekly issue.
  • Charles Hauswirth Papers
    The Charles Hauswirth Papers collection consists of 7 volumes of the ‘Eye Opener’ from 1932 to 1940 as well as over 100 images from the Charles Hauswirth Papers from the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives. Subjects included are the Clean-Up Drive in 1937, Fourth of July parades from 1936 to 1938, and political appearances. This collection gives insight into the struggles of the middle class during the Depression, and the tenacity of a city to band together to better their community.
  • The Columbian 1891-1925
    Sited at the headwaters of the Columbia River in Montana’s northwest corner, Columbia Falls was the site of early coal mining and timber harvesting. Later, the Great Northern Railroad expanded to the area, and Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park were founded. The Columbian was published by J. W. Pace from 1891 to 1897. It was succeeded by D. A. Hendrick’s Columbian in 1903-1904. H. F. Laeuger took over in 1905 and continued publishing The Columbian until February 1925. The paper was not published from April 1897 through May 1903.
  • Copper Commando
    The Official Newspaper of the Victory Labor-Management Production Committees of Butte, Anaconda and Great Falls, Montana, was the first known labor-management publication in the United States. Published biweekly from 1942-1945, Copper Commando was distributed to all employees of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. This “picture newspaper” depicts workers supporting the war effort through increased metal production. Robert I. Nesmith was the chief photographer until early 1944.
  • Darby Diaries
    The Darby Diaries Collection resulted from the compilation of personal  accounts and published information on the history of Darby Montana and its residents. The materials are arranged in chapters because the original intent of the compilers was to create a book. The historical information dates from the mid- 1800’s through the Darby Centennial Celebration in 1988 ending with the Montana Centennial in 1989.
  • Fallon County Newspaper
    Fallon County in southeastern Montana was formed in 1913 when it was determined the current county’s area was too large for government and commercial purposes. Until 1936 when oil was discovered, agriculture and livestock were Fallon County’s chief forms of revenue. Fallon County has had a newspaper since 1910 with The Advocate, The Baker Sentinel and the Fallon County Times informing residents about news and events of the times. This collection of newspapers begins in 1912 and follows the community through it history.
  • Fort Peck Reservation Newspapers
    A collection of newspapers from the Assiniboine and Sioux tribal communities of the Fort Peck reservation. Included are the Wotanin Wowapi, Poplar Shopper, and Poplar Standard. Dates for the collection range from the 1950s through the 2000s.
  • Liberty County Obituaries
    A full century of obituaries from Liberty County, Montana, this collection of 5000 obits covers the period 1905 through 2010. The Broken Mountain Genealogical Society collected the obituaries from the pages of the Chester Signal, Joplin Independent, Joplin Times, Chester Democrat, Chester Reporter, Liberty County Farmer, and Liberty County Times.
  • Lincoln County High School Newspapers
    Eureka Montana didn’t always have a newspaper. For many years the Lincoln County High School student newspapers served as the community paper in their biweekly publication during the school year. The Evergreen and Ksanka carried stories, articles and ads for the community in addition to school news. During the years Eureka was considered the Christmas Tree Capital of the world it was the Evergreen and Ksanka that kept the community informed. The paper had student editorials on local happenings, farm, ranch and logging reports along with Libby Dam preconstruction articles.  Some local births and deaths were news items, along with club meeting, accidents, weddings and hunting successes. These newspapers were vital to the Tobacco Valley of Northwest Montana and today much of the history is preserved through the papers.
  • Little Rockies Miner 1907-1909
    After many unforseen delays, the Little Rockies Miner, on our great natal day, makes its appearance and bid for recognition in the field of local journalism. Much of its material is still on the road and the intitial number was gotten out under trying difficulties.
  • MSU Billings Student Newpapers
    A collection of  student produced newspapers from Eastern Montana State Normal School, Eastern Montana College of Education, and now known as Montana State University Billings (MSU Billings), ranging from 1940 to 2013.
  • Polson’s Early Newspapers
    Early-day Polson, Montana, located on the beautiful shores of Flathead Lake, boasted two weekly newspapers, The Flathead Courier and The Lake Shore Sentinel. Their small-town stories and articles, pictures, and ads for long-ago products and businesses give a clear glimpse into Polson/Lake County life during the early years of the twentieth century. Both newspapers show the vibrant history of this prospering Montana location. In 1911, The Lake Shore Sentinel consolidated with The Flathead Courier. World news continued to mingle with local editorial comments, homestead news, school happenings, births and deaths, and farm and ranch news, along with details like stage coach and ferry schedules.
  • The Prospector, Carroll College Newspaper
    The Prospector, the student-produced Carroll College newspaper, began publication in 1911. From its founding in 1909 until 1932 the College’s name was Mount St. Charles College. Until 1922, the Prospector consisted of articles on historical and contemporary topics, poetry, and a small amount of local news and reportage on College athletics. From September 1975 through April 1977 the newspaper changed its name to The Tumbleweed; it continued as The Prospector in September 1977. The newspaper is not published during the summer and has been issued irregularly, with anywhere from two to twelve issues within the academic year.
  • Saco Independent 1912-1922
    W.W. Coon, on account of his large ranch and stock interests requiring his personal attention, has sold his interests in this paper to Mr. W. D. Miller, who is too well known to the people of Saco to need an introduction.
  • Teton County Newspapers
    • Teton Chronicle 1897-1901
    • The Choteau Acantha 1904-1998
    • The Choteau Calumet 1885-1889
    • The Choteau Montanian 1891, 1904-1905, 1913-1924
    • The Montanian 1892-1901
    • The Montanian and Chronicle 1902-1903
  • UM Western Newspapers
    A publication of campus news and events was published from 1922 to 1949 under the flag of The Montanomal. Renamed The Wescolite in 1949, it published under that name until 1999. The name changed to Western Wire from 2002 to 2004 but reverted back to The Wescolite in the fall of 2004. Publication ceased after 2009.
  • Yellowstone Journal (1891-1901 incomplete)

