Resources
Print Resources
Newspapers
- Spirit Lake Beacon 1873-1985
- Milford Mail 1890 and 1910-1969
- Okobojian 1956-1999
- Dickinson County Mail News 1975-1976
Court and Recorder Records
- Dickinson County Chattel Mortgage books 1890's
- Dickinson County Tax List 1915-1921,1923
- Dickinson County Sheriff's Docket and Fee Book 1930's
- Dickinson County Township Assessor's Roll 1927
Miscellaneous Wills and Other Legal Documents
- lowa Documents 1878-1911
Periodicals
- Okoboji Protective Association Bulletins 1908-1940
- Palimpset
- Okoboji Magazine 1989-present
- Visitor Magazine
- On the Go Magazine
- Vacation Okoboji Magazine
- American Heritage 1959-1965
Lakes Area Maps and Brochures
Books and Resources for Historians and Genealogists
We own the largest collection in the area of history books - local and state, early atlas's and maps, platbooks, family histories, Obituaries, Letters, Early Photos,and many files of information pertaining to the area.

Miscellaneous Records
- Early Township Records
- County School Records
- Church Records and Scrapbooks
- Cemetery Records
- Roster of lowa Soldiers 1861-1865
- Ledgers, Appointment Books, Guest Registers from Area Businesses
- Histories of Dickinson County Organizations and Clubs
- Yearbooks from Milford, Terrill, and Spirit Lake
Online Resources
These Community History archives are made possible by the Friends of the Spirit Lake Public Library, Friends of the Milford Memorial Library & Friends of the Arnolds Park Public Library.
Dickinson County Archives 1870 -2004
https://newspaperarchive.com
Username: dickinsoncounty
Password: archives
Spirit Lake Public Library cemetery records
https://www.slpublib.com/cemetery-records.html
Map, photo, and records of county cemeteries
Library of Congress
Newspapers mentioning Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes
1883 Map of Dickinson County, Iowa
https://www.loc.gov/item/2012587575/
Clickable, zoomable map published by B.B. van Steenburg in J.A. Smith; shows landowners, natural formations, and advertisers
Iowa GenWeb
Biography of James A. Beck, founder of the Inn
http://iagenweb.org/boards/jefferson/biographies/index.cgi?rev=165712
A History of Dickinson County
http://iagenweb.org/dickinson/history/history1902btoc.htm
Clickable chapter listing of R.A. Smith’s 1902 history of Dickinson County
Page images of R.A. Smith’s 1902 history
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyofdickins01smit/?st=gallery
University of Iowa Library
https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui:atlases_3046
Standard Atlas of Dickinson County, Iowa, 1911