UMM Archives & West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center

The University of Minnesota Morris Archives and West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center (WCHRC) are housed together on the fourth floor in Room 420 of the Rodney A. Briggs Library.

The WCHRC was established in 1971 under funding provided by the Minnesota Historical Society and contains materials from the greater west central Minnesota region. Counties represented in the collection include Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Swift, and Traverse. Materials include oral histories, business and cooperative records, personal papers and government and institutional documents.

The University of Minnesota Morris Archives serves as the institutional memory of the campus and includes material from the various administrative arms of the college, records from the various divisions and disciplines, material provided by student organizations and the personal papers of administrators and professors.

Both collections operate under the direction of Professor of History Stephen Gross and are staffed by student workers and interns. Our facilities are open to the university community and to those members of the general public interested in local and regional history.

In addition to the UMM Archives and WCMHRC several special collections are also housed nearby. These include the American Indian Boarding School, Rare Books and UMM Scholarship Collections.

Please feel free to direct any comments or questions to: Archivist Stephen Gross
(320) 589-6172 or email

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