Historical Montana Newspapers at Chronicling America

Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

Visit Historical Montana Newspapers at Chronicling America

  • The Anaconda standard 1889-1899
  • The Benton record 1875-1879
  • The Benton weekly record 1880-1884
  • The Billings gazette 1899-1909
  • The Billings herald 1882-1885
  • Bozeman avant courier 1872-1879
  • The Bozeman weekly chronicle 1883-1888
  • The Broadus independent 1919
  • The Butte daily bulletin 1919-1920
  • The Butte daily miner 1886-1889
  • The Butte inter mountain 1901-1903
  • Butte semi-weekly miner 1886-1889
  • The Colored citizen (Helena) 1894
  • Cut Bank pioneer press 1910-1917
  • The Daily Missoulian (Missoula) 1909-1918
  • Daily Yellowstone journal (Miles City) 1882-1893
  • The Daily enterprise (Livingston) 1883-1884
  • The Daily gazette (Billings) 1894
  • Daily inter mountain (Butte) 1899-1901
  • The Dillon tribune 1881-1887
  • The Dupuyer acantha 1894-1901
  • The Ekalaka eagle 1909-1916
  • The Enterprise (Harlem) 1908-1916
  • Fergus County Democrat (Lewistown) 1904-1916
  • Fergus County argus (Lewistown) 1886-1906
  • The Glasgow courier 1915-1922
  • Great Falls daily tribune 1919-1921
  • The Great Falls leader 1888-1889
  • Great Falls tribune 1885-1890, 1921-1922
  • Great Falls weekly tribune 1894-1896
  • The Harlowton news 1909-1914
  • The Havre herald 1904-1908
  • The Helena independent 1889-1894
  • Helena weekly herald 1870-1883
  • Inverness news 1918
  • Judith Gap journal 1908-1913
  • The Kalispell bee 1900-1903
  • The Libby herald 1911-1913
  • The Livingston enterprise 1884-1900
  • The Madisonian (Virginia City) 1895-1896
  • The Mineral argus (Maiden) 1883-1886
  • Montana leader (Great Falls) 1918
  • Montana news (Lewistown) 1904-1912
  • The Montana nonpartisan (Great Falls) 1918-1919
  • The Montana plaindealer (Helena) 1906-1911
  • The Montana post (Virginia City) 1864-1869
  • The Neihart herald 1891-1901
  • The Philipsburg mail 1887-1901
  • The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent (Broadus) 1919-1922
  • The Ravalli Republican (Stevensville) 1894-1898
  • Red Lodge picket 1889-1902
  • Rocky Mountain husbandman (Diamond City) 1875-1884
  • The Ronan pioneer 1911-1917
  • Rosebud County news (Forsyth) 1901-1906
  • The Roundup record 1908-1913
  • The Semi-weekly miner (Butte) 1882-1886
  • The Suffrage daily news (Helena) 1914-1914
  • Sun River sun 1884-1885
  • The Weekly chronicle (Bozeman) 1883
  • The Weekly miner (Butte) 1879-1881
  • The Western news (Stevensville) 1900-1910
  • The Whitefish pilot 1908-1912
  • The Wibaux pioneer 1907-1914
  • The Yellowstone journal (Miles City) 1893-1894
  • Yellowstone monitor (Glendive) 1908-1915
  • The avant courier (Bozeman) 1871-1872
  • The daily miner (Butte) 1882
  • The new North-west (Deer Lodge) 1869-1897
  • The new age (Butte) 1902-1903
  • The producers news (Plentywood) 1918-1922
  • The river press (Fort Benton) 1880-1914
  • The searchlight (Culbertson) 1909-1912
  • The semi-weekly tribune (Great Falls) 1890-1891
  • The tribune (Great Falls) 1890
  • The weekly tribune (Great Falls) 1891-1894

Historical Newspapers at Ancestry

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