Many newspapers have interesting histories. The Frontier and Holt County Independent is no exception.

The Independent was founded in May of 1892. In December 1894, George A. Miles bought the paper from S. M. Weeks. It has been in his family ever since. Now George A. Miles' grandson, Arlen "Shorty" Miles, and great grandsons own the paper.

On July 29, 1880, W. D. Mathews founded the Frontier In 1965, the Independent's owner bought the Frontier because there wasn't enough business in the county for two papers. The Frontier and Holt County Independent became the largest weekly newspaper in Nebraska.

Before merging, the papers had differing political affiliations. While the Frontier was a Republican paper, the Independent was Democratic. Now The Frontier and Holt County Independent has no political affiliation and only prints local news.

Many papers have been affected by technology such as radio and television. This is not the case with The Frontier and Holt County Independent. Because the paper prints only local news, television has little effect on the newspaper. Radio has little effect because radio announcers can't elaborate on news due to time limits.

Technology has instead helped the paper. The use of offset printing and computers has led to increased subscriptions and reduced cost and work force. The paper now employs 17 people.

About 4,700 people currently subscribe to the paper. Many live in Holt or Boyd counties, but some live elsewhere in Nebraska and in other states.