The AHC was officially established in 1945. In the decades that followed,nearly 90,000 cubic feet of historically important documents and artifacts were acquired. The AHC is among the largest non-governmental archives in the nation. AHC collections go beyond Wyoming's or the region's borders and support a wide range of research and teaching activities in the humanities, sciences, arts, business, and education.

Major areas of the manuscript collections include Wyoming and the American West, the mining and petroleum industries, U.S. politics and world affairs, conservation, journalism, transportation, and 20th century entertainment such as popular music, radio, television, and film. Learn more about AHC collections in our catalog.

The Toppan Library is the University of Wyoming's rare book center. The collections consist of more than 40,000 items, documenting the history of the book from medieval illuminated manuscripts to the 21st century. Subject strengths of the holdings include the American West, British and American literature, early exploration of North America, religion, hunting and fishing, natural history, women authors, and the book arts

Scholars and the public from across the nation and around the globe--last year from 48 states and 21 nations (including Australia, Germany, Botswana, Brazil and Russia)--also access the collections of the AHC. The total number of researchers and long-distance reference requests has exceeded 8,000. In addition, the reference staff and the rare books curator gave more than 100 public tours and informal public presentations.

The AHC has been a regional leader in digitization efforts, contributing not only content but metadata expertise to the IMLS-funded Western Trails Project of the Collaborative Digitization Program. Its University archives is actively engaged with the University's Information Technology unit to define and implement best-practices for the identification and preservation of University (public) records.

The AHC is also home to educational programs like the Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership and the Wyoming History Day Program. Each year the AHC offers a variety of symposia, lectures, exhibits, and concerts that feature the AHC's collections for both a scholarly and public audience.