Iron Range Research Center

“There is nothing more fundamental in preserving [Minnesota Iron Range] history than preserving it accurately.”  So said Governor Rudy Perpich at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Iron Range Research Center (IRRC) in 1978.  The IRRC’s staff identifies, collects, describes, preserves, displays, and makes easily accessible the historically significant written, oral, and visual records of Minnesota’s Iron Ranges.

The IRRC consists of two spaces: the library and the archives.

IRRC Library

The library collection includes numerous published resources on economic/political/social history, ethnicity, genealogy/family history, geology, immigration, industrial development and regional industries (logging, mining), local history, and natural resources.

The library staff specializes in assisting patrons with their genealogy/family history research.  You may email them at yourroots@mndiscoverycenter.com or call them at (218) 254-1222.

IRRC Archives

The archives consist mainly of unpublished documentary material such as audiovisual collections, government records, manuscript collections, map collections, and photographic collections.

Persons interested in using the archives should schedule an appointment in advance with the archivist at chris.welter@mndiscoverycenter.com or (218) 254-1229.

Hours of Operation

The IRRC library is open year round, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Access to archival collections requires a prior appointment with the archivist.