American Heritage Center

Help UW Capture History!

Take part in the COVID-19 Collecting Project

Announcements:

AHC will begin limited public access on September 10, 2020.

The American Heritage Center is currently closed due to Covid-19 precautions. The Center plans a phased opening in coming months. Phase 1 will begin on September 10 with use of the public reading room by approved appointment only. Appointments will be available between noon and 4:00 pm. This is limited to University of Wyoming students, faculty and staff who have gone through UW’s Fall Opening requirements. Appointments can be made by sending an email to AHCref@uwyo.edu. Later phases will broaden access to other researchers.

American Heritage Center

#Always Archiving

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. We are #ALWAYS ARCHIVING.