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McCracken Research Library

Find out what goes on in the Center of the West’s McCracken Research Library and get an insider’s look at the incredible photographs, archives, and manuscripts housed and processed by the library’s staff—who are still making some amazing finds within the collections.

July 2, 2026

Heart Mountain Through the Lens

Each July, former detainees, their families and descendants, gather at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center for the annual pilgrimage to reflect and…

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June 30, 2026

Speaking in Code: Rare Winchester Telegraph Code Books 

Among the rarest items in the McCracken Research Library’s archival collections are three Winchester Telegraph Code Books from 1905 and 1909. At first glance they look like…

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A Photoshopped image of the NYC skyline (urban skyscrapers) blending into the Wyoming skyline (mountain lanscape).
June 23, 2026

Eastern Chic and Western Mystique: New Yorkers and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West  

“The Buffalo Bill Center is the best Western museum that Eastern money can buy.” – Al Simpson Not long ago, I left…

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June 2, 2026

The Secret Custer Letter: Rediscovering Little Bighorn at 150 

Earlier this year, while reprocessing the MS 89 Jack Richard Collection, our Archives Assistant stumbled upon a September 14, 1975, article by Zeke Scher published…

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April 30, 2026

A Boy Named Pearl

Marbles, Mischief, and a Restless Boy One day during recess, Pearl Gray dared another boy to a game of marbles. Bud Crub…

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Close up look at library books on a shelf.
March 23, 2026

Research Made Easy: Exploring the McCracken Research Library’s Collections

Archival and library research can feel overwhelming for even the most experienced researchers. Everyone from family historians, students, writers, and lifelong researchers all start somewhere,…

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