View and search this newspaper by clicking on the Chronicling America link below. This newspaper comes from the collections of the Kansas Historical Society and was digitized with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program. The first issue of The Independent was published in Oskaloosa on July 11, 1860. Contrary to what the name suggests, The Independent clearly stated: "we are for the Union, for our county, for the glorious Republic we have loved." The Independent was founded by John Wesley Roberts (1824-1900), an abolitionist and prohibitionist, who wrote his editorials from his home in Waynesville, Ohio, until he moved to Oskaloosa in 1862. Today, the Oskaloosa Independent, which succeeded the The Independent after its last issue on May 2, 1874, remains in circulation.

Creator: Roberts, John Wesley, 1824-1900
Date: July 11, 1860-December 30, 1865