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Our Virtual Resource Hub enables researchers to receive a personalized service that allows them to pursue all aspects of their research safely and from anywhere.
The AHC is open for research with a pre-approved appointment. Visit the links below to plan your visit!
Contact our reference services
Browse the Public Portal to explore the AHC’s vast collecting areas, from Wyoming and Western history to Hollywood and the history of the entertainment industry, to the Transcontinental Railroad and America’s transportation industries, to mineral, coal, and oil extraction, to journalism, Women’s Suffrage, and diversity in the West.
The Union Pacific Historical Society was founded September 1, 1984 in Denver, Colorado to collect, organize, distribute, and publish information relating to the operation and equipment of the Union Pacific Railroad. It was an independent non-profit organization that preserved the history of the Union Pacific Railroad from it's beginning in 1862 to present time. The society was not supported by, or affiliated with the Union Pacific Railroad other than the preservation of its history. Collection contains Union Pacific publications, newsletters, diagrams and drawings, track charts, timetables, reports, maps, photographs, slides, negatives, and books.The Union Pacific Historical Society digital collection is a small sample of Union Pacific images found in the collection. Detailed information about the collection and its contents can be found in the on-line finding aid at https://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=wyu-ah10713.xml.
Past featured collections:
More than 100 years ago, Grace Raymond Hebard—UW faculty member, administrator, librarian, and Wyoming historian—began collecting the papers and reminiscences of Wyoming’s pioneers. Her research on the history of Wyoming, the West, emigrant trails, and Native Americans became the nucleus for what is known today as the American Heritage Center (AHC). Officially established in 1945, the Center now holds over 90,000 cubic feet of historic documents and artifacts in more than 3500 collections—placing the AHC among the largest non-governmental archives in the nation.
Today, the AHC contains important holdings in numerous areas. Its western history archives include materials on early women’s suffrage and political achievements, native Americans, ranching, politics, authors, and under-documented communities. Other featured collecting areas include transportation (railroad, highway and air travel), mining and energy extraction, entertainment and popular culture (with important collections featuring Hollywood, music, radio, television and the comic book industry), natural resources and the environment, and military history. The AHC also serves as the primary archives for the University of Wyoming. Connect with us on our social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Virmuze, and our blog - where we are #ALWAYS ARCHIVING.
Phone: (307) 766-3756
Fax: (307) 766-5511
Email: ahcref@uwyo.edu
Full Contact Information
As of January 2022, the AHC’s Reading Room is open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Entrance is by appointment only. The public galleries are open from 10:00 to 5:00 and closed from 1:00-1:30 for lunch. Covid may alter these hours. For up-to-date information and to make an appointment, please visit our How to Visit Guide.
Parking in the Centennial Complex lot is free but patrons must register (M-F 8 am-5 pm) at the AHC front desk. Special parking regulations are in effect during game days, please call in advance for more information.
The latest news and press releases from the American Heritage Center.
Centennial Complex
2111 Willett Drive
Laramie, WY 82071
For US Postal Service:
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY 82071
For UPS & FedEx:
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
16th & Gibbon Street
Laramie, WY 82071
Attn: Bill Hopkins
1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071
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