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.

 

 

Resource Page

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

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/pages/results/?state=&date1=1777&date2=1963&proxtext=okoboji&x=0&y=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&rows=20&searchType=basic

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

Find A Grave website

https://www.findagrave.com

Searchable website of more than 200 million graves

University of Iowa Library

https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui:atlases_3046

Standard Atlas of Dickinson County, Iowa, 1911