Yellowstone and the National Park Service collect, protect, and preserve objects, specimens, and archival materials related to Yellowstone’s natural and cultural history. These public collections are made available for research and educational purposes. They play an important role in resource management and function as baseline information.
With over 6 million items, Yellowstone has one of the largest collections in the National Park Service. The collections grow continuously with the addition of archival records, archeological artifacts, and scientific specimens.
To learn more, schedule an appointment to explore the herbarium or archives, sign up for a public tour of the museum collection, drop in during business hours to explore the library collection and public exhibits, or view our online collections anytime!
Heritage and Research Center
Before 2005, Yellowstone’s collections were stored in various locations both inside and outside the park, where they were subject to deterioration, damage, and theft. With the opening of the Heritage and Research Center, these collections, apart from historic vehicles, were relocated and stored in a single location. This state-of-the-art storage facility meets standards set by the National Park Service, the American Alliance of Museums, and the National Archives and Records Administration. Both the Heritage and Research Center and its staff enable the continued preservation of Yellowstone’s collections.
Bags and coats must be left in the lockers outside the library.
Patrons may only use pencils in the Reading Room. Pens are NOT ALLOWED.
There is NO public email access in the library.
Food and drinks are prohibited.
Copyright rules must be observed.
Copying from print and microform is available for $.25 a page. Digital photos (without flash) are allowed. Please be aware that fragile items cannot be copied.
The library staff can perform limited research for patrons by mail or in person. Please allow up to one month for all research requests. It is recommended that extensive research be done in person.
Visitors viewing public exhibits at the Heritage and Research Center.
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Current Exhibits
The Heritage and Research Center is primarily a collections storage facility and research center rather than a museum, but we do curate small exhibits for public viewing.
Women in Yellowstone: This exhibit tells the story of several women from the early history of Yellowstone National Park through their work as park rangers, naturalists, and entrepreneurs.
Park visitors can also see museum specimens and artifacts on display in the park at the Norris Ranger Museum, Albright Visitor Center, and Old Faithful Visitor Center.
The research library collects published and unpublished materials related to the greater Yellowstone area to make them available to park staff, researchers, and the public. The library collection consists of more than 20,000 books, periodicals, theses and dissertations, maps, unpublished manuscripts, microforms of historic newspapers and scrapbooks, brochures, technical reports, and audio-visual material. Support from Yellowstone Forever, private donors, and federal funding have allowed our staff to curate an impressive, possibly unsurpassed, library of Yellowstone’s resources. The library collection is owned by the National Park Service and is managed through a cooperative agreement process with the Great Basin Institute.
Yellowstone Archives Army Era Records
Archival Collections
The Yellowstone Archive and collections are open by appointment only.
The Yellowstone Archives contains records documenting the natural and cultural resources of Yellowstone. They also detail the military administration of the park (1886-1918), the evolution of the national park concept following Yellowstone's establishment, the formulation of management policies, records of park concessioners, and ongoing developments in park management today. The collection includes historic maps, photographs, films, oral histories, administrative records, and scientific data.
The Yellowstone Archives is an affiliate of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which allows the park to permanently hold federal records instead of transferring them to the National Archives. While legal custody of these records belongs to NARA, physical custody is kept by Yellowstone National Park to allow researchers to have the best access to both current and historical resources in one location.
The Yellowstone Herbarium is open by appointment only. (307) 344-2564.
The herbarium primarily contains plants collected in Yellowstone. Our specimens document the presence of plants in the park over time, and the history of plant collecting in the park. The collection includes more than 17,000 specimens of vascular and non-vascular plants, fungi, and lichens. Our oldest specimens date to 1899 and traveled to the World Fair in 1903.
The specimens are available for scientific study via loans to accredited institutions. Generally, loans are made for taxonomic or floristic research only, but exceptions may be made for other botanical investigations. A loan request from the researcher or curator of the institution where the specimens are to be shipped must be submitted in writing, email preferred.
First-time visitors must receive an orientation and specimen handling instructions.
Great care should always be used when handling specimens.
Specimens should be held flat with both hands, such that the paper cannot bend and damage the specimen.
Similarly, folders should always be carried horizontally and fully supported.
Specimens in folders should never be shuffled as it can lead to damage of the underlying specimen. Furthermore, specimens should never be turned over as a page in a book.
To inspect the contents of a folder, place it flat on a table, and stack specimens face up neatly to one side. Specimens on acidic paper should be maintained in a separate folder from the specimens on acid-free paper.
Never rest objects such as books, elbows, etc., on specimens or folders.
Specimens in need of annotation or repair should be brought to the attention of the herbarium staff.
Public tour of the museum collection at Heritage and Research Center
Museum Collections
Yellowstone’s museum collections can be viewed during free public tours Wednesdays at 4pm, with advance registration, between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The museum collections document the cultural and natural history of the world’s first national park and the conditions of its resources. They include historic, ethnographic, and archeological artifacts as well as biological, paleontological and geologic specimens. These collections tell the history of Yellowstone through exhibit and scientific research.
Yellowstone cares for a collection of over 25 historic wagons and vehicles spanning from transportation using the railroad all the way to tourist transportation such as a snowmobile or over snow Bombardier. Additional historic materials preserved by the museum include original material related to the original 1871 Hayden expedition, fine art, architectural elements, furnishings from historic structures and lodges, photographic material, publications, memorabilia, and souvenirs.
The scientific collections are historic collections collected over 100 years ago for exhibitions as well as current scientific specimens and data collected under permit.
Online Collections
Montana Memory Project: Collections include Superintendent's Annual and Monthly reports, maps and drawings, oral histories, and photographs.
Open Parks Network: Historic photographs taken by the park's official photographers and gathered into thematic albums in the mid-20th century.
Historic Slide File: Historic photographs from the museum collection organized by era and then by topic.
NPS Technical Information Center: Historic maps and architectural drawings, and related construction reports for all parks in the National Park Service. Use the search filters button to select Yellowstone.
In the Shadow of the Arch: The Heritage and Research Center's blog is used to highlight collections within the Museum, Archives, and Library.
Historical Vehicle Collection: Yellowstone National Park’s historic vehicle collection currently includes 30 horse-drawn and motorized vehicles.
William Henry Jackson photographs: The United States Geological Society has an extensive collection of photographs taken during the 1871 Hayden Expedition.
Thomas Moran's oil paintings: "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" and "The Chasm of the Colorado" anchor the exhibit Thomas Moran and the 'Big Picture' at the Department of the Interior Museum.
