Archives Resources

Collections housed at the University Archives and Area Research Center (ARC) are divided according to their designation as part of the University Archives, Area Research Center Collections, Special Collections, or Photograph Collections. 

University Archives Collections

The University Archives is the official repository for the permanent historical records of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The University Collections pertain to the establishment, development, and history of the University. The University Collections also include a small number of museum-type artifacts.

Area Research Center Collections

The Area Research Center Collections contain local government records and local area manuscript materials owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society. 

The ARC Collections cover four northwestern Wisconsin counties—Burnett, Pierce, Polk, and Saint Croix. Materials generated by local government units include such things as naturalization (citizenship) records, tax and/or assessment rolls, court records, school records, city and county board minutes, and vital records. Private manuscript collections include such things as the records of local businesses, community organizations, and churches, and personal diaries, letters, and scrapbooks.

Special Collections

The UWRF Archives' Special Collections are comprised of local and county histories, printed family histories and genealogies, church and cemetery records, maps and atlases, newspapers from the four counties, oral histories, federal and state census records, local serials, and more. The book collection also includes rare or unusual publications; older agricultural, Civil War, and Wisconsin and Saint Croix Valley history books; area cookbooks; books authored by local area residents; and books authored by UWRF faculty, staff, or students.

Photograph Collections

Both the University Archives and the Special Collections contain photographs. The Photograph Collections are composed of thousands of photographs, daguerreotypes, tintypes, slides, and other images from the University and from the four-county region. 

Photographs that you might expect to find in the Area Research Center Collections can be found in the Wisconsin Historical Society's Visual Materials Collection, many of which are available online.

Featured Collections

You will find some of the collections featured—including some digital copies—on our Online Exhibits and Featured Collections page.