To wrap up the celebration of our 30th birthday, we wanted to share some useful resources. These include downloadable PDFs with info about preserving your own historical materials, a list of resources you may access from home, and information on local historical organizations.
As always, if you would like to access materials, make a donation, or ask questions, contact us at (303) 688-7730 or localhistory@dclibraries.org. You may also visit Archives & Local History (ALH) at Douglas County Libraries’ Castle Rock – Philip S. Miller location from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. We recommend scheduling an appointment for research questions so that we may better prepare materials for your visit. You can also check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts at @dclarchives.
Downloadable Resources
Additional Links
- HistoryGeo: This database is presented as an interactive map so you can view land patent boundaries and historic map overlays in context. It’s essential for conducting property research, and all you need to access it is a library card.
- Douglas County Genealogy: This page displays genealogical data compiled over years of local history research, focusing on families and individuals in Douglas County. Search or browse the Name Index to get started. More genealogical resources are listed on ALH’s Genealogy webpage.
- FamilySearch: Douglas County Libraries customers have expanded access to FamilySearch records. On desktop computers at all DCL branches (excluding Louviers), users can view records only available to FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries (DCL is one!).
- Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection: This free database compiles digitized, keyword-searchable newspapers from across the state of Colorado, dating from 1859 to 2020. CHNC adds new issues every year and is indispensable to researching Colorado’s history. To get involved in newspaper transcription efforts, check out these instructions.
- Digital Collections: ALH’s digitized collections are hosted on archives.dcl.org, where users can browse, search and download archival materials, including photographs, oral histories, documents, aerial photographs, and more.
- “Preservation at Home” Blog: In 2019, archivist Hannah Weber wrote about how to preserve your own materials at home. Read her blog here to get started. Plenty of other topics related to archives and local history are available using the search box at the top of this page: SEARCH THIS BLOG.
- “Activities from the Archives” Blog: In 2020, Julia designed some archives-inspired educational activities that can be done from home, including flower pressing, coloring sheets, cooking with native wild plums, and understanding the 1965 Plum Creek flood.
Partner Organizations
- Roxborough Area Historical Society
- Denver Public Library Western History Collections
- History Colorado
- Plains to Peaks Collective (Colorado’s Digital Public Library of America Hub)
- Douglas County Assessor’s Office
If you have any inquiries, reach out to ALH staff at localhistory@dclibraries.org or (303) 688-7730.