Archives

Historical Records Collection & Preservation

The Iron Range Research Center is a library and archival facility whose purpose is the collection and dissemination of information about Minnesota's Iron Ranges. Individual, organizational, business and industry records as well as government records are stored in an environmentally controlled archival storage area. Archival records are accessible in the reading room. The majority of the Archival Collections are accessible only on-site, by arrangement with the Archivist. Please make an appointment to avoid visiting on a day that the Archivist is out of the office.

Philip J. Deloria, CA
philip.deloria@mndiscoverycenter.com
(218) 254-1229

If neither you nor your representative are able to conduct on-site research, our staff does offer custom research services. The charge for custom research is $30 per hour, billable in half-hour increments, with a minimum charge of $15.00. Fees are for the service of performing research on your behalf. Some research may yield unexpected results, or no results at all. In all cases, the fee will be charged, regardless of the outcome. Turn around time depends upon the type of research to be conducted, and demands from other customers. If the research requires more than 1 hour to complete, you will be contacted for your authorization to continue the research.

Digital Collections

The Iron Range Research Center has digitized items from a number of its collections. Use the external links below to explore our digital resources.

Search our Digitized Archival Collections
View the Archival Collections we have contributed to Minnesota Digital Library's Minnesota Reflections 

Government Documents

The Iron Range Research Center is a Minnesota Historical Society State Archives designated government records repository. Collections include public records from cities, townships, school districts and select county records from the Taconite Tax Relief Area.

Personal Papers

Letters, diaries, and other personal records are collected and stored in the Center's climate controlled archives.

Business & Industry Records

The archives collects and makes available records from the region's industries and businesses. Mining records include many maps, production, and operating records.

Church & Organization Records

Social, religious, and civic organization records from the Iron Range region are housed in the archives. Examples include the records of churches, Lions clubs, Sons of Norway, Boy Scouts, Izaak Walton League, etc.

Photographic Collections 

Holdings include over 2,000 photographic collections containing more than 300,000 Iron Range images dating from the late 1800’s to the present. Collection subjects include but, are not limited to, agriculture, architecture, business and businesses, community life, immigration, industry, logging, mining, people, schools, and main street scenes.

A/V Collections 

Holdings include audiocassettes, film, video, digital media and numerous documentaries covering the Iron Range from the early 1930’s to the present. There are over 1,400 collections, featuring 1,187 oral histories (635 abstracts / 196 transcripts).

Collection Access and Usage

Because photographic and A/V materials are covered by U.S. copyright law, each collection may have its own additional set of rights and restrictions stipulated in the original donation agreement, some collections can only be accessed and viewed. Other collections can be accessed and reproduced for private or public use in research, publications, or advertising. As a result, all material from the collections to be used for publication or commercial purposes, regardless the format of the image delivered, is governed by our Historical Materials License Agreement. Please consult the Archivist in regards to specific collection conditions. Click Here for detailed pricing and contact information.

Contributing Records to the Archives

Persons, businesses and organizations may deposit their records in the archives by contacting the archivist. Records are processed and organized according to standard archival procedures. Donor agreement forms govern the terms of access and use of the collections. Records are usually only accepted if they will be available for use by the general public. In some cases exceptions to this rule may be made by the archivist.